Summer S's

It is officially SUMMER!
We've been on school break for several weeks now, and enjoying the change of routine!

SPORTS
Jason is playing Little League baseball and his team, the Mets, is undefeated so far this season. They won their 1st tournament game last night and play in the semi-finals tonight.  He is also in basketball camp this week, where they work him and the other 40 kids hard on skills, drills, and scrimmages, so he is one tired 12-year-old when we get home at night!

SABRINA
My niece came down from CT for a visit last week, to go to Teen Week at New Life Camp. She came a few days early so we had some time to hang out, and she and J went ice skating and played several games of Monopoly. 

SUN
The day before Teen Week began,  we drove down to the NC coast for a day at the beach!  I love spending the day with my family, but the beach isn't my favorite place, mostly because I don't enjoy sitting out in the sun!  But this time, we stopped at a "beach store" on the way and bought a BEACH UMBRELLA for me!  Perfect! 

the umbrella could be bigger... but it works for me

SMOKE
Wildfires 2+ hours east and southeast of here produced very smoky, hazy conditions here in the Triangle early this week, enough that a Code Orange Air Quality alert caused youth baseball games to be cancelled on Tuesday night, and camp to move all their activities inside for the afternoon AND all campers to sleep inside the gymnasiums on Tuesday night!  That was a first.  The winds have shifted and the smoke has cleared away now.  But that was weird. 


SOLDIER
Alex is home for 10 days of leave!  YAY!  He is heading to Iraq again in a few weeks, so we won't see or hear much from him for the next year.  So I'm trying to get my fill now. :-)   His 4 year commitment to the Army comes to an end in the middle of this deployment, but  he'll finish the tour and then get out when he comes back to the states.   I am proud of him for serving his country, but I have to say I'll breathe easier when he is out.  Hopefully the experience he has gotten as an officer will help him land a civilian job later on. 

SWEETS
I'm still baking cupcakes, and this week the flavor is "Elvis" - banana chocolate chip cake topped with peanut butter frosting, chopped peanuts and a banana chip.   Last week it was "S'mores" , which was chocolate cake sitting on a graham cracker crust, topped with toasted marshmallow frosting! Money is going to Amanda's mission trip to Uganda with Ten Eighteen and to help support Sarah during her internship with Safe World Nexus!