Memorial Weekend!

We packed a lot of sightseeing into our Memorial Day Weekend! First we drove up to Canada to see Niagara Falls. We had heard it was a better view from the Canada side of the falls, and we agree! We crossed at Peace Bridge to get into Canada, and came up on Niagara Falls from south, the top of the falls. We could see the mist coming up from the water, but didn't realize what it was. Once we parked and walked up to the falls, we enjoyed a feast for all the senses! The falls were very majestic. I imagined them taller, but was very surprised by how much water is continually falling down, and how fast it moved. The water was very clear, and at the side of Horseshoe falls, you could see through the enormous amounts of water to the rocks at the edge where the water was gushing over. I kept thinking, "How does Lake Erie stay full?" We kept getting sprayed by the mist, as the weather was a little breezy, and the wind would spray the water all over us. Rachel kept her hood on. There was a beautiful rainbow the entire time we were at the falls, thanks to the mist! When we looked down toward the bottom of the falls, you could see more than 180 degrees of rainbow. The kids pointed out the end of the rainbow...right at a large rock. I, the mean mom, wouldn't let the kids climb down to investigate. The falls were very loud as well. It was really kind of fun to see all of the people on the US side of the falls. I felt like I was at girls' camp with the scout camp on the other side of the lake. We didn't sent any morse code messages, though. We crossed back over Rainbow Bridge into New York. I was nervous they wouldn't let us in. That is the type of weird worries that I have. Anyways, we really enjoyed seeing Niagara Falls, and being able to say we've(the kids and I) been to Canada!

We then drove to Syracuse, NY, where Andy's cousin and aunt live. The kids were fast friends with their second cousins! We really enjoyed our time with them, and are grateful for their hospitality! They took us to Palmyra and showed us around. We visited the Smith Family Farm. We saw inside the replica farm house, built on the original site, and climbed up into the upper story bedrooms. Joseph would have slept up there. We walked around the grounds, then headed into the Sacred Grove, where the boy Joseph went to pray, and saw God the Father and Jesus Christ...the beginning of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in these latter-days! As the song goes, "bees were humming, sweet birds singing, music ringing through the grove." It was really quiet and peaceful, and I didn't wonder why Joseph Smith would choose this reverent place to pray. Sarah and a couple of cousins blazed their own trail through the grove, without the rest of us. I guess they didn't want to leave, but we did eventually find them! We visited the site where the Book of Mormon was first published, and we visited the Hill Cumorah, where the sacred plates were hidden, until Joseph received them. I know I've said this before, but visiting church historical sites really brings the history to life.

On our way home, we stopped for lunch in Scranton, PA,(of The Office fame) and again in Hershey, PA, to visit chocolate world! It was a short visit, but we got to go on a ride that showed how Hershey chocolate is made. It was pretty fun! The free chocolate samples was the best part! The chocolate smell throughout the building was the second best part! It was a nice break from the driving! We also stopped in Gettysburg, but arrived at the national park only minutes before it closed. We plan to visit it again, so I didn't include any pictures this time. I had a great time on this trip! I think the kids and Andy did too, despite all of the driving time. Thank goodness for DVD players, books, and video games!