Day 7 A Ride in the Park

East Coast Trip: Day 7

We had such a fun day today. We rented bikes and rode all around uptown New York- through Central Park, to museums and 5th Avenue shops.

It was a beautiful day ~ sunny and blue skies.

We rode to the MET- Metropolitan Museum of Art. We admired every kind of art imaginable. From Ancient Greek to Medieval to the great artists of the Renaissance. None of us really liked the Modern art. While looking at canvases covered with random splotches of paint, or "statues" made from garbage, or portraits with two eyes on the same side of the face and no lips, we asked eachother "Who decided that was artistic!?" But we loved Monet's lillypads and Renoir's scenes in the park.

We rode through the park to the Museum of Natural History. Jaren and Michelle were anxious to visit this museum because it is in the movie "Night at the Museum" with Ben Stiller. They wanted to see the Easter Island head, the Huns, and the "strange puppet men with no faces." :) Like all the Smithsonian museums this museum is huge. One could spend days and still not see everything.

We rode to the Plaza Hotel and peeked inside. They have tight security ~ don't want riff-raff like us hanging around with their elite, wealthy, paying customers! It is beautiful inside.

Then we headed over to FAO Schwarz. What a store! Typical of most teenage boys, Jaren does not like to shop, but he was like a kid in a candy store at FAO Schwarz!

Wait...

he was a kid in a candy store! Candy Galore!! Even I was like a kid in a candy store. :)

We rode and walked along the famous 5th Avenue and pretended we were those elite, wealthy customers from the Plaza as we visited all the posh shops like: Tiffany & Co., Cartiers, Gucci, Chanel, and Trump Towers.

We loved Rockefeller Center

And stopped in for a bit of Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Then we did a really cool thing. We spent the entire evening on the top of the Empire State Building.

We saw the city in the daylight and found all the spots we had visited or were going to visit: Chrysler building, downtown & Ground Zero, Statue of Liberty, Central Park, etc...

Then, the sun started to set. We stood atop the Empire State Building and enjoyed a spectacular sunset as we watched the sun slowly set in the distance. It was fabulous!

After the sun went down, we stayed and watched as the city lights slowly came on one by one, like twinkle lights on a Christmas tree. Soon the whole city was lit up and sparkling. It was simply magical!



End of Day 7

Day 6 Sacred Spots in NYC

East Coast Trip: Day 6

We started our adventure in this big, crazy, noisy city with a really neat spiritual experience. We went to the temple and did baptisms. There was the temple, surrounded by skyscrapers, and all the hustle and bustle of NY; all the people, all the noise and cars and smells and we stepped from the dirty, grimy sidewalks outside onto the clean, shiny, white tiles inside and into peace, quiet and calm. It was a powerful lesson of how we should leave the crazy and busy things of the world and come unto our Savior who offers peace and rest.

Once inside we were reminded of another sweet eternal truth. We were joined by a small youth group from New York city(all blacks or Mexican-most didn't speak English), a man from Puerto Rico who did not speak English and another family all the way from Dubai! And we were from Mesa, Arizona. It was a sweet reminder that the gospel is for everyone. It doesn't matter where someone is from, what language they speak, or what they look like. We are all children of God and the gospel is for all of His children. It was quite touching for all as Doug performed the baptisms and confirmations in Spanish(thankfully he has learned from his missionary sons). The sweet Brother from Puerto Rico kept saying in his broken English and thick accent "You familia is beautiful. You children look like angels.You so blessed to have familia in temple. I pray everyday I can bring me familia to temple." My eyes filled with tears. I patted his shoulder and said "I will pray for you too." I know we are truly blessed and I felt especially blessed that day to be with Doug & Jaren & Michelle in the Manhattan temple~ to leave that worldly city behind and stand in a holy place with them.

Ground Zero

We went from spiritual to sobering!

The last time we were here, with our other children, the World Trade Center stood majestically in the NYC skyline. This time, there was a huge, deep hole in the ground with tractors, and cranes and construction crews. It is a grim and painful reminder of that horrific day September 11, 2001.

We found the World Trade Center Tribute 9.11 Visitor's Center. It was filled with memorabilia, artifacts, scrapes, all sorts of things that were recovered, and thousands of pictures, notes and memorials for loved ones. It was heart wrenching to view photos and video and listen to actual radio and/or cell phone conversations between pilots, passengers, firemen and/or rescue crew members. It brought back all the heartache and fear of that fateful day. We had 2 personal tour guides: a man & woman from New York who were in the city that day. They were passionate as they told their stories. Everyone in the group was often emotional as we listened to them.
From there we walked... and walked... and walked... to China Town...

This was probably the only place Jaren & Michelle really didn't like. It was even more crowded than a normal NY street ~filled with more people and cigarettes and shops of raw fish, crab and all sorts of strange looking and bad smelling foods!

Come on Michelle ~ you like Sushi, grab one of those live squid and pop it in your mouth for a yummy snack! :)

Then to Little Italy. Ahhhh... much better! Here the air was filled with the delicious aroma of pasta, marina sauce, fresh basil and oregano and the sweet smells of Italian desserts! Mmmmm... we liked Little Italy.

