Last weekend we took a fun trip to Palmyra, which is less than an hour from our house. Ryan needed new scriptures for seminary, and there is an LDS store there, so we decided to make a day of it! We have been there several times before, but always during the busy Hill Cumorah Pageant time. This time of year was slow--just a few other people were there, and it was lovely. No waiting, great weather, and lots to see!
We got there a little after lunch, so we stopped to eat at the infamous Chill 'n Grill. They are known for their ENORMOUS portions, low prices, and fabulous food, which fits our family well. :) We had ice cream after we ate our lunch, and I can't try to explain to you how crazy big the sizes are. The kids and I all ordered half kiddies, and they still filled up an entire dish. Rick decided to get crazy and order a large. A LARGE!! It was eight of the biggest scoops I've ever seen, and was taller than his entire head. He gave it a valiant effort, but wasn't able to finish it all. Maybe next time. :) And the cost for the gigantic ice cream? $4.25.
Our next stop was the bookstore, and in addition to Ryan's scriptures, we let the kids each pick out something they wanted. It was fun for them to look around and see so many things they loved.
We headed to the Smith Farm, and the kids kept asking me:
"Did Joseph Smith really touch this?"
"Is this really real?"
"Did Jesus walk here?"
"Was this here a long time ago?"
They were literally in awe of it all, and it was so much fun to show them around. They loved the Sacred Grove the best, and we spent the most time there. The weather was absolutely perfect--warm, but not hot, with a slight breeze. We were pretty much by ourselves, and we could really take our time looking around.
It was getting late in the day, so we didn't have a lot of time at the Hill Cumorah, but we did get up to the top to look around, and into the visitor center for a few minutes. We live close enough that we will certainly be back, so I didn't worry that we couldn't do all we wanted to do.
I keep pinching myself...it's so wonderful to live so close to so many sights and places we want to see. It was a perfect Saturday!
