Golden Gate Bridge

Owen is fascinated with bridges!

He zooms all over the world on our iPad via Google Earth looking at all the different bridges. Lately, we have been taking some fun family outings to different bridges around our area. We have visited the Jiboom Street Bridge in Sacramento (his all-time favorite) and the Foresthill Bridge in Auburn (the tallest bridge in California). Last week, we told him we were going to take him to the Golden Gate Bridge (another favorite). His face lit up with joy

It was the most BEAUTIFUL day in the City! It was warm and there was virtually no fog. We could see the Bay Bridge and the tall buildings in San Francisco. We were originally going to walk about half-way across, but Owen insisted on walking the entire way. We walked across to the Marin County side and had lunch. While we were walking, Owen would occasionally stop and look over the bridge to see the water and boats below. He was so happy!

After the bridge, we took the kids to Baker's Beach. They had fun chasing the waves (well, Wyatt was freaked out of the ocean) and writing their names in the sand.
It makes me smile inside knowing that Owen was so happy that day!

Such a fun family outing!

Merry Christmas

Day 4

We woke up in the morning literally unable to get out of the little town we had stayed in for the night. When we drove into the hotel the night before it was raining, HARD! Apparently it rained all night long and the Susquehanna River had flooded...in a major way!

After about an hour of driving around trying to find a way out of the town without running into flooded roads and freeways, we found some locals willing to take us through the back-roads and back to the freeway! We then made our way to NEW YORK CITY!

We drove over the George Washington Bridge and into Manhattan! Growing up the in the Bay Area and being to San Francisco so many times I can't even count, I thought New York City was going to be comprable! NO WAY, JOSE! NYC is ten times as busy and crazy as San Francisco!

We headed to Times Square (where our hotel was) and took in all that it had to offer... Then, we jumped onto a hop-on/hop-off tour bus that took us all over the city. One of our stops was the Empire State Building. We decided not to go to the top mainly because of the cost ($20 per person) but also because the line was super long! We settled for a photo!

After touring part of Manhattan on the bus, we got off and headed to a Broadway show, Mary Poppins. We had scored tickets that afternoon in the third row. It was a neat experience. I can now say I have been to a Broadway show. I probably will never do it again, but it was a good experience!

Day 3

Day 3
We hit the road and left the country!!!

We decided that even though Niagara Falls was out of the way, we couldn't get this close and not see it!
Everyone who has been says "Go to the Canadian side. It is so much better!" So, we left the United States and ventured into Clarke's native land...Canada!

Niagara Falls is definately one of the natural wonders of the world! IT IS AMAZING! We parked in a parking lot that's weather forecast is "rain" 365 days of the year. The mist and wetness reaches places all around! Right away we realized why the Canadian side is so much better. The Canadaian side is down-stream from the falls whereas the American side is upstream from the falls. Much better view for the Canadians!

The Maid of the Mist is the boat in the river getting DRENCHED!

Here are Clarke and I one the Maid of the Mist BEFORE getting to the falls

Clarke and I as it is starting to get wet. Clarke thought he'd be "cool" and not put on his hood

After getting DRENCHED by the falls. As you can see, I WAS wearing make-up. I look like I have two very black eyes! You get so wet on the boat, our cameras couldn't be out to take pictures

All of us with the Horseshoe Falls and American Falls in the background

We were SO happy we made the trip to go to Niagara Falls.

It was spectacular.

Day 2

Day 2

We headed to Palmyra, NY. This is the place where so much in our Church's History took place. Growing up in the Church, I read of places like Joseph Smith's childhood home, the Sacred Grove, the Grandin Print Shop, the Peter Whitmer Farm, etc. all my life. I knew these places existed, but to a California girl, Palmyra, NY seemed so far away!

We started at Joseph Smith's childhood home (above picture).

Here is a depiction of what the family's table would have looked like. There on the table is a Bible printed around the time of Joseph's life. Here the family would gather and read from the Bible each night. The Bible is coincidentally opened to a specific chapter and verse...any guesses? James 1:5

The Palmyra Temple is seen from Stafford Road.

This is the Smith "framed" Home. The family would have moved into this home later in Joseph's life. The home is beautifully restored with most of it being left original. The tree behind Clarke and I is a tree thought to have been planted in Alvin's honor after his death.

The Sacred Grove. AHHHHHHH! We were the only ones there that day. It was BEAUTIFUL!!!!! Words cannot describe how green and beautiful it was. What happened there changed the world! Powerful!

We then headed to Grandin's Print Shop. AWESOME!

