Romania Report

Buna ziua!

I'm back from Romania and have finally found some time (and energy) to tell you all about it!

First of all, we had an amazing trip. It was so wonderful to reconnect with a number of my kids and also to see the gorgeous city of Brasov again. As you can see, it is a picturesque, medieval town. This was my first time seeing it in the autumn and I much preferred it to the sticky humidity of summertime.

Here I am in the main square (Piata Sfatului) just after it had snowed on Mount Tampa

The gorgeous staircase I used regularly in 2002 & 2006

Piata Sfatului - compare to THIS PHOTO from 2001 Pretty Park

Brasov has its own Hollywood-style sign on Mount Tampa

See why I love Brasov so much???

But enough about that. Let's talk about visiting Rebeca and my kids!

With our visit being only a week, Jed and I did not have time to evaluate the needs at Rebeca's house and then go out shopping for items, as was my original plan. Instead, we opted to deliver a gift of cash for Rebeca to use for the boys at her discretion.

One of my boys from the foundation (Vlad) who lives on his own now, was kind enough to take Jed and I on the bus ride from Brasov to Codlea to see Rebeca. When we arrived, everything looked exactly as it had during our 2006 visit...except for the boys! I couldn't believe how much they had grown up!! The youngest is 16 and the oldest is now 20. These boys (now men *cringe*) are still as sweet as ever.

Top row: Vali, Rasvan, Rebeca, Vio. Bottom row: Gigi, Kate, Alex

The younger boys are working hard in school, while the older ones are completing vocational training to become construction workers, barbers, butchers, etc. Once they have finished this training, they will have the skills to find work and will be able to live independently. If it not for Rebeca's kindess, these kids would not have finished high school, would not have received job training, and would most likely be living back on the streets.

It was so wonderful to see how happy and well-adjusted these boys are. Because they get to experience normal family life they can interact with one another as brothers and best friends. I loved seeing how close they have grown to each other.

As you can see, Gigi is a bit of a joker. He stole Jed's glasses and gave me his best impersonation
During our first summer we taught the boys a game where you try to knock your opponent off balance by slapping one another's hands. We end up playing it again each time I visit.
Jed and VioSince our last visit, the boys were given a set of drums. Vio was excited to show us his skills!

Reconnecting and playing with the boys brought back so many happy memories from that first summer. I wish we could have stayed all night! But the boys needed to go to bed, and we needed to be on our way.

At the end of our visit, we gave each of my "kids" a hug and made sure they knew how much we love and care for them. Rebeca drove us home and before we got out, we surprised her with the money we had collected for the boys. She was extremely touched and experssed her gratitude for the help and support from so many American strangers. She could think of a million worthy uses for the money and assured me it would not go to waste.

Thank you, once again, to each of you who made a donation! You have made a difference in the lives of each of these kids and I cannot express how much that means to me.

And guess what....that was just HALF the money we raised!! That's right, we were able to raise enough to make another, generous donation!! I'll tell you all about that in my next post, so stay tuned!

You Guessed Right...

...well, some of you did.

One day I came home from work and decided to put on the clothes that Jed left lying around the apt. After completing the look with his glasses, I decided I should dress up as Jed for Halloween. BUT, we were traveling, so I figured posting a photo would have to suffice.

I can see where you got the Wayne's World thing, though.

I'll be back as soon as I recover from jetlag to report on my bittersweet trip to Romania.

Happy Halloween!!!

I'm in Amsterdam right now...not so much doing the Halloween thing. BUT, if I were going to a Halloween party, this is what I would go as...

Any guesses???

Brasov

I'm off to Brasov, Romania and will return hopefully with happy news on my sweet kids and how your donations were able to help them!

Piata Sfatalui - Brasov's picturesque town square

See you back here in about a week! Ai grija!! (Take care!)

Marin

Marin (pronounced like 'marine') was another one of my sweet little babies. I met him in the children's hospital. He was there the entire summer in 2001. Since no one came to visit him in that time, I assume he was an orphan.

