A Fun Time with Evan, a Missionary, and a Service Project

I am back from Camp Letts. It was, overall, really fun. The only real downside was the rain we had yesterday, but even that didn't ruin the experience. I'm glad I got to go with Evan and see him interact with his friends. I'm also glad I got to go and meet and really talk with some of the teachers and other parents. I so prefer to be behind the scenes or on my own when I volunteer, and my weird shyness takes over when I meet people for the first time, that I've never really taken the time to get to know very many other moms at school. Maybe being in the rain all day and the fact that we were all shapeless and soggy acted as an equalizer and I felt perfectly comfortable with all the other adults at the camp. Everyone there was really great, really focused on the kids' safety, and just impressive. For all the faults of the school system, this was a chance to see things go really well. I was happy that the principal of the school went along and took the time to interact with the kids. He knows most everyone's name, which is, in my book, a good thing. I don't know him well, and haven't had to go through any really difficult situations with him, but he seemed hands on, at least in this situation. Anyway, here are a few photos. Luckily, there is beauty to be found through the lens of a camera, even if the trail to find it is muddy and wet. Notice how different the camp looks in the rain and in the sunshine. Needless to say, today was glorious.



In other news, we got this photo of Jeff out on the Causeway near the entrance to the Panama Canal. He looks mostly the same except his hair is incredibly light from being in the tropical sun, and his hair is parted and gelled down. Usually it is soft and sort of left to its own devices. Other than that, he remains the Eric-clone he's been since the day he was born. Stay tuned for baby pictures when I do his birthday post. He comes home 7 weeks from today.

I forgot to post about the service project on Saturday, but it turned out to be a nice time. Our church Stake (sort of like a diocese or Parish) organized a service day where women could choose one of several service projects to participate in. My SIL Alex joined me and we went to visit an Assisted Living facility. We gave hand massages and chatted while some ladies sang oldies to the residents. I also made one of the flag quilt tops but forgot to take photo. I brought one home to finish, so I'll take a pic of that when it is done. I had heard about these from my pal Betsey on the Nook, so I was really excited to have the chance to try one. I want to make more of these because they are a really fun and worthwhile project and will satisfy the little longings I've been having to get back into quilting but have been squelching because of everything else I have my fingers in right now.

My new friend Irene: I gave her a hand-massage and we chatted.

The lovely singers.

Soldier Quilts. I love flags, and I know and love a lot of soldiers, so this is an especially fun project for me.