Saturday:
We woke up to a great breakfast and decided to swim in the rain. It was very cold, but refrfeshing. the pool's bottom was rough , so all of our feet were bleeding and hurt. we decided on leaving the hotel, picking up Annika from Megans house and going to the philly mint, and science center. As we approached philly, an unseen car came across the intersection and hit the side of our car. Those in our car were all fine, and un hurt. One person from the other car was taken to the hospital as a precaution, hopefully without a injury.we were so bllessed to all be safe and toghether as a fammily. we drove to Elkridge MA.
Sunday:
We went to church and then drove to arlington national cemetary It was sad to see all the people who have died for our country. we went to the lincoln memorial and the viatnam memorial.it was amazing to see the sacrifice paid for this country. Tommorow we will fly out and get home.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
NYC and Philly...
Wednesday, we rode the subway to Times Square. The subway was loud, or at least much more loud than the DC Metro. We looked around for a while, and went to the Toys R Us, Grand Central Station, and the NY public Library. The library was cool. It is an amazing building. They also have corrected copies of the declaration of Independence. Some people went to the United Nations, checked out the prices on broadway/off-broadway shows, went down to Canal street in Soho to see the deals available down there. This is a crazy big city. Lots of people, and about 100 degree F. Ugh. We met some friends in Central Park for a picnic. Pretty cool place! There was a play going on near by, it looked pretty impressive. The turtle pond was cool. There was a big turtle there. Overall, it was an interesting place. Everything is very tightly packed.
Thursday - We had bagels, and checked out of the hotel. We went over to the St Johns Cathedral. It was really tall, and an amazing building. There was good water to drink there, which counts a lot when it is so hot. Next we headed to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, over on the East side of Central Park. The Egyptian area, and the wall art, etc were amazing. All of the armor from the 16 and 17th centuries were incredible. It is incredible that someone could wear all that and move around. It is amazing to see this stuff. It seems much more real, not just to be in the movies/cartoons/etc. There was very cool decorative work on the armor. The inlaid wood in some areas was incredible. It looked totally 3-Dimensional. We took off out of town grabbing some pizza and Mr. Softee. We then drove out the Lincoln tunnel over to New Jersey, and set out on our way to the Philadelphia area.
Friday - Went to Philadelphia. We picked up Annika's friend Megan, and went to Independence hall. We saw where the first and second continental congress met. Also, where the Declaration of independence was debated. We saw the Liberty bell, and Franklin square. It started raining really hard, and we got fairly drenched. We were very impressed with the Philadelphia city hall. What a building!
We proceeded on to Valley Forge. The visitor center was closed, but we saw a few things and the site. It must have been a pretty miserable place to be over winter. There were lots of deer around. They had lots of fawns, who were cute.
Thursday - We had bagels, and checked out of the hotel. We went over to the St Johns Cathedral. It was really tall, and an amazing building. There was good water to drink there, which counts a lot when it is so hot. Next we headed to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, over on the East side of Central Park. The Egyptian area, and the wall art, etc were amazing. All of the armor from the 16 and 17th centuries were incredible. It is incredible that someone could wear all that and move around. It is amazing to see this stuff. It seems much more real, not just to be in the movies/cartoons/etc. There was very cool decorative work on the armor. The inlaid wood in some areas was incredible. It looked totally 3-Dimensional. We took off out of town grabbing some pizza and Mr. Softee. We then drove out the Lincoln tunnel over to New Jersey, and set out on our way to the Philadelphia area.
Friday - Went to Philadelphia. We picked up Annika's friend Megan, and went to Independence hall. We saw where the first and second continental congress met. Also, where the Declaration of independence was debated. We saw the Liberty bell, and Franklin square. It started raining really hard, and we got fairly drenched. We were very impressed with the Philadelphia city hall. What a building!
We proceeded on to Valley Forge. The visitor center was closed, but we saw a few things and the site. It must have been a pretty miserable place to be over winter. There were lots of deer around. They had lots of fawns, who were cute.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
New York City here we come!
Monday morning we got up, had breakfast, and half went to Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall. The other half went to the Science Museum and went to the LIGHTNING SHOW and an animal show about how amazing porcupines are. We then went swimming with our dads old missonary companion at a pond up near Concord. We then drove two hours to East Hartford CT and stayed there for the night.
