Wholesome Recreational Activities

This summer has been hectic and packed.  This is the first whole week I have been home all summer.  The days have been packed with youth camps and conferences and a family reunion.  It has been busy, but good.  To finish it all up we took our kids up to Idaho to what I consider a little piece of heaven on earth.  We left on Saturday, as soon as Tony got back from getting Ashley in Provo (she was doing a week of EFY there).  We arrived safely in Island Park around 3 pm, but not without incident. Our trusty Suburban lost power on three different occasions, but each time after shutting it off and then turning it on again we were able to keep going.  Island Park, specifically Bill's Island is the most beautiful place.  It looks and smells so wonderful, and is so peaceful.  I just can't help but feel great up there.  Perhaps part of it is that we get uninterrupted family time while there, which is unusual and often all to rare around here.  This is the first time that we have ever been up there without my parents, some of my sisters or at least some of my nieces and nephews.  I thought maybe it would be a disappointment without them, especially for the kids, but it wasn't.  What I consider as one of my greatest blessings is that my kids all like each other (even Breanna and Grant-though they probably won't admit it), and that we truly seem to enjoy each others company.

We did a whole lot of relaxing, and spending time on the lake with the jet ski.  In fact we had only been there for a mere 20 minutes when the boys were putting it into the water.  The boys spent the rest of the afternoon/evening on the lake while the female portion of the family just enjoyed the pristine surroundings.  Of course we had to watch Remember the Titans, it is a family favorite and a cabin tradition almost.  Sunday dawned bright and beautiful.  I love going to church is Island Park.  I love seeing that little building packed beyond capacity by other vacationers who are willing to take time to worship.  On Sunday we always take it a little easy, going for walks, eating fantastic food (why does it always taste so good up there?), writing to Lexie (oh how we missed her!), and watching Legacy in honor of pioneer day.

Our weather could not have been more perfect.  It was like it was scripted.  On most days we enjoyed a completely cloudless sky with highs in the low 80's, perfect for enjoying the coldish lake.  The nights were cool, getting down into the 40's, so we slept comfortably and gave the cabin a little chill before the heat of the day.

I even talked my kids into going to Yellowstone with me on Tuesday without complaint.  I was a little worried about the car, but we prayed and went anyway.  It died once, but started back up again.  Yellowstone is an amazing place! Someday I am going to go with enough time to really explore the place, but we had a great time seeing the beautiful canyon and waterfalls, seeing Old Faithful and finding 47 of the 50 state's license plates.

We were so sad to leave on Wednesday evening, and a little concerned about the car.  We left with faith that we would be ok.  The car worked perfectly all the way home.  Our own little miracle.  In The Family: A Proclamation to the World, it states, "Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities."  I am grateful for the wholesome recreation we enjoyed that strengthened our family as we worked, prayed and played together.

Some favorite moments from the trip-

• Riding the tube-even if it did make me dizzy for almost a full week after!
• Ashley calling Jared a sausage head 
• Monopoly, Mormon Bridge, and Wacky Six
• All of us watching Penelope late Tuesday night. (The boys were going to go to bed-they didn't want to watch a chick flick, but they all made it to the end)
• Driving around the parking lots before we left Yellowstone to try to find the rest of the license plates we needed. (yes we are nerds like that)
• A discussion about snoring husbands and laughing
• My kids getting 'excited' to see the cows on the drive home just to make me happy
• Doing a back flip off a tube, just to make Breanna smile. (ok it was an accident because I am super coordinated, but it did make her smile)