Just My Life and Stuff...

2011-01-25T11:40:00.000-08:00

Here is just a glimpse of The Best Day Ever! I love you Nate! Thanks for being so thoughtful. Snickers even dressed up in his tux for the big day :) It was so fun to have both of our families there afterwords. His sisters are darling and made it so memorable.

The best Christmas Present Ever...

2011-01-25T10:06:00.000-08:00

I'm engaged!! Nate proposed Christmas day, it was the most wonderful day. On Christmas eve he gave me my Christmas present and told me I couldn't open it with him and I had to open it last of all my presents. I was very curious why I had so many stipulations for my present but I was excited to see what it could be. I woke up Christmas morning and tried not to hurry through my Christmas too much but I couldn't help it. I got to his present and opened it. Inside was a journal, 2 pieces to a puzzle, and 2 cute scarves. I read the first page of the journal which explained what I was about to begin. He informed me I was about to begin a scavenger hunt he had created for all over alpine. I was to go to all of these places that we had been together and made memories at. The clues were all written on the back of the puzzle pieces and they were all written to "Let it Snow" it was adorable. I went to all the stops and had new clues at each place. The journal had his memories of that place with me and I was to do the same on the next page. After about 7 clues I made it to what I thought was going to be the last one. Fire Road. This is where he first kissed me and where we have gone ever since to talk or just be together. It's a secluded road at the top of alpine where you can look out and see the whole valley and the stars are awesome at night. Anyway I get there and there is a bigger present at this stop than the last few stops. I opened it up and inside was a pair of earrings the rest of the puzzle pieces and and a note that said this is the end! Merry Christmas come over!
I was a little disappointed.. haha It was all darling but I was expecting something more like a ring at the end :). So I started driving to his house non the less excited to see him. I got to his neighbors house and got pulled over.... I wanted to cry, I was in a rental car, I didn't have my license, and it was Christmas Day! I rolled down my window and stuck my head all the way out to look at who exactly would be mean enough to do this on Christmas... only to find out it was Nate's Dad. I just started laughing. He walked to my car and said "I won't need your registration, but here are your last 2 pieces of the puzzle."
The last 2 pieces told me to go back to Fire Road. I was so excited at this point. As I turned the corner I saw Nate standing in the middle of the road in a suit and tie, ring box in hand. I got out of my car, already in tears and gave him a big hug. he knelt down and asked me to marry him :). After that I looked over and he had his tent trailer all set up. It was decked out inside (thanks to his sisters and mom) It looked amazing, I had roses, sparkling cider, Christmas decorations, blankets, a heater, even a generator to power the cute lights. We sat down and finished putting my puzzle together he read me a note he had written while he waited for me and watched a slide show of us. We made a toast with the sparkling cider and just enjoyed the moment together. It was perfect. Later that day both of our families came up to see everything and we took lots of pictures. It was the best Christmas ever and I love him so much! I can't wait to spend the rest of forever with him :)

The Cabin

2010-09-27T12:23:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Crew!

I LOVE HEATHER! I was so glad she came with us it was so fun to have her there. She is the best ever.

Shootin skeet

We were making breakfast and Nate got flower all over my face...

So we continue to play even though school/work has taken over all of our lives. For Nate's birthday we went up to his Cabin with his friends. We had a lot of fun. UVU had already started so I was in school but BYU didn't start until the following Monday after his birthday. We went up Friday night and stayed til Saturday afternoon. we sure had fun!

I made Nate's Birthday Cake :) and we played body body body for a good two hours! SO SCARY in his cabin haha, everyone was afraid for their lives.

Ice Blocking and Up the Canyon

2010-09-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

Racin... we won~!

This was my first time Ice blocking.. I hadn't ever been before but it was a lot of fun and we had a fun group of people. Afterwords we went to Nate's and had Root Beer Floats be cause Nate got accepted to the Business Program :)! YAY!

Ice Blocking!

We went upt he canyon for zach's 15th birthday. we had fun with the dogs. Lance skipped a rock all the way across the lake and almost hit some fisherman haha it was the highlight of the day... even though we did feel kinda bad.

After we went bowling.. we went back to Whit and Dals and had dessert and just talked for a while. Then Whit and I cut Nate and Collins hair... ha. I was a little nervous not gonna lie, but Whit helped me and I thought it looked good. :)

I love being with them, especially having Whit and Dal there.

We all went Bowling while all the friends were in town for the summer.

2010-09-05T10:23:00.000-07:00

We went Camping at the Ranch with my family and Nate came :) We just spent the day there. and Went to church at the little church just below our Ranch. It was a lot of fun and I loved having Nate with us. We went on four wheeler rides, horse rides, and a hike. I love having Whit and Dal with us all the time too. They are the best and I am so glad they live so close.

2010-09-05T09:24:00.000-07:00

Beautiful

Lance trying to be taller..

