Friday October 30, 2020 Chill day!!

Look how beautiful this area is!!!  I took these pictures this morning. 

Thursday October 29, 2020 Advar-Hazy Air and Space Museum

Thursday finally came!! We have been waiting all week to take Graham to the doctor to see what he did to his knee.  He hasn't been able to walk on it all week and still has lots of pain.  Dr. Gavin was the Ortho that we went to see today.  He was GREAT!! He was very thorough and you could tell that he knew what he was doing.  By the end of the appointment, he confirmed that Graham had sprained his Medial Crucial Ligament.  He couldn't do any tests on the ACL because Graham was way too sore.  His feeling was that the ACL was OK but he suggested an MRI just to be certain.  

The lady at the front desk who was helping me get an appointment for the MRI, said that every place near here was 3 weeks out.  I knew that it would be hard to get an appointment.  Graham and I silently prayed that some how he would be able to get an appointment.  After about 15 minutes, the the lady had found us an appointment tonight at 8 PM.  Hello blessings!!!  Not only did we get an appointment with an Ortho while in this area, we were able to get an appointment for an MRI the same day.  Graham and I both felt so blessed.  As we walked out of the office with our good news, Graham said, "Do I taste mint? Because this has been a life savor"!  hahahahah I died laughing.  He totally has my dads humor.  Tonight at 8 PM we will get his MRI!!

Wednesday October 28, 2020 Mt Vernon

Today was wonderful!!!  We had the best day. Tiffany and her kids took myself and my kids ( except Asher, he was getting behind in school so he opted to stay back to do school work) to Mt Vernon !!!!!!

Tuesday October 27, 2020 Washington D.C.

When I went to checked on Asher this morning, he was sleeping with a big smile on his face.  He is so adorable.  I couldn't help myself, I had to take a picture.  I just love this boy of mine.  

Monday October 26, 2020. Gettysburg

Here are some pictures of the neighborhood that my cousin lives in .  It's beautiful here and all the houses have tons of land.  

Sunday October 25, 2020 Church and Isaac and Nadia

Church today was at Abe's ward.  It was at 9 AM so the kids were very tired.  Especially Asher.  hahahah. Their ward got a new bishop so the talks were by the old and new bishops with their spouses.  I really enjoyed the new bishops talk.  He quoted Abraham Lincoln.  I posted the quote here.  It was worth remembering.  

Saturday October 24, 2020 - Hanging Out With Family

While I was at BYU, my very best running friend was named Sariah.  Sarah and Sariah :)) I know.  We were two peas in a pod.  We would wake up early each Saturday and run 20 - 23 miles.  We always laughed and joked and made fun of the way tired runners said "Hi" on the trails.  We were silly. 

Sariah lives in Maryland, close to D.C.  We decided that the very best thing we could do was meet up for a run.  This morning Sariah drove an hour to meet me at the W&OD trail. This is a super long trial that goes all the way to D.C.  We ran 6 miles together.  We laughed, cried and reminisced of the good old days;)))

I love my Sariah friend!!

Friday October 23, 2020. Hello Virginia, Abe and Tiffany

Before we pulled away on our 3 hour drive towards Virginia, Scotty ran 5 miles with me. See!!!!  We get alone time 😉

Thursday October 22, 2020- Philadelphia and the Liberty Bell

Hello Philadelphia!!!

This stop was short because it was meant to be a midway point to Virginia. Our day was spent doing school work and “To Do’s”. Around 2 PM we were free to drive into Philadelphia to explore!!!  

Wednesday October 21, 2020 Farewell NY- Hello Philadelphia!!

We said our sad goodbyes as we drove off into the sunset. Hahaha. Just kidding. 

This morning we slept in, packed the trailer, dumped the tanks and drove south for 2 hours. 

We are tired. All the fun in Manhattan finally caught up with us. Everyone is exhausted and a bit grumpy. 

