Toscana Living January 2019 by Toscana of Desert Ridge

JANUARY 2019

INSIDE Meet the Candidates Night and More...

Living

Toscana Lifestyle YOUR NEIGHBORS' FAVORITES

By Mark Gatchell, Lifestyle Director

This delicious and easy to make stuffed mushrooms will be a big hit with family and friends! INGREDIENTS • 12 whole, fresh mushrooms • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil • 1 tablespoon minced garlic • 1 (8 ounces) package cream cheese, softened • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder • 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

5450 E. Deer Valley Drive Building 2 Phoenix, AZ 85054 www.toscanaliving.net Phone: 480-585-0808 Fax: 480-585-2859 Night Manager: 480-861-0875 Gate House: 480-513-0602 STAFF Nicole Careaga, CMCA Community Manager ncareaga@toscanaliving.net Christine Reeder Assistant Community Manager creeder@toscanaliving.net Mark Gatchell Lifestyle Director mgatchell@toscanaliving.net Katie Lucas Concierge Director klucas@toscanaliving.net NIGHT MANAGERS: Don Meeks Jackie Hernandez 480-861-0875 MAINTENANCE: John Raabe Maintenance Supervisor Keith Buc Kevin Wilson Ignacio Santana

DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Carefully break off stems. Chop stems extremely fine, discarding tough end of stems. 2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and chopped mushroom stems to the skillet. Fry until any moisture has disappeared, taking care not to burn the garlic. Set aside to cool. 3. When garlic and mushroom mixture is no longer hot, stir in cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, black pepper, onion powder, and cayenne pepper. The mixture should be very thick. Using a little spoon, fill each mushroom cap with a generous amount of stuffing. Arrange the mushroom caps on prepared cookie sheet. 4. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the mushrooms are piping hot and liquid starts to form under caps.

GATE HOUSE: Ron McCroskey, Saffron Caudle Chet Sanders, Hector Perez, Mariya Lilith 480-513-0602

ON THE COVER Breakfast with Santa

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Toscana Lifestyle

TOSCANA SIGNATURE EVENTS RESIDENT FRIDAY SOCIALS Fridays in January at 5 p.m., Palazzo Grande; RSVP by Friday at noon Except January 18 Food, fun and conversation - open to all Toscana residents. Join us for some snacks and non-alcoholic beverages. BYOB. Friday Socials are FREE. COYOTES VS EDMONTON OILERS HOCKEY GAME Wednesday, January 2, from 6:30-10:30 p.m. $59 Join us for the first game of the year! Your ticket includes transportation, parking, and admission to the game in the All-You-Can Eat section- all for $59 per person. We only have 15 tickets reserved, so register today! This event will most likely sell out! Game starts at 7:30pm. TOSCANA RESIDENT-LED BINGO NIGHT Wednesday, January 9, from 6:00-9:00 p.m. Palazzo Grande $6 Resident-Organized Bingo will be held Wednesday, January 9th. Bingo cards will be available at 6pm, buy in is $6, with game play starting at 6:30pm. Please bring exact change. Seating is limited, please do RSVP early. Thank you to the resident volunteers for pulling everything together! Please contact Lynn with questions at lynnjerrett@shaw.ca. DESERT WILDLIFE SEMINAR Saturday, January 12, from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Palazzo Grande The Phoenix Herpetological Society will be bringing select animals to Toscana to share information about desert wildlife & identification, including native venomous and non-venomous creatures. This seminar is sure to interest our year round and winter residents. Seating will be limited, so please RSVP quickly. MEET THE CANDIDATE NIGHT Tuesday, January 15, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Members of the association are encouraged to take the opportunity "Meet the Candidates", one of whom will be voted to our Board Member position, to be announced at the 2019 annual meeting.