Today we drove the remainder of the four hours to N.Y.C.. On the way we went to the Statue of Liberty & Ellis island. The parents wanted more time there. An amazing beginning to these peoples new lives in the U.S. Later we saw where the twin towers stood and went to a nice restaurent that three plates served all 8 of us. Great time!
Today we drove the remainder of the four hours to N.Y.C.. On the way we went to the Statue of Liberty & Ellis island. The parents wanted more time there. An amazing beginning to these peoples new lives in the U.S. Later we saw where the twin towers stood and went to a nice restaurent that three plates served all 8 of us. Great time!
Saturday, July 3, 2010
A Long Time ago...
It seems we are always playing catch up. We seem to be too exhausted from getting to bed late. We seem to have the schedule of getting to bed at 11:00ish and getting up at 8:00am with both feet on the ground running. I wanted to add a bit about Palmyra. Aaron gave a good list of what we saw. It was interesting. The printing press (Grandin's press ) was interesting. I had no idea that he had just gotten the press 6 months before the Book of Mormon needed to be printed, and that he quit the printing business 2 years after the BofM printing and went back to farming. I thought that was pretty amazing. Kids voted that the most interesting and favorite for some kids. (I ususally quiz them about their favorites at the end of the day). The Sacred Grove was spiritual. beautiful and peaceful. We spent some time walking around the grove to soak in the wonderful spirit there. I know it impacted some more than others. Overall, it was a great day for all.
Thursday we drove to Springfield, MA. We had a bit of an easier day. We drove about 5 hours to get there and then went to the Yankee Candle Factory Flagship Store. It was HUGE! It was the "scenter of the universe" according to them. It took us a couple of hours to see the place. Kids dipped candles in all sorts of colors (most did rainbow) and they enjoyed the toy store that was in there. They even saw Santa while they were there. (Now you know where Santa spends his summers.) After the store we went back to the hotel and most of the kids swam while Gary and Annika went to Costco to find something for dinner. We have been cooking /microwaving more in our hotel room lately to save money on meals. I think I'm going to be tired of peanut butter sandwiches by the time we are finished with this trip.
Friday we spent in Sturbridge, MA. This was recommended to us by a friend in Bothell. It was well worth the time there. Old Sturbridge Village is a village that is set up as if in the 1830's. They do everything as if it were that time period. It was intereting to see things from a non church point of view since it was the same time period. The most notable was watching the saw mill (just like the one in Kirtland) actually work. It was amazing to see the water flow down and make this huge blade go up and down. The black smith was interesting. Both Nathan and Aaron tried their hand at being blacksmiths by making a hook and then blackening it with linseed oil. Kassie tried her hand at being a broom maker. We spent about 8 hours there seeing and doing everything. Aaron and Kassie especially liked the hoop races. That evening we drove to Bedford, MA to an old hotel where we will be staying for the next three nights.
Saturday morning we drove to Alewife (a subway station) and took the T (the subway) into Boston. We barely made the train since we had a hard time figuring out the cards and the entry gates weren't cooperating. I was happy to make it on the train. While in Boston we walked the Freedom trail where we saw the Boston Commons, the State House, lots of old churches, old graveyards where Paul Revere etc. were burried, the old North Church, Quincy Market and lots of other notable historical sights. We ate lunch in Little Italy in a small park. We bought Pizza at a small out of the way Italian Bakery, and then tried another reccommendation- a "lobster tail" at a place called Mike's Pasteries. They were HUGE and filled with lots of artery clogging cream. After spending some time in the Little Italy Area, we split up. Half of us went to the Museum of Science, and the other half went back to where the tea party ship was supposed to be, but alas, it wasn't there. They did stop off at some fountains where kids played and got soaking wet, which they thought was great since it was definitely a hot day. The half that went to the museum got to see the Lightning show that the musuem does. It was one of the most facsinating things I've ever seen. It was well worth the visit. They explained how lightning worked and they showed how it was the metal on the car that kept one safe from lightning and not the rubber on a tires like I had thought. It totally went against everything I thought, but I saw it with my own eyes. The other amazing thing was they had a petrified lighning bolt there on display. Lightning had struck a sand dune? and the sand fused together in the shape of the lightning bolt-very interesting. We convinced the other four that they need to go on Monday and experience it for themselves. We were very lucky because our science center pass from Seattle got us in for free (up to four people). After returning to Bedford we went to a small neighboring town for fireworks which was great (except for the bugs).
