Soldiers from Wylie’s National Guard Armory are leaving for Iraq this morning. Support groups are hoping residents of Wylie, Rockwall and the surrounding communities will show the soldiers their support by lining the roadway waving American flags and displaying yellow ribbons.

They will turn right onto Brown Street and then head back toward Highway 78, take a left on Highway 78 and head toward Lavon. They will turn on Highway 205 toward Rockwall and proceed through Rockwall to Interstate 30.

If you would like to show your support, the caravan is expected to come through downtown Rockwall at approximately 8:15 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. The Rockwall American Legion has American flags out on the square.

This morning I said goodbye to my daughter Sam, who joined her best friend Adriana for a 5-day "Pre-Teen Road Trip" with hundreds of other summer campers from Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall. They are headed to Camp Riverbend in Glen Rose, where they will participate in lots of outdoor activities, including swimming with inflatables and The Blob, and playing in the Mud Pit. There will be Bible Study and daily devotions, bonding with new friends and deepening their relationship with Jesus.

This is Sam's second year to go, so I'm learning to watch my 11-year-old pack up her things, board a bus, and go off for a five day adventure on her own, without so much as a phone call home. I only shed tears once, as I snapped this photo and then kissed her goodbye (for the tenth time).

Next summer it will be my son's turn.  I'm not sure if I'm ready for that.

What about you? Have you sent your kids off to an overnight camp? Share your anxieties, excitement and photos on neighborsgo.com!

Check out these photos. My dog is nursing my cat.

Gigi started producing milk about three weeks ago, and takes care of Levi as if he were one of her own. They play and sleep together.

When we went to Oklahoma over the Fourth of July, we took Gigi with us. We planned on leaving the cat at home, but I knew Gigi and Levi would not want to be separated. So we took both Gigi and Levi with us camping, swimming and hiking in the Arbuckle Mountains.

I'm not sure which is weirder: my dog nursing my cat, or my family taking the cat with us on a road trip.

On the eve of Independence Day, as many Americans prepared to celebrate with dazzling fireworks displays, members of the Texas Astronomical Society teamed up with Noreen Grice of the Boston Museum of Science Planetarium to unveil the awesomeness of the sky to the blind. 

Through a unique, photographic printing process developed by Grice, the blind are now able to “see” astro-images through touch. A printer converts standard jpg images into a Braille-like raised surface, which can be felt and interpreted by those who might otherwise never “see” the stars. 

An estimated 200 parents and children attended this unique astro-observing event during the national convention of the Federation of the Blind, held July 3 at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas. Grice generated touchable images of Saturn and Jupiter, offering many visually impaired guests their first “look” at the planets. 

“I must say I almost cried several times,” said Joe Lalumia of Rockwall, TAS member and neighborsgo.com blogger. “Many of the parents asked if their children could touch our telescopes so they could determine the shape and size of the scope. It was a little bit hard for me to keep my composure as I held their hand and ran it over the telescope – knowing they would never be able to actually look through the telescope and see the sky images directly.”  

After enjoying a few hometown fireworks, my family and I headed to Ardmore, Oklahoma over the Fourth of July weekend, where we had planned on visiting Turner Falls Park. After touring the town and learning that more than 35,000 other people had the same idea, we opted to photograph Turner Falls from the scenic overlook -- and instead drove into Chickasaw National Park, where the crowds were a little less thick, the admission fees free, and the water was absolutely clear, cold and refreshing. We staked our claim under a shade tree with a picnic table and grill nearby, and spent Saturday jumping from the banks of the river into a pool of mineral springs with a mini-waterfall.

On Sunday, we cruised over to Lake Murray, and enjoyed family time at the nature center and a picnic at Tucker Tower museum.

Later, my husband took me on tour of Camp Classen as well, where he and the kids have spent many weekends as part of the Rockwall County YMCA Adventure Guide program.

It was a wonderful way to celebrate our nation's independence, and we can't wait for our next family outing!

Share your family adventures and vacation photos with us on neighborsgo.com!