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Toscana Lifestyle

TRUCK'N TUESDAY - FLYIN' HAWAIIAN Tuesday, January 15, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Join your follow residents for our Truck'n Tuesdays food truck night that is held every third Tuesday of each month on the cobblestones outside Palazzo Grande. Flyin Hawaiian is returning this Tuesday January 15, 2019. Bring your appetites....... and your wallets! TOSCANA TEAM TRIVIA Friday, January 18, from 5:45-7:45 p.m. Palazzo Vacanza Join your Toscana neighbors for an evening of great conversation and live team trivia. Teams will be organized as you arrive- or you may register as a team of 6. Special prizes and bragging rights to the winning teams! Go for the Big Brain Award! BOARD GAME DAY Saturday, January 20, from 2:00-5:00 p.m. Palazzo Grande It's another fun filled board game day in Palazzo Grande on Sunday, January 20, 2019. Come join your fellow residents for a variety of different games to choose from. Bring your own snacks and we provide water and soda. Please RSVP so we know how many tables and chairs will be needed. 8TH ANNUAL ARIZONA BALLOON CLASSIC Friday, January 26, from 5:00-8:50 p.m. $15 It's once again that time of year for the 8th Annual Arizona Balloon Classic in Goodyear, AZ. We have a very limited amount of tickets so please RSVP now! This is Arizona's premiere hot air balloon event. This event will showcase up to 30 hot-air balloons, including special shapes. Transportation provided and only $15.00 per person. 6TH ANNUAL BROADWAY COMPOSERS Monday, January 29, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. Palazzo Vacanza Join Bob Alexander for a look at the life and music of Jule Styne: The Great Collaborator. Bob will be talking about such songs as Funny Girl, Gypsy, Three Coins in the Fountain, Peter Pan and many more! This event fills up quickly so please RSVP now!

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Toscana Lifestyle A WORD FROM THE LIFESTYLE DIRECTOR By Mark Gatchell, Lifestyle Director Toscana Residents' Generosity!

Thank you to all that donated to the Santa Paws Project! It was a great success. Your generosity helped enable all the dogs and cats at the Maricopa County Animal Care and Control shelters to have a toy they can call their own as they await adoption by their forever f a m i l y. To s c a n a a l o n e donated over 75 toys this year, showing how just one community can make a difference. We are already looking forward to next year’s Santa Paws toy drive. Goal Setting

With 2018 in the record books and a fresh new start in 2019, we here at Toscana look forward to another exciting year of events and adventures. The new year brings new opportunity, for most. Many people use the start of the

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year to start setting goals for their lives going forward. We have done a bit of research and have come up with a few ideas one can use to help you in the New Year to accomplish your goals. • Start with small goals. You may be feeling motivated and excited to set a lofty goal of, for instance, exercising five days a week but perhaps you start out with three days a week and slowly build up to the five days a week. • Be realistic. Make sure your goals fit into your lifestyle accordingly. Many of us set goals that we quickly realize do not fit into our busy lives and end up losing motivation. • Make a plan. Determine what you want to accomplish in the long run and set up a plan that fits your busy life and slowly helps you accomplish your goals. Stressing yourself out over a short period of time only builds frustration and again leads you to lose motivation. • Stay positive. It can be very difficult making changes in your life and focusing on the negative side will only discourage you. Believe in your goal and try to constantly remind yourself of the benefits and

impact your outcome will have on your life. Focus on the positive and take your time reaching your goals. Small accomplishments lead to large accomplishments over time.

Toscana Lifestyle

COMMUNITY CONNECTION By Katie Lucas, Concierge Events to Experience in the New Year If your New Year’s Resolution is to get out to more local events, you’re in luck! The New Year is bringing in a ton of exciting events to the Phoenix area. ACE COMIC CON ARIZONA Pop culture fans rejoice! Ace Comic Con is returning to Arizona, January 11-13 at the Gila River Arena. This star-studded event will include appearances by Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones), David Tennant (10th Doctor), Charlie Cox (DareDevil), Alexa Bliss (WWE Superstar) and more. Not only will you be able to meet with the people who brought some of your favorite characters to life, but you can meet with creators, as well! Tickets start at $65, but you can get discounted tickets (while supplies last) through Groupon! MONSTER JAM Watch as 10,000 lbs of steel crushes its way through the State Farm Stadium in Glendale. The whole family will be entertained as some of the most recognizable trucks (including Grave Digger, Max-D, El Toro Loco and more) perform gravitydefying displays. Sit back and feel the rumble of these monster trucks deep in your bones for as little as $15, or visit Groupon for discounts on higher-priced ticket areas!

