terrible twos

Oh my little Olly puppy.  She has been so naughty lately!  I think I would hang her upside down and let the birds get her... except for the fact that her dad and brother like her oh so much.  Okay, so I really do love my little Olive, but I am ready for her to stop getting in the garbage, eating ALL of Greg's socks, dragging laundry around the house, eating any paper or plastic she can get her paws on, getting into my craft box, and on and On and ON!.... I'm ready for this to END.  NOW.  Thanks :)

don't let this sweet face fool you

mischevious grin...

sometimes things are hard

This morning I got a phone call from my mom, letting me know my cousin Mitch had passed away.  He has been battling intense brain cancer and this morning, the battle ended.  Mitch was always more of a friend to me than some relative I had to be nice to.  He was so much fun to hang out with and he was wiser than he could have realized.  So many times he gave me good advice and helped me through things I was facing.  He was so funny and everyone just loved him.  I don't want to go on and on, but I needed an outlet.  I love you Mitchell.  Love you love you love you.

roadtrip day five - april 18th (scroll down for previous days)

rochester, new york to bear, delaware

So after  Niagara, we drove to Rochester, New York and stayed in a KOA campground.  We slept in the back of the Highlander... mostly, we were just looking for a place we could shower.  A five day roadtrip can definitely seem anti-hygenic.

We ended up sleeping in that morning until NOON.  We couldn't believe it!  After we got everything situated, we headed out to make the last stretch of the trip.  Palmyra, Sacred Grove, the Hill Cumorah and the Grandin Building.  We first stopped at the Smith Farm.  This is where Joseph Smith lived when he went out to the grove and the First Vision occured.  Most of the buildings were replicas, so we didn't get a lot of pictures.  The Palmyra Temple is on the original acreage of the farm.  Pretty sweet!

original smith frame home (not where joseph lived as a boy)

the temple overlooks the sacred grove

"I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.  When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" 

-Joseph Smith History 

We were in the Sacred Grove all by ourselves.  It can be a very busy place, but we got lucky by going at just the right time of year.  We were able to sit in quiet, alone in this sacred place.

After we left the Sacred Grove, we went up to the Hill Cumorah. 

view from the top of the hill

Then off to the Grandin Press to visit the publication site of the original Book of Mormon.

inside the main store (i wish i would've taken a picture outside)

one of the original 5,000 copies

one of three originals of this painting

original moroni painting

the machinery here is not original, but the floors and walls are all original.  there is ink and oil spilled on the walls from when the press was running.

These are the original floorboards.  Joseph Smith walked on this floor as he was working to have the Book of Mormon published.  It is symbolic to me of the entire trip.  I was in the same places where the Church was restored.  I was blessed to see these places and be where the Prophet Joseph once was.  In fact, I was able to be somewhere that our Savior and Heavenly Father have been.  I am so happy to have been on this trip.  Learn what I have learned, and feel what I felt.

roadtrip day four - april 17th (scroll down for previous days)

driving, driving, driving... to rochester, new york

So, I'd mentioned our sweet setup in the back of the car, right?  So after we left Chicago, I drove for awhile while Greg relaxed, then he started driving and I fell right asleep.  We drove and drove and I woke up when we were getting off a freeway exit.  I asked Greg where we were and he told me to go back to sleep.  Then, a few minutes later (It was abou 5 a.m.), we stopped on the side of a road in a little town, and again, I asked where we were.  He pointed to a building and said "see that building?  That is the Kirtland Temple".  Cool!!  Kirtland wasn't in our plans to see while we roadtripped, but it happened to be right along the way.  I'm SO glad Greg decided to pull off!  We decided to nap in the car for a few hours until the Kirtland visitors center opened.  It was well worth the extra time.

Kirtland is where a lot of revelation in the Doctrine and Covenants came.  The School of the Prophets was also in Kirtland, and SO much other neat stuff!  So, this was a very fun and unexpected stop on our trip.

inside of the store

anything that says BEAN deserves a photo, right??

It was really neat learning about the Kirtland Temple.  It is owned by the Community  of Christ (RLDS).  This temple was the first temple and was used as a training temple.  Different revelation was given here, but it wasn't used as a temple today is used.

meeeeee!

After we left Kirtland, we drove and drove some more to reach our next destination... Niagara Falls!!  Honestly, I didn't really care for the town too much, but the falls were spectacular!  We went on the Maid of the Mist boat... it takes you out in front of the falls and you get very wet from all of the mist!  It was kind of a pain because it was already only about 40 degrees this day, but it was still fun to go on the boat.  I'll tell you one thing... don't let some little tourist shop trick you into believing you'll miss the boat if you don't spend bukoo bucks on their tour.  We fell for it and paid WAY too much money for the thing.  Again I will say, I'm SO glad we did the boat tour.  Wahoo! (oh, and for the record, I totally wanted to find the church where Jim and Pam got married, but Greg thought I was lame!!  )  :)

in front of the falls

the little boat down there is just like the one we went on

we're too good looking in our ponchos

i wish you could tell how wet we got!!

roadtrip day three, part two - april 16th (scroll down for previous days)

So after the amazing experiences at Carthage, we left for Chicago.  We were originally supposed to be selling in Chicago, so we wanted to swing through and check it out.  We'd planned to head in for a Cubs game.  Greg loves baseball and he was so excited to go.  Well, we ended up late for the game, then got stuck in traffic and couldn't find anywhere to park our Highlander and the trailer... SO, we missed the game.  We ended up parking at the coast of Lake Michigan (which is HUGE) and walking around near the stadium.  Chicago is a COOL place from what I could tell.  I'm glad we got to spend a little time there!

me and the kids in front of the skyline

might as well be the ocean

apparently chicago has rat problems

sad we missed the game!

wrigley field!!  too bad we couldn't go inside!

