Chocolate and Conversation: August 2011

First Day of School, 2011

Today, Aug 29th 2011 marked the first day of Aspen's middle school year. Look at that winning smile!

Today also marked the day of Sage's first kindergarten year.

Big brother and little sister walking to the bus stop. I am getting softer by the age, Sage's princess backpack is the first ever in the our household...Jade and Aspen never got one - they lived a more deprived childhood.

Looking for bugs

Examining their find

Kirin found his priced creature!!

Boarding the bus.

I was very proud of Kirin for looking out for his little sister. Good Job Son!

Today also marked the first day of Andrew's absence from our house for the next 2 months. And this morning, Sage requested to teach family home evening lesson tonight, which will be her first. ...I think I should go with the flow by serving an all- you- can- eat Nutella for dinner, just to add to the first of many things we are doing today.

Niagara Falls 2011 (Summer Vacation)

While in Palmyra New York, we thought we would "swing by" and visit this place: Niagara Falls.

Talk about large water...it can be mesmerizing.

We rode the Maid of the Mist. Here is everyone in blue poncho uniform.

If you haven't been to Niagara Falls before, and if you have the intention of going, and if you do plan on riding the Maid of the Mist. Here is a bit of useful information for you. When you get on the boat, go to the upper deck (which we did), and stand by the left side of the boat (which we did not). As the boat starts moving, it will take you to the first waterfall, which is On Your LEFT SIDE. So if you were standing on the wrong side of the boat (like we did), this is what you will see instead:

All these people were trying to raise their hands higher than the person in front of them for the shot of the waterfall. Everyone on my side of the boat hopelessly tried to get to the other side hoping to catch a shot. I stood by on the WRONG SIDE and took a picture of everyone else instead. I wanted to laugh at the scene, people can be amusing, myself included. There was a small group of people that kept having me take pictures for them. I took pictures for them only because I was nice, because these same people kept standing in the way of my kids and the boat railing even when they can see that they were just trying to hold on. For goodness sake! Then we got to the part of the water where the boat was rocking heavily back and forth, and my kids were screaming/laughing for their lives, while being squished by the same people I took pictures for. At this point, THE above mentioned people just handed me their camera, didn't even ask if I would take a picture for them (like the first time). Seeing my children weren't in the danger of falling off the boat anytime soon, I did. ( I even made the effort to make sure I captured as much of the waterfall for them as possible and that they were all smiling before I clicked, talk about taking pride in my work....)

The boat ride was quite expensive, so I was really hoping that it wouldn't be lame. At the beginning, the ride seemed ordinary. But the boat took us into the center of the mouth of the huge waterfall, where we were immediately hit with the mist generated by the rushing of the water falling down from the top of the cliff, it felt like someone was splashing your face nonstop with a powerful force, and talk about the deafening ROARING sound. There was so much water, I couldn't even open my eyes. If people ask me if I have ever been to Niagara Falls, I will say: I saw it at a distance, but I experienced it close up. Since there is no way to open your eyes while looking at the falls when you are that close, I looked down to observe the ripples created by the falls, and saw a bird floating effortlessly and carelessly on the water, right in the mouth of the waterfall. I was slightly jealous with its super ability to float, and I thought to myself: This is NOT a place I would want to learn how to swim...

I managed to take this picture before I had to quickly hide my camera inside my blue poncho just before entering the BIG waterfall.

Look at this happy little girl who just experienced Niagara Falls. See how she clung onto the boat grid?

This is the tower which we came down from to take the boat ride. I thought the engineering was quite impressive.

We also decided to check out the attraction : Cave of the Winds

check out the matching sandals they gave us.

You basically climb this winding staircase to stand very close to a portion of the waterfall (exhibited on bottom right where the people in yellow ponchos are)

The result was PURE Heaven as the wind carries the water and washes over you! How can I refuse my kids for wanting their pictures taken. Not only did I soak my Canon Rebel, I also soaked my Canon Camcorder. Mere sacrifice for the sake of creating art...or memories.

(I am only revealing my camera brand for the sake of making this sound dramatic. it's rather embarrassing that the pictures don't live up to the equipment)

See the No Smoking sign in green? I can't image anyone could possibly light up a cigarette there. I'd like to see someone try, I think it would be super hilarious.

see all the spots on the picture below? As I was taking this picture, a gust of wind carried a huge wave of water up onto the deck

and, I was in the way.

This was the before picture - before I got hit by the water, that is.

After we were done being soaked from head to toe, inside and out. Kirin used his poncho as a kite and flew it around the park for a while. I loved that he recycles.

I like this shot. It looks like Jade was sleeping, and Aspen was scratching off a mosquito bite. Sage is of course, posing.

Behind them, O, Canada.

After Niagara Falls, we went back to Palmyra and next morning, toured the rest of the church history sites. And of course, ate some more ice cream. Months ago, a friend told me that we should take any opportunity we can this year to take a family vacation before Andrew starts his residency next year, because we will not see much of him in the next four years. Even though it's hard to imagine it can be any worse than now, I took her advice seriously.

