Ohio

When I was a little girl, I remember my aunt coming home from her mission.  She brought us shirts that said OHIO on it and I wore mine all the time... until it had holes and my mom required that it be thrown in the rags pile!  That is really all I knew about Ohio then - that my aunt served her mission there.  I obviously learned more about Ohio in regards to church history as I grew up so it was really neat to go back there!

The Morley Farm: First stop in Ohio was the Morley Farm and Schoolhouse.  It was a pretty place where we heard of many neat things that took place here.  The Morley's sacrificed their farm and land to help the coming saints and build up the new temple.  The early saints were miraculous examples of dedication and sacrifice!  

The Kirtland Temple:  This was something I was really looking forward to!  This was the first temple our church built in this dispensation.  It was used differently than we use temples today because at this time, the temple ordinances had not yet been fully revealed.  Today, this temple is no longer owned by our church.  As the saints were driven from Kirtland, they had to leave the temple behind.  Today, the temple is owned by the Community of Christ Church.  However, they still have tours and I am grateful for the experience as we still got to see the craftsmanship put into the temple by the saints.  We also got to be in the room where the Savior appeared.  

Newel K. Whitney Store: We walked through the store and were able to see many of the items that were sold there at that time.  We also saw where Joseph and Emma and their family lived in the store.  The Whitney's were so good to Joseph and Emma.  We saw the room where the school of the prophets was held and where Emma, having to clean up Tobacco, asked Joseph about the purpose of that nasty habit.  Because of that, the Prophet inquired and the Word of Wisdom was revealed.  I'm very grateful for the Word of Wisdom in my life!

(Oh yeah, have I mentioned that my husband has a black belt in Advanced American Kempo?  Hence the headlock in this picture!)

The John Johnson Home:  We drove about 45 minutes outside of Kirtland to the John Johnson Home. At the time, it took the saints 2 days to get from here to Kirtland.  I am glad it only took us 45 minutes, but it really made me think about how much I take for granted!  Here is where the Prophet was living when the mobs stole him from his room and tarred and feathered him in the street.  Our prophet went through SO much for our church as did his wife and the saints who helped his family!  It was in this home where the revelation of the degrees of glory was revealed.

Amish Country: A lot of the areas surrounding Kirtland are Amish communities.  On our way out, we drove by some Amish land.  We saw boys driving wagons, young men farming with horse-drawn machinery, and clothes out on the line.  They have an interesting way of life.  I envy the simplicity of their life in regards to distractions - they don't have media and electronics to fill their time; however, I know that they have a difficult life in the work they must do to just live day to day.  I respect their determination to stand for what they believe despite the pressures of the world!

Kirtland, Ohio was a beautiful area.  Humid, yes.  But oh so green and the air was so fresh.  We had a wonderful time!  The saints of Kirtland were incredible people!

Upstate New York

We spent a few days in Northern New York.  We didn't stop by NYC at all (that will have to be a trip of its own someday).  Now, this part of New York is what most of New York is like: green, spacious land!  It was so beautiful! 

Palmyra Temple: What an astounding temple!  It's small, but it has many unique features.  Such as, all the windows are stained glass depicting the Sacred Grove.  Also, it is the ONLY temple with a window you can see out of.  That window has a direct view of the Sacred Grove.  It was wonderful to be in it and able to enjoy its beauty!

Smith Log House: We saw the Smith Log Home (below)- where Joseph lived when the Angel, Moroni appeared to him.  I could hardly believe that over 10 people usually occupied that home at a time!  It was very small!

The Sacred Grove: We walked through the Sacred Grove - where Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph.  It was so peaceful in there!  The bees were humming and the birds were singing, just as the song goes.  The mosquitos were also taking over due to all the rain, so we didn't stay still in there, but we did enjoy walking around!  This Grove has such significance to our religion.  Just as it is named, it truly is Sacred.

Grandin Printing Shop: Probably one of my favorite sites!  It is the original building and many artifacts most likely used during printing of the first copies of the Book of Mormon were on display.  The neat part was the many missionaries in there who had so many neat stories to tell of how miraculous the printing of the Book of Mormon was!  It was stories like these that reminded me over and over that Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us! 

Eerie Canal: You sing songs about it.  You hear of how hard it was to build.  You hear of the ingenuity of it.  And now I've seen it!  See how green it is there?!?