I love this picture...if you look closely, you can see that his big toe is wrapped around the bar of the crib

His adorable little face quickly won me over. When we first began volunteering at the hospital, Marin was emotionless like most of the other babies. However, we saw him gradually develop the ability to cry, smile and even laugh!! We taught Marin to make fishy lips and mimic us in other ways. It was adorable! Now and then he would fall asleep in my arms and like Costica, felt like a son to me.

Marin was another one that I seriously contemplated stashing in my backpack to bring home. I genuinely thought about how I could possibly sneak him through customs. Leaving him was unbearable. I had no idea what was in store for him...would he live in a hospital forever? Did he have a family? Was he destined for an orphanage? Would he end up on the streets??

After coming home, Marin regularly made appearances in my dreams. Sometimes as a baby, and other times as a 5-year-old. In every dream, he was happy and healthy. I hope and pray that those dreams have come true!

I leave to go back to Romania tonight (!), so now is your last chance to donate to kids like Marin. To read more about my project, read this post or scroll down to my most recent posts. To donate, click on the PayPal link in the upper right corner of my blog.

Ne vedem mai tarziu!! (See ya later!)

Why Leaving Romania Broke My Heart

I met Costica on one of my first days at the orphanage. He was an adorably sweet little boy. When I'd come into the room he would run straight to me. He loved to have me sit on the floor while he stood behind me and played with my hair. He also loved when I would hold him up to look out the window and we'd point out all the cars we could see. When I'd leave the orphanage for the day, he would always blow me kisses and say, "Pa pa! Ne vedem maine!" ("Bye bye! See you tomorrow!")

Costica and I

A couple days or weeks before we left Romania that first summer, I walked into the children's hospital to find that Costica had been admitted. He was very scared to be in an unknown place and was crying when I found him. I quickly took him out of his crib and held him to calm him down. I spent all of my time with Costica during those days he spent in the hospital. If I put him back in his crib he would cry and cry. This was unusual for the children we usually worked with in the hospital. They were so used to being left in their cribs for hours, even days. No one came to hold them or play with them. Since no one would answer when they'd cry, they learned there was no point to it. This left the halls of the hospital eerily silent. When a child would learn to cry again, we saw it as a sign of progression and emotional health. This meant they had actually developed an expectation or trust that someone would come to their aid.

Though it was painful to hear Costica cry, I was happy that he had the emotional well-being to express himself and to develop an attachment to me.

He wasn't the only one--I felt like he had become my own child.
I've told a lot of people that leaving Romania that first summer was the most difficult day of my life. Saying goodbye to Costica was one of the biggest reasons for that.

He had returned to the orphanage (we still don't know why he was in the hospital), but was staying in the "quarantine" area (all children spent a few days there after returning from the hospital, as a precautionary measure). He was still scared since this was also an unfamiliar place, with unfamiliar orphanage workers. The workers told me he was constantly crying and they couldn't find any way to soothe him. I went into the room and pulled him from his crib and quickly calmed him down. I held him for as long as I could and lamented the fact that I couldn't just put him in my backpack and smuggle him home.

Knowing that we had to leave the orphanage by a certain time, I tearfully gave Costica one last hug and kiss and had to put him back in his crib. As expected, the moment I put him down, he burst into tears and began reaching for me through the bars. I have no idea how I turned around and walked away from him, both of us sobbing. My heart broke.

When I returned to Romania with Brooke the following summer, we went back to the orphanage and found Costica. He had grown a bit since the year before and seemed to know a few more words. I'm not sure how much he recognized me, but he quickly returned to his routine of playing with my hair and looking out the window for cars. He blew me kisses and said the usual, "ne vedem maine!" when I left for the day.

When Jed and I visited Romania in 2006, we discovered that the orphanage had closed. In a new attempt to take care of it's children, the Romanian government had arranged to have as many orphans as possible placed with foster families. While I was sad I wouldn't see Costica again, this gave me hope that he might spend the rest of his growing up years with a caring, Romanian family. I pray that this is the case.

