This is the Smith Home on the Smith Farm
This is the main room in the Smith Home, dining and kitchen.
This is the original Stafford Road that runs through the Smith Farm.
This is the Frame Home that Alvin built. He died before it was completed, so Joseph finished it and he and Emma lived in it.
This is inside the main room in the Frame Home. It is 80% original from when the Smiths lived in it.
Inside the Frame Home.
This tree was planed by Joseph Smith Senior when Alvin died. It is near the Frame Home.
This is the Brigham Young Barn across the street from the Frame Home. This is where they prepared and stored the wheat and oats for selling.
This is the Cooper Shop in the same lot as the Brigham Young Barn. This is where barrels were made.
This was the beginning of our walk through the Sacred Grove. It was so pretty. Different from the summer time when it is all green, but it was a peaceful and beautiful area.
This was in the Sacred Grove
This is on the Sacred Grove plaque as you walk in.
View of the Grove from the plaque
Right after we left the Sacred Grove, I had the idea to picture the story about the footprints in the sand, except in the snow. It is a great poem and I suggest you look it up and read it. This is the jist of it. "Why, when I needed you the most, have you not been there for me?" The Lord replied, "The times when you see only one set of footprints, is when I carried you." (search "footprints in the sand poem" in google)
This was inside the visitors center at the Smith Farm, the family Bible.
I have got some serious hat hair!!
After we left the Smith Farm and the Sacred Grove, we went to the Temple and walked around the outside during the day so we could see. It is a very beautiful Temple and I loved being able to see it during the winter with all the snow.
The words etched into the stone on the Temple read,
HOLINESS TO THE LORD
THE HOUSE OF THE LORD
These were three trees on the West end of the Temple that reminded us of the story of the three trees. If you have not read it, I would also suggest you do that also. It is a very good story and I do not think it is any coincidence that these trees were planted here by the Temple. (search "the story of the three trees christian story" in google)
This was from the south lawn of the Temple. It was such a nice day!
This is on the west side of the Temple with the Sacred Grove in the background.
At the gate entrance to the Temple. You can actually see the sign!! :)
After we were at the Temple, we went to the Book of Mormon Historic Publication Site and took a tour there. It was very cool. Oh, and on our way there, we passed by the Four Corners Churches where at this certain intersection, there are four different churches on every corner. It is the original book store and then the visitors center is built in an "L" shape around it.
This is where the first copies of the Book of Mormon were sold.
One of the first original 5,000 Books of Mormon printed in 1830.
This was a Bible that was printed at the same time, about 1830.
This was an interactive map of all the languages the Book of Mormon is translated into and where those countries are located on the map. I did not know this, but there is a Book of Mormon in Braille!!
This is inside the original book store on the first floor. (it is three floors)
This is the original manuscript that Oliver Cowdery wrote while Joseph Smith translated.
This is the actual printing press that made the original 5,000 Books of Mormon.
After we were done with our tour at the book store, we went to visit Cumorah's Hill. It was so awesome because we were there during sunset!!
This is at the top of the hill with the monument sticking out of Hyrum's head.
At the base of the Monument on each side were different bronze carvings of significant events.
This side is representing The Three Witnesses
This is The Eight Witnesses
The Exhortation of Moroni
Joseph Receives The Plates
This is looking up at the monument
Looking at the sunset from the top of the hill
This painting was inside the Cumorah's Hill visitors center of the whole Smith Family
This was an amazing stained glass display of Joseph receiving the Golden Plates.
Once we were done at the visitors center, we had to drive back to Newark, NJ. it was about five hours after our amazing day we had just had. On our way home, we stopped at Tim Hortons. It is kind of like fast food, but it was super amazing. I recommend the while hot chocolate. This place was recommended to us and I pass it on to you. They are all over the place there.
Once we got back to the hotel on Wednesday night, we were super tired and we all just crashed and went to bed.
On Thursday, we got up and packed everything and went and returned our rental car, :( and went to the airport to go home :(
Dropping off our car
We are home!! leaving the Sacramento Airport after getting home from New York
(Tuesday's post and a repost about Carnegie Hall Performance videos is below)
This trip was so much fun!!!! We were able to do so much because of all of you who supported my family and I to be able to go to New York. At the concert, just from passing the hat after our performance, we were able to earn over $7,000 for the victims of the tsunami in Japan. That is so awesome!! Then we were able to spend a week in the city and visit all the great places there, go to Times Square for New Years, go to Niagara Falls, and go visit church history sites in Palmyra.
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!! This was a life changing trip for me. I was able to sing in Carnegie Hall!!! I was able to go to tour one of the largest cities in the world, which I absolutely loved!!! I was able to go see the second largest falls in the world!! I was able to go see all the awesome church history sites in Palmyra! Thank You for helping make this trip possible. I had such an awesome time and tons of amazing experiences!!