Sunday! This was such a beautiful day. There was a huge storm that we got caught in on our Sunday walk hah. But afterwords it was gorgeous. The boys and Whit played dunk ball and Mom and I watched :) I love Alpine. I feel so blessed to live there.

This was our Last Date with Ryan and Ty before they left on their missions. We had a blast. We did peach cobbler and had wings. It was so much fun to spend time with them before they took off. They have been such awesome friends. I miss them but they are doing great! Ry just left for Mongolia last week.

The only bad part of the date was when a bird pooped on me and I ended up wearing one of Heather's little sisters jackets... haha

I'm Such a good cook :)

Summer is officailly over... But it's all good. It was one of the best summers of my life! Moving home after a year in Logan was the best, and now being in Provo is such a blessing. Here are some updates from my crazy fun summer!

Becca and I went to the Real Soccer Game and fireworks :) Alicyn Wright had 2 extra tickets for us and we had a lot of fun. It was good to catch up and spend time with her, I love her! I love being here roommate now.

Best Summer Yet!

2010-08-09T09:31:00.000-07:00

Havasupai! so much fun.. lots of blisters though

This Summer has seriously been the best. I couldn't be happier to be home and I haven't been stressed about moving far away again. Everything has been so perfect! And I love being home with my family. It was hard to say goodbye to a few close friends who have left on missions recently but 2 years isn't that long I've decided! :)

Bad Kidneys!

2010-05-26T11:10:00.000-07:00

Well I moved home! YaY! that is good news...the bad news is my first weekend home I ended up in the hospital... lame. My mom took me to the ER because there was something wrong with me (that's usually a good reason to take someone there). But I found out that I had a cyst rupture.. no fun at all.. if that wasn't enough I had a Kidney Infection that decided to get into my blood stream. The doctor told me that my white count was as high as patients with Leukemia..scary. I was on lots of antibiotics and pain pills which I have know successfully finished! Been back to the doctor a few times.. one time he gave me a shot and I haven't been back after that haha.. but I am feeling much better and I think that my life is getting back to normal very soon. Back to work and playing this week! Before my lovely Kidney adventure I went to Havasupai which I mentioned once I get pics from Whit I will update them! they are amazing! Whit and Taylor Kauffman have started a "I hate kidneys" club... I am officially a member.. cool huh? we are going to make T-shirts. I forgot to mention the lovely picture... This is my kidney apparently and the flowers are supposed to me make better? haha. Anyway I have some really great friends! I had so many visitors and I love them all! Thank you all!

Goodbye Logan... Finally!

2010-04-30T15:42:00.000-07:00

I am just sitting in my room waiting and waiting for my mom and my sister to get here and take me away! I have been so excited all day.. this week has been going in slow motion and it's finally time! I have taken 3 of my 5 finals and am done with finals till next Friday so I get to move home today! I am going to miss Utah State, it really is such an awesome school but I can't wait to move to Provo and live at Belmont! This summer is going to be a party and I am leaving for Havasupai on Sunday with Whit, Dal Reags, Sam, Bryan, Fred, Caden, and Clint! It is going to be so much fun! GOODBYE LOGAN!

2010-04-25T20:00:00.000-07:00

My favorite Sister! This weekend Mom took the praxis and Whit officially finished her first year of law school so we celebrated at the Tulip Festival at T Point! It was pretty warm and we got in free because I worked at thanksgiving point... two years ago.. but that's not important :). We ate at the cute little restaurant there and the sweet potato fries reminded me of my grandma Betty. Wish she could have been there with us. The highlight of the festival was sitting on the hill and watching all the little kids run/roll down the big hill. We were very entertained to say the least. Such a good weekend! only five more days in Logan until I move home and then I can celebrate with mom and whit for reals.. I seriously CAN'T WAIT!!!

The artistic picture taken by Whit for Dad.. he loved it.

"Gypsy Princess"... hahaha, The boys call everyon Gypsy's so we had to take a picture to show them the gypsy flowers...

So pretty... the Italian Gardens... too bad it's not really Italy. I want to go back soooo bad!

2010-04-08T14:54:00.000-07:00

Ferrari

Racin...

This week is my families Spring Break and my classes got canceled on Wednesday so I had nothing to do.. besides homework of course. I spent around four hours in the library and then met my mom in Salt Lake. We went to a teaching supply store and to lunch. After that we met Dad and the boys in Tooele at the Go-Cart track. It was soo much fun! Zach won the first time because Lance got stuck behind mom haha. Lance won the second time and knocked Dad right off the track. We had a lot of fun and they started unloading the Ferrari's when we were pulling out. I guess there is some big convention thing there this weekend. My family left and went to Moab for the rest of their break so I am going home to be on dog duty tomorrow.

2010-04-08T14:48:00.000-07:00

On Easter, Dallin discovered photobooth on my laptop haha.. We got a little carried away and laughed for hours about the different faces we could make.