ELTON JOHN: FAREWELL YELLOW BRICK ROAD TOUR After more than 50 years, Elton John is saying a fond farewell to the stage. With 38 gold records and 31 platinum and multiplatinum albums, AND over 300 million records sold worldwide, Elton John is definitely a musical icon. Be a part of one of his final performances as he connects his past and future using some of the latest technology. Whether it will be your first or hundredth time seeing him, you won’t want to miss this farewell tour. Verified resale tickets for this legendary event start at $550 and there are limited seats available! WASTE MANAGEMENT PHOENIX OPEN “The Greatest Show on Grass” is back! The Waste Management Phoenix Open brings PGA celebrities to the valley for a multiday competition complete with tons of activities for spectators from January 28-February 3. Each year, this event brings thousands of excited attendees to the valley for a one-of-a-kind experience. Admittance is FREE (courtesy of Ford Free Days) Monday and Tuesday, and ticket prices for the remainder of the event start at $45.

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Toscana Events and Programs

Clubs

January 2019 Monday

Sunday

Tuesday

14 PG GYM CLOSED FOR CLEANING HIKING CLUB 9:30AM MAHJONG CLUB PG 6:30PM BILLIARDS HAPPY HOUR PG 5PM

20 BOARD GAME DAY PG 2PM

21 PV GYM CLOSED FOR CLEANING MAHJONG CLUB PG 6:30PM BILLIARDS HAPPY HOUR PG 5PM

LANDSCAPE COMMITTEE PV 2PM

MAHJONG CLUB PG 6:30PM BILLIARDS HAPPY HOUR PG 5PM

HIKING CLUB 9:30AM MAHJONG CLUB PG 6:30PM BILLIARDS HAPPY HOUR PG 5PM

LIFESTYLE COMMITTEE PV 2PM MEET THE CANDIDATE NIGHT PV 6PM TRUCK'N TUESDAY PG 5-7PM

BROADWAY COMPOSERS 6PM

Association Wednesday

NEW YEARS DAY OFFICE CLOSED

Events

COFFEE SOCIAL PG 9AM BILLIARDS PG 1PM POKER CLUB PG 6PM COYOTES VS OILERS 6:30PM 9

COFFEE SOCIAL PG 9AM CHAIR YOGA PV 11AM BILLIARDS PG 1PM POKER CLUB PG 6PM BINGO NIGHT PG 6PM

Thursday

Friday 3

CANDIDATE BIOGRAPHIES DUE PC 5PM HAND & FOOT PG 6PM

16 COFFEE SOCIAL PG 9AM CHAIR YOGA PV 11AM BILLIARDS PG 1PM POKER CLUB PG 6PM BOOK CLUB PV 6PM

23 COFFEE SOCIAL PG 9AM CHAIR YOGA PV 11AM BILLIARDS PG 1PM POKER CLUB PG 6PM

24 BOARD MEETING PV 9AM HAND & FOOT PG 6PM

30 COFFEE SOCIAL PG 9AM CHAIR YOGA PV 11AM BILLIARDS PG 1PM POKER CLUB PG 6PM

BOARD CANDIDATE VOTING BEGINS HAND & FOOT PG 6PM

Saturday 4

11 FINANCE COMMITTEE PV 9:30AM COFFEE SOCIAL PG 9AM GENTLE YOGA PV 11AM FRIDAY SOCIAL PG 5PM

12 DESERT WILDLIFE PG 9:30AM

CALL FOR CANDIDATES APPLICATIONS DUE PC 12PM COFFEE SOCIAL PG 9AM FRIDAY SOCIAL PG 5PM

18 COFFEE SOCIAL PG 9AM GENTLE YOGA PV 11AM TOSCANA TEAM TRIVIA PV 5:45PM

25 COFFEE SOCIAL PG 9AM GENTLE YOGA PV 11AM FRIDAY SOCIAL PG 5PM

ARIZONA BALLOON CLASSIC 5PM

31 HAND & FOOT PG 6PM

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In and Around Toscana CHRIS'S CORNER