Today we went to church in the morning. The kids begged to sleep in. I think they are tired from all the running (they also informed us that they are tire of seeing old churches and graveyards). They did sleep in for a bit the then we rushed and got to church about 15 minutes away with 2 minutes to spare. We sat behind a family who after sacrament meeting introduced themselves. It turned out to be Gary's old mission companion. What a small world. They were in Logan when we were attending USU, and we hadn't kept track since. It was pretty amazing!
After church ended at 1:00 (btw-10:00 church is what I'd consider the ideal church time-a bit of time to sleep in but time to have an afternoon free), we went later to the Minuteman National Park. This is located in Concord and Lexington. It was really interesting to see the old North Bridge, and also to see their presentation of the events that happened on April 19, 1775. It was very well done. I have thought that this was a great day (on July 4th) to see that since that was the beginning in a way of the fight for freedom. I've gained a deeper appreciation for the sacrifices that have been made in my behalf for the freedom and gospel that I have It it amazing to see the Lord's hand in everything. I just hope that some day that our children can gain that understanding as well. I do think this trip has helped, but sometimes I wonder if the walking, the barrage of information, and distractions sometimes diminishes the gain that could happen.
I am thinking that being tied up together 24/7 for an extended period of time isn't a good idea, we have now hit the-how much patience can I teach my sibbling by ramdomly bothering them for a certain period of time-stage. Maybe the sibling's patience is building, but mine is not. I amazed that Gary's mom is still sane from all of us. It has been nice to have her around. We've been very lucky to have her here with us. I believe her patience is better than all of us put together. Gary's seems to be holding out as well. He never ceases to amaze me.
Anyway, I hope this is a good catch up. I guess the best thing I can say is that I'm grateful. Grateful for the patriots and people that have gone before us and for the blessings I have because of them. May you all have a wonderful holiday!
Becky
Thursday we drove to Springfield, MA. We had a bit of an easier day. We drove about 5 hours to get there and then went to the Yankee Candle Factory Flagship Store. It was HUGE! It was the "scenter of the universe" according to them. It took us a couple of hours to see the place. Kids dipped candles in all sorts of colors (most did rainbow) and they enjoyed the toy store that was in there. They even saw Santa while they were there. (Now you know where Santa spends his summers.) After the store we went back to the hotel and most of the kids swam while Gary and Annika went to Costco to find something for dinner. We have been cooking /microwaving more in our hotel room lately to save money on meals. I think I'm going to be tired of peanut butter sandwiches by the time we are finished with this trip.
Friday we spent in Sturbridge, MA. This was recommended to us by a friend in Bothell. It was well worth the time there. Old Sturbridge Village is a village that is set up as if in the 1830's. They do everything as if it were that time period. It was intereting to see things from a non church point of view since it was the same time period. The most notable was watching the saw mill (just like the one in Kirtland) actually work. It was amazing to see the water flow down and make this huge blade go up and down. The black smith was interesting. Both Nathan and Aaron tried their hand at being blacksmiths by making a hook and then blackening it with linseed oil. Kassie tried her hand at being a broom maker. We spent about 8 hours there seeing and doing everything. Aaron and Kassie especially liked the hoop races. That evening we drove to Bedford, MA to an old hotel where we will be staying for the next three nights.
