Kirtland, OH

We went to Kirtland last weekend for the Stake Youth Conference and it was so much fun! We were lucky enough on the ride there and on the ride back to have nice, quiet young men ride with us who were happy to play with Kenzie in the back seat. It was very interesting to see all of the sites and hear all of the stories of the early Saints and all that was sacrificed for the church. Paul and I have decided to buy our vacation home there because it is so peaceful and beautiful. Of course we will have to buy our first home before that can happen:) Here are some pictures from our trip for those who are interested.

The Ashery where they made soap, glass (and something else that I can't remember) out of the ash of trees. Very industrious people.

The saw mill. Both the ashery and the saw mill were built recently, replicas of the originals.

The Whitney home. I somehow didn't get a picture of the N.K. Whitney store.

The Kirtland Temple.

The Johnson home where Joseph Smith and Emma lived for a while after moving to Kirtland.

This is the way the doors and cabinets were all stained. The Johnson's were very wealthy and had all of the finer things in their home.

This is the original color of the trim in their sitting room and all of the wood work was done by hand, not machines to make the fancy edges, it was very impressive.

This is the original floor, Sister Johnson was quite the creative decorator for her day, which was 1830! This is the floor of the room that Joseph and Emma stayed in while there.

This is another view of Joseph and Emma's room where the Prophet was dragged out and tarred and feathered. It was very difficult to stand in the room and not have tears streeming down my face at the thought of the mobs coming in and taking the Prophet.

This is where the Prophet would have rocked one of the twins while Emma slept in the bed with the other. Because the mob left the front door open in the middle of the winter one of the twins became very sick and died soon after. So heartbreaking! The next day was Sunday and the Prophet stood on the front steps of this home and gave a 2 hour sermon which I am sure left the mob feeling very defeated that they were not able to stop the work by attacking the Prophet.

This is the room in the Johnson home where Heavenly Father and Christ appeared to reveal the 76th section of the Doctrine and Covenants. All of the wonderful things that happened in such a humble place. It was amazing to be there. This is a place everyone should be sure to visit.