Ordinary Day

It was just an ordinary day, but then our days are always extraordinary with Lavender around. The kids and I had dental appointments today and we weren't sure how Lavender would do. We talked about it and even practiced opening our mouths. I also told her that we would get to go choose a prize from the store on the way home from the dentist. Still, we were all unsure what would happen when we got there.

Things got off to a good start in the waiting room. She liked the little table and chairs, the music that was playing and the coloring book they let her use. While I was having X-rays, Lavender watched Marianne get her teeth cleaned. Then it was her turn and Evan came in with her. She followed instructions and was able to have an exam, cleaning and flouride treatment. We were all pleasantly surprised!

At the store she chose this little stroller and she played happily with it all afternoon. It is now parked next to her bed for the night. At one point this evening I gave her a hug and asked her how she got so cute.

She replied, "Jesus made my body cute." Then she added, "He makes everyone's bodies cute."

It was so sweet and very true! I sure do love that girl of mine!

Palmyra Adventure Day 8 - The End!

We all loved our tour of the Kirtland temple (on day 6). We heard that they occasionally offered a behind the scenes tour. John found out that there was one coming up. We hesitated a bit because it cost $25 per person and because we would have to get up at 6:00 AM to be there on time. Our love for the Kirtland temple won out and we decided to go for it. The tour was about 3 hours long and given by Ron, the site director who has worshiped at the temple since he was a young boy. We were able to see the entire temple from basement to bell tower. We got to climb into the crawl spaces between the stories, and even walk up and touch the beautiful altars where the Heavenly Father and the Savior appeared.

Ron explained the architecture and building techniques as well as the retrofitting and modernization that has taken place. He told us the history of the temple over the past (almost) 200 years. He related many spiritual stories and how the temple has been preserved so many times. Ron knew one of the temple caretakers who worked there from about 1930 - 1960. He began each morning in the temple with an hour of prayer and pondering to decide how to best care for the temple. The RLDS Church had little money, so the temple needed to be maintained in creative, low-cost ways. Once the caretaker was awoken in the night by a dream that the temple was on fire. He hurried to the temple to find a small fire and with help he was able to extinguish it before more serious damage was done. 

No one is allowed to take pictures during any of the tours, but when we climed up to the bell tower, we were allowed to take pictures outside as we stood on the ladder. If we looked carefully, we could see a sliver of Lake Erie about 8 miles away. I am so grateful we were able to spend so much time in the house of the Lord.

Then we took Marianne to another sacred place, the Morley farm where in 1831 during a priesthood meeting, many saw a vision of The Father and The Son. I loved our time in Kirtland so much and I was really sad to leave it. It truly is holy ground. It looks very similar to the Sacred Grove.

Before we left for the airport we stopped in the town of Mentor to see the home of President James Garfield. It is a beautiful home surrounded by many large trees. It has a huge stone windmill that originally provided the home with running water. I wish we had a bit more time so we could take a tour. Maybe next time, because I definitely want to come back to Kirtland! 

Melanie

Palmyra Adventure - Day 7

Today was museum day! We were excited to learn that Cleveland has an excellent art museum that is free to the public. We've been taking our kids to museums for a long time and I'm grateful that they all (well, Lavender's still a little young) really love museums. Cleveland Museum of Art has a great collection of art from around the world with a great mix of different mediums and time periods. To top it off, the museum is a beautiful modern building. I've found that good art museums generally have good restaurants and this one did not disappoint. We even got Marianne a cupcake to celebrate her 19th birthday that we missed while she was performing in the Hill Cumorah Pageant. 

We stayed until just before closing and then we walked around the nearby cultural gardens enjoying the lake, trees and geese. We also took a look at some of the cool buildings on the campus of Case Western Reserve University. 

Finally, we made a stop at a house from one of our favorite holiday movies, "A Christmas Story." This house was used in the exterior scenes. It is in kind of a rough area, but a few years ago it was fixed up and they now offer tours. Across the street another house was made into a museum of movie artifacts and a gift shop. It was all closed by the time we arrived, but that was fine by us. The gate was open and we could walk up to the porch and all around the yard. It was fun to see Ralphie's home where everyone told him, "You'll shoot your eye out!"