Saturday morning we drove to Alewife (a subway station) and took the T (the subway) into Boston. We barely made the train since we had a hard time figuring out the cards and the entry gates weren't cooperating. I was happy to make it on the train. While in Boston we walked the Freedom trail where we saw the Boston Commons, the State House, lots of old churches, old graveyards where Paul Revere etc. were burried, the old North Church, Quincy Market and lots of other notable historical sights. We ate lunch in Little Italy in a small park. We bought Pizza at a small out of the way Italian Bakery, and then tried another reccommendation- a "lobster tail" at a place called Mike's Pasteries. They were HUGE and filled with lots of artery clogging cream. After spending some time in the Little Italy Area, we split up. Half of us went to the Museum of Science, and the other half went back to where the tea party ship was supposed to be, but alas, it wasn't there. They did stop off at some fountains where kids played and got soaking wet, which they thought was great since it was definitely a hot day. The half that went to the museum got to see the Lightning show that the musuem does. It was one of the most facsinating things I've ever seen. It was well worth the visit. They explained how lightning worked and they showed how it was the metal on the car that kept one safe from lightning and not the rubber on a tires like I had thought. It totally went against everything I thought, but I saw it with my own eyes. The other amazing thing was they had a petrified lighning bolt there on display. Lightning had struck a sand dune? and the sand fused together in the shape of the lightning bolt-very interesting. We convinced the other four that they need to go on Monday and experience it for themselves. We were very lucky because our science center pass from Seattle got us in for free (up to four people). After returning to Bedford we went to a small neighboring town for fireworks which was great (except for the bugs).
Today we went to church in the morning. The kids begged to sleep in. I think they are tired from all the running (they also informed us that they are tire of seeing old churches and graveyards). They did sleep in for a bit the then we rushed and got to church about 15 minutes away with 2 minutes to spare. We sat behind a family who after sacrament meeting introduced themselves. It turned out to be Gary's old mission companion. What a small world. They were in Logan when we were attending USU, and we hadn't kept track since. It was pretty amazing!
After church ended at 1:00 (btw-10:00 church is what I'd consider the ideal church time-a bit of time to sleep in but time to have an afternoon free), we went later to the Minuteman National Park. This is located in Concord and Lexington. It was really interesting to see the old North Bridge, and also to see their presentation of the events that happened on April 19, 1775. It was very well done. I have thought that this was a great day (on July 4th) to see that since that was the beginning in a way of the fight for freedom. I've gained a deeper appreciation for the sacrifices that have been made in my behalf for the freedom and gospel that I have It it amazing to see the Lord's hand in everything. I just hope that some day that our children can gain that understanding as well. I do think this trip has helped, but sometimes I wonder if the walking, the barrage of information, and distractions sometimes diminishes the gain that could happen.
I am thinking that being tied up together 24/7 for an extended period of time isn't a good idea, we have now hit the-how much patience can I teach my sibbling by ramdomly bothering them for a certain period of time-stage. Maybe the sibling's patience is building, but mine is not. I amazed that Gary's mom is still sane from all of us. It has been nice to have her around. We've been very lucky to have her here with us. I believe her patience is better than all of us put together. Gary's seems to be holding out as well. He never ceases to amaze me.
Anyway, I hope this is a good catch up. I guess the best thing I can say is that I'm grateful. Grateful for the patriots and people that have gone before us and for the blessings I have because of them. May you all have a wonderful holiday!
Becky
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Catch Up...Again
Again we missed a couple of days. Monday-Monday was awesome! Cedar Point is really fun. There is one ride-Top Thrill Dragster that is fastest and tallest in the world. Its top speed is 120 m.p.h. and is aproximatley 250 feet tall. A really fun ride is Iron Dragon. The cars hang from the rail and you sit in the cars. Kassie and Nathan were very excited about the day. We all had a very fun time. Tuesday- We drove a lot tuesday and visited a church history site. It was the Jhon Jhoson home and we also visited Niagra Falls. We took a boat called Maid Of The Mist. It was also very fun and wet. Wednesday-Saw Joseph Smiths house, sacred grove, Hariss farm and Withmer home. Again it was fun.
Posted By Aaron Jenson
Posted By Aaron Jenson
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Sunday
Today was very fun, with a few surprises in the middle. We went to the kirtland lemple, then to the LDS church's visitor center. I thought that our churches tour was much more interesting then the community of christ's tour. I thought I would die on the way to sanduskey OH
When I began hearing thunder, I decided to watch the summer storm out of the van's window.