On Friday, Jed and I are returning, yet again, to Romania. We can't wait to track down some of the kids I worked with there and see how they're doing. We're especially excited to visit Rebeca and the children she has taken into her home. If you'd like to make a donation to help Rebeca care for these kids, click on the PayPal link in the upper right corner of my blog. If want to know more about what Rebeca does, see this previous post.

Costin & Viorel

I'm leaving for Romania soon! Here's why....

During the first summer I spent in Romania (in 2001), I met two brothers at the foundation for street children whose story I will never forget.

Costin and Viorel were about 17 & 15 when I first met them. Costin immediately struck me as a big brother & role model to all the other foundation kids. His English was impressive, and his leadership skills were obvious. All of the boys looked up to him. He and Vio both had a brightness in their eyes that showed their kindness and strength of character.

Costin on the left, with younger boys, Robert and Mihai

Viorel (on the right) arm wrestling Lucian
After witnessing Costin & Viorel's cheerfulness, you might never guess what these boys have been through. Communism fell in Romania around the time Costin was 5 or 6 and Viorel was 3 or 4. Shortly thereafter, their father lost his job and began drinking--that's when he started physically abusing the boys and their mother. Both Costin and Vio remembered the day their mother attempted to get a divorce. Their father locked the family inside the house and threw a smoke bomb inside. Fortunately, they were able to escape that day, but avoiding the abuse and harassment from their father became impossible. That's when Costin decided to take his little brother and run away.

Costin and Vio spent the next several years living on the streets. They sought shelter in train stations in the summertime and spent their winters in the sewers. They would beg, steal, and dig through garbage for food. They even began huffing paint --a common, inexpensive drug used by street children to cope with hunger pangs.

When Costin was about 12 years old, he and Viorel met some kind people handing out sandwiches to the street children at the train station. They were later invited by these people to live at their foundation. They offered the boys shelter, food, clothing, an education, and the chance at a safe, happy adolescence surrounded by people who cared about them.

The foundation is where Costin and Viorel spent the rest of their childhood. They formed brotherly bonds with the other children and developed the skills necessary to become contributing members of society. Since Costin and Viorel were two of the first children to live at the foundation, they took it upon themselves to take care of and watch out for the younger kids.

Vio (left) with Gigi (hooded) making some newer additions to the foundation feel welcome

The summer I spent getting to know these boys and watching them interact with the others was the most memorable, inspiring summer of my life. Their friendliness and senses of humor made me smile and laugh regularly.

Vio had found this shirt one of the foundation girls made for me and decided to model it for us.

Costin (left) and Florin (right) help an edlerly woman cross the street (could these boys be any sweeter?!) Vio, me, Costin, and Vlad, hanging out at the foundation

I feel so fortunate that I was able to meet these boys and get to know the good people they had become, despite their circumstances. And that is thanks to the kind volunteers at the foundation who gave these boys the closest thing to family they could.

In 2006, Jed and I went back and were able to track down Costin. He and Viorel had reunited with their mother and sister. Vio now lives in Germany with them, while Costin and his girlfriend now live in his hometown of Bacau. He works in a kiosk in a local marketplace and last I heard, was excitedly expecting his first child.

Costin at his Kiosk

Costin and I at a coffee shop in Bacau (now that he's an adult, he has to look serious in pictures)
Reconnecting with Costin and seeing that he was independent and happy was a great experience. No doubt, it is thanks to the foundation that Costin and Viorel are well-adjusted, independent adults today.

Costin and Viorel's story is one of the reasons I want to offer Rebeca as much help as possible. The four boys she continues to care for have a chance at a future like Costin and Viorel's because of her willingness to take care of them. But, she needs help. If you'd like to contribute, you can make a donation by following the PayPal link in the upper right corner of my blog (if you're lost, check out my previous posts). And a HUGE thank you to the many people who have already contributed! Your donations will go a long way and will absolutely make a difference in the lives of Rebeca's children!

