TRAVELING TO NEW YORK

 THE CALLS HAD PLANNED A WONDERFUL 3 DAYS IN NEW YORK.  THEY                HAD RESERVED  SOME ROOMS AT THIS BED BREAKFAST NOT FAR FROM PALMYRA.

AFTER WE GOT SETTLED A LITTLE WE HEADED FOR THE PALMYRA PAGEANT.

IT WAS VERY EXCITING FOR ALL OF US TO BE  THERE.  SINCE WE GOT THERE
EARLY WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE SEATS TO SIT ON DURING THE PAGEANT.

THE  STAGE IS AT THE FOOT OF THE HILL CUMORAH.  IT WAS A HUGE STAGE.
THE ATMOSPHERE WAS WONDERFUL.   WE  COULD HARDLY BELIEVE WE WERE
 AT SUCH AN HISTORICAL AND SPECIAL PLACE.

 WE WERE ABLE TO BUY FOOD FOR SUPPER  AS WELL AS VISIT WITH SOME               OF THE ACTORS PARTICIPATING IN THE PAGEANT.

 THE PAGEANT DIDN'T START UNTIL THE SUN WENT DOWN AND THE               SUNSET WAS BEAUTIFUL.

 IT ACTUALLY GOT A LITTLE CHILLY.  WE WERE GLAD WE HAD BROUGHT           SOME JACKETS AND BLANKETS.

 WE WERE NOT DISAPPOINTED IN THE PAGEANT.  IT WAS EVERYTHING WE HAD HOPED IT WOULD BE.  WHAT AN EVENING!  IT WAS SUCH A FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE AND IT WAS WONDERFUL SHARING IT WITH DADRA'S FAMILY.

 THE NEXT DAY JASON AND DADRA TOOK US TO NIAGARA FALLS.   IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL.  THE FIRST THING WE DID WAS GO ON THE  THE MAIDS OF THE MIST
BOATS.  WE NEEDED TO WEAR RAIN GEAR SO THAT WE WOULDN'T GET SOAKED.

 THE BOAT WENT SO CLOSE TO THE FALLS, THE MIST IS WHAT GOT US WET.  IT
WAS A VERY FUN AND  INTERESTING EXPERIENCE.

 THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE PICTURE THAT I TOOK OF THE FALLS.  I KEPT THINKING ABOUT WHAT A BEAUTIFUL WORLD GOD CREATED FOR US.

 DON AND  I ARE SO GRATEFUL TO JASON AND DADRA FOR GIVING US
THIS EXPERIENCE.

 COMING TO NEW YORK AND SEEING ALL THE THINGS WE ARE SEEING, IS
SUCH A SPECIAL EXPERIENCE THAT WE NEVER WOULD HAVE HAD

  BY THE TIME WE GOT BACK TO OUR BED AND  BREAKFAST WE ALL WERE
VERY TIRED.  WHAT A FULL DAY.  WE WENT TO BED AFTER EATING SOME
 DINNER.  SUNDAY WAS THE NEXT DAY AND WE HAD LOTS TO SEE AND
DO.

 AFTER OUR MEETINGS AT THE PALMYRA WARD, WE WANTED TO SEE ALL THE
HISTORICAL SITES.  THIS IS THE BEAUTIFUL PALMYRA TEMPLE NOT FAR FROM
THE CHAPEL.

 THE VISITORS CENTER WAS WONDERFUL.  IT TELLS THE WHOLE STORY OF THE
RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL.

 WHERE THE BOOK OF MORMON WAS PUBLISHED WAS FASCINATING.  WE ALL
FOUND IT SO INTERESTING.  HOW THEY HAD TO PRINT THE FIRST 3,000 BOOKS
 WAS AMAZING/
 .

                  THIS IS ONE OF THE FIRST BOOK OF MORMON PUBLISHED.

 I LOVED SEEING THE SMITH'S FARM HOUSE.  IT WAS AMAZING THAT THE
SMITH'S RAISED 7 CHILDREN IN THIS SMALL LOG CABIN.

                         HERE WE ALL ARE OUTSIDE OF THE SMITH'S LOG CABIN.

 LANDON AND ABBY LOVED SEEING WHAT IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN LIKE WHEN
JOSEPH SMITH LIVED HERE.

