Christmas in July

The last two weeks of July were like a gift that kept on giving.  I can't believe how much we packed in to 15 days.  Here are the highlights...

Palmyra/Letchworth State Park/Niagara Falls:

• Hill Cumorah Pageant
• Meeting friends from the ward at the historic sites
• The anti-Mormon protestor who shouted on a bullhorn up until the start of the pageant and right after it ended
• Being in the Sacred Grove
• Andrew's head getting closed in the car window
• Convincing the kids to eat at a "Greek" restaurant (the only thing Greek about it was its name)
• Sweaty hikes to see the awesome falls at Letchworth
• The worst hotel room ever known to man in Niagara
• Staking out a great viewing spot for the fireworks over the Falls at night
• The fun Maid of the Mist boat ride that nearly ruined my camera
• Glenn, Andrew, and Brooke getting soaked at the Crow's Nest
• The long, hot walk to an amazing pizza place

Swim Championships:

• Thousands of kids packed onto a small pool deck
• Sitting up in the spectator seats while trying very hard not to melt (remember, heat rises...)
• The storm that blew through and cooled everything off so that I could wait outside for the next event
• Emma and Leah putting in great races to finish off the season

Girl's Camp

• Becca's amazing braiding skills
• The Siamese Triplets (+ Alisha)
• Hiking at Nelson Kennedy Ledges, one of my most favorite places ever
• BUG BITES!!!
• Games in the field
• Canoeing
• Tipping the canoe, getting soaking wet, and not able to dry off for the next 24 hours
• Glenn coming up for the day, going canoeing with us, and deciding to stay for testimony meeting
• RAIN!!!
• Emma's, Leah's, and Becca's sleeping bags getting soaked and being taken to a laundromat to be dried
• More rain!
• Scrambling to get tents taken down Friday morning before even more rain came through
• Losing a tarp on the freeway on the ride home

Glenn's birthday (can you guess how old he is???)

Brooke's play, "This Just In..."

• landing the role of the mayor's wife in "Here On Who" (the number that the theater camp kids performed)
• getting a speaking part as a roving reporter
• AND performing in "Never Fully Dressed," "Lonely Goatherd," and "Go, Go, Go, Joseph"
• Emma and I working concessions and helping backstage
• Warm-ups with Harold
• Sound/mike problems
• "Jump in, jump out" backstage during intermission
• Long rehearsals during tech week
• Flowers from friends who came to watch
• Cast party at Buffalo Wild Wings and seeing Brooke have such a great time with her new friends

You can hear me exclaim as exhaustion I fight,

We sure had a great time, but to July--GOOD NIGHT!