Yesterday I attended Nick and Madison's wedding reception. It was truly so special. The love that they have for each other is so STRONG that it's just a inspiration to me of all that is good in the world. They had quite the crowd come out to help them celebrate. They are both just wonderful people and deserve so much happiness. There was just a feeling of happiness that I could not even begin to articulate.
Earlier in the day, I went to Zach's second game with Cottonwood High School (Colts). He plays 16 U for the Summer too. He played the entire game and did great. He had a huge hit and that always makes him in a super good mood afterwards.
He definitely looks older than the average 14 year old now. ha!
Here he is running in to score. Did I mention that he is THREE inches taller than me now?
I am just having a hard time leaving my family tomorrow. You see today is my last day home with McKay (she is going to her dads for a week before she starts college). She cleaned up her entire room and put everything into boxes and cleaned out her room. I went to her room and it made me REALLY sad and I decided to walk away and not watch her pack her suitcases. Hmmm....this is a major family change and I will miss her so much!
Also, Ty is going to camp tomorrow at 9am for THREE entire weeks. We have had McKay, Ty and I all packing today after church. The camp Ty is attending is a service camp. Many young people today lack work ethic and the self-sufficiency to be out on their own and it is creating problems in their lives. The focus at Breech Creek Service Ranch is to teach 12-15 year old boys (and girls- they go at a different time) the value of hard work, the ability to face challenges, and the importance of being engaged members of a community.
This is not a reform camp or treatment program. It is a camp for good kids who have not had serious behavioral problems in the past who wish to have a positive experience in Rural Utah learning to appreciate the outdoors, being engaged in the community, and learning the value of hard work. The campers engage in farm work and community service. They work to maintain the ranch facilities and help the neighbors. The staff and campers contribute about 4000 hours of service to the local community each summer.
Each morning is several hours of service followed by the boys engaging in a variety of outdoors activities and arts and crafts. These activities include: soccer, basketball, rock climbing, hiking, wood-work, ceramics, and many other activities. Guests come to hold concerts and discussions and group activities with the campers. These discussions are designed to culturally broaden the campers’ experience and help them learn to think critically and form their own opinions. Group activities also reinforce community mindedness.
So the goal is this:
Character building
Principled living
Appreciation of hard work
Increased sense of civic-engagement
Community minded
Increased resiliency to life´s challenges
Appreciation of nature
Better attention span and study habits
It is so hard for me to think that for THREE weeks my son will be gone. However, I believe in being honest. I know that he is at a critical point in his young 13 years. He is a great kid- 4.0 student and has not been in trouble ever. However, as the baby of the family he seems to just "expect and expect" and seems to always think that he is entitled to things. Ugh... it was a blessing to be able to send him to a camp that Ty and I both feel will help him be a better young man from the experience. I love that it is character building and they build the boys up.
So tonight... we are watching Tangled together and enjoying being together. We even skyped with Matt and Kayla today and saw the little ones. Maxson is talking tons. He is counting to ten and was so excited to see PAPA. They have the cutest relationship!!!!
PS I want to thank the person who mailed the nicest card to me at my office recently. I wanted to share the quote on the front of the card: "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart." Helen Keller