If you're not in a position to donate right now, maybe you can find another way to help someone else in need...even just by smiling or holding the door for a stranger. These boys know how to to show kindness, and I bet you do too.

How it All Started...

In the summer of 2001 I went to Romania through an organization that matched college age volunteers with international service opportunities. I was placed in Brasov, Romania with a group of 4 other American girls. These girls became like sisters to me during our summer of humanitarian work.

Ashlee, Me, Angie, Lori, Alyssa, with Cristina

Not picutred here, is Brooke who joined us a little later.

We were signed up to work 4 hours every morning in the recreational therapy department of the city of Brasov's children's hospital.

Spitalul De Copii (The Children's Hospital)

Me and a sad little boy at the hospital - we tried and tried but could not get him to smile.
Me with some hospital kids - the baby (Sorina) had childhood Leukemia.
Me and Maria

Working with the children and babies in this hospital was very fulilling work, but 4 hours a day was not enough for us. We had gone to Romania with the intent to spend most of our time volunteering. This led us to pursue opportunities to work at a local orphanage and a foundation for street children.

At first the directors of these institutions were wary of American volunteers and would not give us permission to work there. They knew of the bad press Romanian orphanages had received in America and did not want a group like ours to come in and bring terrible stories back with us. However, with a lot of persistance (mulitiple visits with the directors involving flowers, chocolates, letters of recommendation from the hospital staff, and lots of prayers), we were finally given permission to work 2 hours a day at the orphanage, and 4-6 hours a day at the foundation for street children.

Costin, Robert, and Mihai at the foundation
Viorel, Me, Costin, Vlad, Brooke, and Adrian at the foundation
Adding our work at the orphanage and foundation changed each of our lives forever. We learned about the importance of family, friendship, trust, and unconditional love. We saw the effects on children when these things are lacking, and the incredible difference that can be made when they are restored. We developed bonds with the kids we served that truly made us feel like they were our own children or siblings.

Larisa and I at the foundation These bonds are what have sent me back to Romania twice already, and now for the third time. Each time I return I hope to track down as many of my kids as I can, and I hope even further that I will find them to be happy, healthy, and living with a roof over their heads.

Whether or not I find them in this state, for many of these kids, depends entirely upon the kindness of others. That is why Rebeca's work is so important to me, and that is why I'm asking my friends and family to donate what they can. If you'd like to help out, just click on the PayPal button toward the upper right corner of my blog. If you want to know a little more about my fundraising project, check out THIS POST below.

In the next few weeks before we leave for our trip, I hope to be able to share a few stories with you about my Romanian kids and show you just why they are so special to me. If donating is not something you can do right now, please feel free to simply read along!

Romania Donations!!!

Thanks to all who have already made a donation for my Romanian Kids! You people are fabulous! (Read the previous post if you are lost)

The PayPal system is up and running, so click on that button on the right side-bar if you'd like to contribute. No amount is too small to make a difference for these boys (your money can go a long way in Romania). Tell your friends and family if they are looking for a cause -- I'm telling you, even $5 will help!

FYI, if you pay via credit card, a small percentage (around 2.9%) of your donation will be deducted by PayPal for a processing fee. If you pay using your bank account or PayPal account, your entire donation will go to the kids.

Thank you so much for your generosity!!!

ROMANIA!

In 2001 I spent the summer volunteering in Romania. I worked in a children's hospital, orphanage, and a foundation for street children every day. I fell in love with the kids I worked with and have been back to see them a couple times since.

Fundatia Nu Ma Uita - The Foundation for Street Children The summer of 2006 was the last time I was there. I took Jed with me to introduce him to as many of my kids as we could track down. He instantly fell in love with them too and learned why these children (now mostly teenagers and adults) have influenced my life permanently.

