Space Camp

June has been all about camps. Taylor started us off with Cub Scout day camp, which was actually his first cub scout activity after turning eight last month. Clay had a week of baseball camp, thankfully just a short walk across the river away from our home. Taylor spent a week in Utah with his cousins (before BYU camp) where he went to different day camps every day (the favorite being Super Hero camp). Clay and Taylor had their incredible week of BYU football camp. Zachary hit the jackpot this year, however, and got to go to Space Camp.

Last fall, at Zachary's first parent/teacher conference, his math teacher, who is also the Space Camp club director, asked us if we would consider letting Zach go to Space Camp with her and the group of kids already signed up. There were meetings twice a month during the school year and lots of fundraising. (I loathe fundraising.) Back in October when we first signed him up, June 5th seemed really far away, but suddenly here it was and off he went.

Space Camp is in Huntsville, Alabama, so this was a big adventure for us. Trusting Zach with a bunch of other kids and a couple of very patient teachers. They took a bus to Alburquerque where they flew out of for this trip.

Zachary chose the Aviation Challenge option at Space Camp. He got to put on fatigues every day, do flight simulations in actual aircraft, get dumped in the water and learn how it feels to be rescued by helicopter, and so much more. As an added bonus, he came away with his Aviation Merit Badge. He had lots of details right after he got back and for the first hour after I saw him, but since then says, "It was fun. I want to go back next year." Nothing like a teenager to share.

The kids couldn't take cameras unless they were disposable, so I was really at the mercy of the adults that went along to take pictures of the kids. Unfortunately for me, they mostly took pictures of the Space Camp activities instead of the Aviation Challenge kids. I didn't speak with Zachary the entire week he was gone, and so when I finally got the above picture in my email the day before they came home, I was just relieved to see he was alive and smiling.

This is the group of kids that Zach went with to Alabama at the graduation ceremony. My super cute kid front and center, and like his mom, in flip-flops whenever possible.