July 2019 Family Update
Facts.
1) Puppies are SO cute!
2) Puppies are a LOT of work.
…and that about sums up July. Kidding. We did all kinds of other fun things too.
In a fun surprise, we got to see our friends who were traveling from NC to TX and made a special pit stop near us in Nashville. We got to check our their awesome school bus conversion. 
As per tradition, we went down to Alabama for the 4th of July to spend it with my family. Mom is doing well. She continues to surprise us all and has been pretty stable the last few months.
As soon as we got home, we got Skylar packed up and she headed off for BSA Scout Camp. She had an incredible week despite the heat and primitive conditions. Her biggest accomplishment was completing the Wilderness Survival Merit Badge. The final task included hiking to a remote area with no gear and being required to build a shelter and spend the night. Y’all I was a nervous wreck about this but she totally crushed it! She was the youngest scout, the only female, and she completed her shelter before anyone else. She said she only got about 30 minutes of sleep but she was beaming with pride having completed this activity. She’s been binge-watching survival shows for as long as I can remember, so I know that she was made for this!
At her Court of Honor she also received merit badges for Indian Lore, Leatherworking, and Fish & Wildlife Management. She’s super close to hitting her next rank too! Her troop recently planned out their activities for the school year and they have so many neat trips and activities on the horizon. If you have a girl ages 11-17 who might be interested in BSA, please let me know! Wilderness Survival is completely optional, promise! They meet on Tuesday nights in Mt. Juliet at 6:30 pm.
The week after BSA camp, she completed a 3-day Jr. Ranger training at Long Hunter State Park. I’ve been trying to get her into this camp for the last 3 summers and we finally lucked out! She enjoyed it so much, especially since she’s recently decided that she wants to be a park ranger when she grows up.
We’ve had lots of visitors coming to see our pups, which has been a lot of fun. Otherwise it’s been par for the course. We tend to stay put during the summer for a couple of reasons. For starters, I don’t like traveling when everyone else is out of school. Secondly, there is a LOT of grass to cut around here. Plus, we’ve had these puppies to take care of. But we have 4 trips coming up this fall and I’m really looking forward to those.
Despite our slow start, my garden is finally producing pretty steadily. I overplanted zucchini, squash, and basil but I’m excited about the peppers, corn, and tomatoes that are starting to come in.
School will start back for us around mid-to-late August. I am 0% interested in starting school on August 1st like the rest of TN. Until then, we will look forward to the Fair! That’s the official end of summer if you ask me. Although, we always try to push it a bit longer. LOL!