Zach wanted to see how close he could get his eyes together so he could look more like mom....

Conference Weekend is always my favorite! I was so excited to come home!! My Alpine Bishop got me four tickets to the Saturday Morning Session so Heather, Kevin, Ryan and I went to Salt Lake and enjoyed the first Session. We met up with Sohaib and Corbin afterwards. We ate Lunch with Ryan's Grandparents and then headed home for the second session. It was really fun to go, I'm so happy my Bishop had a few extra tickets.

2010-04-08T14:33:00.000-07:00

I had a little bit of Chalk in my eyes to say the least. This was quite the weekend. I did this the same day Lance went to Prom. Clair and Lauren came and stayed at my house for a night and then all of us drove up to Spanish Fork for the Festival of Colors. On our way, I managed to miss the exit.. because I am good at stuff like that and so I just got off the exit right after it which is Benjamin.. well it led right to the Krishna Temple and we beat Kaitlyn. haha I told her she took the wrong exit that she should have followed me... shh don't tell her. Anyway we got there and we look soooo white in that picture before we started. We chanted Hare Krishna for a while and threw chalk on people... I don't really understand the celebration at all, but I enjoyed myself :) and we looked cool. It was really fun! I was lucky that I didn't get sick, I guess a few people got some chalk in their lungs and it wasn't very good for them. haha I probably won't ever do it again although I enjoyed it, but I don't ever want chalk plastered in my ears again.

2010-04-08T14:26:00.000-07:00

She looked Beautiful.. Lance told everyone he had the prettiest date.

I'm officially the shortest...

This is my G-Q brother... he's really cool and stuff... I can't believe he is old enough to be going his junior year prom! I felt like mine was yesterday. crazy. He loved it and it became a family affair. haha. We all went to Addy's and took pictures of the two of them before they took off, and by all of us I mean even the whole family (minus Dal he was working) even the dogs came.. Lance was ready to get rid of us when they took off for more pictures with the group.

2010-02-25T16:28:00.000-08:00

Finally Getting the point where we are getting closer to get into to the actual game..

The Gang

Waiting and Waiting and Waiting... to get into the BYU vs USU BBall game

Aggie Athletics! haha... well the only thing that is worth watching at all is Men's Basketball.. but of course as Freshman we went to the football games. I suffered through one whole game, the others I usually went for about half. Basketball is pretty cool though except the fact that we say mean cheers. I always feel bad streaming stupid or you suck at the opposing team especially when I come home and my dad tells me that stupid is a "utah state" word haha. I have been to a few basketball games and they are really fun. Last semester we played BYU and waiting outside for hours to get good seats. We enjoyed the game and have been to several this semster.

2010-02-25T16:16:00.000-08:00

All of us set to go dancin!

So when I moved up here I discovered everyone I became friends with at first is obsessed with rock climbing. I was cool with that and enjoyed doing it once or twice but mostly just watching. I informed my dad of this and he found me rock climbing shoes asap haha. of course. He's the best. We enjoyed climbing outside for a while until the never ending Logan winter set in. We also enjoyed several 80's dances at the beginning of the first semester and we took full advantage of dressing up for those :).

2010-02-25T16:01:00.000-08:00

"True Aggies"

My Fabulous bed that I have to jump to get into :)

Becky, Kaity, and Ranny!

First Semester Fun! These are our Home Teachers they have been and visited us once since we got here in August... I think we may have scared them away... oops

2010-02-24T16:55:00.000-08:00

2010-02-24T16:49:00.000-08:00

The end! so much fun

ummm yep those are mine.. once again

The Last day was our rafting adventure! All day in the water is definitely my thing! I loved it! Kait did great and we all had a ball. It was good to get to know the girls better and the guys for that matter. We had such a good time. For some reason Ryan enjoyed pushing me out of the raft.. It happened quite often..

2010-02-24T16:47:00.000-08:00

The Water was FREEZING

haha Tyler's hand got stuck in my hair :)

2010-02-24T16:38:00.000-08:00

Isn't this amazing? Apparently you get like a 5,000 dollar fine if you get in the water good thing none of us fell in :)

The beginning of our Hiking Adventure!

2010-02-24T16:28:00.000-08:00

Here we GO!

Alrighty! Day 2 we drove to Colorado after spending the night up the canyon and doing some rock climbing. well for me repelling. I like that much better :). We rode our bikes down the canyon and slept in tents! It was fun and beautiful. Our Drive was kind of long but once we got there we did a couple practice runs on the river. Kait was leading us in the raft (or whatever it's called) and she did great! After loosing a few men we finally figured it out haha and were prepared for our big rafting day in the rapids. The rest of the day though we went on an amazing hike the pictures are gorgeous and we ran through a few water falls :) then we all just slept on the lawn of one of Brother Brunsdales friends. It was a late night.