We stopped for some yummy cheese cake and Canolis.

Tonight we went to the Broadway Show "The Little Mermaid" It was fabulous! Disney always does a spectacular job.

After the show we enjoyed one of the most exquisite meals we have ever had! We went to Barbettas. It is the oldest restaurant in New York-established in 1906-passed down from generation to generation with delicious Italian family recipes. MMMmmmm....

End of Day 6.

Day 5 Old Glory & Liberty Bell

East Coast Trip: Day 5
We have a busy day ahead of us today. We left the D.C. area and our wonderful hosts the Farnes' and headed north.

Our first stop: Fort McHenry. We were greeted by "Old Glory" as we arrived. Fort McHenry holds wonderful stories of courage, sacrifice and miracles.

"Oh say can you see..."

This is another favorite spot. Yes, it's true, we have lots of favorites on this trip!


Fort McHenry is significant because this is where Francis Scott Key was when he wrote the Star Spangled Banner. It was this Fort that he watched from his window aboard the British ship on September 13, 1814. It was this Fort that was being attacked and bombed all through the night. It was this Fort's ramparts that glared red from explosions. It was above this Fort that the bombs burst in the air. It was this Fort that was miraculously preserved with rainfall which prevented the British cannons from exploding and doing their damage. And it was on this Fort's flagpole that Francis Scott Key strained to see, through smoke & through rain, if the flag was still there, waving victoriously in the dawn's early light, over the land of the free!





" O'er the land of the free... and the home of the brave."

Our next stop: Philadelphia

Independence Hall where the Continental Congress met. Where our Founding Fathers discussed & debated whether or not they should break free from Britain, whether or not they should declare war on Britain, whether or not they should declare independence for themselves, whether or not they should establish a new country... and if so, how in the world they would ever accomplish such a feat! I can only imagine what those meetings were like ~the exciting, animated, even heated discussions that surely took place. How I would love to go back in time and visit those meetings!
It was here in Independence Hall that those courageous men took that daring leap and signed the Declaration of Independence and later the Constitution.
It is in this bell tower that the Liberty Bell originally hung and rang.

We finally got a photo after what I feared might become another American Revolution for a turn in front of the bell! (the "battle" with a large asian family who insisted on taking individual photos and then a variety of group photos over and over "Okay, now you take one with her." "Okay, now I take one with Cho." "Very good, now you take one with Cho and Sue Ling" "Now, I take one with Sue Ling and Cho.") :{






We found some real people from 1776! :)






End of Day 5

End Day 5 Arrive in the Big Apple

End of Day 5...

New York City!

After a full day of driving with stops at Fort McHenry & Philadelphia we arrived in the Big Apple that evening. Jaren & Michelle's first observation, while driving around, was all the traffic, all the taxi's and all the honking!! HONK "What the heck are they honking about!?" Jaren asked. HONK-HONK "Usually nothing ~ everyone just honks ~ like to say 'hey get out of my way!'" HONK-HONK. "That's stupid." Jaren logically concluded. HONK "Omigosh! Make them stop honking!" HONK-HONK-HONK! "Welcome to New York" I enthusiastically replied. : ) We checked into our hotel and headed for the streets of NY.

The next thing Jaren & Michelle quickly noticed, as soon as we were on the streets, were: 1. all the people and 2. all the cigarette smoke. I have concluded, after having taken all 5 of our children to many big cities around the world like NYC, DC, Paris, Buenos Aires and Mexico City, that my kids are not big city folk. :) They don't like all the crowds, the noises, the smells. But we do love visiting these exciting cities.

Jaren did fall in love with one thing in New York...

PIZZA!

Jaren had Pizza somewhere, somehow everyday we were in NYC.

Back to the hotel by midnight. End of Day 5.

Day 4 Four Score & Seven years ago...

East Coast Trip: Day 4

Another favorite spot~Gettysburg. Like, Mt. Vernon, Gettysburg is always a moving even spiritual experience.

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure... " Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address, November 19, 1863

It is remarkably more meaningful to learn about history while actually, physically standing on the very ground where that history was made. It makes the stories come to life!

I thought the whole day was going to be lost when I realized, shortly after beginning our tour, that my camera battery was dead! I couldn't believe it. We desperately purchased a cheap, disposable, digital camera just so we could get pictures. Thankfully, I was able to get a few good photos ~ but you'll have to forgive me for the very bad, blurry photos.

It was a poignant walk as we crossed the fields of Picket’s fateful charge where thousands of men died.

The momentous Little & Big Round Top

Our hearts were stirred as we climbed through the boulders of Little & Big Round Top and Devil's Den where the Union troops miraculously held their ground.

For lunch we went to the historic Dobbin's House~ Gettysburg's oldest, most historic home built in 1776! It was like stepping back in time. The Tavern is in the cellar. It is cold & dark, lit only by candlelight, and smelled like old wet rocks and wood and the waitresses were dressed in Civil War Era clothes. We enjoyed traditional colonial cuisine ~ homemade breads, old fashioned Rootbeer, their famous & delicious French onion soup and homemade, all American apple pie!

