The Tirteenth Day of Christmas....

I had a wonderful Christmas! Besides the fact I got everything I asked for, there was no family contention or fight at all! Usually, my dad ends up yelling at somebody, or my little brother decides to throw a fit, but nothing this year. Marvelous! But Christmas wasn't the eventful day; in fact, Christmas was over about 6:30 in the morning. The rest of the day was spent sleeping, playing with the new toys, eating, and other boring things. The 26th was most eventful. It actually started off normal. I woke up listening to my new iPod that dear old Santa so graciously left behind, got ready for the day (which has started about 1:00 the past couple of weeks), and went sledding with Chris Johnson, Sarah Curtis, Daniel Barton, and Nick Watkins. Chris and I planned this activity because we have been bored and the best thing to do when bored is hang out with other people who are bored as well. We just went to the MEC hill at the high school with a tube that Chris brought, a rickety death sled that Nick brought, and a slippery jacket that I wore. Because the number of people out-numbered the number of sledding vehicels, we took turns making runs and videotaping. This hill has two sides: the safe side and the not-so-safe side. The not so safe side has the mec on one side, trees on the other, and a pile of snow at the bottom. The snow bank was small, enough to propel you into the air, but us bigger kids went through it rather than over it. But, two kids of the smaller kind came with their nifty little sleds we assumed were also from Santa and they got some air! ha ha It was pretty much amazing. Anyway, the five of us decided to go up to the sawdust pits and try some of the hills up there, so we piled in our cars (Nick and Dan in Nick's truck and Chris, Sarah, and I in Chris's Mustang) and took off. Sarah wanted to get another sledding device from her house, so we stopped by her house. Chris parked on the other side of the road, leaving the passenger door out to the road. Sarah rode shotgun, and I squished in the back. Sarah ran inside her house, and I was trying to get out of the back seat. The door started closing, so I kicked it back open, and Nick took out the door in his truck. Wow... scary time in life. Nick was going to park right next to Chris, and with the door about to shut thought he was in the clear, but I had kicked it back open just in time... My foot was probably two feet away from the moving truck... Near death experience for me :). So with Chris's door now acting as a tire guard, we all gathered around the car to examine the damage. Sarah didn't realize what had happened until after she had went inside and gethered everything she needed, which is kinda funny because she was outside when the door was struck. We pulled the door off the rest of the way and placed it in the back of Nick's truck for the travel back to Elsinore (Christ lives in Elsinore...). The odd thing is that it didn't even phase Chris, even though he had spent the summer restoring the MUSTANG. I still hadn't gotten out of the car, so I was watching it through the now spacious window. Chris, almost happily, got into his one door car and drove home, in the cold, with no door, in the cold. Sarah took me back to my car at the high school, and I was about to go home, when Chris texted me wondering if I had gone home. Apparently, we weren't finished hanging out, so we all met back at Sarah's house and watched "Kong Fu Panda." ha ha not the greatest movie, but it made me laugh (JACK BLACK!) and I would recommend watching it. Afterwards, We went upstairs and played some cards and talked for a while. Nick took Daniel home after the movie, and Chris and Nick left after a while, so Sarah and I got to catch up. I heart Sarah Kay. Anyway, I stayed there til about 10:30 then went home. After a big day like today, I went to bed early, early being before midnight. I turned on my iPod and dozed into sleep.