School work needed to get done so the kids worked on that most of the day. 

Taj went fishing, I went food shopping at Wegmans, Scotty worked all day and I did laundry. 

Tomorrow we plan on spending the day in Philadelphia!!!  

For now, we sleep and rest up!!

 

Tuesday October 20, 2020. Our Last Day in the Big Apple

This morning we had some extra time to do some school work. Scotty had some calls he had to do at home,  so we focused on getting a lot of school done.  We took the 3:15 PM ferry out of Liberty Harbor and headed towards Manhattan for our very last day in the big city. We took our bikes because we wanted to ride through Central Park today.

Here Graham, Pepper and Taj are showing their artwork from art class.

Monday October 19, 2020 - Ellis Island and Liberty Island

I woke up today with an itch to actually go and walk on Ellis Island and Liberty Island.  We weren't planning on doing that, but I wanted to.  Good old NY Waterways made it really easy for me to get tickets that leave from Jersey.  I bought the kids and I passes for the day.  This experience was probably my favorite "Statue of Liberty " experience we have had.  

We left from Liberty Harbor here in Jersey.  The company had a security check much like the one that the airport has.  They scanned us for weapons and anything else they were looking for.  After about 10 minutes, we were able to board the first boat.  Our first stop was on Ellis Island.  Then we jumped on a boat that took us to Liberty Island.  When we were done, the ferry brought  us back to Jersey.  All these boats for one low price:))))) ya right

Sunday October 18, 2020- Church in New Jersey and the Statue of Liberty Cruise

Hello Sunday!!!  

We waited to hear details from Charlie to help with his service today, but he never gave us details.  His motorhome was gone all day Saturday and Sunday so we were a bit confused.  It all turned out OK though. We really wanted to go to church and if we would have helped him, we probably wouldn't have been able to go to church.  The ward in Jersey met at 1 PM.  Super late!!! But their meeting was very uplifting and we met some great members!!  

Saturday October 17, 2020 New York on Bikes and Scooters!!!!

     

Asher accompanied me on my run this morning.  The huge Colgate clock sure is something.  I ran along the riverwalk.  I thought is was called the boardwalk, but it is called the riverwalk.  It literally goes for miles and miles in both directions.  I see people running on it at all times of the day and even the night.  It is a runners paradise!!!!

Friday October 16, 2020 Rainy Day in Manhattan!!!!

Scotty took  today off, so we hit Manhattan in the rain!!! It poured rain on us all day.  We were prepared!!  I brought ponchos and hand warmers and lots of snacks!!!  With it raining, we decided to hit all the indoor attractions on our list.  I bought passes off of Groupon for the 9-11 Memorial, the Statue of Liberty cruise, then I also got Go New York passes.  The Go New York passes grant us entrance into 3 attractions of our choice.  It was much more cost effective than paying for each experience alone.  We had a blast even with the rain!!!!  Manhattan is my favorite US city by far!!!  

Thursday October 15, 2020 Manhattan Baby!!!!!

Good Morning New York City!!!!!!

Graham and I went on the most incredible run this morning. We ran on the same boardwalk that we explored last night, but from the other side.  How cool is it to run by the Statue of Liberty!!!!!! We started at our campground and found a pedestrian path that led to the board walk.  Then we proceeded to go as far as we could.  There were many runners and bikers out today.  I also saw many police officers patrolling the whole area, which of course I appreciate.  

Wednesday October 14, 2020 New York City!!!! Safe and Sound

We made it safe and sound to our campground in Jersey City!!!!!

The drive from New Hampshire to Jersey City was going to take us about 6 hours so we left at 6:00 AM.  On our way out, we dumped our tanks, that way they would be nice and empty for our week without a dump.  That put us a behind a bit, but not too far.  We had to make a few stops along the way.  Scotty had a call about 2 hours into the drive so we stopped at a BJ's which is the equivalent to a Costco.  While we were parked, the kids got breakfast and played outside.  Honestly, I was super nervous the whole day for the last hour of our drive that would take us through New York City and into Jersey City.  But Scotty and the beautiful fall colors kept me distracted.  

