Farewell, Nauvoo

As we crossed that little steel bridge across the Mississippi and away from our beloved Nauvoo, I thought again about bridges.  When we crossed into Nauvoo we didn't know what to expect, only that we felt we should go. We crossed out of Nauvoo changed in good ways we never expected.  But crossing the bridge was also a leaving, leaving behind the Zion we had found there and the people we had so quickly and easily learned to love, and turning our faces homeward.  We comforted ourselves by playing the pageant music and singing along, including counting out all the dance steps in the appropriate places. We also talked a lot in the car, as we processed our experiences, what we wanted to take away, how to implement those changes, and we wrote down some goals.

Our trip home was uneventful mostly.  The highlight was on the afternoon of the second day, when we were exhausted from the journey, as we pulled into a gas station in Wyoming, our district family, the Barnes pulled in right behind us.  Kaitlin had been texting with their daughter and they had been trying to catch up with us all day.  We jumped from the car and hugged each other, right there in middle of the parking lot.  Later Kaitlin said how glad she was to see the them, that it meant for her that our friendships and experiences we had in Nauvoo were real and would carry on with us, all the way home to Utah.

Girls Camp

We got home on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning we drove Ruth off to Young Woman Camp.  When we got there, however, the camp was empty. We texted with the leaders and learned that they were on a five mile hike, so we got the location and decided to try to meet them on the way down.  We ended up hiking a mile and a half up a rather steep incline.  The hike was beautiful and lined by thousands of wildflowers in every color. When we reached the lake, the other girls were so excited to see Ruth that they greeted her with hollers and hugs.  Ruth came home from camp on Thursday and said she had had a good time.

Scout Camp

After spending a few days doing laundry and grocery shopping, I was off to Webelo Scout Day Camp with Jared and six of my Webelos.  We had a fun day learning compass skills, shooting BB guns and doing archery.  Jared went back on Saturday as well, but I got to stay home and rest.