Bassons, Basketball, and Black Mambas

I am going to start with the fun and sweet, then move into the freakin hilarious, and nothing will be in chronological order; just whatever comes to mind first. Friday, after orchestra, I was tracked down by Dr. Jorgensen, the lady who organizes the wind quintets, and she asked if I was doing private lessons, for I had crossed my name off the list, and I said that I don't have much time and I probably couldn't afford it. I was honest on both- I really don't have much time (I probably would if I didn't mess around so much... ha ha ha ha ha) and it costs about $200 a semester for lessons. Being the push over that I tend to be, I gave in and agreed to come to the session on Saturday. At 9:30, I met the two other bassoonists in the Eccles building and waited for our teacher to come. I was told that he was a full time dentist that played in the ballet up north. He wasn't what I pictured, not that it was a bad thing. The four of us met together in a practice room and we were divided into half hour incremets. I was second, so I moved into a different practice room and practiced my orchestra and wind symphony music. When the time expired, I packed my things into the foreordained room, and started my practice. He is a really nice guy. I really like him. He asked what I was doing with music, and I said I do it for fun. I recited the ever quoted excuse, "I couldn't ever be a music major. It makes work out of music, and I don't want to have to work to do music. I just do it for fun." He said I had a very respectable opinion, and that he was advised the same thing. Then I mentioned that after this year, I was going on a mission. We talked vaguely about the Gospel for a little, and it was cool. I really loved playing with him. He said that I needed to take lessons (and I would love them), and that I should talk to Vance or somebody to try and see if I can work my way around the fee. My half hour ended, I put my things away, and I took off towards the apartment. When I was crossing the road just outside the music building, I noticed the Elders on their bikes riding down the street. I slackened my pace to say hi to them when they passed. The first two passed with a wave, but the last one, who was a few yards shy of the rest, pulled over and started talking to me. After a decent conversation, which taught me very much, they took off and I knew the Lord was with me. It was really cool, and it emphasized what Elder Holland said in his talk (in retrospect). When Bradan got back from his trip to the umbilical cord, he played 7 hours of non-stop blood and gore in the form of Resident Evil 4. No joke, non stop. Til the wee hours of the morning. Well... there was a stop. The neighbors Melissa and Kelsey dropped by and asked if we wanted to play basketball. It was 11 at night, and the court is not lit up, so it was very entertaining. It was boys against girls, and we got slaughtered, but we let them cheat... and we only played with our left hands.... ha ha. It was really fun though. The first try on a reverse lay up, I made it. And nobody else came close. :) I rock. There was a stray dog that kept bugging us. We tried to scare it away, but it just thought we were playing with it. We faked throwing things, and even tried to get it to not like that ball, but it just AirBudded that idea. It was a good time. Sunday came, and church was pretty good. They called all the major presidents and representatives, which was a half relief because I had money on me being Elder's Quorum president. Preisthood was cool, Sunday school was funny because the teacher just got back from his mission, he didn't say where, but I would pay money he went to Mexico because he talked just like a Mexican. And he kept saying and writing Spanish... ha ha. Then it was fast and testimony meeting. I really enjoy listening to testimonies. I can always feel the Spirit very strong. An area 70 "spoke" to us, just saying he was on assignment and that he just wanted to bear his testimony. When I got home, Jake was back from his football game in Arizona. Because he was told to dress this week, he got to travel down to Mesa with the team, but he didn't get to play because it was such a close game, but we pulled out ahead. Bradan and I listened to the game on 650 AM right after we made a trip to Wal-mart... ha ha good times. He went to church with one of his buddies because he missed our ward. I decided I was going to cook dinner tonight for our traditional Sunday dinner. I started after the fireside, which started at six and ended an hour later, and I slaved away for TWO HOURS getting dinner ready. I made homemade chicken noodle soup, and it took forever. I had to made the noodles, prep the corn on the cob, cut the veggies (after Chelcy suggested we put some in), and cook everything. Doesn't seem like a lot, didn't seem like it would take that long, but we didn't have dinner til after 9. But it turned out really good and I am really proud of it. During dinner, Luke and Bird came back and it suddenly got really loud. Ha ha which reminds me... earlier the newly ordained Elder's president and ward mission leader knocked at our door to come visit and drop off a flyer for a fireside next week. I was napping on my bed, and Bradan came and woke me up. The Elder's president was saying how he lived just next door, then asked, "Who is the loud one?" ha ha ha ha LUKE... Anyway, after dinner we just started messing around playing a little Guitar Hero (Bird FINALLY remembered it), Mario Kart 64, and Goldeneye. Good times reminiscing in retroville. After, Luke pulled out his Black Mamba, which is a sock with eyes on it that, when placed on the hand, turns into a slithering, face-smacking machine. Luke hit Snow while he was sleeping with it, and got it on video, and that is pretty good. Snow didn't even remember him doing it. Jake had this brilliant idea that someone should hop in bed and act like he is sleeping, then have Luke come in and try and hit them, but the sleeping beauty reaching up and smacking him out of no where. I was chosen to be the beauty (for obvious reasons... ha ha ha ha ha) and I got in my bed and waited. I put one of my Sunday socks on, hiding it under my pillow. We organized the whole thing. Bird, Jake, and Bradan would tell Luke how to do it, getting close to my face and pausing to say, "Black Mamba," just before striking. Well, my job was that when he said the cue, and when Bradan tapped the wall, I would pull my hand out from behind the pillow and hit him. Oh my gosh did it work!!! and we have it on video. It was so hard to keep a straight face and to try and not have my cover blown, but I did it. I hit him square on the face, knocking him back with the blow from space. Perfect 10s for amazingness. Luke had some random face paint and made another Black Mamba, Mama Mamba. We decided that we are going to make a family of Mambas: Albino Mamba, Flour Mamba (guess what happens when your hit...), Stoner Mamba, Baby Mamba, and so many others. It was so funny. I am almost afraid to go to sleep because I don't want to get black mamba-ed during the night, because Luke said I am on his hit list. Oh man... good times. Then, after a little clean up from dinner, we had the brilliant idea to go take the left over corn cobs and place them on everyone's door. We ran up to the top of C building and dropped a cob of corn on the doorknob of every person's door. Luke and Bradan hucked some up on the balcony too. It was basically amazing. I love my roommates. They are Crazy!!! which is why we have such good times. After all this writing, I think its time for bed. Its almost 3 in the morning and I have to get up in 4 hours.

College is going great. I am having such a great time and I am loving every second of it. Now, for some more college experiences. Last night, there was a big rain storm. It was raining and lightening and it was awesome. It was only Bradan and myself home at the time, and I was watching the storm through our patio window. A flash of lightening lit the northern sky, and I said, "I hope the power goes out," because I love it when the power goes out. Right when I was placing the period on the sentence, the lights dim and the TV shuts off. It immediately came back up, but Bradan was right in the middle of a game on his PS3 and it was cut short. It took me a couple seconds to realize exactly what happened, with my impeccable timing and the frustration of a lost game, but I laughed really hard when everything clicked. Bradan and I didn't go to bed til four, and slept til 11. Today, I finished my homework in spurts, a little here and a little there, while playing some Super Mario Brothers on the Super Nintendo. I kinda suck, and Bradan just laughed the whole time. Skipping a few hours til early evening, after the FHE BBQ, Luke decided to use his free RedBox rental, and Bradan, Luke, and I drove to Wal-mart to redeem the coupon. The drive was the best part; we put on the ping pong song- or "Do You Know What it Feels Like" by Enrique Iglasius- and were singing to it at the top of our lungs. But, the RedBox at Wal-mart was disfunctional and not working, so we had to drive to McDonalds to the other RedBox. Down Main Street, we sang "Sweetness" by Jimmy Eat World. We got "21" and drove back to our apartment. We used Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" to keep our vocal cords fresh. When we got back, Jake was eating his hamburgers he had made on the George Foreman (he had football practice and couldn't make it to the BBQ for FHE). The four of us were talking- Snow Bird hadn't gotten back yet- and Luke's phone goes off. His ring tone is the Power Ranger beeping call. It brought up many childhood memories. Jake was pro at the Power Rangers. He remembered all their names and all their animals, and even remembered the seasons. Bradan propped up his computer, and we searched up Power Rangers on YouTube and watched the first episode of Power Rangers. It was awesomely lame. 90's hair and cloths, cheap acting, and awful punch lines, but it was great to remember the classics. Skipping a few more hours til late evening, we were just sitting around, talking about whatever came up, and it reminded me of a time, merely days before, when we were sitting around, playing catch phrase. It was mainly Bradan, Jake, myself, and sometimes Luke. An earlier word was tennis, and Luke had Jake answer by saying, "Its a game we played earlier today." On my turn, the word was tennis racket, or something related to tennis, and I looked at Jake and said, "Its a game you played earlier," for the first word. He then said, "Spin the bottle?" Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. I dropped the game- I was only sitting on the love sac- and asked him what did he say? He blushed and got embarrassed and insisted he hadn't played that game. I guess we will take his word for it. Back to the present.... While we were having our random conversation, Bradan jumped off the kitchen chair and jumped Luke, starting another UFC fight. They were all over, and in so many awkward positions. Bradan rammed Luke into the couch, Luke ripped the stretchy band off of Bradan's underwear and pulled it around his head, and Luke punched Bradan in the... ha ha ha. Bradan wants me to clarify, that out of the three rounds, he won the first and third one. The second one was lost by the torn undies... The funniest thing was that during the third round, Luke had secretly taken off his underwear, so when Bradan went for revenge, he got a face full of Luke butt. And that was when Luke reared back and punched Bradan in the... ha ha ha. Bradan, holding on to reality because of the adrenaline, grabbed the fleeing Luke's ankle, tripping Luke into the couch and holding onto the arm for dear life. The brawl exited the front door, where Bradan's adrenaline ran out, and he collapsed in front of the soda machine. Finally, they made peace... for the night. We sat around talking about other fights we had been in/seen/heard of. Bed time finally came, and Luke decided to take a midnight (well... one-o'clock) shower. Bradan hid his pillows, and Bird put a football under his mattress. Bradan locked our bedroom door, and, as expected, Luke pounded on it after he had gotten out of the shower. He finally found all his pillows, and was laying in his bed, when it started to roll around because of the ball. He came back into our room, football drawn and ready to strike. He assumed it was Bradan, and they got into another scrimmage, but smaller in size. Luke's butt was in Bradan's face, and Bradan reached around and hit Luke in the... ha ha ha. Luke ran over to Bradan's bed and tore it apart. The upset, revenge-struck Luke walked back into his room, with Jake yelling at him to go to bed. After reviewing the events of the day, and the memorable times from previous, I decided to blog. Here ya go.

