wordless wednesday... the details

More Eagle Scout festivities to come...

how to plan an eagle court of honor...

He was a Cub Scout for five years, and earned his Arrow of Light, the highest honor in Cub Scouting. He climbed the ranks as a  Boy Scout from Tenderfoot to Life Scout, and then made the decision he was going to earn Eagle Scout.  Twelve years, and hours and hours of time and effort is something to make a big deal about.  A really big deal...

Step One:  Choose the date for the Court of Honor, and the venue, then check with all of your important people to see if it will work.  Hooray! Everyone said it was PERFECT!  Then, re-schedule it for the next day, because there is a chance your son will have to interview for a scholarship in a different state on the day you thought was perfect.  Now you can create your invitations.  After a disappointment at a certain drugstore that offered "premium paper" {thank you for not making me take these!} I created my own in photoshop, ordered from Mpix and was delighted!

front...

...back

Step Two: Start looking through pictures to find all of those adorable Cub Scout moments!  This of course, can turn into a huge job... especially if your pictures are on two different computers, several flash drives, and an external hard drive that may or may not have been dropped.  Oh, and then there are the years before I had a digital camera, but had the photos put on CD.  This might turn into the best time to organize all of your photos... or at least begin.  Once you find all of the pictures you thought were missing, you can try to finish the scrapbook you started ten years ago. Don't forget to put your absolute favorites in a different folder so you can make a power-point presentation that will make you cry your eyes out and wonder where the time has gone!  {Disclaimer- this step might have to be worked on through every other step of the process, until you finally decide it must be finished the night before the Court of Honor. And... your husband might gripe that he made everyone else turn in their completed presentations three days before the ceremony!} 

Step Three: Decide what you want to eat after the ceremony.  We decided to have a cake and punch reception, and thought about making the cake ourselves... until we had the super-fancy-and-delicious cake at another Eagle Scout ceremony!  We went to the bakery, Cam tasted some white chocolate mousse filling, and we asked the advice of the very experienced bakery how much cake should we order? We were very happy with their advice and and recommendations... and then we second guessed them and changed our order to include a larger cake.  I also ordered some very special, beautiful cookies that I just had to have.  As for punch, I didn't want red... so I tweaked our favorite lemon/lime refresher punch recipe to include strawberries and lemon sherbet.  You might have to change up the punch recipe in the grocery store when you discover that they don't sell lemon sherbet. And if you are just not sure how much to buy?  Throw a few extra bottles of lemon/lime soda... you might need it to wash down all of the leftover cake!

Step Four: Send away for letters of commendation.  There are Boy Scout sites that have lists of addresses- there are some you can even do online!  And you can even have a flag flown over the Capitol Building to honor your scout!  We took the note to go for quality over quantity, and chose to request from people that would mean something to Camden.  The president, George W. Bush, JK Rowling, Dale Jr.  It takes a while to get these, and Cam is actually still receiving some. You might even receive a letter that will take your breath away and have you keeping a secret for months...

Step Five: Write the ceremony. You can check out the Boy Scout sites again, and there are books, too, that have sample scripts.  Of course, don't forget Pinterest!  You can pick & choose, cut & paste and rewrite to your heart's desire. Some are flowery, others are very formal.  If your guests don't know as much about scouting as you think they should, choose some segments that will make it come alive for them.  Make it meaningful. And... if you have a way with words, be brave and write from your heart, then take a deep breath and decide to read the words in front of your family and friends. They may say they hate you afterwards, but it is probably only because your made them ruin their mascara.

Step Six: Plan your decor.  This step makes me giddy.  I had all kinds of pie-in-the-sky ideas {thanks to Pinterest, of course} and moms who had already had their ceremony offered me whatever they had left over.  But I am me, and I had my own ideas... which turned out to be very simple and easy. I wasn't trying to out-do anyone.  Glass vases, American Flags, clear plates, cups and forks with flag napkins for accent.  Fresh flowers from church.  Tablecloths I already had (plus a borrowed one or two.)  A few curtain sheers that somehow were arranged to look like the Eagle Award.  The only crafty things I made were two paper banners to decorate the fronts of tables, and one of those was re-purposed from Christmas.  But if you are still working on Step Two while you are figuring out Step Six, your son might have a few words for you.  He might say I think you are over-doing the pictures, in which case, you decide not to add a photo to the flag vases that will go on each table.

