Palmyra, New York

I didn't have to work on Monday so I decided to take a trip up to Palmyra, New York to see the church sites.  What an amazing day trip.  It took me a while to get up there because it was raining and my GPS took me through all sorts of tiny, random towns.  I finally arrived at noon and it was still raining at that point.  I drove past the Hill Cumorah, the Palmyra Temple, and started at the Joseph Smith Farm.  I was greeted by a lovely missionary, Sister Trang.  She showed me around the log cabin where the Smith Family originally lived and where the Angel Moroni visited Joseph Smith and told him where to go at the Hill Cumorah to find the gold plates.  It was really cool to be in the room where it happened.  Then we walked down to the frame house and we realized that we were EFY counselors together at SLC week 2 last year.  Crazy small world.  She then showed me the frame house and we continued to discuss EFY.  Then she allowed me to walk into the Sacred Grove by myself.  Since I had my phone with me, I decided to play the Mormon Tabernacle Choir CD dedicated to the prophet Joseph Smith softly.  I started off with Joseph Smith's First Prayer, the On A Golden Springtime, and then This Is My Beloved Son.  As I walked it was still raining a little, but not down pouring.  It was a peaceful rain and the rain drops looked absolutely beautiful on the leaves and trees.  I could feel the Spirit so strongly as I wandered.  I could imagine Joseph Smith praying and pictures Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appearing.  I stopped to pray for a moment.  Then I began to make my way back out, listening to Joseph, A Nashville Tribute songs The Prayer and The Rising.  I stopped halfway through to the end and decided to read Joseph Smith History.  It was so beautiful.  I realized as I read about the visit from the Angel Moroni, that it had occurred 190 years ago, to the week, almost to the day, I was there.  It was a tender mercy.  Seeing these sites was an amazing experience, especially as I had had an opportunity to study Joseph Smith and the process to bring forth the Book of Mormon all summer at EFY.

I then decided to stop by the Palmyra Temple and the Grandin Bookstore. The Palmyra Temple is small but beautiful with stain glass windows of the sacred grove and a view of the sacred grove.  I also was able to attend the temple dedication of this temple so it was really cool to see it in person. On the way to the bookstore I saw the four churches on the corner that caused Joseph so much confusion.  The bookstore was really cool as well.  It was cool to see how much work went into the printing of the Book of Mormon.  The Sister Missionary who took me on the tour there happened to have dated the son of one of my favorite Child Life Professors at Utah.  Again it was a super small world.  After I went to the Hill Cumorah which was also a really cool experience.

Guys, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is so so true.  It's amazing.  And I love it.

Gettysburg

On Saturday I didn't have to work, so I though I would go explore Gettysburg.  I had never been before so I was really excited to go.  The drive there was absolutely beautiful, following the river with beautiful forest covered mountains to the side of the road.  Loved it.  I decided that it was worth the $12.50 to see a movie, a cyclorama (painting around a room), and the museum and it was definitely worth it.  Before going to see anything I decided to read D&C 87 the prophecy about the Civil War.  It was amazing because Morgan Freeman (the narrator or the movie) was practically reading that prophecy word for word for the movie.  The painting was absolutely beautiful and so life like.  I was in the museum for a few hours, watching many of the movies and taking my time reading and observing the different artifacts.  I wanted to take my time and really soak in all of the information and feelings associated with this great war.  

After lunch I decided to walk out to the actual battle sites.  Again I took my time, really trying to soak up the moment.  I walked by monument after monument after monument.  It was amazing to see how this place that's kind of in the middle of nowhere and not much to look at, is such sacred life because of how many people lost their lives.  The museum had often talked about how Gettysburg was the turn of the Civil War and how the Confederates should have won the battle, they had way more men than the Union.  But because the Union held the high ground they were able to win.  The Union held the literal high ground over those three days, but also the figurative high ground through out the war.  And if we as people continue to hold the high ground in the war against Satan, we will win as well.