Chill and Grill: Jared came to Palmyra when he was 15 years old.  One of his favorite memories was eating at "The Chill and Grill."  It became a tradition on this trip.  Their burgers were delicious and their ice cream was the best EVER!  And it was HUGE!  My two scoops equaled half of a small!  They had peppermint patty ice cream!  I fell in love!

The Whitmer Home: In the Whitmer's home, the church was organized - starting out with a handful of members.  Now our church has about 14 million members!  So neat!

Hill Cumorah: The city of Palmyra is small.  Pretty much all of the city's traffic is in the summer from tourists.  That meant that the Hill Cumorah pageant was one of the main attractions (it's only held for about 2 weeks each summer).  That being said, we spent a lot of time there saving seats!  Jared started getting a bit bored (as you can tell)!  The Hill Cumorah is pictured behind us.  We drove to the top and saw the monument of Moroni.  How neat to think the plates containing the words of the Book of Mormon were buried here!

Hill Cumorah Pageant: The pageant is filled with families from all over North America who audition and then "camp" in Palmyra for a three weeks.  It was inspiring talking to some of the cast members beforehand.  They were so happy to be there and be a part of this pageant!  It was very well done - as it told highlights from the Book of Mormon and how it was brought about.  So glad we were there when it was going on!

Canada: For about 45 minutes of our trip, I, Kourtney, was in a DIFFERENT country!  Yes folks, I finally left the country!  I had to show my passport (although they didn't stamp it, and I'm only slightly bitter).  It was fun to see speed limit signs in kilometers and to see Canadian flags everywhere!  We really just went for a better view of Niagra Falls though!

Niagra Falls: Look at all that water!  Because of ALL the rain, the water was flowing more forcefully than normal.  We were even getting wet from this point!  The mist was so thick that we could hardly get a decent view of the falls!  Pretty astounding!  

New York was wonderful!  It is a place filled with lots of history and significance to me!  I am so grateful we were able to go to these sites!  

Pennsylvania

After the D.C. area, we drove to Philadelphia, where we spent a couple nights.

Gettysburg: On the way to Philadelphia, we stopped at Gettysburg.  I loved the 360* art piece depicting the battle and the timeline they presented with it.  The museum there was well done! The grounds were huge, and the monuments scattered all throughout the battle sites were very neat!  Each American History site held miraculous stories that made me realize how much God had His hand in preparing this nation to be free!  Gettysburg was just one example of how miracles helped turn our nation into what it is today!

(a portion of the 360* painting)

(One battle ground monument at Gettysburg)

Hershey Town: That night, we also stopped in Hershey.  Yes, it's a city.  Yes, it is named after Mr. Hershey, the one who makes wonderfully, delicious chocolate!  We went on the Chocolate Factory Tour at Hershey World.  We didn't do any of the amusement park stuff, or the "make-your-own" activities, but it is a place with lots of fun stuff!  I was surprised to learn of Mr. Hershey's story.  His wife and he tried to have kids for many years, but couldn't so they opened a boarding school for young children who didn't have access to school or a stable home-life and they completed funded each child.  He donated his entire estate to this school when he passed away and the school continues to bless thousands of children each year!  Another neat fact, he originally opened a store called, "Just Caramels."  Oh, the irony!

(We found the kisses wall with every kiss ever made.)

(Chocolate made fresh that day tastes way better than what we buy in stores!)

(Look at that Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookie!!  It was pure deliciousness!)

Liberty Bell: We spent an entire day in Liberty square.  We saw the Liberty Bell first.  Behind the bell, it a view of the actual building it used to ring from - Liberty Hall.

 Liberty Hall: I actually walked in the building that the founding fathers did.  It was here that they wrote the Declaration of Independence and also where they signed the Constitution.  Another sacred place where God guided the men who did such brave acts.  Being our nation's capitol at the time, this was also the building in which the first senate and house were held in.  Cool stuff!

United States Mint: FYI, you have to have a picture I.D. to go inside here!  It was fun to see the process of how US coins are made.  We went on a day where it wasn't actually in use (most days it is); however, it was crazy to see the SIZE of the building and how complicated coin-making is!