2010-02-24T16:25:00.000-08:00

The Boyz!

Obviously before we started... luckily we didn't take an after

I look like I'm five and I ride a bike like I'm five.. At least I'm consistent

2010-02-24T16:02:00.000-08:00

The Beautiful Dam ha. oxymoron ?

So All of my soon to be Roommates and I went on an adventure. Thanks to Kaitlyn's wonderful Father. Our first day we started in Moab and we were mountain biking slick rock... why I ever thought me and mountain biking would ever work out.. no one knows :) But I decided to give it a try. I did alright at the beginning and then there was an incident where I flew over the handlebars haha. oops. I knocked the wind out of me pretty good but nothing was broken, I got back on. I almost passed out after riding to the top but it was all good when we took another quick break. By the end we were very much out of water and it was blistering hot!! I was sooo thrilled when I could see the van. I would never had made it back if it wasn't for Brother Brunsdale ha. Thanks for keeping me alive. After the Mountain Bike adventures we decided to jump off a dam to cool ourselves off that was very enjoyable! and that was Day 1

Summer Fun!

2010-02-24T15:51:00.000-08:00

7 Peaks with my girls! Last hurrah before we all went our seperate ways. Casey and Becca are at BYU, Aly Cat is at BYU Idaho and I am at Utah Sate! Go Aggies :)

This was for my Dad... He likes artistic pictures.. especially taken by himself

Pretty sure I missed ever time.. but hey, I look good right?

More Pictures/ Luncheon

2009-12-27T12:37:00.001-08:00

Pitcher's

Lance, Zach and I gave Dallin a present. I gave him hangers and told him he better keep his room clean.. Whit doesn't like it when things get messy. Zach gave him earplugs because sometimes she gets bossy.. and Lance gave him a toy basketball and said he better keep his game up because that would be embarrassing if your wife would beat you.

The Time they exited the temple to the time the luncheon started Kristi was taking pictures. They are gorgeous. So nice that the weather cleared for a while.

Marriage is What brings us Together Today...

2009-12-27T12:13:00.000-08:00

Everyone was married but B and I.. crazy!

My favorite sister :)

Then came the pictures...

Everyone left for the Temple that morning except the boys and I of course. Mom forgot the wedding dress.. haha slightly important on a wedding day. Lance ran it to her. I brought Dallin's flower and Whit's Bouquet a little bit before they exited the temple. It bad been raining pretty good until Whit and Dal opened the doors! Could they look any happier?

The Night before bachelorette party! Reagan, Jane Ann and Bry slept over. The night before we set up all the tables for the reception and the italian lights over the sport court.. it was beautiful to say the least.

2009-12-20T16:51:00.000-08:00

My sister Whitlie decided to get married a week after I got back from Heritage Tours.. It was a crazy week of preparation.. this was one of the bridals she emailed me while I was still on tour.

2009-12-20T16:33:00.000-08:00

Adam-Ondi-Ahman. Our last stop before home. President Monson is mission president over it. It is to keep it in a state of readiness for the Lord's purposes. Adam-Ondi-Ahman means Man-in the presence of- God. It is time to be considerate, good, descent and courteous, in other words to become more Christ like.
CTR
Choose The Right
Contine The Rescue (Sweet Water)
Current Temple Recomend (Susquehannah)
Cross The River (Mississippi)
Christ The Redeemer (Adam-Ondi-Ahman)

Far West

Liberty Jail was another one of my very favorite experiences. It was at the end of a really long day, I was not so happy to be going to another sight at 8 that night. I was exhausted. We were able to watch the Joseph Smith movie before entering. It's amazing to me what he was willing to go through. It doesn't matter how many times I have seen that or how many times I have heard the same story over and over again, I still feel the spirit just as strong and have a reassurance of the spirit testifying to be of the truthfulness of this gospel.

Our last night in Nauvoo.. with our matching Sweatshirts :)

2009-10-21T19:22:00.000-07:00

The door that was shot through when the martyrdom.

The Jail's walls are like 4 feet thick. The first room they put 10 men in was the upstairs level. They were handcuffed and locked in a cellar. The room was tiny and had no light. The windows were like 2 by 10, tiny. I can't remember the mans name who owned it and lived in the jail, but he lived with his wife and two children. He began to trust the men an felt the goodness of them, He moved them to a more open cellar with bigger windows and less heat. (the room upstairs got to be 120 degrees at times) They stayed down there the majority of the time. They were actually moved after that to a bedroom. Then only being 7 men left, Joseph and Hyrum spent the last night in the bed. The other 5 men insisted, not realizing it was even their last night. The mob came running in around five that evening. They held the door for as long as they could. Bullets were coming through and one hit Hyrum in the face killing him. Joseph ran to him and then to the window where he was shot twice from the inside and twice from teh outside by three different men. John Taylor was also shot in the hip and once from the window at his pocket which made him fall to the ground almost under the bed. Willard Richards unharmed. Everyone else shot and killed. Willard Richards hid John's body in the cellar until the mob fled. Willard and John lived to be witnesses of martyrdom of the prophet and his brother. Plus the three other faithful men of the church. Joseph rode his horse to Carthage willing to give his life to seal with his blood the testimony of the church.