I had seen about 2 bolts of lightning, never like before. As i was looking up into the sky, i saw, Almost slow motion, a bolt of lightning coming right towards me. I saw it , dodge out of the path of the van, and hit the ground about a foot from where i was situated. I jumped back, and heard the thunder at the same time as the flash. It was the most scary expierience i have ever had. From then till the storm was over, i was paranoid of lights flashing. I am really exited to go to tommorow's activites and to have a day of fun. We have logged about 600 miles so far, and are continuing to get more each day.
Written By Nathan
When I began hearing thunder, I decided to watch the summer storm out of the van's window.
I had seen about 2 bolts of lightning, never like before. As i was looking up into the sky, i saw, Almost slow motion, a bolt of lightning coming right towards me. I saw it , dodge out of the path of the van, and hit the ground about a foot from where i was situated. I jumped back, and heard the thunder at the same time as the flash. It was the most scary expierience i have ever had. From then till the storm was over, i was paranoid of lights flashing. I am really exited to go to tommorow's activites and to have a day of fun. We have logged about 600 miles so far, and are continuing to get more each day.
Written By Nathan
Catchup...
Let's see - we missed a few days. Friday - we went and rented a mammoth van to carry us around the rest of the trip. Thrifty out at Dulles was way cheaper for a 12-passenger van than anywhere else. It was a pain, but it saved us a few bucks. The people in DC don't seem to know how to operate their vehicle turn signals. Seattle area folks are really good about this, and polite, probably to a fault. The other day someone going straight stopped for me when I was taking a left turn. I wasn't even in his lane.
So, we took off from DC and headed for Gettysburg Pennsylvania. We bought a narrated CD at the national parks visitors center. It lasted a couple of hours, and we drove all around the battlefield. It is beautiful terrain, but tragic consequences for so many participants. It seems an awful price to pay for proving who is more mighty than the other side. There was courage beyond what I comprehend on both sides. Many lessons of following with exactness, but times of resourcefulness and spontaniety. You could spend a lot of time exploring here and learning of the stories of these people.
we spent the night in Mechanicsburg PA.
Saturday: Hersheys factory first thing. You can get turbo-sized versions of lots of your favorite chocolate items. Pretty crazy stuff. It's so hot out, that if you leave stuff in the car, it melts immediately. 5-pound Hershey bars seem a little bit excessive.
We then proceeded to State College PA, where Pennsylvania state University is. Grandpa Jenson got a PhD there many years ago. As Grandma is with us, we thought it would be fun to drag through the old places. The places they lived were both remarkably intact. One area is now a historic district. They were right across the street from the on-campus dorms. A pretty good place to live. That city is kind of dominated by the massive Penn state football stadium. Grandma took a class from Coach Paterno's wife when she was there. That was a long while ago!
We drove on to Mentor Ohio. The drive was pretty. There are some mountains, contrary to my understanding of the area. It was beautiful going up the Susquehanna river valley in PA. Nice and green, trees all over.
Sunday: Kassie covered this one.
So, we took off from DC and headed for Gettysburg Pennsylvania. We bought a narrated CD at the national parks visitors center. It lasted a couple of hours, and we drove all around the battlefield. It is beautiful terrain, but tragic consequences for so many participants. It seems an awful price to pay for proving who is more mighty than the other side. There was courage beyond what I comprehend on both sides. Many lessons of following with exactness, but times of resourcefulness and spontaniety. You could spend a lot of time exploring here and learning of the stories of these people.
we spent the night in Mechanicsburg PA.
Saturday: Hersheys factory first thing. You can get turbo-sized versions of lots of your favorite chocolate items. Pretty crazy stuff. It's so hot out, that if you leave stuff in the car, it melts immediately. 5-pound Hershey bars seem a little bit excessive.
We then proceeded to State College PA, where Pennsylvania state University is. Grandpa Jenson got a PhD there many years ago. As Grandma is with us, we thought it would be fun to drag through the old places. The places they lived were both remarkably intact. One area is now a historic district. They were right across the street from the on-campus dorms. A pretty good place to live. That city is kind of dominated by the massive Penn state football stadium. Grandma took a class from Coach Paterno's wife when she was there. That was a long while ago!
We drove on to Mentor Ohio. The drive was pretty. There are some mountains, contrary to my understanding of the area. It was beautiful going up the Susquehanna river valley in PA. Nice and green, trees all over.
Sunday: Kassie covered this one.
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