What a gorgeous day!  Sunny, temps around 80°, a light breeze..  Eric is in the National Home School Honor Society, and they worked on their big annual service project this morning. Members had been collecting various items to send to troops in Iraq - snack foods, gum, drink mixes, CDs, soap, chapstick, coloring books & crayons & small toys ( for the Iraqi children), magazines, batteries, and a whole lot more -  and this morning they sorted everything, boxed them up , and shipped them off.  I don't know what the total was this year, but last year the group shipped over 700 lbs.!

Amanda spent the day volunteering at a local riding stable with a number of her friends.  Once a month, they do a program called G.R.A.C.E., when children with autism and other special needs come and ride horses.  Amanda and about a dozen other young people were there as volunteers, to lead the horses around the arena.  They were taught how to groom and saddle the horses, given safety instructions, and got to ride a little bit themselves after the session was over.  Then a local animal rescue group called H.E.A.R.T. held a puppy & kitten adopt-a-thon at the barn in the afternoon, and Amanda and her friends helped out with that as well.  She enjoyed herself, but was worn out from being out in the sun and also from being bombarded with pollen all afternoon.  Allergy season has kicked into gear and we all are suffering from headaches, sneezing, and itchy eyes... 

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