California

For all of those out there reading this who are NOT married yet, plan and pay for your honeymoon BEFORE your wedding day.  If you don't it won't happen.  The day after you get married, you realize how poor you are and a honeymoon doesn't seem to happen quite like you dreamed.

BUT we did go on a "honeymoon" eventually.  The last week of summer vacation, we drove out to California.  The first day there, we spent with my Great Great Uncle (his mother is my Great Great Grandmother - how cool is that?!).  He and his wife and their daughter, who lives with them to help care for them as they age, are some of the most incredible people I know!  We ate dinner with them, played Dominos, and talked about his parents and his childhood.  I could have sat and listened for days!  I love them and their example of love and service!  We spent the night at their home and I wished I had a few more days with them!

But we were off to our "honeymoon." (I didn't count staying with family as a honeymoon!)  Jared and I drove to Knotts Berry Farm.  I had never been before and Jared loves his memories there so I was excited!  We walked in and our first ride was this one...

The park was a bit busier than we had hoped.  California kids were still on Summer break, but we still made it on nearly every ride.  Unfortunately, Jared's favorite ride was closed for the day.  We really enjoyed the cool water on the log ride though!

We also went to all the shows.  Jared had never been to them so we both were seeing them for the first time.

  I loved being there with just him!  We talked all day as we waited in lines.  Being at a theme park, we kept with my family tradition and got a churro - the most overpaid splurge of our trip. Once the sun began to set, the park really cleared out and we went on tons of the rides with much shorter lines.

That night, we walked back to our hotel that was right near the park.  It was a nice room but nothing fancy (because we realize how poor we are! haha!).  It did have blackout blinds though so when I woke up at nearly 10am (thinking it was 5am), Jared and I had to scramble to pack up and be out before checkout time.  I now know how amazing blackout blinds are!  Wow!

Once we packed up, we headed for Laguna beach.  We knew it was a busy beach, but we had heard that all the shopping and restaurants around there are amazing so we had to check it out.  We had a blast at the beach just soaking in the ocean breeze and people-watching.  Isn't that a classy picture of us?!

Thanks to my aunt, we found the CUTEST and most DELICIOUS Italian Gelato Shop in all the world!  You could get THREE flavors in one scoop.  We spent over 20 minutes just testing flavors and deciding what we wanted!  It was amazing!!  You could smell the waffle cones from blocks away!  And... that concludes our honeymoon! :)  It was short and sweet but actually just perfect for us - any time I have with Jared is amazing! 

That evening, we met up with my aunt Kathy.  She lives nearby so we had dinner with her and her roommates and stayed at her place that night!  (Thanks Kath!)  She took us on a night-walk around the beach that night that I loved!  The following day, she had planned out a full-day of fun.  We started off by driving to a beautiful beach with this view seen below.  How amazing!!

 We had planned to learn how to paddle board there, but it ended up being a "no stand-up board" time so we headed off to lunch at Banzai Bowl. Oh. My. Goodness!  If I could blink a Banzai bowl here right now, I would!  It was heavenly!

Next, we were off to another beach.  Kathy had only been there once and hadn't been able to explore it much so not even she was aware of how awesome this place was!  Below is the view from a little hike we did.  Do you see the cove in the background?   In order to get to it, you either have to own a home on the other side of it OR you have to swim around that major rock formation.  Seen as we were on "this" side of the rock formation, the only way over was to swim there.  So... despite some crazy undertow and waves that literally crashed on the sand, we swam out and around.  It was not an easy swim and your timing had to be just right in order to not be thrown into the sand (like we saw many people do).

Once we got there, I could not get over how pretty the view was!  It was INCREDIBLE!  I wanted a picture so badly but my camera was on the other side of the rock so it seemed as though it was impossible!  But, there happened to be a couple there who had come from the "private beach" side and had their phones.  I went up to them and kindly asked if they could take a picture for us and then email it to us.  They were SO nice!  So the picture you see below?  Yeah, I worked so hard for that picture!  That cove had crabs and clams and starfish and all sorts of neat things in it!  It was so neat!  

This beach might be one of my very favorites ever!  

We watched the sun set here and then headed off for Kathy's hot tubs and a good nights sleep after all that swimming!

Thanks Kathy for one of the most fun days of the summer!  We really loved spending time with you!  Love ya!

Arizona Summer

After all of our travels out East, we were able to spend a couple weeks in Arizona with our families.  It was so nice to sleep in every morning, watch a commercial-free tv show (DVR or Netflix), hang out in the pool and then do something fun in the evening. Yeah, it was one magical schedule! 

Some activities included: 

--Bowling and ice cream with these two (we have awesome family!)

--Texas Roadhouse for dinner with my family

--Mesa Temple with my man

--Corn hole - pool style!  We found this at the store and HAD to get it!  It entertained us for HOURS!  

--My first real pedicure with my mom and my sister.  This seriously was SO fun!  Thanks Mom! 

--Despicable Me 2 with Cami (in celebration of her graduation/birthday! 

- Go Dr. Cami - Bee-doo, Bee-doo)

--Hairspray, the Musical at Hale Theater with my family

--Other activities that we failed to get pictures of included 

--Dinner with the girls!  It was so fun to see Kayla's and Paige's little baby girls too! 

--Picking my brother J up from the airport and hearing all about his 17 day trip to Bolivia where he attended Humanitarian EFY and built a school for the kids down there! 

--Dinner at SmashBurger with Kaitlin and Austin (good eats, even better company!)

-Having a sleepover with Jared's youngest siblings - they are so hilarious!  While we were watching them, his littlest sister prayed, "Thanks for letting Kourtney and Jared be our pretend mom and dad while our real mom and dad are gone!" - HAHA!  Too fun! 

I could've spent another two weeks down there!  We didn't fit everything in that we wanted to (we never do) but the time we did have there was so enjoyable!  

Until next time, Arizona... 

Flagstaff

My mom and I were itching for a weekend in Flagstaff.  No where in the WORLD smells better than Flagstaff does!  After a good couple of months of 100+ degree temperatures, it's also nice to get out of the heat and enjoy a healthy dose of cool weather!  So while J was in Bolivia, my mom, Jared, A, and I drove up to Flagstaff. (Dad met us up there later that weekend).

First, we stopped at the outlets in Anthem.  You have to stop.  They have the Nike Outlet, Rue 21 Outlet, and The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.  The caramel apple we got from the Chocolate Factory was DELISH! 

We go out to a local park in Flagstaff every time we go up there as a family.  The weather was perfect! It was in the high 60's until the thunderstorm hit and it dropped into the high 50's.  

We went to eat at Beaver Street Brewery - one of my favorites, if not my favorite of all.

The next day, we went and hiked the Weatherford Trail that leads up the highest peak in Arizona.  We didn't make it to the top (it was 12 miles to the top and then 12 back).  We just did 6 miles up and 6 back.  It was a beautiful hike with so many neat things to see.  I loved it!

This was us at the beginning of the trail! Our entire crew included A, my dad, and my aunt and uncle, their daughter, and some friends.

The view from the top was a bit blocked by the clouds, but it was super neat!  Someday, I'll make it to the top!

Thanks Flag for another great weekend!

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!