The First Week of College

Last Monday, after a visit to the doctor and making any last minute errands, I drove the 44.82 miles to Ephraim and parked in the Snow Garden parking lot. I got my apartment key and was the last one in C2 to move into the next step of life. Jake Robinson was the first to move in- a couple weeks before- because of football practice. Justin Monroe (Bird), Bradan Allred, and Matt Snow (the only guy in our apartment not from Richfield, but from Grantsville) all moved in over the weekend, and Luke Johnson and I arrived Monday. I unpacked all of my stuff and took in the grand view out our apartment, even though we are on the bottom floor. The week since has been full, and I mean FULL, of surprises. One night, while Luke was taking a shower, Bradan had the brilliant idea to throw kool-aid on him. I said we should do red kool-aid because I remembered it stains your hands when you try to make it. I opened the packets into a bowl and Bradan unlocked the bathroom door and poured the powder into the shower. It was awesome. The shower looked like a murder scene, with red kool-aid splattered on the shower walls. Luke ran out of the shower, leaving red footprints on the rug and slight ones on the carpet, and tried to push open the door to Bradan's and my room, which was used as a shield from the red anger of the naked Luke. The best part was that the kool-aid left a big red mark on Luke's back and down his legs. Bradan was forced to help Luke wash the stains of Luke... ha ha ha ha. Good times. Between Chuck Norris jokes and getting ready for school to start, it was a good time. But sometimes it gets too out of hand. For example, Luke and Bradan were wrestling in Snow's and Bird's room, and when Bradan had Luke on his back, he tried to do the trick of beating your opponent against the wall to smash them, but, it wasn't Luke that got smashed, and neither Bradan. Bradan had such good aim that he rammed Luke right between the two studs inside the wall, which forced Luke through the wallboard, leaving a whole in the wall. We haven't repaired it yet, but we bought a Hannah Montana poster as a temporary fix. So many good times have already happened and the rest of the year seems promising.

Then school started. I love all of my classes; I love all 9 of my classes. Killer, huh? I do like them though. I am really enjoying Calculus II, Wind Ensemble (which after auditions, made me first chair!), African American Literature, and my Institute class Teachings of the Living Prophets. I kinda like Western Swing, Fitness for Life, and English 2010. Orchestra today was not really fun, and I haven't been to a Quintet practice yet. I decided to drop my Percussion Ensemble class, for the mere fact that its the same time as Orchestra and we haven't had class yet, even though we have had two chances to. This first semester is going to be killer, but I am going to take it chill next term. I am excited. But its a long semester ahead. It seems like its been forever since school started, and its only been a week. Luke, Snow, Bird, and I have gone swimming a few times, and I can do a front flip of the diving board now. I tried to do a gainer, but I suck and have not been successful. I am having a really good time and I have met some really cool people. The other bassoonist I play with is pretty cool, and our neighbors are sweet. Chelcy Brown lives next door, and the other chicks there are cool. One night we were invited to play volleyball, and one of the girls that invited us to play was Marisha, who I debated against and who is Janell Rowley's cousin. Some other girls came over last night (I was napping in my bed and they woke me up) and said they were having a pancake/french toast party at their apartment and we could come over and get some. Its awesome meeting so many people.

I went to the 3rd Ward in the Second Ephraim College Stake (my new home ward) and that was pretty exciting. Snow and I went together, even though he slept through all three meetings lol. Come to find out, our neighbor is the relief society president. Who knew? It excites me, too, to get a calling and be able to do something. I haven't been able to play the piano much, and it sucks. I want to play for sacrament meeting or something. But whatever the Lord needs me to do, I will do. Institute is so much fun too. I have learned so much from my class already, and its only the been the third day (second for me. I accidentally skipped the first day, but I didn't miss much). Brother Fife is a really good teacher too. He is always pushing you to do better.

So I finally decided to post a blog because I am procrastinating homework. I really need to get if done, so I will have to keep you updated.

CHT: The Ending

Our last day of CHT started with our Sunday services in an upper room of the hotel, right across from the pool windows. It is so neat to be able to go to church with all your friends. And its even cooler when you get to hear all of their testimonies. We did another testimony meeting and it was really cool. We finished there, had breakfast, and started on our 16 hour journey home... long day ahead. I sat by Parker Poulson, Weston Prisbrey, and Preston Manwill during the various legs home. The day was full of sleeping, movies, and rest stops. It was sad to see all my friends go, especially the ones from Arizona because those will be the hardest to ever see again. They said they are four hours from Blanding, which is 5 or 6 hours from Richfield or 3 hours from St. George, which is still 3 hours from Richfield. They were really cool, and I am going to miss them dearly. We said good-bye to them in Denver, and we also lost our bus drivers, who needed to switch drivers to not over due the driving. I was on bus 1 (surprise, surprise) and the driver on it is Phil, who also helped with the confirmations during the baptisms for the dead. Even though I never really got to know him, he really loves all of us that were on the trip. We drove head-long into the Rocky Mountains, and to break from the routine of film and rest, the Henrys pulled out a trivia game called Mental Floss. I came in second, and it was kinda fun. After a few more rest stops and bus changes, we rolled into the tabernacle parking lot. I said my final farewells to a few of my friends, loaded up my car, and took off. Alan asked for a ride home, so after dropping him off, I hit the highway and shot to Sigurd. I got home about 3 in the morning, and after I brought my things in from my car, I set up a bed on the floor (because my bed wasn't made) and went to bed. I really loved CHT, and waking up the next day with out a schedule to fulfill or roommates to wake up was kinda weird; it made the past few weeks seem like a dream. It hit me yesterday during church that I probably won't see many of these people, my friends, ever again, even some of my own class mates. A scripture that Lauren Bytheway shared in seminary crept to mind and gave me comfort. D&C 130:2 talks about how the same sociality which exists on this earth will exist in the next life, except it will be coupled with eternal glory. It assures me that I will be able to see these people, my friends, again, if not in this life, but the next, and in the next life, I will be able to have so much more time to see them again and not have to worry about travel time or gas money. It kinda seems superficial, but friendships rock. Now its back to the normal life and the official start of summer!

