Arrow of Light

Brennon earned his Arrow of Light tonight, the highest award you can earn in Cub Scouts.  He's worked really hard with his troop to earn this, and I am very proud of his accomplishment.  He was super excited all week for tonight.  I was excited, but also a bit anxious as well.

A couple of weeks ago, Brother Larsen let me know that they had me down to help with refreshments.  I told him that they could count on me 110% this time, unlike the last time I was in charge.  Jamie joked that I for sure would have them there on time this time.  When considering what to take with the mother of the other boy receiving the award, we decided to do arrow fruit kabobs, and cupcakes.  This is where I made extra work for myself.  It would have been enough to simply make cupcakes.  It would have been even more decorated if I'd done Blue and Gold cupcake liners and alternated them into a pattern on the table.  But when I saw this design, I knew I was going to try to duplicate it.

70 cupcakes of differing flavors and icing techniques, one of which I'd never tried before.

I was thrilled with how they turned out.  I'm glad my first attempt wasn't a disaster, since I had to take them tonight.  I would love to know how the original designer (source unknown from Pinterest) made her chocolate frosting so smooth and silky on top.

We transported the cupcakes in two massive boxes, and then I arranged them when we got there.  I had also cut out the fondant beforehand and transported it on parchment paper, cutting it to size and laying it out minutes before we were to begin.  I'm happy with how my entire-day project turned out.

The fruit arrows went first, with some kids taking more than one before all of the kids got some.  Tears were shed.  Our refreshments were a success!

Brennon Dirks & Sean Porter

So proud of my Brennon!!

After the award ceremony, they opened up the gym dividers to reveal about 10 tables set up for different countries from around the world.  Here are the few I remember:

Brother & Sister Anderson: Sweden

Sister Crosier: Thailand

Sister Nelson: Philippines

Brother & Sister Larsen Sr.: Japan

Brother Larsen: Spain

Brother Kraus: Mexico

Brother Schlesser: Germany

Brother & Sister Taylor: Slavonia

Brother & Sister Bowen: Turkey

Brother Brimacombe: France

Sister Randall: Africa
Brother Edvalson: Argentina

We got to "go out into the world" and try food from these places, see pictures, postcards, and artifacts, and even try some of the cultural festivities.  The kids had Passports (a compact world map with lines connecting names to their countries) where they got a sticker for stopping at the tables and learning about, and eating, some of the food.  Turkish Delight, Dumplings, Swedish Meatballs, Mexican bread, Flan, Crepes, Fromage (cheese) and Cow Stomach are a few I can remember.  We'd just gone out to eat at Chipotle for a Fundraiser for Shelby's choir and I was full to bursting, so I didn't actually eat any of the food.  I wish I would have known we were doing this Cultural Fair-- I would have loved to sample the world!  It was a fantastically fun night!  I cannot tell you how amazing our associations are in the world ward.  We are the luckiest people in the world.