Vlad and I visiting Ionut at work

Robert, Claudiu, me and Beni in Piata Sfatalui

Claudiu (silly as always) with Jed and Ionut in Piata Sfatalui Jed and I are going back for a week at the end of October and we can't wait!! While there, we will visit what is left of the foundation for street children. It's actually not a foundation at all anymore. Rather, one of the foundation volunteers (Rebeca) offered to share her family's home with the remaining children once the foundation closed down due to lack of funding. Rebeca and her husband are now the sole providers for their own children and four additional "foundation boys." Thanks to Rebeca's kindness, these boys have shelter, warm beds, food, clothing, and the chance at a family life that they would not have had otherwise. These are some lucky boys...

Upsidedown Vali playing at the school

Gigi and Jed outside the house
Alex, Marian, and Vio
Alex, Vali, Vio, and Gigi teaching us a Romanian game

I spoke with Rebeca over the phone this morning and asked her what we could bring for the boys. She answered, "Clothes! Food! Everything!" We want to do everything we can to help her take care of these kids. Rather than purchase things here and lug them all the way to Romania, I figure, maybe my family, friends, and I could contribute some money for purchasing the needed items in Romania.


I've set up a PayPal account to collect donations - you can see the button near the upper right hand corner of my blog. If you'd like to help Rebeca help these kids, go ahead and click to donate whatever amount you can! When Jed and I visit, we'll document where and how the donations are helping, and we'll report to you right back here.
Multumesc! (that's Romanian for 'thank you!')

Wall Street With Dane & Marlon

A few months ago, Dane, Marlon & I headed down to Wall St. for a little sight-seeing.

The NY Stock Exchange

Dana & Marlon outside the NYSE

They were shooting a commercial on Wall St. So we stood around and watched for a little bit. For the shoot they had a bunch of mannequins in weird poses. We were trying to figure out the storyline but couldn't make sense of it.

Dane & I being dorks with a mannequin on the set

I just love having these kids here in the city!

My First 5k Race

Lots of people hate running, but I'm lucky enough to really enjoy it. I LOVE it even. Not sure why, since I've never been particularly fast. There is just something about pushing yourself to keep running when you feel like quitting. And the endorphins afterward make me feel like I could do anything.

Since the beginning of the Biggest Loser competition, I've been running 6 days a week. Because I've been so dedicated to my running regimen as of late, a co-worker of mine suggested I run a low-key 5k race that was coming up. I had never run in an organized race before, so I wasn't sure about it. BUT, I wouldn't have to do anything out of my daily routine to train for this race and it was taking place just a few blocks away, along my usual running course in Riverside Park. PLUS, it was for a good cause (Melanoma research). So I figured, hey, why not?

On Race Day, Jed and I headed down to the park and after signing in and doing some stretching, I made my way to the starting line. My focus was to just finish...doing so with a decent time would be a plus. I had no idea what to expect. Two days prior I ran 5k in about 28 minutes, so I figured I should shoot for something like that. I wasn't wearing a watch though, and they weren't providing split clocks, so I was just going to blindly try my best and see how it went.

At the starting line, getting in the zone

When the starting gun went off, I was not prepared for the spike in adrenaline I experienced. I had a surprising, immediate desire to pass everyone in front of me. I knew I needed to be careful not to start out too fast, but I couldn't help it! At seeing my starting pace, Jed thought I would almost certainly lose gas toward the end. I worried about this too, but my long-dormant competitive side came out --every time I passed someone I felt a little rush of pride (especially when it was a man) and it would motivate me to run even faster. At each mile marker I tried to up my pace even more, and somehow, the adrenaline carried me all the way

I made it to the finish line!

(Don't worry, I didn't carry that bag during the race)

I was shocked to see the clock as I crossed the finish line - 22 minutes and 34 seconds. More than 5 minutes faster than my regular pace! I didn't believe it at first, so I went to see the print-out for confirmation...that's when I discovered I was the 19th out of 180 runners...ok, that's respectable. What pleased me even more was that I was the 2nd female overall.

And then, upon further inspection of the results, I discovered I was FIRST in my division! I was the first female between 25 and 40 years old! I couldn't believe it! For being first in my division I got all sorts of loot...a new yoga mat, a free pair of crocs, a high-tech water bottle, an NYC running guide, and a $50 American Express gift card. Score!

