Tyler had fun sailing, but really had fun mountain boarding.
We have both had a great time here at Fort AP Hill. I've worked hard but I've also played hard. I am so glad I have been able to spend time with Tyler and share these experiences with him.
~Melanie
Tyler waiting to pass the sacrament along with over 100 other Aaronic Priesthood holders.Elder Robert D. Hales spoke at the LDS Jamboree Sacrament Meeting. It was so neat to see 66 Priests at the Sacrament table. The General Young Mens Presidency was also at the meeting. Tyler and I were both able to shake Elder Hales hand before he left the area.
Sunday evening there was a Fireside with the General Young Men's Presidency. Tyler got to go up on stage during Elder Beck's talk and he commited that he "Will Serve a Mission." He received a gold dollar coin for sharing with the group.
Tyler and his cousin Derrik spent the day together doing some fun activities. The highlight was scuba diving.
TROOPS marching to the Arena
Finally, an official day off. I slept in until 7:30, took a COLD shower and then headed out to explore other areas of the Jamboree. I visited all the national, international and religious booths. I was able to earn the "George Albert Smith Scouting Award". What an honor to wear a medalion honoring this great scouter. Merit Badge Midway has over 100 boths al dedicated to the instruction and earning of MBs. WOW! There are some fun things to learn about. I experienced my first east coast rain storm. It dumps pretty fast. Luckily I was in the trading post tent at the time. Later that evening I met Tyler. I introduced him to some of my new friends and he was lucky to meet Elder Dahlquist and Elder Gibson. That was a big highlight in his day. 
The buses are rolling in. We started work at 6am and immediately started meeting buses of troops. The first contingent I checked in was from Hawaii and I was greeted with a big ALOHA and a lei. By late afternoon, 4000 scouts and leaders were checked into subcamps 7 and 8. As a medical team (MD/RN/EMT) we gave "The TALK" (water, ticks, cleanliness, etc) and checked each medical form before clearing the bus for admittance to camp. The medical center was soon packed with kids. Most of them had already been away from home for a week and had acquired various conditions that they wanted to be seen for (scrapes, twists, anxiety, homesic
k, etc.). We soon realized the need for a better screening process. We stationed our EMTs and Med Techs in the cooling tent located in front of our center. They provide first aid and screen for those that really need to be seen by a MD. We also require a scoutmaster to accompany the scout to make sure they really need medical care beyond what can be provided on the troop level. Sometimes it only takes a subtle reminder that they are all at least a first class scout and are capable of giving first aid. My "MOM" mode is a valuable tool to help some anxious, tired kids make it past the tears after a good listen and encouraging talk. It really is fun helping, but very physically exhausting. My feet hurt so bad after 16 hours of running around in the sweltering heat.
Yes, It was 110 in our tent. When we closed the flaps in preparation for a storm, it quickly rose to 125.
You can examine multiple things at once.
My Home for the next two weeks.
The showers are not far from my tent, but are the size of a camp trailer shower and usually with cold water. I then walked a mile to my dinner location and found this long line.