Melanie

Palmyra Adventure - Day 6

After rain the night before, we woke up to a sunny morning in Canada. We knew the Toronto temple was closed, but we hoped the gates would be open so we could walk around the grounds. The temple fits right in with the city and it looks like it is made of concrete. The landscaping crew was hard at work and they didn't mind us walking around taking pictures. In fact, they helped give us directions to the border.

It was a long drive back to Ohio and Marianne caught up on some much needed sleep. We made it to Kirtland in plenty of time to see the historic sites and take a tour of the temple. The Community of Christ church owns the temple and conducts the tours. They know that many/most of the visitors are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and near the end of the tour they ask they group if they'd like to sing "The Spirit of God." What a sweet experience to sing that wonderful song inside the temple. It was sung at the original dedication in 1836.

Since we spent most of the day in the car, we were to take a walk that night. John gave me a goodnight kiss and got a picture of our shadows. It was a great way to end another great day!

Palmyra Adventure - Day 5

We started our Sunday morning with a walk along a path to the church building behind our hotel. We were in for a real treat. The church members in Palmyra prepare a special Sacrament Meeting for the many visitors during pageant. What an experience to sing "Praise to the Man" and "Oh How Lovely was the Morning" next to the Sacred Grove. We heard a fabulous talk by the senior missionary who is the director of the historic sites in the area. He spoke of repentance and told us that story of Martin Harris losing 118 pages that had Ben translated from the plates. He was supposed to come meet Joseph and return the manuscript but he was very late in coming. Joseph began to get worried and Martin finally arrived at the Smith's frame house (where John & I are standing). There Martin confessed what had happened. Both men wept and were devastated. Moroni came and took back the plates and translating tools. It was a terrible experience, but it led them to repentance. As the speaker explained, "Our faith in Christ leads us to change our thoughts and actions that are not in line with God's will." I know that the power of repentance is real and that God's arm is always outstretched to us in love. 

That stiring church service ended with the choir and congregation singing "The Spirit of God." It was a incredible experience. To top things off, we headed over to visit the Smith homes and stood right where Martin came to tell Joseph the bad news. We walked in the Sacred Grove one last time before we went to pick up Marianne.

She was so sad to leave her new friends and the entire pageant experience. To help cheer her up we headed to Niagra Falls. The falls were crowded, but magnificent! Since we'd already made the border crossing, we decided to go see Toronto. It was a longer drive than we expected and we were a little anxious when we realized that we didn't have phone service or internet access in Canada. How were we supposed to map where we were going? Thanks to free wifi at Starbucks and a little patience, we figured it out. 

It was exciting to see the area where Aaron served his mission. Because he was serving the Korean population, he spent many months street contacting near the corner of Yonge & Finch streets. He told us about a great little Korean restaurant and we ate a delicious dinner there. John talked to the waiter and tried to find something he could eat, but everything except plain rice had salt in it. He went down the street for sushi, but when he brought his food in to eat with us, one of the waiters freaked out. John tried to explain, but they didn't speak English well. John put his food away, but a few minutes later they came and apologized and told him to please eat his dinner. It all worked out in the end. This picture shows a tired Marianne who was a little out of sorts at not being able to text her friends. We made it to our hotel in Brampton, near where Aaron's mission home was located. A good night's sleep made us all feel better.

Melanie

Palmyra Adventure - Day 4

We started our day right at the Palmyra temple. It is beautiful inside and out. Evan was able to do baptisms here last summer and he told us to look for something special when we visited. Because our temples are sacred, the windows are made of frosted or decorated glass. The view both in and out is obscured. To me it is a symbol of how the temple is a place set apart from the world to focus on God's work. The Palmyra temple is unique because it has a large clear window. It is the middle of the three windows to the side of John's arm. When the temple was being built, President Hinckley visited and asked that a clear window be installed so that temple patrons could see the Sacred Grove. There are several lovely depictions of the grove in the temple, but there is nothing like seeing the real thing!