Valley Forge: We spent the afternoon at Valley Forge Camp looking at the grounds and reading/seeing and watching what it was like to live there at the time the camp was in use.  It was a difficult time for the soldiers and many died of illness and poor health.  I can't imagine the freezing conditions, but I thought it was neat that George Washington encouraged the men to attend religious meetings each sabbath and that this "kept their spirits higher."  Don't we make a cute Martha and George?!

 Harmony: This might possibly win for my very favorite place that we visited on this trip.  Harmony, Pennsylvania is to this day a small town (not even called Harmony anymore).  But the Spirit I felt at this site was incredible!  It is true that remarkable portions of our Church's history took place in Harmony.  This is the place where Joseph met Emma and they fell in love.  This is where Joseph and Emma first lived in their own home.  It is where Joseph translated over half the Book of Mormon.  It is where the Aaronic Priesthood was restored by John, the Baptist.  It is where Joseph and Oliver were baptized.  What a remarkable piece of history!  I loved it!  There isn't much there yet, although the church already is in the planning phase of restoring the site.  Now, only this monument and a few signs designate it's significance.  We did go down to the Susquehanna River though where they were baptized and near where John, the Baptist appeared.  It was calm and quiet and still.  The Spirit testified to me that it was a sacred place.  I could've spent an entire day here enjoying the peace I felt there!

Pennsylvania is quite a neat place!

Good Morning Baltimore (and D.C.)

After a wonderful 8 days in Tennessee, we said goodbye to Jared's grandparents and headed off to Baltimore, Maryland with Jared's mom, and 2 of his sisters. We flew into the Baltimore airport and drove around town a bit before calling it a night.

While in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area, we

--Took a tour of the capitol building.  It is a very ornate building with many neat items within it.

--We went to the National Botanic Gardens.  If I worked in D.C., I would eat lunch in here every day.  It was so beautiful!

--We went to a few Smithsonian Museums.

(Smithsonian: Natural History) I loved all the animals, especially the sea animals!

(Smithsonian: Air & Space) Jared was really interested in this museum!

(Smithsonian: American History) I loved the fun things they had for all the different time periods!


--We also saw the National Archives (where you can't take pics), but where you get to see the original Constitution and Declaration of Independence.  Pretty remarkable!

--We ran up the steps at the Lincoln Memorial.  The view from here is wonderful!

--We got DRENCHED in rain as we walked by the White House.

-We spent a day at Mount Vernon (George Washington's home). This was one of my favorite places around D.C.  His grounds are incredible and he was such a brilliant and honest man!  

--We went and toured the Washington D.C. Temple Visitor Center and walked around the temple (the temple was closed for cleaning).  The Visitor Center was one-of-a-kind!  We had the very best tour guides too!  (Thanks Petramalos!)

--We went to the National Zoo.  I LOVE zoos and I was so happy that despite the rain, the animals were all out and very entertaining!  

Our time here went by so fast, but we sure didn't waste even one minute!  I have never walked so much than we did when we were in D.C., but it was well worth the tired feet!  I learned so many new facts and really loved our time there!   

Tennessee

Jared's grandparents live in Tennessee on a beautiful piece of land.  Papa is a cattle rancher.  Grandma is one of the best southern cooks.  Jared has fond memories of spending time at his grandparents home.  When he was three years old, his aspiration in life was to live on Papa's farm.  This summer, Jared's family decided to go back for a visit.  They invited us to tag along so... we hopped in their 12 passenger van with 10 other passengers and drove for 30 straight hours to east Tennessee.  Boy, was that an adventure of it's own!  But, we made it, despite stiff backs and swollen ankles!

Tennessee is BEAUTIFUL!!  They have had incredible amounts of rain this year (6 inches of which we saw fall with our own eyes while we were there!).  All that rain made it very, very green as you will see!  It also curtailed a few of our plans, but we didn't let it take away from all the fun we had!

Highlights of the trip included:

• This view from our porch at the condo we stayed at!  The water really was teal and this area was filled with noisy bullfrogs and an incredible view of the stars!  

• Daily games of Ultimate Frisbee and Corn Hole.  We spent nearly every possible minute outside!  The temperatures were actually quite mild due to the rain and it wasn't even that humid.  We really lucked out!

• Pickin' wild berries!  Because of the rain, there were TONS of berries all over Papa's property.  I only ended up with one tick during our adventures (it hadn't even made me it's home yet so I was very lucky we found it when we did!).  I think I could pick (and eat) berries all day, every day!  It was so fun and absolutely delicious.  