"Winning" my first 5k has strengthened my addiciton to running and inspired me to enter more races. I've since run another 5k (didn't even come close to winning that one), and am training for my first half marathon in October. I'm so glad my coworker encouraged me to give racing a try. I love it!!

Celebrity Alert

David Archuleta (from American Idol) sat a couple rows behind us in church today. We listened really hard during the hymns to see if we could pick out his beautiful singing voice, but no luck.

Littlest Biggest Loser Contest

Several months ago, my coworkers and I had been trying half-heartedly to lose some weight. Since we weren't getting the results we wanted, we decided to hold our own Biggest Loser competition. There were 4 of us. We weighed in on day one, and then again three months later. We each put $100 in the pot (kept by a non-competing referee) and the person who lost the highest percentage of their weight would get the whole pot.

I used to be able to run a few days a week and eat whatever I wanted and not have to worry about a thing. Not so much the case these days. 5 years after my wedding day, I had gained 25lbs. Not cool.

I needed to get a handle on this (Before)

$100 is a lot of money to lose, and $300 is a lot of money to gain, so I decided if I was going to participate, I was going to LOSE bigtime!

I had a strategy. I wanted to weigh as much as possible to start off. So the week leading up to our initial weigh-in, I went hog wild (pun totally intended) and consumed as much junk food as I could, like...
I weighed in and was shocked at the number on the scale...definitely the highest I have EVER weighed.
From the very start I kept a daily log of calories and started a rigorous workout routine. I would get up early, exercise for about 90 minutes, eat super healthy all day long, and go to bed early. I decided I would apply simple math --burn more calories than I consumed. I focused on making the calories I did eat really count. This meant whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and as little trans fat and sugar as possible.

In my downtime I would read articles about healthy eating, exercising, and weightloss. I used a couple websites to look up nutrition information, calculate my recommended daily caloric intake, and chart my progress.

I was absolutely dedicated. I'd allow myself a treat now and then so as not to drive myself to a complete binge at the end, but mostly I was pretty hardcore.

The day finally came to find out the results. We each took our turns weighing in with our referee. After returning to our desks, the referee sent out an email announcing the winner. It was.....

...the new and improved me! (After)

Let's see that again....

Before............................After

(Ok, so maybe full-body before and after photos would be better, but the actual taking of those photos is what has been holding up this post for so long!)

Anyway, I was thrilled, 25lbs lighter, and 300 dollars richer!

It has been about 4 months since our little Biggest Loser contest, and I am proud to say that I have held onto the healthy habits I developed during the competition and I plan to keep at it!

What did I do with the money, you ask? Well, losing some weight forces you to do a little wardrobe makeover...so some was spent on that. And the leftovers are going toward an upcoming trip back to Romania (!)

The Perfect Day in Central Park

One of the best days we've had this summer included a fun breakfast with friends, a visit to Strawberry Fields, the Bethesda Fountain, and a rowboating adventure on the Lake in Central Park.

The weather was perfect that day! If you come and visit us next year after it is frigidly cold and before it is unbearably humid, we might try to reproduce such a fun day just for you!

Kelly and Jonathan at the John Lennon Memorial in CP

Dane & Marlon at Bethesda Fountain

The Girls' BoatThe Boys' BoatJed rowing the Boys' Boat with the Girls' Boat close behind

My favorite part was basking in the sun while the other ladies took to the oars.

Don't worry, Barrington resisted the urge to jump in After boating, we played wiffle ball in the park. This adorable little kid joined in and he knew more about how to play than the rest of us. Sorry, no photos! I was too busy trying to steal 2nd.

Kale

So, he's been around for a little while now, but I just had to share photos of my first visit with Kale. He is Jed's youngest brother's baby and was born conveniently while I was in Utah for Ryan's graduation. I was thrilled that I got to meet him during my short trip. My brother & Jed's brother were roommates at BYU, so Ryan joined me for the visit.

