The Great Outdoors

My parents are really huge fans of the outdoors. A big chunk of my childhood was spent taking almost-monthly trips to the nearest state park for a weekend of sleeping bags and nature hikes, and when I think of playing as a kid, most of my memories involve our backyard, the woods behind our house, the creek in our neighborhood, or any location we we could reach before dinner on our bikes. I can still hear Mom's frequent refrain, "Go outside!"

I became much more of an "indoors person" as I reached adolescence and my teenage years, whiling away the time reading novels or doing puzzles or watching reruns of *Saved by the Bell* with my brother (I was sooooo cool...). And as my younger siblings and I became busier with sports and theater and youth group and band, our camping trips became much more infrequent - especially after my parents purchased some land and a cabin outside of town. Our camping weekends turned into cabin weekends, and I don't think any of us missed the midnight treks to the campground restrooms...

About five years ago, my parents gave up the house in town completely and built a beautiful log house out on the land that we affectionately (and inaccurately) call "the Farm." But the call of the wild is evidently still strong in their hearts because they recently invested in a small camper trailer and have already taken it on two camping trips. When I told one of my uncles, his response was, "You mean, they needed a 'get away' from the country?"

In my adult life, I have continued to favor books, puzzles, and television to being outside (with the exception of jogging, which I find to be profoundly more enjoyable when the scenery changes). P and I have tried to go camping a few times - with some degree of success - but it's not something that we can't live without. And although we've lived in houses with decent backyards, I've never spent as much time outside as I thought I might when we moved in.

Until now. I don't know if it's the lovely weather, the age of my kids, or the beautiful new patio set we recently purchased, but we have simply lived in our backyard for the past few weeks - and it has been glorious! The kids are getting every cent's worth out of the playset we bought in January, and I'm having to sweep the kitchen floor a lot less often because we eat nearly every meal outside. I love it. As my kids and I are trying to get in the habit of saying, "Thank you God for the beautiful outdoors!"