Smarter than the average bear?

We just spent a most delightful weekend camping in our tent at Jellystone Park, Yogi Bear's version of "roughing it." We made our first attempt at camping last month, and it wasn't entirely successful. We weren't ready to give up after our first try, so we decided to really put our brains to work and make some better choices this time around.

While I'm still a long way from being a camping expert, I feel pretty proud of myself for the wisdom that I have obtained on this subject! One of my main concerns last time around was starving my family, since I didn't know that you could eat anything but hot dogs and marshmallows off of sticks while camping. But, thanks in large part to camprecipes.com, I learned about the wonders of the dutch oven, and we were able to try some really fun meals. We learned that taking our bikes with us allowed us to get away from our campsite more. The seminary let us take an ample supply of firewood with us. We slept much more comfortably after borrowing our friends' toasty sleeping bags. And, most importantly, we learned that opting for a family-friendly campground is definitely the way to go for us.

Let me set the scene for this delightful location I found while Googling: Drive less than 30 minutes from your front door. Travel up into the wooded hills, through a brightly colored gate with a sign that says, "Welcome to Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park, where families make memories together." Purchase a very reasonably priced "Boo Boo's bracelet" that allows your children unlimited train rides and mini golf, and tokens for the arcade. Spend the night in absolute serene silence, in about 60 degree temperatures. Sit around the campfire sipping hot chocolate until it's time to go wake up Yogi. Eat cinnamon pancakes while watching vintage cartoons under the veranda. Bike ride. Swim. Crafts. Ice cream social. None of us wanted to leave.

Micah's pretty impressed with himself too, since he mastered our new "toy." He documented our entire experience on our "Flip" video camera that was apparently my belated birthday present. Please enjoy his attached handiwork.

All in all, we feel pretty smart this week. We are so thankful for our family, and the time we have to spend together. We wish many blessings to you and yours as well!