Tuesday October 13, 2020 Rain and School Work and more Rain

Rain and fall colors. So beautiful!!

Monday October 12, 2020 New Hampshire

Scotty, Asher and Graham got up at 6AM today to go hike up a super sketchy trail that we found yesterday.  It was too technical for the little kids so the boys decided to do it early today, before we left.  Today is a travel day for us.  The boys said that the trail was crazy.  It was worth getting up early for though.  They got to watch the sunrise!!

Sunday October 11, 2020 Acadia National Park - Bar Harbor Maine

   

Look at my cute snuggly boys. Last night there was a loud storm outside.  Lots of wind and thunder.  Taj was scared so he jumped in bed with Graham.  I just love the relationship these two have.  They are the sweetest boys.  

Saturday October 10, 2020 Maine and Lobster

 

*Warning - the pictures on this post were uploaded backwards and I didn't want to spend the time fixing it.  So I'm sorry but we will explore this day - backwards :)))

This morning we drove out of our campground and headed north.  North East to be exact.  Our drive was about 5 hours long and we drove up through New Hampshire into Maine.  Then we headed a bit east towards Bar Harbor!!  Everyone has told me how beautiful Maine was but man, they didn't say how gorgeous the ocean was here.  All my senses went crazy when I walked out to the beach by our trailer.  The smell of the salt water ocean was the strongest of all.  It felt so good to be by the ocean again.  

Here is our KOA for the weekend.  We are literally on the ocean and it is windy but absolutely gorgeous.  The sun was setting as we were getting food and it felt like we were in paradise.    Our campground was doing a free hot dog dinner night and they have a lobster shack on site that we got lobster from.    

Friday October 9, 2020 More Boston

We had to go back to Boston on our last day here.  We could have easily spent another week here and had plenty to do.  I have to say, this Boston experience has been so magical, unlike the other times I have been here.  Usually the people are so rude and short.  This trip they have been kind and loving. I wonder if it's because during the Boston Marathon, there is such a large influx of people who have no idea how to use the public transportation and other aspects of the city.  It must be annoying to the locals to have so many people crowd their city.  Any who, we had a wonderful experience and I will  be sad to leave here. 

Thursday October 8, 2020- Rhode Island Skate Park

Today the kids spent all morning doing school and catching up from yesterday. Taj had art class 😂😂. Give a boy sticks and glue and he can build anything he can dream up!!!  

Wednesday October 7, 2020. Boston - The Freedom Trail

               We are so tired!  We spent the whole day walking around Boston following the Freedom Trail. I think the trail is only about 2 1/2 miles long but we stopped at every stop and everything in between. We learned much more walking and seeing then we would have reading it in a book. If you are ever in Boston, make sure to take a day to explore the Freedom Trail.                                                                                                                                           Scotty and I decided that we wanted the kids to get the experience of riding the subway.  We drove the truck to the end of the orange line and parked it.  From there we rode the orange line into Boston Commons which is the "Central Park " of Boston.                                                    First we gathered in a circle to say family prayer.                                                                                

                                                                                           

Tuesday October 6, 2020 Farewell Lake George and Hello Massachusetts

     This morning we drove about 4 hours south-east to our campground just south of Boston. We are actually closer to Cape Cod then we are to Boston.  I think we about 45 minutes south of Boston. The drive went by super fast. The freeways were lined with fall colored trees the whole way.  Scotty worked while I drove and the kids worked on school stuff. We arrived at our campground around 3 PM and set up the trailer.  This campground is really well laid out. I've become picky with how the water and electricity hook up. But the most important thing is the poop hose.  The poop hose hook up here is great!  It has a down ward slope so everything drains like a charm.  hahahha. The life on the road.                                                                                                                                           