Crazy Weather= Fun Times

I didn't get to blog last night because of the, well, intense events that occurred, so I will hopefully (and probably easily) remember everything that went on yesterday. I got up, ate breakfast, loaded my things to the bus, and we took off. We left at about 7, and they told us we would be lucky to get there by 6:30 that evening, so I was prepared for another long travel day. I slept the first part, until the rest stop, then they played the movie "Dreamer" which is an ok movie. When we arrived in Council Bluffs, we stopped for lunch and to see the Winter Quarters Visitors Center and Pioneer Cemetery. We saw the Pioneer Cemetery first, and the missionaries taking us on the tour showed us the shackels the pioneers used to keep the horses from being stolen and the two-hanger-water-finding trick, except they used it to find graves. Then on to the visitors center, which was really cool because it had a bunch of displays about what it would have been like back then in the condition the pioneers were in and what they would have had. They showed us a cabin about the size of my bedroom and said it was about an 8-person cabin. Time rushed us out of there, and we were back on the road. We watched "Secondhand Lions" and I only saw part of it because I kept dozing off. We were in Grand Island, Nebraska at about 6:30, and the bus ride didn't seem nearly as long as they said it was. The hotel has a crazy set up, but easy to figure out. We had a decent dinner at the hotel, then we chilled in the halls and did whatever. Everyone decided they wanted to get on the internet and my laptop was widely used for that reason. Then Jamie, Brennon and I decided to go on a walk around, maybe stop at the gas station. We had a good time. It started raining on us and we just played in the puddles and got each other wet. I was running to get Brennon and instead of the water shooting from under my foot to him, it splashed all up my body and drenched me. The awesome thing was the lighting show. That was incredible. There were bolts going off left and right. We were drenched when we got back inside. We messed around in the halls for a little bit before we changed, and the funniest thing happened. Kallie Thomas is in a contest with her sister to see who can hold the most guys' hands. Jokingly, Brennon and I got on each side and added to her count. Right when Brennon and Kallie latched, the St. John's seminary bro walked by and it was very funny; impecable timing. Then I changed and visited with the others until we were kicked out because of curfew. But I ran into the St. John's boys' room and we partied for a while. The rain kept up and the lighting show was getting even more glorious, with brighter forks and louder thunders. They had a glass door that opened to an outside courtyard so we stepped outside to get an even better view. Just then, Bro Monson saw us through another window and asked me to go over to him. Apparently, the leaders knew I wasn't in my room and were looking all over for me... ha ha whoops. So I went back to my room to enjoy the show. We also have a glass door to the courtyard, and it was kept open most of the night so we could get the full effect if you could call it that. We also have an adjoining room with Rhett Peterson, Parker Poulson, Brian Waters, and Jeff Brown and that door was open most of the night as well. As we were watching the show, huge hailstones- just larger than golf balls- pelted from the sky, hitting the river that had formed outside and splashing. It was another amazing show. I stepped outside my room (sneaky sneaky) to see the other side of the hotel, where the parking lot is, and there were car alarms going off all across the lot. The hail stopped shortly after, but the storm kept pouring down. There were several guys with outside doors and we played in the large puddles and artificial river that had formed. It was such a good time. At about 2 in the morning, I went to Tuttle, Luke, Jake, and Brain Demille's room and we watched Man vs. Wild. Then at 2:30, Al and I walked back to our beds and fell asleep. I figured the blog could wait til morning.

Chillin' in Nauvoo

I forgot to spray the waffle iron, so my breakfast came in messy pieces. After sleeping in (if you call getting up just before 8 sleeping in) Nauvoo was left for us to wander as we please. I hooked up with Ashley, Jamie, and Brennon again and we walked down to old Nauvoo to stop at just a few more places. We hit the brick display, I being the only one who didn't go the first day, so we could get some bricks. Then we revisited the grave sites of Hyrum, Emma, and Joseph and stopped at the red brick store, both places are owned by the Community of Christ. Ashley and I played checkers, and I got kicked in the butt. We hit up the bus to take us back to the hotel to get changed for Baptisms. I buttoned up my shirt and tied my tie then walked down to Brennon's room and hung out til noon, when we loaded the bus down to the temple. The temple is so beautiful. As you walk inside, there are deep cherry stained chair rails and molding that matched the desk where they checked our recommends. There was an open door in the lobby, and inside was a the assembly room. It was made almost exactly like the Kirtland Temple, with the priesthood stands on both sides. Then the sister took us downstairs to the chapel, where we waited to get our temple clothes. They had white bound hymn books and scriptures, which I am rather jealous and I would like some:) ha ha Anyway they called us up and we got our suits then changed. We returned to the chapel and I sat down at the piano and played background music, which I love to do. Then we had a meeting, starting with they hymn "The Spirit of God" and concluding with a small talk from a councilor from the temple presidency. He told us of the hymn we sang and that President Hinckley said when the MoTab sang it at the Nauvoo Temple dedication, angels sang with them. It was a simple, yet cool meeting. Then they took us to be confirmed, then baptized. Its a really pretty font; its larger than the Manti temple and had an entrance and exit stairway. Jacob Henry baptized me, then I showered and got redressed. Outside the dressing room, another sister missionary showed us the spiral staircase, which lead from the bottom floor to the fifth floor (the top). We only walked up one flight, then they lead us out through the lobby and back to the world. Austin Anderson and I walked back to the motel to change and grab our wallets for lunch. While walking back down main (its actually Mulholland street, but its the main street) we saw a little store that sold "Walking Tacos" and was passing out free lemonade. We stopped in to see what they had, and it was really fun. They were really nice people; the one lady had a broken leg and had to trudge around in a wheelchair. The lemonade was great, and the walking tacos are bags of doritoes crushed with hamburger, lettuce, tomatoes, and other taco ingredients all mixed together. It was really good. Then we visited a bunch of other shops, and I feel like I spent my life savings today, but I didn't really ha ha. I more or less dragged Austin around to the different stores because all he wanted was a picture of the temple. Then we turned around and walked back to the motel and I took a wonderful nap. But I woke up late for dinner, so I walked down the road again to the buffet and had a pretty good dinner too. Our group reformed and we killed time til the show started. At 7, "Sunset on the Mississippi" started and we were there to watch all the missionaries serving in Nauvoo dance and sing and perform various acts. They had elderly missionaries and young missionaries all putting on the show. My favorite part was "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," which was a live string band (two guitars and two fiddles) playing that great song. It was amazing. The fiddlers were playing some hardcore riffs and it was awesome. Right after that show ended, the BYU Fold Dancers performed their show, and we stayed for that too. I love to watch that kind of stuff. Then we walked back to the hotel, but all along the way the four of us were cracking jokes and having a great time. We split to our various rooms, where I found my luggage a mess because, well, I am a messy person. Right after I finish, I am going to pack because I don't think I could do it in the morning. But now everyone in my room is asleep so I will have to do it quitely too.

