THE LIDDIARDS: American and Church History Tour

Kyle and I have been watching The Work and the Glory movies the past few Sundays and it got us talking about Church history so I have also been thinking a lot about a 2 week American/Church history tour that I went on the summer after I graduated in 2006. Luckily I had been working at Walgreens for a couple years and had a few thousand dollars already saved to pay for it all by myself! I feel like I didn't study enough about where I was visiting when I was there all those years ago though. So I have been trying to learn more about church history and decided to blog my trip as I have been looking through pictures, remembering the significant sites I saw, but also the fun things we did too!

Tuesday July 11, 2006

The day I flew back east with one of my best friends, Megan Meacham, to Baltimore, MARYLAND!

So humid.

Wednesday July 12, 2006

We toured Washington D.C.

We visited the Capitol, Thomas Jefferson Monument, Arlington Cemetery with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Smithsonian, Lincoln Monument, American Museum, and the Roosevelt Monument.

Then we walked around the Washington D.C. temple and stayed the night in Frederick, Maryland.

Thursday July 13, 2006

We visited Gettysburg in PENNSYLVANIA, the wax museum and Little Round Top.

We ate lunch at General Pickett's Buffet there in Gettysburg too.

Then traveled to Hershey Pennsylvania to the Chocolate Factory!

That night we stayed near Philadelphia and ate the yummiest Philly cheese steaks for dinner!

Friday July 14, 2006

We visited Liberty Bell and Independence Hall (where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed) and the US Mint.

Later we went to NEW JERSEY to take a ferry to NEW YORK!

We visited Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty before going into the city.

We took a bus tour through the city passing ground zero, Central Park, Broadway, etc... that afternoon then stayed the night in the upper west side of NY.

Saturday July 15, 2006

That morning we got to do baptisms in the Manhattan Temple.

Then in the evening we all went to see Wicked on Broadway!

It was AMAZING!! Like so many goosebumps, SO good!

Sunday July 16, 2006

We left Manhattan to visit Boston, MASSACHUSETTS.

We walked along the Freedom Trail and took a subway to see Fenway Park.

Later we drove to VERMONT to stay the night at an Inn.

Monday July 17, 2006

We visited the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Factory! My kind of place, but No, I did not eat the Vermonster.

Then we visited Sharon, Vermont where Joseph Smith was born on December 23, 1805. The house wasn't there anymore, but there is a monument and visitors center there.

That night we stayed in Albany, New York.

Tuesday July 18, 2006

We visited Harmony, Pennsylvania near the Susquehanna River where the Priesthood was restored to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdry. They baptized one another there in the river as well.

We then visited Fayette, New York and the Peter Whitmer home, where the Church was officially organized in 1830.

That night we stayed near Palmyra, NY where Megan cut and colored my hair in our hotel!

Wednesday July 19, 2006

That day we toured the Palmyra area. We visited the home of Joseph Smith Sr. where Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith.

Then got to spend some quiet time in the Sacred Grove.

We sang Joseph Smith's First Prayer right before we went in and it was just like I imagined. Birds singing and beams of light shining through the trees.

In the spring of 1820 Joseph Smith knelt down to pray and the answer that he received changed the world. He saw God the Father and Jesus Christ.

I know that he was a Prophet.

We also saw the Palmyra Temple, E.B. Grandin Press and Print Shop (Where the first Book of Mormon was printed), and Alvin's grave.

That night we got to see the Hill Cumorah Pageant! That was while Sariah's parents were still in charge of the sets and special effects for it, so Brother Jurgens gave my group a special tour of their costumes, props and special effects before the show.

I loved the end of the pageant when Christ appears and the children are wearing modern day clothes.

Thursday July 20, 2006

I went to CANADA that day! We got to go see Niagara Falls and have lunch in the huge Skylon Tower overlooking it. Then took the Maid of the Mist boat to go right under the falls.

That night we stayed near Kirtland, OHIO.

Friday July 21, 2006

We got to visit the N.K. Whitney store, where the school of the prophets was. Another place where the Savior and Heavenly Father appeared!

Then visited the Kirtland Temple, the first one built in this dispensation. We all got to go inside and sing The Spirit of God together, which was a super neat experience.

We went to the Isaac Morely and John Johnson farms, both places where God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared also. (I got to visit all 5!)

That night we visited Amish country to have dinner at an Amish restaurant.

Saturday July 22, 2006

That morning we flew from Ohio to Kansas City, MISSOURI.

We went to our visitors center and 'Temple lot' in Independence and saw the Community of Christ temple.

Then visited Liberty, where the jail was. There is a model of what it used to be like in the visitors center. One of my favorite scriptures, D&C 122:7 was written while Joseph Smith was there in Liberty Jail.

We then visited Far West and saw the corner stones for a temple.

And then Adam-Ondi-Ahman.

That night we stayed in Quincy, ILLINOIS.

Sunday July 23, 2006

We were able to visit Carthage Jail, where the Prophet Joseph Smith was martyred.

He lived and died for the gospel of Jesus Christ. He knew it was true and never denied it.

Thanks to him the light of the gospel will never go out again.

Later we drove to Nauvoo and spent the evening walking down Parley's Street, where the saints walked down down to cross the Mississippi River and leave to go west.

We got to put our feet in the Mississippi River and watch the sunset and then had an amazing testimony meeting.

We also saw Joseph, Hyrum and Emma's graves and the house he left to go to Carthage from.

We got to stay in Nauvoo the next two nights and I LOVED Nauvoo. It is the cutest little town.

Monday July 24, 2006

I got to do baptisms for the dead in the Nauvoo Temple that morning. We then walked down to the visitors center and got to watch the Joseph Smith movie too.

In the evening we got to watch a dress rehearsal for the Nauvoo Pageant.