Upstate New York

This weekend we went to the Hill Cumorah Pageant in Palmyra, N.Y., with our branch. In fact, it is the second year in a row for seeing the pageant. Just like last year we camped with our branch at the fair grounds in Palmyra and had the added bonus of having my cousins, the Thompsons, come to the pageant and camp with us. Apparently next year they are changing the pageant, so this is the last time they are chronicling the many stories in the Book of Mormon.

Richard got off work a little early and we headed up to Palmyra on Friday afternoon. We were a bit worried about having to brave the pageant in the rain as it began raining at 1 p.m. in Pennsylvania and did not let up until we were a couple hours from home in Corning, N.Y. The weather even said that it would begin raining at 9 p.m. in Palmyra and rain throughout the night. We pulled into the fair grounds at the same time as President Williams who drove his motor home. We then set up our tents and headed over to the Hill Cumorah where we sat with my cousins and our friend Tanya. Fortunately the trip turned out perfect. It didn't rain after all. It drizzled a bit during the night, but nothing anybody really noticed. What a blessing. This trip would not have been nearly as enjoyable had it rained. We feel so blessed to have had those rain clouds diverted somewhere else.

On Saturday morning Richard and I walked around the Sacred Grove. It's one of our most favorite places on earth (okay, so we have a lot of fovorites, but this is definitely top of the list). I believe this is the fifth opportunity we have had to walk through the grove. Our first opportunity to see all of the chruch history sites in New York was with my parents in May 2008, the second time we went to the grove was in July 2008 for the pageant, the third time was Novemberish 2008 when we went to the Palmyra temple, the fourth was when we went to the church history sites and the Palmyra temple in May 2009 with Richard's dad, and the fifth was on Saturday.

After leaving the Grove we went to Niagara Falls where we sailed on Maid of the Mist for the second time this summer. We love going on the boat and seeing the falls up close.
The wind was blowing just enough that we were sprayed and soaked with water whenever we were close to the falls, particularly when we walked up the side of the American Falls and when we were standing on the boat in the middle of Hoarseshoe Falls.

This is turning into the summer of waterfalls. Our first time for seeing Niagara Falls was on Saturday, May 23, when we took Richard's dad. We saw our second set of falls while hiking Rickett's Glen in June. This second trip to Niagara is the third set of falls, and in the next week or two we hope to see another set of falls in upstate New York near one of the Finger Lakes. I love exploring and enjoying nature with Richard!

Happy Birthday America!

Next to my birthday, our nation's birthday is one of my most favorite holidays. Since we have been married, our family traditions for this holiday have always entailed the Provo parade, tubing trip down the Provo river with my siblings (and sometimes my parents), and a barbecue at our home. For the grand finale we go with my parents and siblings to the Stadium of Fire concert and fireworks at Lavell Edwards Stadium. It is quite a spectacle that my parents have graciously indulged us in for many years now. But for the past two years we have been unable to go home for the 4th.

This year Richard and I spent the day in Washington DC with my cousins, KaDee and Robert. We went to the Fairfax, Va, parade where we saw men driving these cool mini cars. The clowns were also quite good. But my personal favorite was the Mexican dancers who had costumes of black velvet laced with bright purple trim and gold bells. I would display a picture of them, but I got caught up in the dancing and forgot to take pictures. So far it doesn't seem that anyone on the east coast has figured out what a float is, but this parade was way better than the Cherry Blossom parade we saw in April 2008 in DC. That has to be the worst parade I've ever seen.

After the parade we had a barbecue with KaDee and her family, where Robert introduced us to Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce. I don't know if they have this sauce out west, but it's fantastic. Not only does it taste great, but the story of how the sauce came about is quite interesting. After the barbecue we relaxed (Richard, Robert, and the kids watched Star Wars and Robert made his award-winning chili--it won his ward chili cookoff) until it was time to take off for the fireworks show.

Once we were in DC we decided to view the fireworks right in the heart of things. The fireworks were shot off right above/behind the Lincoln monument, so we found a great spot near the Washington memorial where the kids could roam. It wasn't exactly the prettiest evening (gray cloudy sky), but it was nice and cool. We parked only 1.5 blocks from the White House and took some pics before finding our seats.

We are sure glad KaDee and Robert moved out east just after we did. It has been such a blessing to spend time with them. We love hanging out with them and their kids (Bruce, Linda, Jane & Baby Claire).

While waiting for the fireworks Richard decided to entertain himself, I mean entertain the kids. :) He purchased glow-in-the-dark light sabers that kept him out of trouble.

Although it wasn't quite the Stadium of Fire, the fireworks were spectacular. I couldn't believe how well they were coordinated. The crowd cheered both when the fireworks started and when they ended. Apparently there were cannons going off at the same time as the fireworks. The buildings behind us created an echo that magnified the sound effects and created a double "boom." The car alarms went bazerk. The fireworks were done so well that Bruce asked if the beginning was the finale. Richard and I were also VERY impressed with the show!!!

Last year we went tailgating with our branch and watched the State College fireworks from Beaver Stadium, the largest stadium in the U.S. I must admit that I would recommend these fireworks as well. They do a really great job with them. But I feel so blessed to have spent the 4th of July in the nation's capital. Happy Birthday America! Although I miss all of the fun family traditions we created in Provo, I suppose that if I can't go home I might as well be in our nation's capital. Perhaps if I am not in Provo next year then I can convince Richard to take me to see the fireworks in New York City. But it might take me more than a year to coax him into that one.

Washington DC Temple

I love to visit the Washington DC temple. It is so beautiful. It's hard to capture something so grand in a picture, but I have to remember it somehow. This smilebox is a compilation of a few pictures we took on the evening of July 3, 2009.

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