Even with our dead camera battery ~ it was a great day.

End of Day 4.

Day 3 East Coast Mt. Vernon

East Coast Trip: Day 3

One of our most favorite sites: Mount Vernon ~ home of George Washington. We love it here. What a great man Washington was. He was handsome, educated, charismatic, the people loved him, they honored him, even almost worshiped him, and yet he remained humble never seeking fame or power ~ always remaining faithful & loyal to his people and country. He was spiritual and religious often seeking strength, guidance, and assistance from God. We love all the amazing stories about Washington and his many miraculous escapes from the enemy and/or deliverance's from defeat! Heavenly Father was watching over him indeed.

"And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles who had gone forth out of captivity did humble themselves before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was with them... And I beheld that the power of God was with them, and also that the wrath of God was upon all those that were gathered together against them to battle. And I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles that had gone forth out of captivity were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations." (1 Nephi 13:16-19)

We decided George Washington was an Indiana Jones ~ able to escape impossible situations while bullets whizzed by with barely a scratch. : )

In his funeral oration for George Washington, Henry Lee said that of all Americans, he was "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen."

Mt. Vernon is beautiful and peaceful. In it's own way it was a spiritual experience. How thankful we are to good, honest, humble men ~ like George Washington ~ who only wanted what was best for their country and who sought the will of the Lord.

End of Day 3

Day 2 Washington DC

East Coast Trip: Day # 2

Thanks to Jeff Flake, we had a "private" tour of the Capital. We were glad to go through the "secret" underground tunnels and avoid the long lines. The Capital is a huge, amazing and beautiful building. More like a museum than Government building. Jaren & Michelle loved the story of how John Adams could hear the whispers of the Democrats who sat on the other side of the room. Then, it was lots of fun as we tried it for ourselves and could hear eachother through the crowd across the room.

Michelle our avid reader and book lover was excited to go to the National Library of Congress! Even as much as she reads, I'm not sure she'll be able to read them all. : ) There are about 20 million books kept in the Library of Congress. At least she has a good start.

This building was simply stunning with its beautiful architecture, exquisite art and ornate details. We felt like we were in Versailles again!

Arlington Cemetery is always a sobering and humbling experience. Tombstone after tombstone, row after row, hundreds and hundreds of graves filled with men ~husbands, fathers, sons, brothers who gave their lives defending our freedoms.

Always neat to watch the changing

of the Gaurd at Arlington Cemetery.

Back at the White House. We were fascinated as we watched the gaurds, in full military uniform with machine guns in hand, pace the roof of the White House. Then...


it was exciting to watch President Bush arrive from Andrews Air Force Base and land right on the lawn!

We had to stop and feed Jaren often. : )

Five Guys Burgers! Big, juicy, greasy, fattening and delicious.

End of Day #2

Day 1 East Coast Trip 2008

East Coast Trip 2008





We had an incredible trip ~ filled with exciting events, fun times, touching moments and spiritual experiences. We love this trip as we visit American history sites and then Church history sites and see how the hand of the Lord is truly in all things. Our appreciation for our founding fathers and early settlers was deepened and our testimonies of the gospel and the restoration was strengthened.

First Day: Air & Space Museum. This was a museum Jaren actually truly enjoyed. : ) We saw airplanes, rockets, space ships, space modules, even space rocks! Yes, a real rock from the moon and we touched it. I thought it was pretty cool. But Jaren said it would really only be cool if the rock was still on the moon and we were touching it because we were also on the moon. "Now, that would be cool!" After walking through a real space shuttle module we realized astronauts must be small men. Jaren didn't fit in anything and had to seriously duck through every doorway.

The National Archives: where we saw the original Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

From there we went to the Museum of Natural History. You could spend days in there. You could get lost in there! I think we did! : )

Next Ford's Theater: April 14, 1865 John Wilkes Booth snuck into the private box at Ford's Theater where President Lincoln sat, aimed his derringer and squeezed the trigger. Booth's shot resonates to this day.

This is the Peterson home, across the street from the theater, where President Lincoln was taken and efforts were made to save his life. His 6ft-4inch frame was too long for the bed in which they laid him. Unable to break the footboard they placed his body diagonally across the mattress. That is how the great Abraham Lincoln ~ the man who had freed slaves, saved the union and nobly led the country during 4 years of bloody civil war ~ spent the last 9 hours of his life.

And so, of course, from here we went to the grand Memorial which honors this great President...

We also visited the Vietnam Memorial, Korean Memorial, Washington Memorial and Jefferson Memorial.

"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence

I love the Jefferson Memorial. We decided that it should be required that all American citizens visit American history sites. You simply cannot visit these places and not realize that these men were deeply spiritual and religious. They weren't perfect, they even had different views on religion and politics. But they all believed in God and recognized His hand in the great work they were trying to accomplish for this country.

End of Day #1.