Next we drove out to the Peter Whitmer farm. They have a huge chapel and visitors center there. They also have a reproduction of the original cabin. It was built of boards from the 1820s just like the Whitmer's cabin! Much of the Book of Mormon translation was done here. This is also a special place because it is the site where The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was formally organized on April 6, 1830. Six founding members signed the necessary legal documents, but about 50-70 people were in attendance. They couldn't all fit in the house, so some stood outside watching through the doors and windows.

It has been a challenge during our trip to find food that John can eat. He needs to have almost no salt. One of the senior sisters recommended "Connie's Diner." Their food was delicious and John was able to get a freshly made hamburger and fries with no salt! I had potato salad that tasted like homemade! We were grateful to find it because John was getting tired of fruit and unsalted nuts.

Back in the town of Palmyra, we saw a few more sites. We were able to visit, but not tour the Martin Harris home. Harris was one of the three witnesses to the gold plates and a scribe to Joesph Smith as he translated them. When the translation was finished, Martin Harris mortgaged (and eventually lost) half of his farm to raise $3,000 to pay for the printing of the Book of Mormon. His home burned in the 1840s and was rebuilt in 1850 using carefully selected river rock. Evan was able to stay in this gorgeous home last summer when he stayed with his friend's grandparents who were serving a mission in the area. John and I were excited to visit. Can you see the rows of rocks covering the house?

After seeing Martin Harris' home, we had to see the site where the Book of Mormon was first published. It was quite a process to typeset, print and bind 5,000 copies at the Grandin Press.

Next we took a short walk to see the grave of Joseph's brother who died when he was only 25. It is in a little cemetery at the top of a hill. Many of the graves are now unreadable and it makes me sad that the memorials and record of these individuals has been lost.

In the late afternoon we took a walk in the Sacred Grove where young Joseph prayed to know what church to join. God the Father and His son Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph and told him to join none of the churches. Later, Joseph would help restore the gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth. The grove is a peaceful, beautiful place and we were grateful to spend some time there (even if I did get some bug bites).

Finally we headed to the hill to see the final night of the pageant. I enjoyed it even more the second time. We met a few more of Marianne's friends before the show. We were also able to spot her onstage during the dance number. What a treat to be there for the performance.

Before bed we took a walk near our hotel and enjoyed the fireflies. I haven't seen fireflies since I was a little girl in Iowa and it was fun to see them again. Lavender would love them. I told John we need to bring her to Palmyra in about five years.

Palmyra Adventure - Day 3

We stayed overnight a few miles away from Kirtland in a town called Mentor, Ohio. I spend much of my time mentoring, so I love the name! It is also the home of President James Garfield. We wanted to tour his home, but it didn't open until 10 AM and we wanted to get on the road to Palmyra.

The trip was about three hours and I loved having uninterrupted time to talk with my husband! We couldn't quite get the hang of the toll roads. We decided to stop for lunch and I checked my phone for nearby restaurants, but every time I found one, there was no place to get off! Finally we escaped and took a crazy route through lots of corn fields, but we made it to Applebee's. It really was a beautiful drive with tons of trees and views of the lake. Once we got to town, we checked into the fabulous Palmyra Inn and then headed over to the hill.

The Hill Cumorah is a huge, steep hill and when I first saw it about 8 years ago, I couldn't imagine how it was possible to stage a production there. Except for a few weeks every summer it is just a hill next to a visitor's center. It is peaceful and serene. You would never imagine that it is the site of a huge theatrical production. But at pageant time, the hill is transformed. The stage is massive--all grey and terraced with lots of stairs and platforms. It takes a crew several days to set it all up. Of course there are also lots of towers for lights, speakers etc. And of course thousands of chairs! The first picture is. View from the top of the hill looking down over the stage to empty chairs that will fill up in a few hours.

Last summer, about 2,000 people applied to be in the pageant and about 750 of them were accepted for the 2015 show. They have cast members of all ages and about half of them are first timers. About 90 minutes before the show, the cast comes out in full costume. They spread out and meet the audience. They hand out programs, share copies of The Book of Mormon, answer lots of questions and pose for countless pictures. It is as much fun as the pageant itself! We loved talking to people from all over the country and hearing their stories. Whether you are a cast, crew or audience member, you will ask and answer the same question dozens of times. "Where are you from?" It was kind of like a giant family reunion with cousins you had never met.