A Fun Travel Day

My shower this morning sucked very badly! It was nice and warm at the beginning, but because I got in just about the time everyone else would, it went ice cold and I had to bail early because it was seriously ice cold. I was assigned on bus #1 for like the fifth time in a row and sat by Lenae from St. Johns, Arizona and we had good time. After scripture study, during which I was slightly dozing off, I placed my pillow between my head and the window and slept. At one point I woke up and looked over on Lenae's lap was a blue case that I thought was my scripture case so I grabbed it and said thanks for not letting my scriptures fall off my lap, but then I realized I had finished my daily reading and the case she had was her make up case... ha ha kinda embarassing, but I blame it on the drowsiness:) On the bus, we watched "Miracle" and "The Rookie." The first one I really liked but the second one I tried to sleep so I only watched part of it. For lunch, we stopped in the middle of a construction site with a Hardee's on one side and a Subway clear on the other side of the construction, and the majority of us braved the orange cones and got a sub for lunch. I ate with Tiffany Whymer, who turns out to be a really cool girl. We again walked through the construction to go to Wal-mart to search for coloring books and crayons for her and a novel to read for me. They had what she wanted, but all the novels they had were love stories like Nora Roberts.... blah. Then we reloaded the buses with new seating charts, but I barely moved from my first seat. We drove a few more hours then landed in Nauvoo really early, early enough to go see a little musical about Nauvoo that some missionaries are called to put on in the visitor's center. It was really cheesy, but the music was really good and I loved some of the harmonies. We came back to the hotel for dinner then the night was open for us. Alan, Cody, Brennon from Arizona, and I walked down main street Nauvoo to the temple to get some cool pics. There was a crowd of others from the tour in front of the temple and when we walked in, we heard one-armed Porter Ellot on the phone saying something to the effect of I am called to serve in the Los Angelas Spanish Speaking Mission. Very cool he was on Nauvoo Temple grounds finding that out. We turned around and stopped at the only shop left open that late at night. It was a very cool place. When we left, it was dark, so we walked back to the temple to get some night pictures, which were the bomb diggity. After I got back to the hotel, I put on some shorts and found Brennon in his room and we talked for a little bit. He is a pretty cool kid and we are very alike. Then Ashley and Jamie came down and we went outside, which had changed from 90 degrees and humid to comfortable with a slight breeze. Then we were sent back to bed because of curfew and I filled out a couple of post cards: one to Sibil Warnock because she served a mission out here, and one to Emma. I figured they would like it. We get to have tomorrow all to ourselves and we get to do baptisms:) I don't know what I am going to do with myself!

My favorite day!

In addition to the regular breakfast routine, there was a really awesome type of rain falling. It was a very light sprinkle, and when anybody asked about it, it was referred to as 'misting,' which was very appropriate. Very cool. I rode bus #1 again, with Tiphani Robinson, aka "Tiph-dawg", as my bus buddy and we drove just 9 miles to Kirtland to see the various sites there. There was another three-site rotation, and we started at the LDS Visitors center, then moved onto the Whitney home and Store. Newel K. Whitney and Ann, his wife, were very prosperous and had a fine house, but what made this my favorite site and one of the greatest days was the store. It was really awesome because you could sense how it was back then- about 80% is original and the artifacts that were in there gave it a very genuine look and authentic feel. There was the actual store that was very vibrant with the various items for sale, then the storage/office room. The sister missionaries were very detailed and friendly, too, which made the tour that much better. Then upstairs to Joseph Smith's office and translation room. It was really interactive, and the group I was with were excellent. Then my favorite part- the School of the Prophets. It was a small, cramped room where the Apostles met to become gentlemen. They were taught the ways of the Lord and principles of the Gospel and, because most were raised on farms and uneducated, they were taught arithmatic and foreign languages, like Latin and Hebrew. But the room was a very sacred room. Joseph Smith prophesied that if they were prepared and ready that heavenly messengers would visit them. The room was a lot like a temple; I even think the sisters said that beginning ordinances of the temple were performed in there. Being clean, prepared, and worthy were so crucial to being able to take of the Spirit there that Joseph would give mini-temple recommend interviews to those entering. We were able to sit in there for a long while because there wasn't anybody behind us. The sisters told us of the different events that happened there, like the revelation of the Word of Wisdom and even the visitation of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in vision. Then they gave us reflection time then we sang "We Thank Thee, O God, For a Prophet." I had been having troubles, I guess you could call it, feeling the spirit very strongly and that room broke that. We finished at the first stop by visiting the ashery and woodmill, then we drove to the Kirtland Temple. At first I wasn't looking forward to going to the temple because I have been to other religion's houses of worship and you get a void in your chest because you can't feel the Spirit, so that is what I was expecting. But Mindy asked a question at the store, wondering if the LDS Church would ever get that temple back. Brother Campbell answered that it doesn't necessarily matter who owns the earthly title, but that it was dedicated and accepted by Heavenly Father and, in the end, its His. That changed my mindset and I was more open to the Spirit that was there, even if it wasn't the full potential. We started our second stop in the RLDS (changed to the Community of Christ in 199_, but RLDS is easier to type) visitors center, where we watched their movie about their church. It was funny the difference in quality between the LDS and RLDS movies, but besides the point ha ha. Then we walked into the temple and took the tour. We started in the second floor, which is in the likeness of the main floor, in that the two opposite sides of the rectangular room had the seats for the offices of the priesthood. The lady tour guide (who was ordained to the office of a priest) then took us down stairs and talked (vaguely) of the visions of Joseph Smith in the temple. Questions were raised consistently because of their peculiarity and the aweful closeness of their religion to ours, and answers were later clarified by Brother Campbell. We then sang "The Spirit of God" like the saints did for the opening meeting, and I was privileged to play the piano for it. The tour ended, which was a shame because I wanted to go to the third floor to see Joseph Smith's office and, in doing so, also seeing the rumored holy of holies. Brother Christensen (in seminary my junior year) told us of his experiences up there and he said it was truely amazing. Then we drove to lunch at the Issac Morely farm, then did the tour there. It wasn't much, but it was still pretty cool. The grove of trees surrounding an old cabin (the cabin's use is important and relevant to church history, but it has slipped my mind, as does the name of the cabin. I do remember that Joseph Smith had other priesthood holders bear their testimonies and the Savior did appear there.) is nicknamed the Sacred Grove of Ohio. Then we drove to a stone quarry where the saints got the stones to build the temple, but it was a short stop. We met up with the other buses at the LDS Visitors Center and took off for Holiday City, Ohio, which was just a two hour drive. I slept on the bus and watched "Cars" and slept. When we got here, we had a magnificent dinner with really good chicken and pot roast! Very excited. Then we had time for ourselves, so I just chilled like customary. Then we had a FHE type meeting where the leaders and chaperones put on a "melodrama" which was rather funny, but we couldn't take any pictures ha ha. I enjoyed it. Brother Jenkins played his guitar and we sang not only primary songs, but a little Johnny Cash too. After that, I mingled, hopping from a game of scum to more guitar playing and singing, and from that to a game of speed (like spit, but different). They kicked us out and sent us to bed when 10:30 rolled along and, after checking my email and other things, logged on and blogged:)