By Chris Reeder, Assistant Manager Rollin' Into the Annual Meeting As we lace up our shoes and slide into 2019 at Toscana, we look forward to the New Year with high expectations and continued good spirits! One of our first big events of the year is our Annual Meeting of the members. The Toscana Annual meeting is always one of celebration of previous accomplishments- and commitments to projects for the year. Our theme this year is “A Night at the BowlA-Rama”, so you may want to break out that fabulous bowling team shirt. This meeting will be held at 6pm on Monday, February 11, 2019 at the Aviano Community Clubhouse. As part of our meeting this year, the Board will be appointing one resident to the Board of Directors. Owners will be asked to cast their vote for the open position for owner representation of the Board of Directors via a preference election. The Developer will then appoint the owner receiving the most votes to the Board of Directors for a two-year term commitment. Be sure to keep an eye out for your electronic ballot and instructions scheduled to be sent on January 17, via email. Should you need a paper ballot, they will be made available at the HOA office in Palazzo Centro after January 17. The voting process will be managed (and tallied) by a third party vendor, no voter fraud here! Please mark your calendar for the Annual Meeting to join the Toscana Ten-Pins at this exciting event for fun food, raffle prizes and plenty of striking fun! In order to prevent us from throwing a gutter ball, please RSVP to the email invitation when it arrives in your inbox. We hope to see all of you there to celebrate Toscana and ring in the new year with a bang!

NICOLE'S NOTABLES

By Nicole Careaga, Community Manager Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a fun and safe Holiday Season. As we enter into 2019 at Toscana we look forward to the future of this community. The future is positive for Toscana with new and exciting Lifestyle Events and by adding new owner to the Board of Directors in the upcoming Annual Meeting on February 11, 2019. As Chris mentions, at the Annual Meeting, the owners will be casting their vote for the open position for owner representation on the Board of Directors via a preference election. Our Call for Candidates went out in December looking for resident owners who wish to be included on the ballot for the 2019 election! Applications are due in by Friday, January 4th. Once we receive your application, you will be asked to write a short b i o g r a p h y, g i v i n g residents an idea of why they should vote for you, due by Thursday, January 10th. On Tuesday, January 15th, Toscana will host a "Meet the Candidates" night where residents can ask questions of the Board candidates and get to know their potential Board members a little better before voting opens on Thursday, January 17th. Just a reminder… Holiday lights and decorations visible from the outside of the unit must be removed by January 7, 2019, as outlined in the CC&R’s. Wishing all our Toscana residents great health, happiness and prosperity in the new year!

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In and Around Toscana UPDATES FROM YOUR MAINTENANCE TEAM By John Raabe, Maintenance Supervisor Smoke Detectors

Here at Toscana we have building smoke detectors in the hallways and common areas that are monitored by a service. Resident units have their own smoke detectors, which are not tied into this system. Smoke detectors inside units are resident responsibility to maintain. In order to keep them working properly (and avoid the dreaded beeping) it is recommended that you change your batteries once a year and replace the detector itself every ten years. All of the resident buildings at Toscana, except building 10, are now 10 years or older. So, if you still have your original smoke detectors in your unit, it is recommended that they are changed out, per manufacturer. In addition to the smoke detectors, there are sprinklers in your unit will go off if the temperature around that sprinkler reaches 135 degrees Fahrenheit. If your smoke detector is working properly,

it will alert you well before this happens, saving you a lot of money and hassle. You can purchase new detectors at Home Depot or Lowes for around $25.

RESIDENT GROUPS, CLUBS AND CLASSES BILLIARDS CLUB Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. Billiards Room in PG. Contact: Lynn at 602-301-5010 BILLIARDS HAPPY HOUR Mondays at 5 p.m. in PG BYOB BINGO January 9 at 6:00 p.m., PG $6 per card Contact: Marge at 480-585-0494 BOOK CLUB Wednesday, January 16 "Burial Rights" by Hannah Kent PV at 6 p.m. Register Here

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CHAIR YOGA Wednesdays at 11 a.m. in PV

COFFEE SOCIAL Each Wednesday and Friday, 9:00 a.m. in PG GENTLE YOGA Fridays at 11 a.m. in PV HAND & FOOT CLUB Thursdays at 6 p.m., PG. Contact Marge at 480-585-0494 HIKING CLUB January 14 and 28th 9:30am Contact Allen Poppa at apoppa@yahoo.com

MAHJONG CLUB Mondays at 6:30 p.m., PG. Contact: Susan at susan4266@aol.com STUD POKER CLUB Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m., PG. Bring $5 and your poker face. Contact 480-513-3615. WATER AEROBICS TBD

To share new clubs and classes ideas, please email Mark Gatchell at: mgatchell@toscanaliving.net

Photo Gallery

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Photo Gallery