Pinewood Derby and a Bear

Brandon and Braxton had a father and son outing to Braxton's pinewood derby this past weekend. Braxton received his Bear along with his religious knot, a gold arrow and five silver arrows. He has worked very hard this year to be able to achieve all of these. We are so proud of him and his accomplishments. Our troop has a tradition of when the boys earn a patch for the year they also have a face painting ceremony. Brandon was able to paint Braxton's face and you can tell just how nervous Braxton was by how his face looked. He is usually smiling, but with all eyes on him; he takes on a new look; expressionless. Braxton placed second in speed in the races and received a trophy (8 inches tall Braxton had to measure it for us). Way to go bud! We love you!

Onyang Amethyst Cave

Isaiah and I were able to go to an amethyst cave this past weekend on a date. We had a great time. We were able to take a boat ride into a cave that has been shut down to see where they used to mine the amethysts. Didn't learn anything due to the fact that boat tour guide didn't speak English and on the walking tour there weren't any signs explaining anything. But in the cave, they had an acrobatic team performing, it was very cold inside the cave and I am wondering how the performers could stand it in what little they had on. But it was fun to see. The tour lasted about an hour and the bus didn't leave for another 3 hours and so it was a good thing that there was a small amusement park to fill our time. We had a blast and can't wait to have another date again.