For the past week, my dear girl, Heather, has been away at church camp………….in another state……….in another time zone.  This was the first time for her to travel out of state without her parents and, needless to say (but I’ll say it anyway), she was a bit anxious and also excited.    While she’s been gone, we’ve been able to text each other so I was still able to tell her that I loved her before she went to bed.   So, she still seemed close………sort of.

It was also the first time that we’ve been apart on her birthday.  She turned 15 this week, while at camp.  I sent one gift (a “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” t-shirt) with her so that she would have something to open on her birthday, as well as some Oreos to share with her cabin mates (because this mama wasn’t able to travel to another state to bring cupcakes).  So here at home, on her birthday, her dad, brother and I had a cupcake in her honor.   Before she left for camp, she told me that she wanted to open her gifts as soon as she gets home.  That remains to be seen.  In the past, when I’ve picked her up after camp, she looks worn out, sunburned and just about ready to fall over.  I’m picking her up this evening, so we’ll see if, after a 10 hour trip, she has any energy to open gifts.   She might, and then she’ll sleep for most of tomorrow.

As tradition goes around here (sort of because not everyone participates), when someone goes out of town on a trip, be it business or summer camp, I write a short note for each day for the traveler.  One year, my husband went away on a business trip and left notes for the kids with clues as to where a gift or treat might be.  So my daughter took that idea and has been doing that with her brother.  My son, Kylin, never likes it when his sister goes to any kind of overnighter or camp (protesting starts two weeks ahead of time).  For the past two camps, at least, she has written a letter to him for every day that she’s gone and has left clues for him to find each day’s gift.

This year, she had 7 envelopes taped to her door

So he reads the letter

She drew a picture of his favorite characters (today’s was a ghost from “Pac-Man”)

Today’s clue indicates that the gift is on top of her canopy
And it’s a “CARS” folder (and Kylin is truly happy……….really, he is…….I swear)

Today is the last day for this little scavenger hunt, and the hunter is still sleeping!

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