We got to the field right after the game had ended.  I'll tell you one thing.  There are A LOT of drunk people wandering around after a Cubs game.  Everyone out there are SUPERFANS too.  Most everyone was decked out in their Cubs gear!  It was a blast being around the people even though we missed the game!

roadtrip day three, part one - april 16th (scroll down for previous days)

nauvoo, illinois to... hmm...

The first stop on Friday was at Carthage Jail in Carthage, IL.  Wow.  It is an incredible place.  The visitors center has a video that talks about the events leading up to the Prophet's martyrdom, then you take a tour of the jail.  In the video, there is a part where Joseph is leaving his family for the last time.  Emma asks Joseph if he will come back, and he doesn't answer her.  Instead, they embrace and share their love for one another before he leaves.  On the way to Carthage, Joseph and Hyrum, on horseback, stopped in front of the Nauvoo Temple, not then complete, and admired the beautiful work. 

This statue is in front of the Nauvoo Temple and represents the journey to Carthage.

The following link is to pbs.org, it tells the story of the martyrdom.  It is not a church related link, but the story is explained better than I could do it. 

http://www.pbs.org/americanprophet/prologue.html

The stairs the mob rushed up. 

The door at the top of the stairs is a jail cell, after the martyrdom, John Taylor was hidden under a straw mattress in the jail cell and this saved his life because the straw helped stop his bleeding.  The room where the men were, is to the right of the stairs.  It was actually the jailer's bedroom.

the bullet that made this hole hit Hyrum as he was trying to hold the door shut

pardon the emotional wreckage

the top window is where Joseph fell from

Joseph and Hyrum truly did seal the work they performed on the Earth with their blood.  I love the verses written by John Taylor found in the 135th section of the Doctrine and Covenants:

 "Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two continents; has sent the fulness of the everlasting gospel, which it contained, to the four quarters of the earth; has brought forth the revelations and commandments which compose this book of Doctrine and Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the benefit of the children of men; gathered many thousands of the Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that cannot be slain. He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and like most of the Lord’s anointed in ancient times, has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood; and so has his brother Hyrum. In life they were not divided, and in death they were not separated!"

One more Joseph quote.  This one is on display at the site as well.

"I never feel to force my doctrine upon any person, I rejoice to see prejudice give way to truth, and the traditions of men dispersed by the pure principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

roadtrip day two - april 15th (scroll down for day one)

lincoln, nebraska to nauvoo, illinois

We woke up in a lovely truck stop parking lot and the first thing I saw when I got out of the Highlander was Powerade bottles full of pee all over the ground!  I understand it is inconvenient for truckers to have to stop everytime they  have to use the bathroom, but come on... at least dispose of the bottles in a garbage can.  It was sick looking it someone's urine in a bottle.  So after I had my dry heaving under control, we departed lincoln and headed to nauvoo!

We were so excited to see Nauvoo, but by the time we got there it was already 4 pm.  We didn't have a ton of time that evening, and we were planning to pull out early the next morning.  When we got to town, we headed over to the log cabins where all of the church leaders lived.  We didn't really get to tour anything there, just drove through.  We checked into our hotel and decided our time would be best spent by going through a session at the Nauvoo Temple.  It was just gorgeous.  The outside was built to 99% accuracy of the original building.  (They added a fire exit and changed the Angel Moroni.) 

The temple president was in the lobby when we finished the session and he was telling us about the inside of the original temple and how different it was from the current construction.  Also, he pointed us down a hallway which houses some artifacts from the times.  There were paintings, temple keys, temple aprons and shoes... but the thing that was really neat to me was a sword that belonged to Joseph Smith that he had given to someone.  That was the first thing I've ever seen that actually belonged to the Prophet.  He touched it, he carried it.  It was amazing for me to have a quiet experience reflecting on my gratitude for Joseph Smith.

After the temple, we walked around the little town and took some pictures, then called it a night and crashed in our lovely king sized hotel bed :)

kinda blurry, but still cute!

little tobes being afraid of heights.  he wouldn't jump down

view from our hotel room

The open door is our hotel room.  It was a nice place with a big comfy bed!

All in all, we absolutely loved Nauvoo.  Even though we didn't get as much time there as we could have hoped, it was amazing to be in the temple there and to reflect upon Joseph Smith and the restoration.  Little did we know, so many unforgettable experiences awaited us.