The Statute of Joseph and Hyrum outside Carthage.

2009-10-21T19:11:00.000-07:00

Our Last Day in Nauvoo.. Beautiful Temple. Loved Baptisms

"Sunset on the Mississippi" hahahahah sooo great! gotta love the missionaries!

ha Great Sign. Sitting seemed to work..

2009-10-12T21:13:00.000-07:00

The Beautiful Nauvoo Temple!

The Mississippi River

The Temple view from Parley's

We made it to Nauvoo! The saints left their warm home and all their belongings and walked down Parley's Street. We spent most the day down in Historic Nauvoo. We went in the printing press, went and put on pioneer clothes and played some games. We walked over to the side that is owned by the Community of Christ they have a cute little store that i bought a whole bunch of stuff for family at :). We walked over to Joseph and Hyrums graves and looked over the Mississippi River! We had a blast and it was a really cool experience to walk down Parleys and think of all those who sacrificed so much for me to be where I am now.

2009-09-29T20:10:00.000-07:00

Rest Stop Poses

The Bus

Cass and I

Me and My daddy

These are just some of our great Rest Stop/Bus pictures. June 13th was just a travel day.. We drove A LOT, I did see my very fist fire fly in Ohio (our destination that night) we played with fireflys til curfew :)

2009-09-29T19:33:00.000-07:00

Joseph and Emma's first son's grave

The Monument for the Susquehanna in honor of the Restoration of the Priesthood

Rain Rain GO AWAY!

little wet.... Harmony Pennsylvania

Susquehanna River

This is where Joseph Smith obtained some of his schooling, met and courted Emma Hale Smith. Together they suffered the death of their first child, Alvin who lived but a few hours. Here much of the Book of Mormon was translated and 15 sections of the Doctrine and Covenants were received. But, what the river is known for is what happened on the banks where I was able to stand. The Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods were restored to this earth. As we got off the bus 125 youth gathered in a circle around the monument near the cemetery. Brother E spoke to us for a moment on what happened here and then we walked over to the cemetery where Emma's parents and son were buried. As we walked over to the graves it began to sprinkle but it was so humid that it wasn't really noticeable. Within two minutes it was pooring rain. By the time I had run back to the bus it looked like I had jumped into a pool. I had a dress on taht was completely stuck to me. We still had to drive down behind the fence so we could walk to the river, to have our meeting. The rain was still coming down heavy. We got to where we could walk about a fourth of a mile to the river. Brother Pelo said give it ten minutes. We all said we didn't care we were already wet. Little did we know Brother and Sister Pelo stood under one of the tree's at the cemetery and he commanded in prayer with the power of the Preisthood for the rain to cease so that we would be able to continue our meeting at the Susquehanna River banks. I can't tell you how quickly the clouds parted. By the time we were off the bus again it was no longer raining. We walked through several puddles and our shoes were covered in mud, but we were able to stand on the banks of that river together an dahve a meeting in honor of the restoration of the Priesthood.

The morning I woke up to leave on Heritage Tours I was so nervous. I didn't want o leave everything that was going on, plus I am a wimp and three weeks felt like a long time to be away. I had everything in the car and my mom told me to go ask my dad for a blessing. He stopped what he was doing and came inside to give me a blessing. It was simple but profound and exactly what I needed to hear. I could feel the power of the Priesthood run through me as my dad placed his hands on my head. I felt the peace I needed to start my trip. Elder Costa of the Seventy said, " When we receive the Priesthood, we make an eternal covenant to serve others. As Priesthood holders, we can be a powerful influence in the lives of others. President Monson also reminded us, "How fortunate and blessed we are to be holders of the Priesthood of God. Always remember that people are looking to you for leadership and you are influencing the lives of individuals either for good or for bad, which influence will be felt for generations to come." Our example will always speak loudly as members of the church and I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to visit this sacred ground. I felt the power of the Priesthood so strong there and will never forget that experience. We sang together and several of the kids shared their testimonies. I am so grateful for the testimonies born there and for the restoration of the Priesthood, we are so lucky as latter day saints to have this amazing power in our lives. I am so grateful for a Dad and brothers who honor their Priesthood. I know of it's power and have witnessed several miracles because the it's power.

2009-09-29T14:58:00.000-07:00

I decided no one can go to New York without going to Roxy and getting cheesecake!! Oh man it was so good! Someday my mom and I will go to New York together, I think she is the only one who would appreciate how much I love it :)

We went to Mary Poppins!