I then wandered over to the cemetery, where Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg address.  I absolutely love cemeteries and this cemetery did not disappoint.  Again I slowly, quietly, and reverently wandered, observing the many headstones.  Many were not from the actual Civil War.  Many of them that were from the Civil War had Unknown written on them.  It was really cool to see the different monuments to Lincoln as well in the cemetery.  It was a peaceful place, so different from the war that made it famous.  I left that day feeling like I had just gone on a very cool spiritual journey coming to understand the men who fought for my freedom a little bit better.  I love Gettysburg.

Things I Haven't Posted Yet

It's been a while since I've blogged.  I guess I've been too busy living to blog.  Which is definitely a good thing.  Anyway, here are the updates:

• I went to Arizona and was a mother for a week and a half to three children.  What a crazy week and a half!  But I'm so glad that I got to hang out with Sabrina and her adorable children!
• I have been working EFY this summer.  I worked three weeks in Utah and I'm now in Virginia for four weeks!
• I will be moving to Pennsylvania to do a Child Life internship (in the middle of nowhere) sometime in August or September (date still up in the air).  Getting that internship was an EFY miracle.  And it is obviously where I need to be now.
• I love Virginia.  It's so green and beautiful.  And the fireflies!  Oh the fireflies! I am officially obsessed with fireflies!  I had no idea what I was missing but I'm like a little kid when I see fireflies!  And the food!  Oh the yummy, huge portioned, unhealthy food that tastes like a sinful heaven!  I love it!  I'm going to be so fat at the end of this month.  Except for the huge hill (mountain?) that I have to climb several times a day to get back to my dorms.
• And yes I've been wearing yellow all summer.  And I wore a bright pink sparkly headband today.  It's a strange world we live in.

Now for picture overload:

Arise and Shine

Wow!!  I have learned and grown so much the past few weeks doing EFY. I have made many new friends and I've learned lots of parenting skills.  I have also learned to trust in the Lord and He has given me strength beyond my own to do the things that I need to do for my children at EFY. It's so awesome to see the change that happens in just a week with these kids as they learn to apply the gosple to their lives.  This whole experience has really strengthened my testimony too.  My girls strength amazes me, they all have so many hard things going on in their lives.

Not too mention that I feel so much more hip now.  I'm all up on what's cool with 14 - 15 and the 16 - 18 crowd.  I've learned a lot about the Bieb's and One Direction, COWs (crush of the week), and that apparently the music I grew up with in elementary school is cool again, especially Backstreet Boys and N'Sync!  It's pretty much awesome!!

These past few weeks have been some of the hardest weeks of my life.  I've gone to bed every night absolutely exhausted and woken up still exhausted.  But it's the best feeling ever.  I've felt tired for all sorts of reasons but the best tired is tired out from doing the work of the Lord with all your heart, might, mind, and strength.  Because of that these weeks have also been some of the best weeks of my life.  I have seen miracles.  And I can't wait for more EFY weeks.

Basically the moral of the story is that I have the best job ever in the history of best job's ever!!!

'Nuff said.  

Enjoy the pictures.  :)

Cute note from an unknown boy to all the girls at EFY.

The Celestial One's

My Celestial Girls

Amore Girls

My Co-Co Fonzie

My Co-Co Kelsey and I

Me and Fonzie

Josh and Kelsey

Amore!!

NYC According To My Ipod

I had to share this funny video of Mason on our trip.  It doesn't have any sound, but just imagine him saying "Ah ba ah ba ah!"

This is where John Lennon died.  Had to have a Beatles reference picture haha.

It's a Big Apple in the Big Apple haha.

The museum that Night At The Museum takes place in.  Brought me back to Grad Night!

So weird to think so many of these people are now married, engaged, on missions, and doing other awesome things with their lives.

Ok, back to the present and NYC!  Haha :)

NYC Skyline

The Plaza Hotel. I was excited to see it because it was in one of my favorite movies ever , Bride Wars.

Our biggest adventure of the trip was being stuck on an airplane in the rain.  The story is coming up!

NYC Scenes Continued

First sight of the Angel Moroni in Manhattan.

Mason didn't want me to take a picture haha.

This is where we had breakfast and "the best cheesecake in America".  Yummy!