I am rarely in any pictures because I am always the one taking them. Palmyra temple is SO quiet, we waited forever and couldn't find a person coming in or out of the temple to take our family picture. So this will have to suffice.

I think it's only fitting that after a picture of the temple, a picture of the log home that Joseph Smith grew up in wraps up this post about our vacation. This log home was where everything began. A boy who went to a grove of tree to pray so he might know which is the right church to join. Without this restored gospel of Jesus Christ, there would be no knowledge of enternal families. I have a deep testimony of the reality of what Joseph Smith said he saw: "A pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun....I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other - This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!"

I am so grateful for what transpired here in Palmyra, and I am grateful that God uses the same method to call and inspire people today. I have a testimony that he does use us to accomplish his means, even sometimes through the most unlikely circumstances or people. I believe no matter who we are and our life situations, God can teach us how to listen, follow, lead, and inspire. I see again and again the hands of God guiding me and the YW organization, and I see that manifest the most when I simply don't assume that I know much, and so I have no choice but yield myself up to his will. I have received such powerful testament that he is keenly aware of his children, and he knows who should be called, and what needs to be done. Neal. A Maxwell said it well: " The submission of one's will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God's altar...There is a part of us that is ultimately sovereign, the mind and heart.... And when we submit to His will, then we've really given Him the one thing He asks of us."

Joseph Smith lived in such a way, even until the moment he gave his life for the gospel. Like you and I, He was a real person. It is a testimony to me that through the strength of Christ, we can live as he did. Palmyra is such a special place to be, it is one of those vacations that you don't have to come home and sleep for 3 days to recover from. I wouldn't call our trip in Palmyra the most fun, where we went was not fancy, not commercial, not fake, not worldly, and the days go by slowly here, but strangely enough, we loved it just the same. I guess a great vacation is not where you go, but who you go with that matters the most.

Palmyra NY, Summer 2011

Last year, Andrew and I accompanied our stake youth to Palmyra. We enjoyed the experience so much that we wanted to bring our children here for them to see and experience the place that is the cradle of the restoration.

DAY 1

The Sacred Grove was by far both Andrew's, and my favorite from our trip with the youth, so we make that our first stop. The experience of going there with our kids, the first time around was not what we expected. Mainly because Kirin and Sage won't stop chatting about whatever and whichever that comes to their mind the entire time we were in the grove.

After a good night of sleep, I thought we gave it another go. We stayed at a place that was pretty much across the street to the grove. So after breakfast, we took our scriptures and went walking. I sat with Sage on one of the benches in the grove, and read to her the account of Joseph Smith History. Of course, I condensed the version a bit. Occasionally, I would ask her questions to see if she was following along, and I was honestly, quite astonished that she was already familiar with the story. I guess she really was listening at home all this time, even during her chatters and somersaults. After we finished reading, she seemed to be very satisfied and said: "Good story, this was fun."

It feels to me that we at last left the grove with a peacefulness to the heart and a stillness to the mind. It really is a place when entered, where time becomes irrelevant. I probably would have stayed there forever if the mosquitoes weren't urging me on.

This is my favorite photo of Andrew and Kirin walking toward the Sacred Grove, it looks like they were having a good conversation. Aspen's elbow joins the picture.

Joseph Smith's Farm House.

The upper room where angel Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith

The Frame House. In this house, Joseph learned the 116 pages of manuscript was lost.

Original fireplace where Joseph hid the golden plates under the bricks from mobs.

DAY 3

This is my other favorite place to visit: The Gradin Bookstore.

This is where Mr. Egbert B. Grandin printed 5000 copies of Book of Mormon. Martin Harris sold part of his farm to pay for the $3000 printing fee. It cost $1.75 to purchase the book, which is about 2 days of wages back then.

Original ink spatters on the wall

Original floors where Joseph Smith walked on, of course I didn't take a picture of it...

This is a copy of Oliver Cowdery's handwriting as he was scripting the Book of Mormon. If you read carefully, you will find these same passages in 1 Nephi, Chapter 3.

We also visited Peter Whitmer's Farm Home. Joseph finished the last bit of translation in this house. He also started the translation of the Bible in this house. The event of the three witnesses occurred here. Mary Whitmer was shown the golden plates by Moroni. The church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was organized in this little house on April 6, 1830.

( I can't find a picture of it)

Below is a picture from Hill Cumorah where Joseph found the buried golden plates. Kirin tried and failed to pry open the rocks he found on the hill.

Besides visiting church history sites, we also find time to eat some ice cream.

Our friend, Becky who has lived in Palmyra before told us of an ice cream shop "Chill n Grill" which of course I forgot to take a picture of. But I took plently pictures of the goods that it delivers:

If you think this is just a regular small cone, you think wrong. What you are seeing is HALF of a Kiddie cone, $1.85, seriously.