Labor Day Road Trip!

Labor day was created in 1882 as the Central Labor Union sought to create 'a day off for the working citizens.'

As Logan and I celebrated Labor day this year we realized that neither of us knew the reason we had this liberating three day break. Logan shared with me that when he was younger he thought the day was to celebrate all women who have ever given birth (that is a fantastic reason for a holiday). I thought it had to do with people who work (labor), but I wasn't sure. Wikipedia to the rescue! We now know the true reason for our 3 day vacation.

As I finished this post, I talked to Logan and found out he had just finished writing about this week as well. I have gone through and added some of the things he wrote about. The italicized portions are his perspective. This is a very long post, but I enjoy having both of our perspectives for our journal.

We have had another fun filled week. LOTS of homework and studying for both of us, and a lot of play time for the weekend. We started our weekend at the beach reading together and watching the Cleveland air show. As the time neared for the Blue Angels to fly we decided to move downtown for a better view. The Blue Angels definitely did not disappoint. We had a great view of the action. We were also lucky enough to run into Crystal, Tyler and sweet little Emersyn to enjoy the show together.

The Blue Angels were there (at the air show) and they flew incredibly close to each other as they maintained perfect formation. It was spectacular, and it is no wonder that stunt pilots, like those that fly the jets for the Blue Angels, have a 10% on-the-job mortality rate. Why is it that watching other people risk their lives is so entertaining? Well, it is, and the air show was very cool.

That night we had a welcome dinner with Psi-O (a fun fraternity we belong to). Logan and I played a few rounds of cornhole (this is a beanbag throwing game that is VERY popular and VERY expensive to buy). Logan spent some time researching cornhole, then he built us our very own cornhole game. We are now in the process of making the beanbags (OK fine, this is my contribution to the game and I am severely slacking).

On Sunday morning we drove to Niagara Falls and spent the entire day hiking, viewing the falls, spending time in the Falls Discovery Center, and picnicking in the park. The falls were spectacular. The end to the perfect day was spent laying out near the colorfully lit falls and watching fireworks.

I was expecting the falls to be a pretty place, but with the beauty being obscured by throngs of people and overwhelming commercialism. What I didn’t realize was how cool the falls would be despite these distractions. I have never seen such a display of power in a river, and I have seen a lot of rivers! It was amazing to watch, hear and feel the thunder of the water as it went over the falls.

Also, we went to Whirlpool State Park, which is about three miles from the falls. It is a surprisingly quiet place and we were able to find relative seclusion for a picnic dinner. The park overlooks the Whirlpool Rapids in the Niagara Gorge- basically just a wave train- but BIG. Really Big!

After the fireworks we started our drive to Palmyra New York. We spent all of Monday exploring the church history sites in Palmyra. Just driving through the town thinking about the events that occur ed there, the spirit was very strong. We visited the Smith farm and spent some time in the beautiful Sacred Grove. No one knows the actually location of Joseph's prayer, but that makes it even more enchanting because it could have been anywhere. We then went over to the Hill Cumorah where Joseph received the plates. We watched a very well done movie about Joseph Smith, then we hiked up the path to the top of the hill. What a beautiful place.

We started out in the morning by going to the Sacred Grove. It was a beautiful place that had a peaceful feeling about it. You know- the kind of place where you feel like you shouldn't’t talk too loud. And then when you stop and realize the sacred events that took place in the area it becomes a very spiritual experience.

We went next to the Hill Cumorah, were we watched the Joseph Smith movie. It was really amazing to be there, in the very place where all of these things happened. For me it conferred an even greater sense of reality on things that I already knew and believed. It was somehow easier to picture the young Joseph as he discovered the plates, or to understand his confusion and desperation as he tried to tell his story to others who would not believe. I definitely left with a greater sense of gratitude for the sacrifices that Joseph Smith- and all of the early saints for that matter- made for the sake of the gospel truth. It makes me feel very blessed to have been born into a time and a place where I can live according to what I believe.

The most educational place we visited was the printing press where the original Book of Mormon was published. This was definitely a highlight because we learned so many cool things about how books used to be printed. I would never have been patient enough to go through that long process.

After the Hill Cumorah, we went to the Grandin Press, which was probably the most educational part of the whole trip. We learned all about how the printing process worked back in the early 19th century, and we even got our own printed copy of part of the Book of Mormon. I’ve often thought about the sacrifices involved with the obtaining and translation of the Book of Mormon, but I never realized the time, energy, and money that was required for the printing and binding process. It was a major hurdle, and it is nothing short of miraculous that it was able to be printed at all. It really goes to show that the Lord will provide a way for the truth to move forward.

Finally, we went to the Whitmer farm, where the church was officially organized. Again, it was amazing to think of the early saints gathering in this little log home and hearing the prophet talk about how the church would fill the earth and then going out and facing the trials they did because of their testimonies. Again, it makes me very thankful for what I have.

Evelyn was a perfect traveler! I think the highlight of her trip was 'captaining' the shopping cart (pictures below). This is her new favorite thing.

Here we are at the Cleveland Air Show. Evelyn did NOT like it when the airplanes flew over us. I think they scared her.

Here are a few pictures of as at Niagara Falls.

Cool tree fungus at the Sacred Grove

Rachel decided that she found "the spot" because there is a pillar of light.

After watching the olympics, someone told us to start training Evelyn to be a gymnist. Well, here's the best we can do for now.
Here we are at the top of the hill Cumorah. By the way, the hill Cumorah would make a killer sleding hill in the winter! (Am I the only one who thinks this way?)

This is Evelyn's new favorite thing. She just giggles the whole time she is up there. It's pretty cute and it makes a lot of people smile.