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I think the activities we participate in at a young age help shape who we become as adults. While we’ve gone through periods in our adult life where we weren’t as active as we’d like, Jeremy and I were pretty active as kids.

Both our families went camping. I participated in cross country and track in high school and Jeremy participated in football. Jeremy also went hunting every year with his dad and was a Boy Scout.

I went to girls camp every summer, but by far the most memorable experience was the summer after my junior year of high school when we went white water rafting in WV. It wasn’t a long rafting trip, but it was so fun. We also went canoeing that year to prepare us for being on the water. I enjoyed both experiences so much that in college I took a kayaking class. I don’t like the claustrophobic feeling of being upside dow in the water while kayaking, but I love everything else.

Since Jeremy was a Boy Scout, so he went on lots of fishing and camping trips. He worked hard and earned his Eagle Scout award.

Participating in those activities definitely helped us gain a love of the outdoors and the desire to spend time being active outside. Since I’m finally feeling better it’s easier to help our children experience the outdoors in ways that are enjoyable. Ok, and sometimes in ways that aren’t so enjoyable. Nature is nothing if not unpredictable.

What are some activities you participated in as a child that shaped the things you do today?