Double Eagle!

On this day, my husband and I had the pleasure of attending my nephew's Eagle Scout ceremony in Selinsgrove, PA. My brother and his wife had invited us, along with a host of family and friends, and I had promised I'd take photos of the event. The venue was just a bit less than a two hours' drive from our home, through the beautiful, wide open valleys and rolling hills of central Pennsylvania, on roads where we frequently encountered Amish buggies. The weather started out overcast and drizzly, but the sun broke through later in the afternoon; the sky show on the drive home was just out of this world.

My nephew had turned sixteen just a few days prior, so he actually had two events to celebrate, and we were very happy to help out. The ceremony in the church was beautiful, with the lighting of candles, some speeches, and the presentation of the eagle badge itself. Refreshments followed: a delicious meal of barbecued chicken, homemade macaroni and cheese, baked beans, veggies and dip, potato chips (both kinds, Middleswarth plain and bar-b-q, of course!), pickles, fruit punch, cupcakes, and cake.

It was a special day, and it was an especially big day for my brother's family, as this makes the second Eagle Scout in our family. My brother and his wife's older son received the honor two years ago, and I wrote about that in an April 2012 Blip. Both boys were part of the ceremony, which was delightful to see. The celebration marked a significant achievement, representing lots and lots of work on my nephew's part. It's hard to believe how fast time passes; I remember the first time I held each of my brother's boys in my arms. We're so proud of the young men they have become, and we look forward to what the years to come will bring for them.

In the remarks that were shared during the ceremony, one of the Scout leaders mentioned an important detail: my sixteen-year-old nephew has already earned more badges than anyone ever has in the entire history of their Boy Scout troop. That's quite an accomplishment! And so I thought a photo of my nephew's badge sash (this picture displays only a portion of the total) to be an appropriate way to mark the day.

I thought to myself, as I downloaded the day's several hundred photos later at home and examined the badges, how badges take one's experiences and accomplishments in life and make them visible. Wouldn't it be interesting if we each wore badges (and maybe some of us already sort of do) that show the world the things we've done that we're most proud of, the experiences that have shaped us, the things and people and places that we love best. I can think of a few badges I would wear. Frequent visitors to this photo blog might guess at several of the most significant ones, based on the photos I've taken and the stories I've posted here. What badges would you wear?

In honor of my nephew's sixteenth birthday, the song for the day is a favorite Billy Idol tune, Sweet Sixteen, from his 1986 album, Whiplash Smile. It's a moody, thoughtful, beautiful piece, and I remember thinking how stylish and cool the monochrome video was when it was first released. The video was filmed at the Coral Castle in Homestead, Florida, and the song is actually based on a true story of love and heartbreak. Enjoy the video!