Kirtland

We usually visit Ohio in the winter, and aren't able to explore or be outside too much. We decided that we would do a little road trip with Eric's mom and sister. We crammed so much into 3 days. I'm laughing now as I type this, because it was crazy, but worth it. We'd wake up and get going (kind of late like 11:00 am) and head for the areas we wanted to visit. We'd visit them, and then have to drive some more. For the two nights we stayed at hotels, we did not check in before midnight. When we finally made it back to Eric's grandparents' house, it was 2:00 am!

Kirtland, Ohio Temple

Aunt Nikki, Logan, and Spencer in front of the Whitney store

Spencer, newest employee at Whitney Store

We left Columbus, and headed for Palmyra, New York. We stopped along the way and ate our picnic lunch at a rest stop. There was a grassy area there. Beyond the grass and into the "forest" there was water. I convinced the kids (well maybe just Logan) that was a swamp where alligators lived. The fence (which was metal) was actually electrified to keep the alligators out of the rest area. We found some dog poop in grass; I told them it was an alligator's and that one must have gotten loose and could be up in the trees. It was fun making up a silly story.

We stopped in Kirtland, Ohio. We were able to go inside the Kirtland Temple (after paying $2 each). It was neat to go in the first temple built. It was sure different than temples, now though. We then went to the area owned by the church where the Whitney home and store, and a few other buildings are. Unfortunately, we only had enough time to go into the Whitney home and store. Things have been refurbished, so we were able to see what life was like back in Joseph Smith's time. I loved being in the same places that are mentioned in the Church History. I particularly loved sitting in the room above the store, knowing that was the room where the prophet received revelation about the Word of Wisdom. I've been working on reading the Doctrine and Covenants this summer, so it has been neat to read the summaries, and connect the locations mentioned to some of the places I visited this summer.

We drove to Rochester, New York, stopping in Buffalo to eat. Our hotel was in a neighborhood behind a gas station. It was an interesting location.