Step Seven (which is kind of a continuation of Step Six, and closely related to Step Two):  Put all of your memorabilia together so that it can be displayed.  His Cub Scout shirt and hats.  Pinewood Derby cars and trophies. Patches and awards.  There are some great examples of scout shadow boxes online (ahem, Pinterest) and if you can find all the pieces you are looking for in the first trip through the boxes on the top shelf of the closet, you might be able to replicate one.  Or... as you admire them online, you might find that the WEBELOS Compass with the earned points might be among the missing... along with the American Heritage Award, and Tiger Cub bead-y thing-y. You could still manage to make a beautiful shadow box, or you could just lay it all out on the table willy-nilly and give people the opportunity to be able to admire and pick up the patches and... see what they feel like?

Step Eight: Make a program. Or not. I did, but only because I like to know what is coming when I am sitting in the audience, and I wanted some of the scouts to have a job to do at the ceremony.  The truth is, most people won't keep the program... even though it has a really great picture of your son on the front.  I made ours in Publisher, and it didn't print exactly as I had planned... but I put those imperfect pieces at the bottom of the stack and moved on.  Done is better than perfect. And if my mother happens to get one of the icky ones?  She will still think it was beautiful... because it has a great picture of her grandson on the front.

Step Nine: Recruit help.  Friends and family will offer to help... say yes.  Write out a set-up plan (with sketches if need be!) and let them follow your instructions.  Recruit a few someones to cut the cake and maybe someone else would offer to mix the punch.  And if you are your family photographer, hire a high school student who has a nice camera and loves to take pictures.  I couldn't ask anyone to live this once-in-a-lifetime-moment through the camera!

Step Ten: Breathe. Tell your son how proud you are of him. Sit back and enjoy the day... even if that means wiping away the tears as his sweet little face slides by in the power-point and then again when his Scoutmaster recounts the years that brought him to this moment.  Bask in the glow... because anytime your child is shining, it also reflects on you. Smile, visit with your guests... and hope that no one asks for that punch recipe...

More Eagle festivities to come...

four, two, five, two, twelve...

Saturday we celebrated Camden's friend John...the final boy in our group of four to have his Eagle Scout Court of Honor.  I am happily exhausted... there has been much joy in this "season." I can't begin to tell you how proud of them I am... these {young} men have worked so hard, overcome, and risen to the top...

And these two? {I can't hardly think it without tearing up}
In 2008 they embarked on an journey with their own sons, not knowing the work they would put in, the patience it would require, or if they even had the right tools to get the kids to Eagle.  But they just kept keeping on, walking along side of them for years, offering all they had, and then a little bit more. Along the way, the leadership grew.  I am so incredibly thankful for these great men.

Camden & John joined Cub Scouts in the first grade, and became fast friends. It has been one of the best adventures of our life...

Eric spoke during John's ceremony, and tears rolled down my face.  So many memories, so many friendships.  I was kind of okay until he talked about the friendship between John & Camden, because he hit it right on the money.  They couldn't be more different... hobbies, personalities, career goals... and yet?  They can hang out for hours on end just being friends. Truly two of the best teenage guys I know!  And while I may be a little biased, that they both had elementary and high school teachers come out to celebrate them, says that I may not be the only one who feels this way.

More Eagle festivities to come...

this and that...

Work has been crazy.
Home has been a flurry of preparation.
I am tired, but exhilarated.  This weekend we will celebrate Camden and he will receive his Eagle Scout Award.  The dreaming and planning has been fun, and I can hardly wait to get to Sunday and see it all come together!

Also?
I am so proud of this boy I could bust.  Seriously.
He heard from his last college the other day and he is in. Again. Seven for seven.
I don't know how he will decide... I just keep up my faithful prayer that God will provide the right place and the right finances, and Cam will just know.  One college trip planned, another on the horizon. At least he has a couple more months!

While I have been busy not writing, life has kept on happening.
Things like Empty Bowls, and Chalk Art, and children getting older.
I probably didn't even tell you we went "around the world in a day" for Laura's birthday!

I just wanted to let you know I am still here...
and after next week, I will have a little more free time.
Maybe.

moving right along...