THE LARGE HOME THAT ALVIN STARTED FOR HIS PARENTS WAS JUST UP
THE ROAD A LITTLE.  THE SMITH'S FINISHED THE HOME AND LIVED IN IT
 FOR 3 YEARS.

 I WAS SO LOOKING FORWARD TO WALKING IN THE SACRED GROVE WHERE JOSEPH
HAD HIS VISION AT 14 YEARS OLD.

 BEING THERE WITH MY LOVED ONES MADE IT EVEN MORE SPECIAL.  WE SANG
SOME SONGS AND I WILL NEVER BE ABLE  TO SING JOSEPH SMITH'S FIRST PRAYER WITHOUT TEARS. IN MY EYES.  IT WILL BRING BACK THE SPECIAL FEELINGS I
HAD AS I WALKED THROUGH THE GROVE.

 THIS WAS A VERY INTERESTING PICTURE THAT I TOOK.   TO ME IT LOOKED LIKE
WHAT JOSEPH FIRST SAW WHEN HE DESCRIBED THE LIGHT.  IT WAS BRIGHTER THAN THE NOON DAY SUN AND IT CAME DOWN FROM ABOVE.  IN THAT LIGHT APPEARED TWO HEAVENLY BEINGS.  YOU ALL KNOW THE REST.

 I WAS VERY MOVED BY DADRA WHEN WE WERE SITTING ON A BENCH IN THE GROVE.  SHE BORE HER TESTIMONY TO LANDON AND ABBY.  THEY WERE REALLY LISTENING TO HER WORDS AS SHE SPOKE.  THEY KNEW WHAT HAPPENED IN THIS
SPECIAL GROVE OF TREES. THEY READ OUT OF THE BOOK OF MORMON EVERY NIGHT AS A FAMILY.

WE  HAD A FAMILY PRAYER IN THE SHADE OF THE TREES.  I SAID MY OWN LITTLE PRAYER AS WE WERE ALMOST THROUGH THE GROVE OF TREES.  I WILL NEVER FORGET THE FEELINGS I FELT.  I'M SO GRATEFUL THAT I KNOW TRUTH.  I KEPT THINKING WHY WAS I SO BLESSED!  HOWEVER, WHERE MUCH IS GIVEN,  MUCH IS EXPECTED.

DON I ARE READING THE BOOK OF MORMON AGAIN AND IT'S SUCH A POWERFUL BOOK.   I LOOK FORWARD EVERY NIGHT TO READ IT.  I'M GETTING MORE OUT OF  THIS BOOK  THAN EVER BEFORE.  MY UNDERSTANDING IS SO MUCH GREATER.

WHAT A SPECIAL EXPERIENCE FOR ALL OF US.  WE WILL FOREVER BE CHANGED BY IT.  .  IT TRULY HAS BEEN AN UNBELIEVABLE 3 DAYS.

 WHAT A DAY WE HAVE HAD.  THE LAST THING WE WANTED TO DO WAS GO TO
PETER WHITMER'S HOME WHERE THE CHURCH WAS ORGANIZED 183 YEARS AGO.
IT BEGAN WITH 6 MEMBERS AND NOW IT'S 14 MILLION MEMBERS.

I WAS  PROUD OF ABBY, LANDON AND NOLAN.  THEY WERE SO GOOD.  IT WAS A LOT OF TRAVELING IN CAR SEATS AND YET THEY WERE ENJOYABLE.  ONE OF THE REASONS IS DADRA'S SO ORGANIZED AND PREPARED.  ALSO, DON AND I WERE IN THE MIDDLE SEAT AND WOULD PLAY SOME GAMES WHEN THEY GOT RESTLESS.

WOW!!  WHAT A CHRISTMAS GIFT FROM ALL OUR FAMILIES IN THE EAST COAST.
IT SOUNDED REALLY FUN WHEN WE FIRST READ ABOUT IT,  IT WAS EVEN
BETTER AND GREATER THAN WE HAD IMAGINED.

OUR FAMILIES SO GOOD TO US AND THIS WAS JUST ANOTHER PERFECT EXAMPLE OF WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.  THANK YOU LADNERS, TORGESEN'S AND CALLS.

OUR GRANDCHILDREN ARE THE VERY BEST AND WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO  NUMBER NINE IN NOVEMBER.

WE LOVE YOU ALL AND YOU ARE TRULY OUR GREATEST BLESSING.  THAT'S WHAT THE GOSPEL IS ALL ABOUT!