After shopping ALL day! we headed over to Time Square for our Broadway Play :)

Oh man! New York really is one of my favorite places and it was soo much fun to go back! I missed it so much and having everything familiar was even more fun! I became the tour guide and we basically shopped all day because most of us had already seen the sights. Food in New York is about as good as the shopping we had fun with that. I walked over to where I stayed when I was with ell, fun memories. We stayed in Macey's and H&M for a while then we took a cab to Canal Street and shopped there. I got everyone in my family sweet presents! There was teh funniest man who gave us good deals because he thought we were "beautiful." So after getting everyone else a present I had no choice but to buy mylsef some stuff :) I found the store Madness that I spent all my money at last time I went New York, I was so stoked! I bought some cute things there again :) Love it!

NEW YORK NEW YORK NEW YORK!!!!!

2009-09-29T14:43:00.000-07:00

Not only does Boston have a great temple, they have an AMAZING mall! I was in heaven. We went there for lunch and it was so amazing! We spent way more time shopping than actually eating. But we got crepes for lunch, like the ones they make in France. They were pretty good! But they put them on wax paper and by the time we finished eating we discovered we had eaten about half the wax paper along with the crepe haha. I really want to go back to that mall someday in my life.

Becca and I always manage to do this pose at some point when there is a camera.

Today we basically just drove a lot, our destination was Poughkeepsie, New York. It's a great place you should go sometime :) We drove through Massachusetts so we stopped and visited the Boston Temple! It's so beautiful. It was the hundredth temple built. Brother E's daughter and grandchildren met us their and we had a little fireside outside the temple. We took lots of fun pictures I will put the rest on. The grounds here were beautiful.

2009-09-29T14:18:00.000-07:00

Today we Got up at 6 and drove for seven hours to get to Vermont, where the Prophet was born. We spent three hours driving the canyon it was really pretty! Vermont is sooo green it's unreal! We listened to Praise to the Man as we drove up the hill heading to Joseph Smith's Home. A monument was dedicated December 23, 1905 exactly a hundred years of Joseph's life. The monument is 38 1/2 feet tall symbolizing every year of his life. It weighs 200,000 pounds (40 tons) of solid granite. They got it up there with horses and wagons. On the trip up there was a dip filled with mud (keep in mind this is a really steep hill that they are climbing with this huge monument in 1905) They couldn't get through the mud without getting stuck. One man prayed all night long that they would be able to finish the job and get through the mud hole. The temperature dropped to 30 degrees taht night and ethey were able to drive over the frozen mud. The temperature raised back up a few hours later. Joseph F Smith dedicated the sight and said everyone who came would be able to feel the spirit. Soloman Macks home as well as the Smith's home have rocks as the base of the house. That is all that was left of them.

Isabella Horne once said about the Prophet Joseph, " you would have loved him, if you could have but seen him" I know I have never personally seen Joseph Smith but, I also know I don't need to see him to love him. Through all the palces we have been and the feelings I have felt while being in the places we have visted I have come to know him. President Hincklely said when he was asked a question about the propet, "Well, I have never met Joseph Smith. I have come to know him in some small measure." I feel the same way! And I am so grateful for all of his sacrifices. None of us really know Joseph personally but he came before the second coming for the same reason Noah had to come to save the earth from the flood.

Joseph Smith's Monument

This is my WONDERFUL family. Justin bought balloons so we could have a party in the van! We had a blast together. Brother Tune drove the van and Sister Lisonbee pretended to be our adult adviser for the day :)

2009-09-23T20:53:00.000-07:00

DINNER!!

We finally made it to another buffet to eat dinner! We always sat as a family cute huh? We seriously ate soo much we were starving after a long day of travels!

2009-09-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

After we were able to visit Alvin's grave, basically the only grave in the cemetery. They restored his headstone but were able to keep his original. Brother Tune got up and spoke about repairing good relationships with your family and siblings. Alvin and Hiram were so supportive of Joseph. I can't even imigine how many times Joseph went to Alvin's grave for guidance.

We visited the Hill Cumorah directly after the Palmyra Temple. We had been fasting all day and everyone at this point was starting to get a little agitated. But we had a fabulous meeting here. It's amazing to me that this was the real place that Moroni got the plates out of the land from here to give to Joseph. Also that it is a possibility that the last battle of the Nephites and Lamanites took place here. The gospel was lost and restored on the same hill.

2009-09-23T20:27:00.001-07:00

This is taken from the Smith Farm

After we Found Cassie we were able to drive over to take pictures and walk around the Palmyra Temple. It's beautiful. In the temple there are windows that face west that you can see out of directly into the Sacred Grove. The temple workers were waving to us as we stood outside and took pictures.

Family!

