Our Summer

I feel like I have barely breathed these past four weeks. They have been incredibly busy. We've never had a summer quite like this one before.

Almost immediately after school released for the summer, the boys headed to the Aaronic Priesthood Encampment. Like I already journaled, they had a great time, despite the many miles walked and the many blisters gained.

After the Aaronic Priesthood Encampment, we had a few days at home before Mark, myself and Taylor headed to Youth Conference, while Spencer went to stay with his friend, Tyson. Spencer had a great time, like we expected him to, with Tyson and his family. I am grateful, because it made it easy for me and Mark to fully enjoy Youth Conference, which we did. This was our second time chaperoning. Chaperoning is such a unique experience. It keeps us busy and tired, but in a very good way. The youth are so full of energy and excitement and hope, and they pass that onto us. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with the youth, even if just for a long weekend. I am also grateful for the opportunity to spend extra time with Taylor and for the experiences she personally had.

After a day and a half back at home, filled with church and laundry, we sent Taylor to EFY. This is her second time attending. Last year she went with her cousin, Talia. This year she went with her friend, Brooke. Just like last year, she came home with fun memories and a stronger testimony. EFY has been a blessing to us as well as Taylor.

After another day and a half back at home, again filled with church and laundry, we then sent Taylor to Girls Camp. By this point, Taylor was pretty exhausted, but she left for Girls Camp with a good attitude and had a great time. It is hard to believe this was her fifth year of Girls Camp. Next year will be her final year, which doesn't seem possible. Girls Camp hasn't always been easy for Taylor, but she stretches herself and makes the most of it. I am grateful for her example.

Well, Taylor made it home from Girls Camp around noon on Friday. Just a few hours later, we dropped Spencer off at the church for a Scout troop campout. They were headed to the beach for an overnight campout and twenty five mile bike ride. He arrived home yesterday tired and sore, but he had a great time, despite giving all of us a scare. When I picked him up from the church, his Scoutmaster told me to keep an eye on him, because they had considered taking him to the hospital for heat exhaustion. That was not something I enjoyed hearing. Well, we did keep a close eye on him. He seemed to be doing fairly well on Saturday night and has been doing well today. From the sound of it, he had only had a mild case of heat exhaustion, which made for a long and difficult bike ride, but he was able to recover quickly after finishing, for which we are grateful.

So, that has been our summer so far. It has been enjoyable, but a little too busy. Thankfully, life calms down a little bit from here on out. This upcoming week, Taylor will be attending an SAT prep class offered through our school district. Then the kids and I (and Mark, for a little bit,) are headed to South Carolina to visit my sister and her family. She is due with her third girl very soon. I can't wait to get there and help her out in any way I can and to meet my newest niece!  After our time in South Carolina, Mark's sister and family will be visiting us for a long weekend. A trip to the beach will be in order while they are here. After that, Spencer has another Scout troop campout, this time including a fifty mile bike ride. (Yes, I'm a little nervous!) And then, it's back to school shopping, which I don't even want to think about. I'm going to sit back and enjoy this summer, as much as I can with all this good busyness.