• Every evening and any time it was pouring rain, we ended up sitting out on the porch and enjoyed the view and the company!  The second I saw this porch swing, I fell in love!  I spent many hours on this over the course of the week there! 

• While there, we drove to the Nashville Temple.  It is a very small temple, but absolutely beautiful!  I am so glad that I went.  Going meant a lot more time in the van, but it was worth it!  I love to see and be in different temples! 

• One afternoon, we went to Fall Creek Falls National Park.  It was beautiful!  Usually you can play out on the falls because there isn't too much water, but as you can see, there was a good few FEET of water flowing through the falls when we went!  It was really fun to walk over this bridge!  What an amazing part of the world! 

• We got to go out and ride the 4-wheelers a few times.  We rode around Papa's fields and went out and saw his cattle.  Jared helped out around the property fixing things up and clearing things out.  He makes quite the handsome cowboy!  It was so fun to see him out there LOVING life!  I have found few things he likes more that being on the farm (maybe snow skiing... maybe).

• We spent the the 4th of July out there.  We saw the best firework show, got to hear some live country music, and we celebrated with lots of yummy food.  Ok, ok, we ate yummy food every day!  Grandma spoiled us with Banana Pudding, Biscuits and Gravy, Fried Chicken, Apple Dumplings, Cake and Fresh Berries, and Homemade Fresh Berry Ice Cream (just to name a few).  I am positive that I gained a few, like 5 pounds while I was there just from all the irresistible food and I don't regret it one bit!  It was worth every.single.bite! 

• The views there are wonderful and pictures don't even do them justice.  I loved every minute of our 8 days there and I was incredibly sad to leave.  I did not want to go!  I now know why Jared loves it there so much!  It's a place I hope we can get back to many more times over the years! 

• Thanks so much Grandma and Papa for letting us come visit!  We had a wonderful time!  We love you both so much!  Love, Jared and Kourtney

Summer Lovin'

Jared and I had lots of time together in June since I was finished with work and he only had one class at BYU.  So what did we do with our time?

Well,

• We went to the Utah Lake Festival.  It would have been lots of fun if we had a toddler who enjoyed lots of little games; however, there wasn't much else going on there so we just walked around and enjoyed looking out at the lake.  It is beautiful!

• We went and enjoyed some of the parade at the Orem Summerfest, walked around all the boutique booths, and played games with friends while we waited for the fireworks show. I love all the little summer festivals, rodeos, and carnivals that Utah has! 

We went to dinner at Red Iguana in Salt Lake with my mom.  It is the best Mexican restaurant we have found in Utah yet!  YUM!  (Thanks mom for taking us!)

• We walked around the Provo Temple with my family.  They weren't planning on coming up, but plans changed and we enjoyed spending time with them for a few days!  It was so good to see them again!  It had been 6 months! 

• As we drove to Arizona, we ended up only driving halfway the first day and then we stayed the night at Jacob's Lake Inn.  It is just outside the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  We could see the stars SO well and the pine trees smelt so good!  It was beautiful!  Of course we had to buy nearly every cookie there at the inn.  They have won cookie of the year in AZ so many times so we had to get lots to eat and some to take home to my family!  A was with us (we brought her home from BYU Swim Camp).  We had a wonderful trip back to Arizona! 

DIY Pencil Skirt

After finding a blog through pinterest about up-fashioning things, I started keeping an eye out on items I could up-fasion.  I have wanted a polka-dot pencil skirt for a long time, but to find one that is long enough for me is rare and the find comes with a pricey price tag (usually around $50).

At a used clothing store here in Provo I was so excited when I found this

very very mini dress for $8. (hence the reason there was no chance I was modeling it).

It was perfect.  I cut off the top of the dress in a straight line and hemmed it up.  I flipped it upside down so that the part of the dress truly made for your hips was still worn at my hips.  I don't have any cute, black belts to wear with it so I bought some cute elastic and simply sewed the ends together and used that as the "belt".  This skirt took about 20 minutes to make.

The total for this skirt came to $11.54 including the "belt."  I wore it last Sunday and it was quite comfortable!  I think I might be able to add more my wardrobe if I can do it for these prices!