Around 9:15 when it starts to get dark, it's showtime! The pageant is spectacular! It tells the story of the Book of Mormon and begins with the entire, beautiful and brightly costumed cast on stage. Above them, herald angels blow their horns and below them colorful flags wave. The show portrays key scenes from the Book of Mormon. Some of my favorites were:
* the vision of the tree of life with glowing, lighted fruit
* Lehi's family on the ship in a storm, with a magnificent, huge sail, lots of wind and water spraying everywhere
* the wicked King Noah (top right picture) and burning Abinadi at the stake. The fire is incredible.
* the earthquake, fire and explosions at the time of Christ's death.
* The coming of the Savior. It is absolutely stunning to see him descend to the people. Their awe and excitement to see him feels real.

Because of the complex staging, some of the roles are double, triple or quadruple cast. In the lower right picture you can see the four Lehis. One of the best things about the pageant is that it takes place at the actual site where Moroni hid the gold plates and then directed Joseph Smith to unearth them over a thousand years later. It is exciting just to visit this holy ground, but it is extra special to see these events portrayed here.

The pageant is absolutely amazing! Hundred of people sacrifice precious time and money to make it happen every year. I am so grateful that Marianne was able to be a part of it and that John and I were able to come see her perform. I am so proud of my courageous, adventurous daughter!

Palmyra Adventure - Day 2

Today was Kirtland and what a wonderful day! We were so impressed with the beauty of the area, but even more lovely was the strong spirit we felt. It was powerful and I was nearly in tears much of the time.

We started our day at the visitor's center and saw the sites owned by the church:

* saw mill

* the ashery

* Whitney home - where the first priesthood blessing was given (by Joseph Smith to Elsa Johnson who's arm was healed of debilitating arthritis)

* Newell K Whitney Store - where the School of the Prophets was held and the Word of Wisdom was revealed 

* Johnson Inn - where the first patriarchal blessing was given to Joseph Smith Sr and the Book of Abraham was translated

The cutest young sister missionary led our tour and she bore testimony of how she had group b strep and meningitis and a newborn. She nearly died, but her life was saved through the power of the priesthood. Also in our tour group was a family from my brother Scott's stake and a great non-member couple. They were explained that they had lived in Ohio for years and felt a draw to Kirtland and finally decided to come see the church sites for themselves. They gave us their name and number and insisted we call if we needed anything during our visit. So kind!

We visited several other sites and one of the Senior missionaries taught us something wonderful. He explained that when Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in the Sacred Grove, he called in "The First Vision." That implied there would be more visions, and there were! Kirtland is the place where God appeared 4 more times to His servants. The pictures are of these locations.

2nd vision - Isaac Morley farm

This beautiful place reminded us of the Sacred Grove.

3rd vision - John Johnson home 

The Johnsons sold their large and lovely dream home to finance the building of the Kirtland Temple.

4th vision - Whitney store

A section of the upstairs has original floorboards, and it was a thrill to walk where the prophet Joseph walked.

5th vision - Kirtland temple

This was a labor of love by the Saints who gave their all to build this magnificent structure. It is a miracle that it is still standing, especially since it hasn't been owned by the church since the 1830s.

So much important work was done in Kirtland and so many revelations were received there. The Saints made great sacrifices to do God's work. In return, He poured out His spirit upon them and you can still feel it today.

Melanie

Palmyra Adventure - Day 1

Soon after we learned that Marianne would be in the Hill Cumorah Pageant, we started thinking about a trip. I have always wanted to see the pageant and what could be better than seeing your daughter perform? Time alone with my husband, that's what! Fortunately, this trip let me have both.

John and I arrived in Cleveland, picked up a car, checked into our hotel and headed out for dinner at a little Thai restaurant. I loved the mango curry! John asked the waitress if there was anything fun to do in the area and she recommended a place called Olmsted Falls Park. Actually, she couldn't remember the name of it, nor give us specific directions, but she gave us enough to go on and we found it.

As we searched for the park we noticed a theme: lots of churches! We found a place to park, in a church parking lot of course, and we saw the greatest bench painted with a beautiful scripture.