2009-09-23T20:09:00.000-07:00

We were able to spend about an hour of our own individual time in the grove. After we finished our time in the grove, we were able to tour the Smith Farm. So the first house is just a replica of the house in Palmyra. Then we were told that the Smith's move to Manchester, which they did, but it is only 300 yards from their other home. Alvin starting building this home for his parents before he passed away. After we finished our tour we were all just taking pictures and loading the buses. We had everyone.. except we were missing someone from our family. It was Cassie and no had seen her since we entered the Garden like 3 hours before. We all got off searching frantically. She was just walking around taking pictures. She didn't have a watch and spent 3 hours in the grove haha gotta love Cassie.

In front of the house Joseph grew up in. Where the Angel Moroni appeared.

Mallory and I (aka sister missionaries.. doesn't it look like that?)on the Smith Farm overlooking the Sacred Grove.

The Sacred Grove

2009-09-21T21:37:00.000-07:00

The Wonderful Pelo's

Niagara Falls

My sisters once again

We visited Niagara Falls after Sacrament Meeting on Sunday in New York. We weren't able to ride "the maid of the mist" because it was Sunday, but it was fun to stop by anyway :)

2009-09-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

I realize I am destroying the flow of McKell's lovely blog. but at the same time, I don't really care. you see, I'm kinda bored with my homework, so I thought I'd come talk to kell for a second, and then take a shower, when lo and behold, here she was spiffing up this masterpiece! I was naturally jealous that she would be getting so much attention once it was done, so I thought I'd put in my little tid bit of worthless information, since I'm generally full of it. I'm also wearing a blue mouth guard. it fits my teeth very nicely. others are at a pudding dance, which I considered attending, until I realized I would most likely end up with pudding in my hair and underwear . . . I wasn't down with that. or maybe I was, but I knew I needed to shower and finish my homework. and apparently destroy kell's masterpiece. she's been working on this for hours. she's stopped sleeping, eating, and occasionally breathing! I know. it's sickening. I won't even go into any details regarding her bathroom situation . . . yes, she's sacrificing a lot. so if you don't appreciate this now, you better start soon before she hunts you down.
enjoy your life :) and this blog. but that last part goes without saying.
love always
a roommate

2009-09-21T20:27:00.000-07:00

After visiting the Morely Farm, The Newel K Whitney Store, and The Kirtland Temple, we drove to New York that night. Buffalo to be precise. We got there and went in to do our laundry. We got the machines first and finished fast! There was a little grocery store next door that we went in to find something to eat. The man that worked there was soo kind to us. He talked to us the whole time we were in there. He asked us a few questions and told us that he had lived in New York all his life and worked at this store 7days a week 12 hours a day. He warmed up our microwave meals for us and we bought chips and salsa to share as you can see. As we walked out I gave him a pass along card, I hope he used it. He could use some change in his life. Maybe he will only be working 6 days a week soon :)

2009-09-21T20:20:00.000-07:00

The trail we walked up to see where the Smithfield House may have been on the Morely Farm grounds.

The Prophet lived here for a while and the Smithfield House was built, The Father and Son both appeared here as well. Josephs twins were born to Emma here when they died just a few hours later, John Murdock left his twins for the Prophet to raise them in the church because his wife had passed away. The Farm is all gone and the School house as well the Church only owns 15 acres of the ground for members to come visit. Issac Morely owned 100.

2009-09-21T20:14:00.000-07:00

Newel K Whitney Store.

Joseph Smith received the revelation of the Word of Wisdom in one of the upstairs bedrooms of the store. When he did he walked into a room of the prophets in the Whitney House where 25 men were smoking pipes and chewing tobacco, and explained the revelation. Every single man in the room walked to the fire and burned it all despite the cost or the pleasure. They all knew of the surety that Joseph was a prophet.

2009-09-21T19:26:00.000-07:00

Bec and I

The Kirtland Temple is owned by the Community of Christ. We watched a movie before we entered the Temple. When the movie ended the curtains opened to a huge window with just a fabulous view of the temple. It was gorgeous. The Temple was originally stuccoed a blue gray color that shimmered because of the China Dishes that were used. The roof was originally red because they dipped the shingles in red paint o weather proof it. There are two floors that are exactly the same. With two sets of pulpits on eachside. A bunch of benches and desks so they could do school in the there as well. The choir eats are in each corner to make it sound like surround sound. It was weird to have a tour guide that wasn't a member because it wasn't like a testimony it was like a state park. But we were able to sing The Spirit of God. God, Elijah, Moses, Elias, Christ and several other angles appeared in this Temple on and before the dedication. It may not be owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints but it is The House of The Lord as it is printed on the outside of the Temple (in this pic).

My family in front of the original green door!

The Beautiful Kirtland Temple

2009-09-21T19:15:00.000-07:00

My Sisters

These Steps are the original steps that Joseph Smith stood on after he was tarred and feathered when he got up and gave a sermon on forgiveness. Those who tarred and feathered him were present in the audience.

