We got to camp and set up, and then we got to meet Smokey the Bear. My younger cousins loved it! He gave a good lesson on "only you can prevent wildfires!" Although, that didn't stop my cousin Trevor from being a total pyro. He loves throwing stuff in the fire and making it get really big! haha. We spent time sitting around the campfire and talking and laughing. My dad took us out on the boat for a day and we went tubing. I don't really like tubing, so I went with my cousin Daxton so that we could go slow :) Josh and Megan on the other hand, liked to be thrown around. My dad and Josh got the worst sunburns. Josh's back had huge blisters and he could barely move because it hurt so bad. He should have worn sunscreen!
Yellowstone was beautiful! It was a lot of driving... by the end of our trip we had driven a total of 25 hours. I am glad I have a husband who will do all the driving! We saw buffalo and elk, and at one point the buffalo had backed up traffic so much we spent an hour and a half driving only ten miles. I guess that's what you get in yellowstone! We went on a few hikes and saw the most gorgeous waterfalls. One of the hikes was a mile up, and when we finally got to the top it started downpouring rain and of course I was wearing flip flops. We were soaked by the time we got back down! Old faithful was cool, none of my cousins had been before so they were way excited.
We had a lot of delicious food while we were there! Before the trip, I was on a roll and had lost 4 pounds (good for me, I can't seem to lose weight fast). when we got back, of course I had put 3 back on. So annoying! But all the s'mores were worth it :) now it's time to kick myself back in to shape!
My favorite part of the trip was the night when we all were around the fire and we all shared our favorite family memory, and we gave Josh advice for his mission. My cousin Ryan (age 7) raised his hand when we were giving Josh advice, and started to cry. He said "Josh... I love you!" That was his advice. At that point we were all crying! Josh is so good with kids. He plays with them and includes them in the "big kids activities". We are going to miss our Josh. He was always the peacemaker in our family. I remember a night at our house when the whole family was in distress. My dad was having a rough time at his former job, and was looking for something new. We felt the tension in our home, everyone stayed in their rooms and never came out. Josh was the one who told us all the come together and he led us in a family prayer. He prayed for our family to grow through our trials and he prayed for the spirit to be in our home. I will always be grateful for that night, because he took initiative and pulled his family together. I know he will make a good missionary, he has always strived to be worthy of his preisthood and practice it often. I am so grateful to have a brother like him! ok, I got way off topic there... haha.
Overall, this trip was an amazing time! We made so many great memories that I will always remember.
