Tess had a very busy month. One week in Oregon with her BFF, home for 2 days then off to Trek, home for 2 more days, off to Powell, home for one day, off to girls camp. We've missed her. The house feels so empty with only 3 kids here. Weird.
She took her friend Ellie Jones to Lake Powell, so she'd have a friend. They had a good time with the 3 teenage boys, had their run of the boat, and spent lots of time with just the 5 of them.
She flew all by her lonesome to OR. I walked her to the gate in SLC, her BFF's mom picked her up at the gate in OR, but on the way home, she did it all solo. Alyssa's family moved to Oregon last summer, and it has been really hard for Tess. She saved her money and got her plane ticket in May. She had a great time, and wants to go back. Permanently I think...
We were driving home in the car a while back and I was telling her how to get dinner ready while I was gone, when I said, "Do you understand?" Not even looking up from her phone, she responded, "Uh huh... No. I stopped listening to you a few minutes ago. Can you just write it down?"
LOL. At least she's honest!
Her trek parents praised her up and down for being the one to set the cheerful tone, always have a good attitude, and to keep giving her all the whole week. We had one ward couple come over the week before and tell us they were praying they'd get Tess in their family. They didn't, but another from our ward did. One of the YW leaders. Tess ended up really loving them, while she hadn't really been too keen on her before. So that's good!
She said it was really hard, and 3 of her 5 brothers didn't pull or push their weight the entire week. She wished Luke had been there. Oh, and one of them is the kid from her car pool who has a crush on her, and kept touching her all week. She was very patient with him apparently, even though she wanted to punch him in the face. lol. I think she had a great experience. Although she was a bit frazzled when she first got home, right Melissa? lol. And FILTHY. Holy Cow. That white shirt she's wearing in the photo? Never coming clean. But, she didn't get any blisters. Even though she FORGOT the expensive wool socks I bought her JUST FOR TREK. Sheesh. Her feet are pretty tough, especially since she spent a week climbing trees -- waaaaay too high--- in the forests of Oregon barefoot the week before.
Getting ready to go!
That's Tess pushing. She's wearing her dad's side pack.
She and Chris are at girls camp this week. No cell service up there. Chris got roped into staying all week-- that was before we started on the basement (MIL moving in soon). Now he's a bit stressed about finishing it before school starts. The other PH guy? 18 yo. Rourke. No other men willing/available. Rourke has nothing else to do while waiting for his mission departure I guess. He's chatty Kathy and is driving Chris insane.
One of the leaders posted this photo on FB. I wonder how she has cell service...
Tess is never one to wear shoes if she can help it.
On the last night of camp, the girls did the 'hold to the iron rod' maze thing, where they blindfolded the girls and have them hold a piece of rope and then try to get them to let go and follow bad examples instead of following the iron rod to.... what is usually a picture of Jesus, right?
Well not our ward. When the girls successfully made it to the end of the maze, they took off their blindfold to see... the Bishop and his wife, in their temple whites, standing under a tree lit with glowing fruit.
*awkward pause*
Tess went over to Chris and asked, "So, the Bishop is my Savior?!"
Not sure where they were trying to go with that one. Pretty weird tho. (Ideas for camp Melissa? lol.)
She made it! To... her... eternal reward? Heaven with the Bishop? Anyone see where they were going with this? lol.
She had a good time at camp. The leaders did a great job, and whenever she was feeling like she needed some space, she'd go hang out with her dad for some down time. It was a busy busy month. She has a month to get ready for school. She got a part in Guys and Dolls, the school musical for next semester, so she's looking forward to that.
