My trip back to Ohio was really fun. I enjoyed spending the time with my in-laws and being able to see some church history places. I learned so much about the people and the experiences as well. I feel like my testimony grew because any room where the Savior and/or Heavenly Father, angel, and other messengers appeared to Joseph Smith, was when I felt the Spirit the most. It helped my testimony grow from experiencing it. We were able to go to Palmyra on their p-day (they were given permission to leave mission boundaries) and we went to the temple, which was beautiful, but my favorite part was the Sacred Grove. The very instant we stepped into the trees, there was just this special feeling about it. I just can't shake that feeling away, and I don't ever want to have it leave me when I think about it. Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ there! I don't know how you can't feel that special spirit. It was so strong. I think if you ever are able to have the chance to go back east and to visit the Sacred Grove, that should be the first thing on your list. I'm telling you, it was just so awesome! I'll upload some of my pictures from my trip, I'm warning you, it may be a lot, but near as much as I took.
This is Lake Eerie, we stopped here on our way to Kirtland from the airport
This is the Snow home. This is where Lorenzo, Eliza R. and their other siblings grew up.
This is one of the doors in the Johnson home. When the church purchased the home, they sanded down the doors and cabinet doors to see the design and colors that they actually used, so it could be the same when they restored it.
The Johnson home.
You see these signs going through Amish country (you go through it to get to Hiram, OH where the Johnson farm is).
The next two pictures was when we chased down this buggy. I was so embarrassed when we did this! I even ducked down when the second picture was taken. I had someone else take the pictures because it was too crazy and embarrassing for me.
This is where we went to an Amish store and bought fried pies. Oh man were those so delicious! You remember those hostess pies that were folded over? They were like those but 100 times more filling and 100 times tastier! I'm drooling just thinking about them.
Joelyn and I played in an Amish buggy when we went to buy Amish cheese.
This is in Burton, OH. They make real maple syrup which is yummy. It tastes so much more different than the fake stuff you buy in the store.
This is in the back of the Museum of Art in Cleveland. I thought this was a pretty view.
Joelyn and this guy were thinking about the art.
This is the Hubbard home. Col. Hubbard harbored slaves here while they were on their way to freedom to Canada or somewhere else. Unfortunately it wasn't opened. Don't worry, Lois almost broke down the door because we thought it was supposed to be open. Then I found that it said it is opened from Memorial day to Labor day.
This was after a walk/mini hike. It wasn't too difficult until towards the end.
This is President Garfield's house, he was the 20th president.The front porch is where he gave his speeches while he was running for presidency. He was only president for 200 days because he got shot and died from an infection from it.
This is the School of Prophets in the Whitney store.
We went bowling. It was a lot of fun! This is Joelyn and her awesome bowling form.
This is the morning we left Kirtland to go to Palmyra. It was so peaceful and the fog near the ground looked so cool.
This is a video I took of the beautiful birds you hear throughout the day (Cardinals, Blue Jays and others).
The Palmyra temple
This is in the Smith replica room. This room was the boys room which is also where the angel Moroni appeared to Joseph.
This is an awesome view. President Hinckley actually had them cut down the trees so you can see the sacred grove out of the one and only window that isn't stained glass.
This is the Smith frame home. Did you know Alvin was engaged when he died? Well, he was and he built this for him and her to live and to take care of his parents once they were older.
This is the real fireplace and one of the many places that Joseph hid the gold plates in. The bricks could be moved, so he removed them, put the plates in, and then put the bricks back into place. He also hid it in his sister's bed, in a locked box, and in one of their sheds on a top beam. He was inspired every time he needed to hid them because the mobs never found the plates.
This tree is in the Sacred Grove. It is the oldest tree there...400 years old, which means it is a witness tree to the first vision. It is called the apostle tree, because there used to be 12 of those thick branches that came out. Also, just behind this tree is where the Smith boundary ended.
The Sacred Grove. The old dead tree on the left is also a witness tree.
This is where the Book of Mormon was published. The original building is actually on the left side of the pole.
The Martin Harris Farm. Martin Harris lived 4 miles from the Smith's when he lost the 116 pages. Could you imagine walking that dreadful walk to tell the prophet you lost those pages (they actually were living in the frame home at this time)?
This is at the Hill Cumorah. I don't know how Joseph didn't end up falling all the way down when he had the plates because it is super steep!
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The Kirtland Temple
The Hyrum Smith Home in Kirtland.
The middle section is the original portion of the Sidney Rigdon home. The guy at the gift shop lives here and pointed it out to me. The Community of Christ owns it and the temple, but anyways, it was nice of him to point it out to me when I asked him where it was.
This is the Joseph Smith home that the church just purchased a little while ago from the Community of Christ church. They will be renovating it for a couple of years. The cemetery is between this home and the temple, so he lived just a few steps away from the temple.
We took a photo shoot around historic Kirtland, since it wasn't too busy and so my in-laws could step away for a few minutes.
Where you see the river end, is where it was damed up so they could do baptisms.
This is the morning after my emergency surgery. You see the few pictures of our photo shoot around historic Kirtland? Just a few minutes after arriving back to the apartment, I started feeling a little funny. Then all of a sudden, I had this excruciating pain in my stomach. It wasn't going away so Joelyn called Lois and they ended up coming home. I was given a blessing and then we went to a place like insta-care in Utah. That was pointless because they couldn't check anything. All they could do was press around my stomach to see where it hurt. Well, we went to ER after that and we were in the ER all night. They did a pelvic exam and didn't find anything. Then they had me get a cat scan and that is when they found quite a bit of blood in my abdomen. They thought I had ruptured my spleen and couldn't figure out how or why because I hadn't bumped my stomach and I didn't have any bruising. Can I just tell you, the ER doctors were dumb and didn't know what they were doing. Anyways, they admitted me to the hospital about 6:30 am the following morning from when I went in and I had an ultra sound done like a half hour after being admitted(both ways, ugh!). The general surgeon that came from a different hospital (they had a whole team from different hospitals come over because they were the best of the best) and he saw the ultra sound and cat scan and knew it wasn't the spleen. I was able to have a liquid diet so for breakfast I had cranberry juice and tried to have jello, but it tasted like smoke, so I could only have a bite or two. For lunch a had broth and tried a different flavor of jello, and that also tasted terrible! After the lunch, the OBGYN came and said I had to have surgery because my blood count was dropping slowly (I lost 1/3 of my blood). I had a ruptured cyst the size of a walnut. I was freaking out and crying off and on the rest of the afternoon and even as they took me down to be prepped for surgery. Lois cried with me and that's what I needed. All I wanted was Niels, but Lois cried with me when I was scared and for some reason, that helped me. Anyways, this is a long description for this picture.
See how pale I was? And puffy?! Those dang drugs puffed up my face like nobody's business. I was happy to be able to eat real food again! Oh and my surgery took an hour and they were able to save my ovary and clean everything out that didn't belong in that cavity(the blood and ruptures cyst).
This is Chagrin Falls, in the town of Chagrin Falls. We went here as we waited for my prescriptions to be filled and because it was only 15 minutes away from the hospital and on the itinerary list. It was pretty but I think I would have enjoyed it better if I felt good.
These are the flowers that my hospital room housecleaner gave me. She saw me crying right before I was taken down for surgery, so she gave my in-laws these while was out of the room. She was so sweet to do this!
The last day in Ohio, we went to Dover to the Warther museum. This Swiss mam carved all sort of things: model trains, canes, scissors, pliers, chess pieces, etc. He was amazing! He is dead and the last of his children died a few months back apparently, so the grandkids and other family keep it going with the knife business and the museum.
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