June 23

June 23

I have wanted to see Palmyra and the Sacred Grove, well -forever. I have really looked forward to this. And I wasn’t disappointed. When we pulled into town the toll booth attendant asked us if we were here to see the Mormon sites. He told us to be sure and go to the sacred orchard. We kind of laughed at the “orchard” but I knew why he listed it as a can’t miss spot. We had talked to the kids about being reverent and respectful and for the most part they were. We went to the smith Farm, Hill Cumarah, the temple and the EB Grandon printing press. I was really impressed with all of it. The sister missionaries who took us on the tours of the printing press and the Smith Farm did a great job telling us stories, sharing their testimonies and helping us feel the spirit. It was a really good experience. I felt the spirit and I think the kids did to.

Taylor is proud of himself for making the sister missionaries journal. She was telling us about EB Grandon and told us his name was Egbert B. Grandon. She told us we were going to play a guessing game and see who could guess his middle name. Her first hint was it started with the letter B – then she said it is “not a very nice word for someone who isn’t very nice” Taylor got a kind of shocked look on his face and said, “you mean the B word- the swear word”. Thank goodness he didn’t actually say the word. The sister turned red. No, no, no – I didn’t mean that word.” The Elder sitting across the room cracked up. Everyone kind of laughed and she said that was one she would have to put in her journal. My kids have a knack for embarrassing me.

The Sisters were really good to play to the kids but sometimes my kids can be so weird. When one of them shook our hands Anna told the joke, “are you cold” – “no then why are you shaking”. That was ok but then Ryan wanted to get in on the jokes so when he was shaking her hand he said. “Where do you live, (in a house) Where do you go to the bathroom (in the toilet), What do you use to wipe (toilet paper) to which Ryan says - I use my hand. I almost died. You just don’t tell missionaries potty jokes. My kids used to be shy but lately they have really talked to strangers a lot – and for some reason they have a knack for saying something kind of awkward – and often off topic. Rachel sure had a lot of comments that kept the sisters laughing. But I was really proud that for the most part they knew all the anwers to the questions they were asked and knew a lot of stories about Joseph Smith. They seemed interested and learned a lot. It was an experience I hope they never forget.

We stopped for lunch at the Chill and Grill. It was a little roadside hamburger and icecream joint off the main road. The missionaries suggested it. Other than being a little more expensive than we had planned and not taking credit cards it was really good. They had great ice cream and the servings were huge. The biggest problem was that we didn’t have very much cash, paying for lunch left us with a handful of change and maybe $12. We were a little nervous because we knew we would have toll roads to pay. Turns out we made it to a Walmart to get cash with $2 to spare.