Another Travel Day...

Today was just another long day on the bus. The breakfast was much better kept up and I actually got to eat something. Then onto the bus for I think it was a 7 hour drive to Ohio. We had the occasional rest stop, and I just sat in the very back of the bus or laid down on the floor. This routine was broken up by a visit to the John Johnson farm, which was really really cool. This place was magnificent; the Johnsons had been saving up for ten years to build this home, and when they did, they built it fancy. They used bright colored paint, like teal and coral, to brighten up the rooms (even though they just painted the molding and left the walls white) and even did a design on the molding in the dining room. The home was also the HQ of the Church for the year that Joseph Smith lived there. Upstairs held Joseph's office, where the vision that we know as D&C 76 was given. Heavenly Father and His Son appeared there, and the testimony of Joseph and Sidney Ridgon in section 76 is one of my favorite scriptures. This house is also the setting for the well known incident where Joseph was ripped from the bed, tarred and feathered, his son dieing from exposure because of the door left open, then delivering a sermon the next day, amidst the many wounds in his body and mob members in the congregation. It was a really cool site, and the sister missionary was funny. Then we drove (no surprise) the rest of the way into Ohio. When we hit Milton(?), the bus pulled into our rooms and we dropped our stuff off before going to another buffet for dinner. It wasn't bad food, and I love the group I am hanging out with. Its a hardcore laugh fest. After dinner, we walked to the dollar store next to the buffet and messed with the cheap items on sale. Outside, it started to rain, and when it rains out here, it pours. In less then a minute, there was probably a half of an inch of water running down the streets. At this motel, there is a gigantic pool, probably the size of a regular public pool, with fountains shooting into the water and enough room for all 151 of us on the trip. Of course I had to go swim and we played sharks and minnows, marco polo, and helped build a five man tower, where there was Mindy Erickson, Kelsha and McCall from NS, and Luke on each other's shoulders then Tyler Tuttle would try and get then all on his shoulder. That was fun. Then McCall had a underwater camera, so we were messing with that too. Mostly, pool fun is just messing around, and we do a lot of that on this trip. Now its off to bed with already asleep roommates:)

Washington DC and Gettysburg

Today ended up being another really long day, and not of long bus rides. Today's start sucked because the hotel-lady-person-whoever was really slow in putting food out, so there was a huge line then the food was gone in ten seconds, so I was stuck with a bowl of toasty o's and that was not filling. It was a two hour drive to DC, and I tried to sleep but it was very uncomfortable because I didn't have the window and it was not a fun ride. When we got there, Ashley Harris, Austin Anderson, Jamie Ellsworth from St. George, Brennon Hancock from Arizona, and I broke off and walked the streets of our nation's capitol. We walked into a place to find a map, and of course they had to check the backpacks and it was really annoying because all we wanted was a map! Thats what we get I guess, but we wanted to find the National Archives Building to see the Declaration and Constitution. We wandered the streets and kinda almost got lost, but we found our way. But when we got to the Archives building, the line was like 2 hours long, no joke, and so we decided to walk to the National Spy Museum, which was a little bit of a walk away. When we get there, we discover the tours are $18 a tour and the tours are only an hour long, so we ditched. The only good thing out there was the Subway, which made for an inexpensive dinner:) Everyone else had to pay a lot for their food. ha ha. Actually, the best part of DC was lunch just because we were all really annoyed that nothing was working out, but we had a good time at lunch. After that, we decided to go to the Air and Space Smithsonian. On our walk, we stopped at some street vendors that had some pretty cool stuff and sweet clothes. We just messed around til we had to get on the bus. The bus took us to the WWII memorial, which I really like, then we walked to the Vietnam memorial and the Korean memorial with the Lincoln memorial in the background. Afterwards, we drove back to Gettysburg to tour there because we didn't have any time last night. We mostly walked where Picket's charge was, then we got on the bus and rode to the Gettysburg visitors center which was really cool. They had a walk-through that had everything you could think of in it and, my favorite, interactive computer screens that depicted each day of the Battle of Gettysburg and showed where the battalions and regiments were and all the stats about them. But we were rushed for time there and we had to get back on the bus so they could take us to Little Big Top and other monuments too far to walk to. Then we made our way to the hotel and chilled the rest of the night. I played cards with Jake and Lenae from Hurricane and went swimming at the highly clorinated pool. Then we were kicked out (because the pool closed) and sent to our rooms (because of curfew). Now I am going to write some post cards and go to bed!