The Church has actually bought all the land around the original shop and built the Visitor's Center around the actual building. Here we are in the back of the building. Again, private tour!

This is where the original 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon were printed. The ink spatter, yellow trim, wood floors, etc are all original. It was incredible to learn about how much work it was to make a book back then...let alone 5,000 of the same book

This is one of the original copies of the Book of Mormon. I saw on an Antique's Roadshow once that this is worth approximately $300,000 (there are 4 of them in Palmyra...I think)

Downstairs in Grandin's Print Shop

We also drove past the Martin Harris Farm. It is an old house now where missionary couples live. There are acres and acres of corn

This is the Peter Whitmer Farm. On April 6, 1830, the Church was organized here. It was headquarters to the Church for a little while as well. It is not that big, but definately room for the 30-40 people who were in attendance that day. Awesome!
All in all, it was an AMAZING day!

We are soooooo happy we experienced it. Being there totally strengthened by testimony!

East Coast Vacation - Day 1

Clarke and I had the amazing opportunity to tour the East Coast with my parents in September. We left the kids home with Clarke's parents and my aunts and headed out. We were gone 11 days.

Day 1

We headed to Cooperstown, NY to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame. Cooperstown, NY is in the middle of NO WHERE! Surrounding Cooperstown are acres and acres of beautiful green farm land with fascinating old houses. It was so different than the dry, dead, brown of a summer in California. I was tempted many times to pick-up and move (but was reminded about their winters!).

Cooperstown, NY is dependent on the visitors to the Hall of Fame. Here is a little history about Cooperstown, NY.

The Mills Commission, chaired by Abraham G. Mills, the fourth president of the National League, was appointed in 1905 to determine the origin of baseball. The committee's final report, on December 30, 1907, stated, in part, that "the first scheme for playing baseball, according to the best evidence obtainable to date, was devised by Abner Doubleday at Cooperstown, New York, in 1839." It concluded by saying, "in the years to come, in the view of the hundreds of thousands of people who are devoted to baseball, and the millions who will be, Abner Doubleday's fame will rest evenly, if not quite as much, upon the fact that he was its inventor ... as upon his brilliant and distinguished career as an officer in the Federal Army

Abner Doubleday
Clarke was like a kid in a candy store! He loves baseball! I often joke that he can remember who won the World Series in 1967, but he can't remember to shut the closet door at home! (although he claims he shuts it every time!)

Old baseball gear

Clarke with Ty Cobb memrobilia

Ty Cobb was a pretty good baseball player...I know his name, but that's about it!

Babe Ruth uniform and memrobilia. I do know who Babe Ruth was!

This is some hate mail that Jackie Robinson received. He was the first African-American player in professional baseball.

Blue Jays stuff for the Blue Jays fan

The 1990's Oakland A's is are the teams I remember and grew up watching. Jose Conseco, Mark McGuire, Ricky Henderson, Walt Weiss, Tony LaRussa. I remember going to a lot of A's games during my childhood.

Clarke was THRILLED that Johnny Bench was making an appearance the day we were there. We listened to him for about an hour tell stories about his baseball years. Apparently he is the best catcher ever! Again, don't know much about baseball...I even called him Tony at one point. Clarke and Dad with Johnny Bench

Johnny Bench memrobilia

I am sure Clarke is going to look at this post tell me I missed half of the "cool" pictures. Oh Well!

It really was a great day. My mom and I even enjoyed ourselves. Baseball is part of our national past-time and I have some great memories going to A's games.

Jibboom Street Bridge

Owen LOVES bridges.
He LOVES using Google Maps and Google Earth on the computer and finding all the bridges in a certain area.

For some reason, he zoned in on the Jibboom Street Bridge in Sacramento.

He loves the Jibboom Street Bridge. Everytime he was on Google Earth or Google Maps, he was never far from Jibboom Street.

Where is Jibboom Street? It is just off I-5 near Old Town Sacramento.

One day, after Clarke had spent the day with Lilly (Daddy-Daughter), we wanted Owen to have a special day too. So, we asked him if he would like to go to the Jibboom Street Bridge. His face lit up with excitement (which is something quite rare for a child with autism) and said "YES!" So we loaded up and headed to the Jibboom Street Bridge.

Owen and I took our time walking across the bridge together while the others waited in the car. He is in HEAVEN! He couldn't wait be on the bridge. His smile was ear to ear!

Considering he can't show emotion beyond a smile, the look in his eyes was priceless. He loved every moment of it!