God the Father and his son Jesus Christ appeared here. Several of the Doctorine and Covenants sections were revealed here. Christ basically reestablished his church here through revelation to Joseph.

The Johnson Farm

2009-09-21T19:09:00.000-07:00

B
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F
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Winter Quarters Temple. Our first stop and a wonderful experience to start our journey thinking of our ancestors who sacrificed so much for us to be where we are today.

2009-09-21T19:00:00.000-07:00

This is my Family.. well some of them! Keenan was the best father on the tour! Our family was easily the best as well.. it was me and the drill team hah Cassie Maxwell, Mandy Welch, Erica Green, and Mallory Miller for the girls! Jordan Oldroyd, Matt Josse, Stephen Tebbs, and Justin Stucki. We had a great time together. Cassie and Mallory and Becca and I were bed buddies we had a problem getting to bed on time, as well as gettin up on time.

A nice meal after a long bus ride! hurray for Nebraska!

2009-09-20T20:36:00.000-07:00

So a few days after Graduation I left on my three week church history tour! Pretty sure we traveled 6,500 miles in all. The first day of tour was June 2nd. We met at American Fork High School and started our journey there traveling 460 miles that day to Cheyenne, Wyoming... it was a long day and I stayed awake the whole time! (I can't say that later in the trip) June 3rd we made it to Omaha, Nebraska. One of the dullest places I have ever visited. They did have a tiger in their mall however. We stopped at a rest stop and discussed our pioneer ancestry together! My relative Mary Murray Murdoch was actually in our Heritage Tours Manual! Cool to have that relation. June 4rth we made it to Elkhart, Indiana once again just another travel day, but, it was finally a beautiful drive which was great. Friday June 5th We visited the John Johnson Farm today in Kirtland which was a fabulous experience. June 6th we went into Kirtland and visited the temple there. June 7th was Sunday and we were able to attend sacrament meeting in Buffalo, New York afterwards heading to Niagra Falls-beautiful-. June 8th we fasted and our first stop was the Sacred Grove and the Smith Farm. Then we were able to walk around the Palmyra Temple. After that we drove up to the Hill Cummorah. The next day, obviously being June 9th, we drove up Sharon Vermont where the prophet was born. My family was in the van today :) June 10th we went to Poughkeepsie New York basically only to do laundry and sleep I gave out my first pass along card. I was quite excited! June 11th WE WENT TO NEW YORK CITY TODAY! and yes I shopped all day long... :) great day! We went to Mary Poppins as a tour it was interesting to say the least. hah We had a good time! June 12th was possibly one of my favorites, if not my favorite day of our tour. We were able to travel to Scranton, PA to visit the Susquehanna River where the Aaronic Preisthood was restored. I will expound with later pictures. June 13th was Colombus, Ohio mostly a travel day. I saw my first firefly this night, BEAutiful! June 14th another wonderful Sunday we were able to attend another Sacrament service which was fabulous. June 15th we made it to Nauvoo hurray! first we walked down Parleys Street and spent the whole day in Historic Nauvoo. We stayed in Nauvoo for Two days and I was able to do baptisms in the Nauvoo Temple. Afterwards we headed to Carthage Jail. June 16th we were "On the Road AGAIN" and heading to Missouri. We will visit the Temple lot-- the place of the building of the Lord's Temple. Liberty Jail was next which was amazing. We were able to watch the Joseph Smith Movie before entering the jail area. June 18th our destination was Lincoln Nebraska but we visited Far West and Adam-Ondi-Ahman. Stopping again that evening and visiting Winter Quarters and touring the visitors center that night. June 19th and 20th were VERY long days! But, I was able to finish the Book of Mormon in 3 weeks... I was so proud of myself. We made it back to American Fork around 8! So happy to see my mommy and the rest of my family! BEST trip ever. Never learned more! Thanks Dad for allowing me to go couldn't have without your help!

2009-09-19T22:04:00.000-07:00

2009-09-19T21:58:00.000-07:00

Graduation Day AKA the best day of my life. Only tears of happiness cried this day, haven't missed a second of high school except the fact that I no longer have seminary with Lance I do miss him.

2009-09-19T21:32:00.000-07:00

I FINALLY graduated from high school after a long senior year... I actually loved my senior year in several ways though, don't get me wrong. I spent most of my time with my mom teaching preschool. Always the best part of my day. I can't tell you how much I miss those kids! I also worked at Alpine Elementary helping a few kids with reading which was great, Mrs. Pope is the best. I kept myself busy with work. I worked at UPS, was a nanny for Robin Towle, occasionally worked at TPoint Golf Course.. that seemed to fall through quickly ha, and lastly I painted a few times with my neighbor Alicyn. She was always willing to give me a job. My social life went down the drain quickly.. ha but I spent every minute with my mom, she's the bestest friend anyone could ask for.