David Whitesell, Eagle Scout

Here is my chance to brag about David. This post is about him.

David has been doing scout activities for the past few years. He started with Cub Scouts in about the 3rd grade, and Frank and I participated in different ways with his troops: weekly activities, Pack Meetings, and summer camps.

Then he got into Boy Scouts, and Frank was lucky enough to be the leader of his troop or participate as an adult leader volunteer for many activites, for a couple of years. Campouts, scout camps, merit badges. David had a buddy in his Mexico City troop who had a goal of getting his Eagle (highest rank in Boy Scouts) by the time he was 13. David picked up on that, and set his own goal as the same.

Last spring it became apparent that it really might be possible to do just that...could he get his project organized and finished, paperwork turned in and the Board of Review happen, before his November 1st 13th birthday?

Hmmm...add to this the poor timing...Frank had already started his job in Boston while the rest of us stayed in California, so it would mainly fall upon Mom to push through with the project... we were split across the country as a family, preparing to move to Massachusetts and trying to sell our CA house in a really cruddy market! Mom's sanity level was questionable, at best...

BUT. He talked to the proper school officials over the course of a month, and they figured out what he could do to help his middle school, for the project. He would paint parts of the school auditorium: closet doors under the stage area, and all the closets across the back wall.

We worked for 4 days (during the 2 weeks after school was out, when the building was still open during the days), 3-5 hours each day. David organized volunteers and supplies, and asked for donations to help the project along. Church members stepped up and volunteered their supplies and time...it was really inspiring to see!

Here are project photos: Before...


during...




and AFTER...




Now, fast-forward the summer. We moved, sold our CA house, found a house in MA. David completed and turned in paperwork (the paperwork should have its own merit badge, BTW), and COULD have had a Board of Review before his 13th Birthday Nov. 1st. Other scouts were ahead of him, however, so his was pushed out a month. he had his Board of Review November 19, and passed! YIPPEE!

His Court of Honor was last Tuesday. It was neat to see it culminate, his efforts acknowledged. We are really proud of him. Here are some photos from that night:












pinning on my "Eagle Scout Mom" pin...
















his cake...








and a flag Frank ordered for him. This flag was flown over the U.S. Capitol building, on David's birthday, last November.



(We may be a little biased, but we think David is pretty neat. We're glad he's in our family.)

Kari

Moving Boxes and Mom visitor!

Hola!

(You can click on the photos to enlarge.) I wish the movers had been a little more careful, but...here is a photo of the boxes they delivered.












Didn't anybody read that yellow SIGN on one of them?Well, you would THINK we could have some closure on "moving..." but I'm afraid the reality is, we never, ever will... :)

For the past 12 weeks, besides babysitting contractors, I have been ever so S-L-O-W-L-Y emptying boxes. I put them out on the deck when they are empty. The problem with that is, while it gets them out of my sight for the moment, it is now winter here. These boxes have been rained on, snowed on, sleeted on, blown this way and that, and yes, gone through some pretty low temperatures!

So when we called the moving company last week, and requested that they come get these boxes and take them away, their instructions were: "Have them as DRY as possible." I just shook my head. DRY?


These boxes were basically covered with snow, or frozen SOLID to the deck. (They want them "DRY?!?") All 5 of us worked on them: we dug them out of snow, melted ice and pried them off the deck, and put them in the driveway all in a group, so they could just back up the truck and load them in. Easy, right?


Well, no. I was gone all day, very excited to know that when I returned, there would FINALLY be NO more boxes in the driveway. But what do I see? THEY LEFT THEM ALL. Oh, dear. 5 of us worked a total of 4 hours to get these in the easiest possible state to be hauled away. What happened?


The message they left was, they couldn't take them away (are you ready for this?) "BECAUSE OF HEALTH REASONS." Oh, that's right, I forgot about the disease-carrying rodents that live in there...my mistake...(?!?! (Sarcasm, of course! We really do NOT have rats!!)

So...NOW what? Frank calls our trash/recycle guy and asks him if he'll take them. "Sure, no problem." Whew! He came the next day.

Now we have full use of the driveway again. Yippee!


VISITOR :)
Now, to the fun part of the weekend. Grandma Kay (my mom) came to visit! Why Boston in January? So she could go to David's Eagle Court of Honor. It was awesome--that will be a blog for NEXT week.

Meanwhile, we crammed in as much activity as possible. We even had a 6-inch snowstorm while she was here, and we went sledding. Here are some photos, including the science museum,

sledding

and some sugar cookies she and Kara made. (Life is so much better with sugar cookies...) Have a great week! Kari

Flames and Resolutions

Hello and Happy New Year!

Well, it is the 4th, so maybe the year is old already...? Our neighbors had a New Year's Eve dinner for 5 or 6 families close-by. This was the first time in years that I actually stayed up to watch the ball drop on t.v.!

(FLAMES.) Then of course the next-generation "Evel Knieval" (his son or something) did a motorcycle jump.



Through fire.

He kept on practicing, making us THINK he would do the jump, then... it would just be a practice round.

Then they had a video-game-like simulation, of the catastrophes that MIGHT happen..."If he doesn't make the jump," the announcer says dramatically, "he will crash into this wall!" And then you watch this video game guy crash into the wall. They were really stretching it to fill time.

Of course he jumped, and made it, and it lasted all of 5 seconds. No wonder they dragged it out. :)

(RESOLUTIONS)
January is often a time of resolutions for the coming year.

I have made the very same New Year's Resolution for the past 5 years or so. Just one word...it's easier to remember that way..."simplify."

It was reinforced by Henry David Thoreau, who spent 2 years living on Walden Pond. He recognized that when you get right down to it, your list of needs is very short.

Another reinforcement of this New Year's Resolution came from L. Tom Perry, whose wife was diagnosed with a terminal illness. They spent many quiet, conversational hours away from all the distractions of daily life.

A few months ago in an inspirational talk, he said, "In our search to obtain relief from the stresses of life, may we earnestly seek ways to simplify our lives."


So that is my resolution, the same New Year's Resolution I have made for the past few years. Maybe this year I can recognize and nurture the valuable people and relationships in my life a little more. Maybe I can pay a little LESS of my attention to the many daily details...ultimately, they just add up to a lot of noise.

Have a great week! Kari