We hoped we were in the right place and we headed towards some stairs. We were pleased to find a lovely wooded area along a river. It was a great place to walk after sitting on the plane all day. We followed hiking trails and explored a bit we found the falls! We also found: old mill stones, the foundation of a Boy Scout cabin, a beautifully developed park across the river and a cool covered bridge. It was a wonderful evening that we topped off with frozen yogurt!

We stayed at a great hotel, but the next morning we noticed an odd assortment of characters.
*A man doing major car repairs in the parking lot. He had his muffler off and everything.
*A man with a cane who reminded me of Sammy Davis Jr.
*A older woman in the breakfast room who loudly gave us a running commentary during the morning news show on TV.
*A platinum blonde in short shorts who was clearly not a woman. The hotel is next to a hospital and we determined that many of the guests stay there while receiving medical treatment.

All in all, we had a fabulous day together. I had forgotten how easy it is to pack, fly across the country and find your way around a new city WITHOUT a 3 year old in tow. Thanks to my sweet husband for planning this trip for us!

Independence Day

You're probably expecting this post to be about the 4th of July. We did have a great independence day. We went swimming and ate lots of good food with the Bakers. Then some of us took a hike up the hills to see fireworks. A certain little girl was exhausted after staying up until 8 PM, so I took her home and put her to bed.

Lavender has always been pretty independent, but here are some pictures to document her growing strides at becoming a "big girl."

I made little missionary name badges for the kids when I taught Primary a few weeks ago. Lavender was thrilled to have one for herself! When the sister missionaries came for dinner the next week, she was so excited. She sat next to them, got chocolate on them, talked incessantly and finally took charge of the lesson.  They showed us a video about fathers and then asked each of us questions about our fathers/fatherhood. Then Lavy jumped in and asked each of them to tell us about their fathers. I have a feeling she will be a great missionary some day!

Cousin Alyssa is an amazing dancer and is teaching a preschool ballet class at the studio. Lavender is so independent that she chooses her own moves or gets a drink of water instead of following her teacher. Hmm. Still working on that one!

We know she's happy when we hear her singing and playing with her
animals. Here she is taking them on a train ride. She's a good little mommy.

We went to the beach one evening and Lavender played in the sand while we played frisbee. It wasn't long until she took charge. She grabbed the frisbee, buried it in the sand and sat down on it. She was so proud of herself and we couldn't stop laughing.

She dresses herself every day and is perfecting the art of putting on her shoes.

Lavender accompanies Jenny and me on our morning walk. She loves taking selfies and I especially like this one that captured those of us actually getting some exercise. One day the stroller got a flat tire so we walked around the track at the park while waiting for John to come over. Lavy walked with us for about a mile. She moved those little legs to keep up with us!

Here's another app she loves. She captured her sassy side with this one.

We sure love our independent little big girl!

Wedding Extras.

In a previous post I mentioned the wedding we attended while Evan was receiving his awards at the fair. Our good friend Josh was married to the beautiful Rachel in the San Diego LDS temple. We have known him and his wonderful family for 19 years. It is always a joy to see a young couple starting their life together by being sealed for all eternity. It is also a great opportunity to reunite with friends you don't get to see very often!

I apologize for failing to get a photo of the bride, but here is a picture of the groom and his handsome groomsmen. Aaron has been friends with most of these guys since he was four years old.

Here are Michael, Meryl, John and Aaron. Four friends enjoying the wedding reception. These awesome young adults (and Josh the groom who was probably busy dancing, cutting cake, kissing the bride or something) were all homeschooling buddies and grew up together. Meryl was the first to get married early last year and she and her husband now live in our ward! John also recently returned from his LDS mission to Texas and he spoke at church on Sunday (which also happened to be Father's Day). What a weekend!

But it wasn't just the kids who had a reunion.  I loved getting to see some of my best friends. I didn't get any pictures at the wedding or reception, but here are a couple from the beach on Monday.

Jenny, Sheree, Angela and I homeschooled our kids together and worked to create a new commonwealth school where our teens met for weekly classes. These women are awesome mentors who helped me raise my kids. I love any excuse to get together with them!

I think you are officially middle aged when your social life revolves around weddings. How many years before funerals become the big events?!