A few pics

I thought I would post just a few pictures. I will be glad when the charger comes in for our camera! Of course, Rachel has been my chief picture taker, so I will have to train myself to take the time to snap some shots. I still can't believe she is leaving in just a few short weeks! Actually less than three - wow, I am SO in denial!
We had her going away party yesterday and I am exhausted. Due to unavoidable scheduling conflicts I was already sleep deprived from the campout on Friday night.
Hannah and Elisabeth are earning the camping badge in their Keepers group, and THIS happened to be the only weekend any of us could spare a night and a morning away from our other duties. We almost got rained out, which would have been a blessing. Instead we were rained *in* Saturday morning. Actually even that was a blessing in disguise. We couldn't pack the tent so that saved us a few minutes. In retrospect, I am thankful we were able to fit it all in.
The rain blew over before most of the guests arrived for the party, so the kids were able to play outside. We fed over 50 people, but I still haven't sat down and calculated an exact number. Thankfully the rain didn't last all day, and the temps were perfect.
We smoked Boston Butts and a Turkey, and somehow I managed to get the Black Forrest Torte made. Wonder of wonders, it was even ready before the camping trip on Friday. Knowing how I tend to wait until the last minute, that was a huge feat for me! We also made fresh strawberry ice cream which was a big hit. There is a "pick your own" strawberry farm just few miles from us. We went on Thursday and picked.
Our days for the rest of the month are jam-packed. We have so much to get accomplished before Rachel leaves. My goal is to update my blog at least with a quick note once a week.