Since we first got here, I have been wanting to go to Palmyra, NY and see the Hill Cumorah Pageant. This weekend I got my wish. We made the six hour drive on Friday and camped over night at the KOA. The next morning we went to all the church history sites there including Joseph Smith's family farm, the printing shop where the first Book of Mormon was printed, the Sacred Grove, and Martin Harris' home. What a neat experience it was to see first hand where the church was reorganized. One our favorite things that we did that morning was the Sacred Grove. There was such a peaceful and calm spirit there and we were able to just sit on a bench in the middle of the grove and reflect on what happened there. It was such a testimony building experience of the truthfulness of Joseph Smith and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We also got to see the Palmyra Temple and hike up the Hill Cumorah. (Which is nothing of a hill really and took all of five minutes to climb. That's my kind of hike. ) The pageant was amazing. They had hundreds of volunteer's who fill up a three-tiered stage and put on an such a awe inspiring and spiritual performance. The part I felt was so amazing was when the portray Joseph Smith burying the golden plates on the Hill Cumorah and the thought ran through my head that "This place where I am sitting right now IS the place where that happened. It IS the place where Moroni came to Joseph and where Joseph buried the golden plates." Everything that I have ever read or learned about Joseph Smith came into clear focus and my testimony grew so much. I am so grateful for the opportunity that we had to go to Palmyra this weekend and to have the opportunity to see the things we did and to gain a greater testimony of this wonderful gospel.
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| Palmyra Temple |
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| Joseph Smith's Log Cabin |
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| Where Angel Moroni first appeared to Joseph Smith |
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| Joseph Smith framed home |
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| Fireplace where Joseph Smith hid golden plates from the mob |
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| The Sacred Grove |
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| The Sacred Grove |
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| Sitting in the Sacred Grove |
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| One of the original manuscripts of the Book of Mormon |
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| Where the first Book of Mormon was printed |
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| Martin Harris home |
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| A little detour that we made... The first shopping mall in America |
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| Did someone say shopping? I am there! |
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| Hill Cumorah |
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| Hill Cumorah Pageant |
New York City: Broadway, Cheesecake, Statue of Liberty, World Trade Center, etc. It all came true this weekend with my first (Clint's second) trip to New York City. We both can't believe that New York City is only a couple of hours away from us, but believe us when we say we will be cashing in on that advantage. This weekend Clint had both Friday and Monday off for the Fourth of July weekend. We figured it would be a good New York City weekend. There is train that goes from Connecticut directly into downtown New York City. We figured this would be the best way since the traffic is absolutely crazy in New York and we have tried that one once and never will do that again. We took the train down and then headed to Broadway where we saw Phantom of the Opera. What a difference lots of money and talent makes on the quality of the production. Both Clint and I were blown away by the amazing vocals, props, and the overall experience. We would highly recommend it to anyone. We then went and tried the Collins boy's (Matt and Clint's) favorite cheesecake from Junior's. I have to say it does hold up to it's acclaimed reputation. We stayed in Brooklyn for the night (This seems to be the cheaper way to do it. Hotels in downtown New York City are pretty expensive.) The next day we did the NY Citysites bus tour. It involves a few different tours (uptown, downtown, night, and river cruise). It was well worth the money. We got to see a very broad overview of New York City and got an idea of what we would like to see on our next trip. The riverboat cruise was fun. It takes you down the Hudson, under the Brooklyn Bridge, and out to the Statue of Liberty. Besides Broadway, the Statue of Liberty was the one thing I wanted to see. It was definitely worth it and such an amazing sight. One of the other neat things we saw on our trip was the site of the World Trade Centers. There was such a different feeling there that I can't explain. But being there and seeing the new building being erected and the American flag hanging over the place where a lot of people lost their lives brought the reality of that horrible day into perspective. It truly made me proud to be an American and proud of our troops who are fighting so valiantly for our country and for our freedom against those who attacked our homeland and loved ones. Well our overall 48 hour trip to New York City was fantastic and left us with a taste in our mouth and more cravings to go back often. 