Kale's mama - Megan, Me w/ the little squirt, and Jed's mama, Ann

My little brother, Ryan holding his sister's husband's brother's baby.
I was trying to wake him up with my bright, toothy grin...
But he just kept sleeping and sleeping
What a cute kid.

My Little Brother Graduated from College!!

So I jumped at the excuse for some time with the fam!

Ryan, the Middle Eastern Studies graduate

Talking to Uncle Jed in NYC
3 Cute Sisters
At Tucanos
Jon, Kennedy, and Ryan at Cedars of Lebanon
Ryan and Dad
Rebecca, Jon, & Taylor
Taylor and I after our delicious Middle Eastern lunch
Kennedy and I being super silly
Rebecca being ADORABLE
Macey being ADORBALE
Dad with Mace-Face
Rebecca checking out my ears with her flashlight
Taylor's turn with the doctor

It's always great to see family! We miss you guys!

Jed's Parents' Homecoming

For the past year and a half, Jed's parents have been serving a mission for our church in Oakland, California. Their assignment was in the Oakland Temple visitor's center. When their mission was complete, most of Jed's brothers and their families traveled to Oregon for their parents' homecoming. We didn't get many photos on this trip for some reason, but here's what we did get...

Jed's fashion-forward snow apparel

Sitting in the car, eating an orange, thrilled to be having my picture taken

Jed with two of our adorable nieces

The grandkids wearing their new outfits from people in Jed's parents' mission

We had lots of fun playing in the snow and spending time with Jed's family!

Palmyra

Back in April we took a trip to Palmyra for our church's annual Stake Youth Conference. It was a very short trip for Jed & I. They were short on cars to transport kids and their gear back to the city, so Jed, our friend Marlon, and I left NYC around 3am in a rental van, drove the 6 hours to Palmyra, spent about 2 hours there, then turned around and drove back with Dana and a few of the youth. It turned out to be a really fun experience! We had some great bonding time with Marlon & Dana, got to see some of the Church's historical landmarks, and got to enjoy a very inspiring testimony meeting in the Sacred Grove.

The Smith family home

Jed reading the Smith's family Bible

Pointing to one of the bedrooms in this little home

The Sacred Grove

We visited the Sacred Grove around the same time of year that Joseph Smith had the First Vision. Usually artistic renditions of this vision depict the grove as very green with the trees covered in leaves. However, it is more probable that the grove looked like the above picture. It was interesting to see that it looked much different than I had pictured it all these years.

The Sacred Grove is where Joseph Smith received an answer to prayer which, eventually led to his being called as the first prophet since the time of Christ's ministry. Through Joseph Smith, the gospel as it was taught & practiced in the time of Christ, was restored. Joseph had many special experiences in the area we visited, making it a travel destination for many LDS people.

We enjoyed our visit and will especially remember the feeling we had as the youth shared their testimonies of the gospel in the Sacred Grove. We have an impressive group of young people in Manhattan and I feel very privileged to work with them!

Last Freebie at Madison Square Garden

Just in time for new NYC arrivals, Dana & Marlon, my company offered me 4 tickets to our last event at Madison Square Garden. We no longer have access to the amazing suite that we've been enjoying for the past year and a half (so sad, I know!) so we were happy to get one last, amazing suite experience.

The final event was the Ringling Brothers/Barnum & Bailey Circus, and surprisingly enough (I thought it would be super boring & cheesy), we enjoyed it immensely!! It was so much fun! There were performing dogs, elephants, tigers, horses, clowns, acrobats, dancers, and a ring master that kept encouraging the audience to chant, "ZIM! ZAM! ZOOM!" We played along like little kids and enjoyed the suite, circus-themed food.

Dane & Marlon in the box

Marlon, Dana, Kate, Jed with the circus behind us
(what do you think of Jed's new glasses??)

We had a great time and will really miss going to Madison Square Garden events. We have been very spoiled the past couple years! But we're glad Dana and Marlon got to experience the Garden suite with us at least once!