Visit to Palmyra!!!!

I wanted to get these pictures up earlier, but this week has been pretty busy with a Pioneer Day activity that required me to make many mini loaves of bread (say that fast 3 times:)) Also made and ate way too much honey taffy. Probably got a cavity from it, but it was go-od! But I digress.

Last weekend we went to Palmyra and the Pageant at Hill Cumorah. Palmyra is about 4 hours from Sparta, we left Friday morning (goal was 7 a.m. left at 9, typical huh!) and got there about 1:30. We pulled in and a very helpful volunteer told us to go and save our seats, which we did. Then we went to the Visitor's Center at the Hill Cumorah, and saw the Christus statue, and watched a short version of the Resoration video. I was so grateful to be inside with the air conditioning, because it was really humid and hot outside. After that we drove over to the Palmyra temple and took some pictures. As we were leaving two huge tour buses pulled up and kids came streaming out, one of their leaders took out picture and told us that they were from North Carolina and the closest hotel that they could find for their 300 youth was in Scranton, PA (like 3 hours away).



Next we went to the Sacred Grove and Smith farm, where we ran into our Bishop and his family. We took the shortest walk through the Sacred Grove, it was really a hot day. But despite that we had a neat experience, we stopped and read a few verses from Joseph Smith History, and talked to the kids about what happened there. It was interesting that up to that point we had passed several families on the trail, but when we sat down and started reading, not one person walked past us. In Sacrament Meeting today Jonah looked at the program (which had a picture of the Sacred Grove on the front) and said "That hat hats where wuh wuh wuh we were!!" (He has a really cute stutter). Eli said later, looking at the same picture: "Hey dad, it's the secret grove!"



Up the trail from the Sacred Grove we were able to walk through the barns and sheds near the house. The tour guide said that the barn (which wasn't the original but was placed in the same location as the Smith's barn) was moved from Virginia? and belonged to Brigham Young's father. Ethan (loudly): "That's my great grandpa! Does that mean that this barn is MINE?" Ethan's pictures:



The house is a replica of the house that Joseph Smith grew up in, placed in the footprint of the old house. It was actualy air conditioned! But it was still hot, especially upstairs. I can't remember when the replica was built, but the guide said that the tools and materials they used were authentic to that time period.

The motorized wheel chair adds character, yeah?

Jonah the trespasser, going into the "sick room" (room off of the main floor bedroom)

Main room of the cabin, with scriptures on the table and a high chair in the background

The upstairs was divided into 2 rooms, a large bedroom with 2 beds where all the boys in the family slept (3 to a bed!) and then a smaller, back bedroom where the girls slept.

Back of the house

I'll have to save the Pageant for another post. I'm so grateful for Joseph Smith, and last weekend was a chance to learn more about him and his family. It makes the restoration of the gospel come to life to actually see where the events took place. Also, reminds me that I love a/c.