So much is still happening, though we finally finished all the big adventures this week and have a few weeks of nothing-major-happening before the last round of crazy this summer. I’ve barely had time to sit at my computer lately, so I’m trying to catch up!

Appalachian Trail
I may or may not have mentioned (I can’t remember) that Morrigan went for a short hike through the AT with his church group. The group left on the evening of the 12th and returned home on the 20th. During that time, there were four days of hiking, roughly 38 miles they were told, and Morrigan would not have his phone during those days. So imagine how we felt when he called us sobbing on Thursday, tell us that he had an awful time and was really sick. His group had missed the sign toward camp and had hiked an extra 1.5 miles before they found a place they could call for help. During that time, Morrigan nearly slipped down the ravine and threw his hip out stopping the fall, and one of the other kids was severely dehydrated, so Morrigan gave him all his water, which caused Morrigan to get so dehydrated that he began vomiting. Four of the six groups all missed the sign and ended up in the location where they called for help, and when the support team arrived, everyone got scolded for “being off the path” and told to turn around and hike back 1.5 miles. No medical attention was given, and the support truck drove away without helping.

This was all we knew for quite some time. It turns out that most of the trip was great (or at least Morrigan loved it – I won’t harp on all the safety issues like not having a single adult on the trip that knew first air or how most of the adults didn’t finish the hike and started designating any youth who were 18 – like M – as official “adults”). In the end, at least Morrigan wasn’t badly hurt and he hydrated properly as soon as he was in camp. He was well enough to go hike with a group the next day to get the last four miles in to hit 50 (because their 38-mile-trip was actually 46, it turns out). Anyway, we were really glad when he was home safe and sound. A friend sent me the above picture which was taken only a few hours after Morrigan called us sobbing, so we knew he was okay. But seriously that was nightmarish and rage-inducing for a time…

Community Day
Wizards Unite had their first Community Day on the 20th, so I got together with a bunch of other players in town at a nearby library (one I’d never been to, and it’s lovely!). They have a quiet hall off to the side of the library that allowed us to be indoors and in air conditioning (when it was 100+ out!) and within reach of five inns, two greenhouses, and a fortress. Most of the others in the group knew each other from Pokemon Go, but those of us who didn’t integrated easily. It was awesome playing with other people, and those three hours were one of the highlights of the month! I wish I’d gotten some pictures.

Summer Sendoff
My cousin Warren is also leaving for college this fall, to Vanderbilt, so his parents threw a big summer sendoff party for him, Morrigan, and my aunt’s niece Anna, who was leaving for a semester abroad in London. It was a great big party with family from my dad’s side (also my uncle’s side) and my aunt’s side, with fajitas and ice cream sundaes and passing around books to write words of wisdom for the three guests of honor. No pics from this event either, sadly! I need to remember these things!

KU
We’ve had a bit of drama this summer regarding Morrigan’s admission to KU. First, his DOD physical was rejected due to some very small issues (like self-diagnosed allergy to pineapple – makes his mouth itch), and Morrigan had to gather tons of info from his doctor to submit for a waiver. They have all they need now, but it takes weeks for this sort of thing to go through, and we’re still waiting to hear if he’ll get that waiver. If not, he loses the ROTC scholarship. He also found out that the ROTC scholarship doesn’t cover room/board, something he was sure it did. So after he threw a few hissyfits – “College was going to be great, and now it’s just going to be hell!!” – I sat him down with the numbers and showed him how doable this was going to be. He had to make some compromises, like not living in the most expensive dorms, but that’s no big deal. And he just found out this week that his application to live in the scholarship halls – where room/board are half-price because everyone does 4-6 hours of chores each week – was accepted. So already, he has a much better handle on things, and we just await the DOD’s decision.

Summer School
Laurence’s last day of summer school was Thursday. He elected to take his Algebra II class over the summer for two reasons. First, he hates math and didn’t want to be in a math class the entire year. Second, he joined an electricity program through school that will bus him to another location for two periods a day, essentially removing one spot for electives that he gets back if he doesn’t have to take math. This is the second year in a row that he’s chosen to do a class in advance of when he needs it, and while it’s a bit of a headache with all the scheduling, I’m glad he’s taking this initiative for himself.

Birthday
Ambrose turned 17 on Thursday, and we had his party yesterday. A half-dozen of his friends came – a group who call themselves the “sauce squad” and are just as nerdy and strange as Ambrose likes to be – which made the party quite loud and rowdy. The party was baking themed, so we had a lot of Nailed-It style challenges, and the kids got to decorate the four mini-cakes we’d made for the party. It was chaotic and hilarious, though I was wiped by the end. I don’t like to include pictures of other people’s kids on my blog without their permission, so I’m just going to share my favorite pic of Ambrose from the party. His aunt got him this really awesome shirt: A cat (in glasses and an Olympic wreath hat) riding on a llama-corn under a rainbow as UFOs fly overhead. It’s quintessentially Ambrose and just plain awesome.