One of the Longest Days so Far

Sunday was really cool. We had church at 7 in the morning, of which I played the piano and spaced off choosing songs, telling my chorister he was conducting, and just being prepared overall. It was a rough time, especially when I realized that I had pages switched for the musical number I was accompanying. I gained a testimony of prayer though, so that was pretty cool. After church, Jake, Luke, Al and I walked down to the grove again for one more time. Then we hopped on the bus and drove 9 hours with little to no excitement. The frequent rest stops were the only break from the routine. We arrived at Gettysburg and ate at General Pickets Buffet, which sucked hardcore. The roast beef was really pink and cold and everything had a funky taste to it. I did enjoy the salad bar and dessert bar though. Then we went upstairs to a gift shop, where Nick Jorgensen helped me realize that we came here on our 8th grade trip. Good times. Then we drove to the hotel, which is the worst one we have stayed in so far. Its small, no elevator, and the service is crappy. Several people have complained of unclean rooms and hair in the bathroom, and the front desk people just said we can't do anything about it. That ticks me off a little bit, but what can you do? We have a big day in Washington DC tomorrow, so got to get some sleep:)

I Love Palmyra!

The breakfast at the Palmyra Inn isn't as good as some of the others, but it fulfilled what it was set up to do and we were ready to go at 8. We started the day by driving up to Cumorah's Hill and visiting the monument dedicated to Moroni and the receiving of the gold plates. It was a little cloudy and it sprinkled a little, but it always seems like the weather cooperates very well with our schedule. For example, two or three nights it has rained all night then in the morning when we start our sight-seeing and we never have any problems. After the monument and the devotional at the top of the hill, the three buses split and stopped at three different sites around Palmyra. The first one we went to was the printing place of the first copies of the Book of Mormon in the town of Palmyra. They had the original building and they showed us how they printed back then. Then we drove to the Sacred Grove, which was probably the highlight of the day. It is so cool to be in the same place where both the Father and the Son appeared to start the church that we live today. The night before when I walked through, I had a feeling of where I should go the next day, so today I went to the place which I had previously designed to go, which I just barely realized the significance and irony. I read Joseph Smith's account of the First Vision, then pulled out my Patriarchal Blessing and really pondered on that, then read a chapter in Alma, where I am reading. Just outside the grove entrance, there is a visitors center, where the third destination of the day was. We started the tour there, then went to the log cabin, he place where the Smith's lived for a short while. It is only a replica, but it is in the original spot where the original home was. We went upstairs, where Moroni visited Joseph and told him about the gold plates. Then we walked down the road to Alvin's home. Alvin, Joseph's oldest brother and idol, was building the home for him, but he died before he finished it, so the Smith family finished it and moved in. Today, 85% is original, which is really cool. (FYI, I have been taking a lot of pictures, so I will either figure out how to post them or bring them home and let you see them.) The Palmyra temple's steeple and Moroni can just be seen from the home, just over the trees. That is a cool picture. After we finished our three-part tour, we went back to the town of Palmyra, did our laundry, and found a place for lunch. Mitch Kunzler and I did our laundry together, then Weston, Tori, Brianna and I walked down to a quaint sandwich shop, which got overwhelmed with the number of people that came and took FOREVER to get our paninis. There were about eight people behind us that got our order before we did! I was kinda upset, but I have developed a patience from working at Pizza Hut that prevents me from getting too mad. We went and threw our clothes into the dryer and Mitch and I walked up to Alvin's grave, which was only a few blocks away. That was really cool: it was the original headstone encased by a modern headstone. Mitch says that was his favorite part of the whole trip. Just down the road from the grave is the corner with four churches. Its not the same churches that were in Joseph Smith's youth, but it symbolizes the great fervor of religion that occurred in that same town. I visited the LDS discount bookstore and got some gifts:) Then we got back to the hotel and were left the rest of the night. We had dinner, messed around, and I got in a great nap. I was awaken by the sounds of people playing outside my window, so I put on my shoes to see what was going on, and they started a game of football right then and there. It was fun, even though I had originally gone out to play ultimate frisbee. I played with some North Sevier kids and it was a good time. Then we had to go in for an information meeting, which was great as always. After the meeting, Ashley Harris, Emily Nash, a cool kid from Arizona named Brennon, and I walked to the temple and got some night pics. Only one of them turned out good, which was sad, but we found some fireflies and had a good time. Emily then broke off and the three of us walked down to the Sacred Grove again. We didn't go very far in because it was dark and almost spooky, but it was still good. Brennon likes music too and sings very well, so we sang Praise to the Man together. We barely made it back before curfew, and my good friends and roommates got my tour shirt that we were supposed to pick up. I ironed my shirt for tomorrow, and after I finish blogging, I am going to pack so I don't have to do that tomorrow and maybe get an extra visit to the grove.

Destination: New York

So pretty sure my bath last night was amazing. I enjoyed it throughly. Anyway after going to sleep at 3:30-4, I had to be up at 6:30 for breakfast and driving to Niagra Falls. I slept most of the way, but took time out of the napping period to play the key game, the hat game (of which I despise greatly), and psychiatrist. The falls were really cool. I got to go to Canada, ay. I stopped by the gift store and bought some things then ran, literally, to American Falls for pics from the top. We wanted to go to the Horseshoe Falls overlook, but time prevented us from even walking to the first stop let alone making another one. We got back to the bus and drove out to Fayette, New York to the Peter Whitmer farm, which was really cool. They built a chapel to commemorate the organization of the church, and the chapel is used regularly by the Fayette Ward. The sister missionary told us of the Whitmer family and of some pretty cool stories. Then we went to the visitors center and to the cabin, where some translation of the golden plates took place. The other sister missionary said that Joseph Smith translated First Nephi through Words of Mormon on the farm. It was really cool. After, we all met back in the chapel and listened to a really funny elderly Elder speak to us- rather enjoyable. Then we drove to Palmyra, where we found our hotel, which is a pretty good one. I get my own bed rather than sharing with Al:) The Palmyra Temple and the Sacred Grove are just a few blocks away. For dinner, they basically gave everyone their own chicken. Joined with the macaroni salad, a cream puff, and a really good roll, it made for a decent change from the buffet setting. Afterwards, I joined up with Brian Chappell, Mindy Erickson, Gavin Anderson, Stephanie Horton, and Jayden from Wayne and we walked down to the Grove. It was so amazing. The spirit was so strong there. It was exactly like walking into a temple, but outside with birds singing and the gravel softly crunching when you walk. Brian and I broke off from the group and just walked by ourselves. It was really amazing. Its cool because you can tell which part of the Sacred Grove is actually the sacred part because the feeling gets weaker when you get towards the outside of the grove. Brian and I just chit-chated and walked back to the hotel. The rest of the night was filled with playing a very out of tune piano, playing signs, and just messing around. Today has been really chill, and I expect tomorrow to be super spiritual because we get official time at the Sacred Grove where I am going to do my daily study in the grove. I am so stoked. But thats tomorrow's blog.

