Graduation Ceremony

The same day as Josiah’s Rodeo, Ben graduated from Boy Scout Leadership Training camp. He had been gone all week, and the house seemed so empty without him! We were very glad to see him Friday night at his graduation ceremony.

He was very excited to see all of us and quite surprised to see the out-of-town relatives. We had a happy reunion with him out in the hallway.

We sat down in the dining hall and waited for the ceremony to begin. All the boys filed in by patrols and took their seats. Ben is in the very center of the photo.

Photo Credit: Betsy.

To start off the ceremony, the leaders were introduced and gave speeches to the graduates, encouraging them to continue developing the leadership skills they had learned during their week at camp.

Then one-by-one, the boys received their bars. Here Ben receives his bar.

During part of the ceremony they also had a slideshow featuring photos from the week. It appears they had lots of fun (and played lots of pranks on each other as well! J)

They also sang some of their favorite camp songs for everyone.

Toward the end, they performed the “Cotton Eyed Joe” dance for everyone. It was quite comical! J

This was followed by a word from the camp Scoutmaster and the director of the camp program. The evening concluded with the welcoming of the 2012 graduating class.

After the ceremony, we had to drive to the other end of the camp to pick up all Ben’s gear. It’s a really pretty camp with lots of winding roads and tall pine trees. I will admit the ride was a bit too bumpy for my personal preference!

After we picked up Ben’s things, we started the drive home. I was in Mom’s car, and I heard her phone ring. I picked it up and it was Dad who was driving just ahead of us. He asked if anyone wanted to go to McDonald’s for ice cream. It’s impossible for anyone in our family to turn down ice cream! J Just then we passed a Dairy Queen and quickly changed our minds as to where we would get our ice cream. J

Even though it was past this guy’s bedtime—and he’d had a really long day at camp himself—he perked right up at the prospect of this yummy cone! J

It was a very special and refreshing late-night treat.

The drive home was beautiful! I love the summer twilight. You can see the tiny sliver of the moon in the center of this photo.

It was so good to have everyone under one roof again! We made it to bed very late and some enjoyed sleeping in on Saturday morning. We’re so proud of Ben—and Josiah—but we’re also very glad to have them back home!