Monday October 5, 2020 Lake George New York

                                                        Originally we planned to go to 6 Flags today, but unfortunately the park was closed.   It wasn't very hard to know what else we could do!  Our campground is one mile from the Adirondacks and from Lake George which is one of the finger lakes here in New York. We killed two birds with one stone. We drove up to spend the day at Lake George while enjoying the Adirondacks!!!                                                                                                                                                                               To start the day right,  Asher and I went on a really cool trail.  Lake George has so many trails and walk ways.  I love it here for that.                                                                     

                                             

Sunday October 4, 2020 General Conference and The Hudson River

                  General Conference was absolutely amazing today.  The spirit was so strong and I saw each of my kids feel it and recognize it.  I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and I love our prophet, President Nelson along with all the other leaders.  These are truly the last days and we all need to be ready to usher in the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I was praying for a few answers to questions that I had and I felt the spirit speak to my heart.  I feel so blessed to have been able to take my family out of the world, and to be able to increase our testimonies and grow closer as a family through our version of "Wholesome Recreational Activities".  I love my family!                                                                                                                  This is what conference looked like over here.  Laundry drying outside, Taj chugging water, French toast and Comfy's.                                                                  

                                           

Saturday October 3, 2020. Traveling back to New York

     Happy Saturday.   Today we said goodbye to our cute campground in Honesdale Pennsylvania and said Hello to New York again!                                                                                                                                                           

Friday October 2, 2020- Lots of School and Play

We had so much fun this week that we didn’t get all our school done by Thursday. Today was spent finishing up all the school work that the kids had to do. When I created the itinerary, I built in days like today, days to chill and catch up in school. Asher finished everything but one assignment which he’ll finish later. Graham, Pepper and Taj finished all their subjects with only a little frustration. By the time the kids were freed up and ready to play, nobody wanted to do anything. We could have driven 50 minutes to Scranton Pennsylvania. We are The Office fans. Even though The Office was filmed in CA, we thought it would be fun to go there. But, no one wanted to go. So we ate dinner, watched movies, tried to start a fire with wet wood and ran around the campground playing. Lots of people came in today to the campground because it’s the weekend. During the week the campgrounds are empty but they fill up on the weekends. Tomorrow is a travel day so it worked out that we didn’t do too much today. 

Thursday October 1, 2020 - Priesthood Restoration Site

Today was super cool. I took the kids to see the Priesthood Restoration site in Susquehanna Pennsylvania. We drove about 40 minutes through the most gorgeous fall colored trees I’ve ever seen. The drive went by so fast because of the colorful distraction!!  We arrived in Susquehanna and easily found the visitors center. The monument statues there are incredible. From the visitors center we followed the trails that took us in two directions. The first direction was towards the “sugar bush” or the maple trees where Joseph Smith hid the plates to keep them safe. We wondered all over those trails enjoying the thought that the plates were hid right under our feet for safety. Then we headed down the second path. This path led to Joseph and Emma’s house, The Hale home and another monument to the restoration of the priesthood. 

Wednesday September 30, 2020- Travel Day

Today we traveled about 4 hours from New York to Pennsylvania!!  The fall colors were radiant!!!  I couldn’t help but take pictures. 

Our campground is near Honesdale which is about 40 minutes from the Aaronic Priesthood restoration site.  The drive today was long and nerve racking. I was driving so Scotty could work. We had to maneuver on miles and miles of one lane roads. There were many low hanging wires that about gave us a heart attack. Scotty pointed out something today, when we bought our trailer, we were very concerned about the length being too long. Homie is about 44 feet long. We never considered the height of the trailer as an issue. After 4 months of driving the trailer, the length is not a problem at all, it’s been the height that has caused problems. Anyways, we made it to our campground and I was so exhausted from the stress of pulling the trailer that I took a nap. The kids did school work and then it rained. Not much else happened besides Asher being a butt today.