Extra Extra: First Post by Heather!

Alright, I haven't been keeping up my end of the bargain. Good thing William has time to post pics for us. I saw him yesterday at the multi-ward Halloween party, and he went as a Canadian--go figure:) I also saw him this morning when he was nice enough to take me to Sam's Club. JaNel, they don't carry the Kashi granola bars anymore. It's literally the end of the world.

So, as you all know my time has been occupied lately with Alejandro. I thought I'd post a pic even though you probably have seen it on facebook. We went to the corn maze Monday and had such a fun time (even though William had fun reminding me of the circumstances surrounding the last time we all went there). So, we are throwing out the "L" word now, but there is no ring. Just in case William and Justin go to Europe next summer, I'm giving you fair warning to keep the months of March-April free. I'm partly kidding and partly not:)

Pennsylvania, New York, and Canada

On September 30 I headed back to Erie to visit JaNel. While we were back there we headed up to New York to visit the church history sites and then up to Canada.

On Thursday morning we headed to Palmyra to visit the Smith Family Farm, Sacred Grove, temple site, Grandin Print Shop, the Hill Cumorah, and then headed up to Niagara Falls. Here are pictures from the first day:

Smith Family Farm Home

View of the temple from the Smith Farm

Smith Family Frame House

Fireplace where Joseph buried the plates

Sacred Grove

Niagara Falls at night

We got to Niagara Falls with enough time to walk around what I think was part of the downtown area and ended up at Shoeless Joe's for dinner. The weather turned out nice that night, we avoided any rain that night when were were out walking around.

The next morning we ventured off to the Maiden of the Mist for our trip to the Falls. We were not as lucky with the weather in the morning as we were the previous night. There was some rain, and then add that to the "mist" from the Falls which made for some wet times. We didn't get any pictures of the two of us together when we were on the boat, but I did include one that JaNel took of me.

We made it to the hotel where we were staying for the night and then headed to the mall to get in some Canadian shopping. JaNel got some makeup that she had been looking for and I got some new Vancouver Olympic wear. It of course would not be a trip without a stop to Walmart, even in Canada, where we stopped to stock up on some Canadian chocolate.

After dropping off our goods to the hotel we headed to Toronto to look around and make a stop in Chinatown. Long story short we ended up getting lost and overshot Chinatown by about 30 minutes, but nonetheless it was a nice drive and a fun time once we got there. We didn't end up taking any pictures while we were there, but did get some of Toronto at night. Dinner was dumplings and soup at a little restaurant.

The next morning we headed back to the USA so JaNel could get back to work. Here are a few highlights of the road signs:JaNel was driving a little fast to get the entire sign in this picture

We made it back just in time for JaNel to drop me off at the rental car place with enough time for her to make it to work. After getting my rental car I headed to Ohio to visit my family and also made a stop Kirtland. Here are just a few pictures of my time:

Here are two pictures from Chagrin Falls, the area in Ohio where my dad lived:

It was really a lot of fun being back east and visiting JaNel. As with any vacation it was not nearly long enough and there was too much to see in too little time. I was a little disappointed that I was not able to see the water park due to poor planning on my part. The area and scenery is amazing out there, add to that the changing colors with the fall and I am not sure if there is a more beautiful place. It is worth a trip!

Yellowstone August 2009

So it is now almost the end of October and based on JaNel's last post, I think it is time to update the blog. Here are some pictures and highlights from the trip that Heather, Justin, and I took to Yellowstone in August:

Here we are at the start on our up to Idaho

Here we are in the tent in Rexburg

Had to take a picture under the Montana signThe painted bison just outside the entrance to Yellowstone

Old Faithful, it was worth the wait
Playing in Lake Yellowstone
At the campsite in Yellowstone
Just a point of clarification, these are not buffalo, they are bison
And the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

It was definitely a fun trip, although we should plan on spending more than a day and a half in Yellowstone next time. It was amazing to see all the wildlife and natural wonders on display. It was also beneficial to have a biologist with us to teach us the difference between a buffalo and a bison.

Anyone else there?

Hey, wasn't this supposed to be the place where everyone can keep in touch and let others know what is going on in our lives? Well so far you all are not keeping up your end of the sharing!

I am going to Puerto Rico! Flights are booked and everything! I'll be going Jan 23rd - Feb 6th with my parents and Jina. It will be nice to leave all this snow and be someplace warm!