The one thing I wanted to do this summer was go to the Hill Cumorah Pageant. I haven't been since I was 19, and Phil has never been. Luckily, we were able to make the trip. We planned on leaving Friday morning (July 9) right after I finished with summer school, about 10:30. Unfortunately, Phil got put on a case Friday morning, so we weren't able to leave until about 2.
We arrived at our hotel in Rochester (about a 5 hour drive under normal conditions) after 8. But the kids were anxious, so we took them down to the pool for a swim immediately.
Saturday morning we had breakfast, then Robbie, Brooke, and Ashley came to our room to hang out with the kids until we were all ready to head to Palmyra. Jackson and Robbie had a blast with the toys Jackson brought. They set up a battle across the table. Probably could have kept at it for hours.
We finally decided to head to Palmyra to check out the sites, then come back for a swim, and then go back for the pageant later, rather than trying to do it all in one trip.
First stop was Grandin Print Shop, where the first 5000 copies of the Book of Mormon were printed thanks to Martin Harris paying for it by selling part of his farm. It cost $3000. Joseph chose to have the books bound in leather, rather than the typical white soft back covers that were typical of books at the time. He wanted it to look like scripture.
While waiting for the tour to begin outside, Phil spotted his first seminary teacher, Brother Fotheringham. After 20+ years, Phil recognized him on sight, and they spent a few minutes catching up.
After the Print Shop, we decided to go to the Sacred Grove. It was so different than the last time that either Phil or I were there. There used to be one path in. Now there are a maze of paths going through the grove. It rained all Friday night, so it was humid, and there were a ton of people there, but it was still an enjoyable experience.
We opted not to do the tour of the Smith Family Farm, as the younger kids had had more than enough of tours. Instead, we pointed out the houses to the kids and I snapped pictures as we drove by.
We couldn't leave without seeing the new temple. As all the temples are, it was beautiful. We didn't get out and walk around, but chose to go over to the Hill Cumorah instead. We decided it would be best to visit the Angel Moroni Monument at the top of the hill. It gave us a spectacular view of the stage for the pageant also.
Even Jake, who was not at all excited about it, decided we need to do it as a family. It's something we are definitely considering for 2012 if we are still out here and things work out. We talked to some youth who have been doing it for years with their families, and they said it is better than EFY, temple trips, camp, youth conferences, all put together. And that it draws their family closer together than anything else could. Sounds good to me!