When he was this small...

tiger scout, first grade

it may have crossed my mind. Or maybe not. As he grew and became more and more involved in scouting, I had high hopes... that he might achieve Eagle Scout.  At the time I had no idea what it really involved, but with each new rank he earned, I learned a little bit more.  Today, he is standing on the threshold.

Over the past few months, he has been working hard, making lists, and making those items on his to-do list come alive. Eagle project proposal, check. Pancake breakfast, check. Donation letters, check. Thank you notes, check. Project, in progress...  


These posts now mark the miles on the path at the end of our safari road.  The logistics of getting materials and crews out on the twelve mile trail were tough, but this project has been important to him.  I know he is now at the point of just wanting to be done, but I think sooner than later, he will look back and he will fully know how much this experience means to him.

Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty...
I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life.
I have envied a great many people who led diffcult lives and led them well.

-Theodore Roosevelt 

pancakes, please...

Spring break was spent filling out his Eagle Scout project proposal.  It was a lot of work, many revisions. We cheered right along with him when it was approved so quickly- the work he put in up front had paid off. This weekend, we walked beside him as he took another step... a pancake breakfast fundraiser.

Cam followed all of the steps to get the breakfast approved, made lists of what we needed, and even went out and asked for donations.  He persevered, and finally someone told him yes, and handed him a $30 gift card... and my sister earned a great big hug for getting a donation from someone she knows.  We did our last shopping Thursday night, and coached him through his final plan for Saturday morning.

When Saturday morning came, I could tell he was finally nervous.  After taking a moment to pray, and take a deep breath, he looked a little more confident.  And when he stood up in front of all of his volunteers and started directing, he amazed me.

Pancakes were flipped and enjoyed by family, friends, and scouts from all over the county. Camden shook hands, thanked people for coming, and took time to talk to people about his upcoming project.  He offered more juice, bussed a few plates, and directed his volunteers all at once.  And when it was done, and his scout-mates finally sat down to eat their pancakes, he started the cycle all over again. All on his own, he made sure he was the last to eat.

I knew he would be great... even, amazing.  But to see it play out before my eyes was all-together different. All of the hopes and the maybes were in the past... and the reality of who he is, the man he is growing to be, is as plain as day.  It was a sweet thing that his Aunt Pam wrote in a card to him... from the first time I met you, I knew you were destined for greatness.  It touched my heart... and I know it touched his.  Probably gave him a little extra confidence to go on.  I am so thankful that I get to be his mother...

Soon he'll start making progress on his actual project... and we are beyond excited to see how it all plays out!

scenes from memorial day

It was a beautiful weekend. 
Sunshine, breezy days, remembering, and living.

This was the year we were finally able to attend the special Memorial Day service at our old church... and I hope that it will become a tradition for us.  The click of soldiers heels as they crossed the marble floor bearing colors, wreaths presented and smart salutes weigh heavy on a heart, but the sweet strains of patriotic songs lifted us in celebration of our beautiful nation.  And I am forever proud to see my husband stand tall as the U.S. Coast Guard verse is played...

The boy scouts helped out at the cemetery Saturday... making sure each soldier's marker was celebrated with red, white and blue.  Camden was honored to help.  We drove down later to see the flags flying in the golden sunlight... and in the quiet of the evening, we were reminded that freedom is never free.  Seeing our flag fly in the breeze moves me... seeing hundreds brought me to tears.

I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives.
I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him.

-Abraham Lincoln

for life...

Nine and a half years ago my sweet little boy began the journey of scouting.   All he knew was that he loved his orange Tiger Scout tee, and it was really fun to go and hang out with his friends and the Daddies.  Five years ago, my much taller, but still sweet, son embarked on adventure in our backyard... way back when  Boy Scouts began.  And last night... he received his Life Scout rank.  This taller-than-me young man is still super sweet {sorry, Camden, but it is truth!} and now he has a backpack full of lessons that will carry his through his whole life.

A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly,
courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty,
brave, clean, and reverent.

 

I am so thankful that he values scouting as such an important part of his life... and the fun that comes along with it is only a bonus.  And while he walks this path, his Dad is walking right along side him... close enough to cheer him on, and with just enough distance between them to watch Camden stand on his own.  Stay tuned... the next stop? Eagle Scout.  With a lot of hard work and perseverance, I believe he will make it.

click here for a "remember when" post!