4 States in 1 Day

Just so everyone knows, I finished the whole blog then the stupid, stupid computer went weird so now I am doing it again:)....... Well we woke up and hopped onto the bus for a 9 hour bus ride. I mostly slept the whole time, except for the rest stops every few hours. Then I woke up, staggered off the bus, hobbled to the bathroom if needed, and mingled. We watched some movies during the grueling ride: the first one was a story about the Amish and hate crimes or something... I fell asleep. The second one was National Treasure, which was pretty exciting. I saw Nicholas Cage in person while that film was in production almost exactly four years ago in New York City. For lunch, we stopped at a strip mall and split up to our various food desires, and that was basically our "Amish experience" that we were supposed to have. There were a lot of Amish families and couples gracing the various shops, but thats about all we got. We covered four states- Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and finally arrived in Pennsylvania- to end up in Erie, PA right next to Erie Lake. In fact, if you look out our motel window, you can see the waving water. The motel is so very very nice. Its still the usual Holiday Inn EXPRESS, but it is fancier. There is so much more space in the rooms and there are jets in the tub! Very exciting. Poor Luke had to go visit the Emergency Room to have them check on his ear, for he had a stick go up his ear while messing around in Nauvoo then it started to bleed today. Al and I went downstairs and played Skip-Bo, then were shooed of to bed before we could finish. When we got to the room, we took off again (sneaky, sneaky) because Jake had to get his housing application done so he could room with all of us at SNOW GARDENS! We messed in their room for a while, then came back to find that Cody had bought National Treasure 2 for our viewing pleasures. I thought it was very kind of him. I stayed up afterwards playing Peggle, then decided I out to blog. After I finish, I am going to hop into the enticing bathtub, fill it up, and turn on the jets. Too bad Elton John isn't here to sing, "J-J-J JD and the Jetsssssss." The funny thing is I already wrote that the first time I tried to blog and its not as funny the second time, but still worth to put in the story ha ha.

Joliet, Illinois

After waking up today, which we were lucky enough to sleep in :), we had an amazing breakfast then started our tour of Nauvoo. The Temple is so beautiful. Even though its brand new, it seems to fit in with the rest of the village. The buses took us around Nauvoo then dropped us off in old town Nauvoo. Me, Tuttle, Luke, Al, Jessi Lyn Gurney, and Kayli Coats buddied up and had some good times. We visited the blacksmith shop and got a tight rign, saw the graves of Joseph Smith, Emma, and Hyrum, and, the best place of all, the tinshop. it was fun because the sister missionary was so awesome. We just messed with her and her with us. It was a lot of fun. Then we drove like four hours to random Joliet, Illinois, which is like toilet with a J. On the bus, we (Nate Roberts, David Blackburn, Jessi Lyn, a chick from Wayne, Kayli, Brennan from Arizona, and I) played ER in the back. I took third overall, but I blame that on the rocking bus and me having to be on my knees. After dinner at a pretty good buffet (even buffets are getting really annoying and old), I found a tick in my leg. I have kinda been afraid of getting a tick, but it didn't hurt and I think that its been there since Missouri and I never felt anything. I was freaking out a little inside, and everyone had to look at my amazing, small tick that was lodged in my skin. I found a Bro, but it wasn't Bro Dunsten, who is the medic of the trip. Dunsten was in Chicago getting some girls from Spanish Fork who wanted to go to graduation, so for a quick fix Sperry, Jenkins, and Campbell put alcohol and a band-aid on it. I was still a little freaky-outy about it, so Al and I went downstairs for a walk and found a soccer game. We joined and it was a good time, even thought I got a blister on my foot. After, I came in and played the Skittle game. I think I had about 40 in my mouth before I could chew. Then Dunsten came down and found me and pulled out the tick with much attention from others ha ha. It was just a small bugger, and I wish I would have had my camera. He put some iodine on it and hopefully it will just be a small red spot tomorrow then go away with no lime disease and no need for amputation ha ha. Now I am laying in bed, getting ready for bed, and now that I am finished with this I can go to bed:)

CHT: The Beginnings

I figured I would start a blog to keep track of the many happenings of the Church History Tour. I am going to condense the first four days into one entry. Here we go: Saturday morning started actually with me finishing packing/packing/hurrying to get into town because I woke up late. It turned out to be a long day. Several hours of sitting in sometimes comfortable, but generally uncomfortable seats on buses, meeting new people, and watching the flatlands after the rockies go by. We stopped in pretty Colorado, before Denver, but afterwards it was just flat flat and well flat. We stayed in Colby, Kansas, then drove to Independence, Missouri Sunday and had a pretty cool time there.
We did our own little sacrament meeting (I was in charge of organizing the sacrament and it was scary because in S-town, we do things way differently than everywhere else. I am glad Luke was there helping) which turned out really cool. We toured the outside of the RLDS Temple
and saw the site of the Independence "temple." Brother Campbell gave some interesting insight about how we need to always follow the modern prophet's teachings because the Lord can change things around than what He previously said. Its the whole point of modern prophets.
Monday we basically started the tour. We went to Adam-Ondi-Ahman, which was really pretty and lush, then to Liberty Jail and Far West where the lessons taught superceded the place itself. Far West was accompanied with Bro Sperry and Bro Monson giving us lessons about the history and the Liberty Jail had sister missionaries serving there and their testimonies were really strong. That night was a FHE talent show where Gavin sang his medly, Lauren did her smartie trick, and there were several stand up comics that would fail miserably in real life. Tuesday, today, we drove from Independence to Nauvoo, stopping in Tom Sawyer's hometown. We went on a boatride on the Mississippi (which is behind the green glass door) then drove to Carthage Jail, where Joseph Smith was martyred. It was cool because the Praise to the Man celebration we did while I was a Sophomore gave me an opportunity to be John Taylor and it was cool to see how that short skit fit in with the whole scheme. I even got to play the piano while we waited for the movie to start:) I miss playing very mucho. We then drove to Nauvoo (while on the bus ride, I perfected the art of zonking out on the bus) where we settled into our hotel. Al and I took a short walk around the premises then went to dinner, which was pretty good. Then we did a short meeting, where I got to play the piano again! After, we played spoons, where I kicked trash and beat Tiph-Dawg in the final round. Now I am chilling in bed with Al, Cody, and Josh all asleep and I am going to join them:)