Nauvoo, Illinois

City Beautiful, that's what Nauvoo means.

And it is a beautiful city. I feel lucky to have visited it twice.

One time was on our way back from Branson, MO. And I was in a lot of pain. I remember walking around with my bandages ankles and reading about the sacrifices the pioneers made and thinking about what they were forced to endure. It made me cry, and it made me grateful that my problems and pain suddenly seemed small in comparison.

I think that captures the most meaningful thing between both visits.

Pennsylvania: Philly and Otherwise

I suppose I could just double count my Spring Break road trip my first college roommate and I took where we went to her home in Allentown, PA and then drove to New Jersey, and visited New York. And while that was a wonderful, relaxing experience with lots of fun (like when her sister and I rode bikes over to watch tagged railroad cars drive by), let’s talk Philly.

The first time I went to Philly was after my college graduation. My parents came out, and we took a little trip over to visit our former across the street neighbors. It was so fun to see them again, and also great to explore the city. I loved seeing the historic sections and learning more about Ben Franklin.

I loved it so much, that years later when I was looking to find a job in a new city, I contacted the same family and asked if I could come stay with them for a few days and follow up on some potential job leads.

This trip was also a lot of fun, and filled more with home things. I worked out in the basement with them, and watched the kids one night so they could go out, and watched Dickens and knitted with the girls. I love having “normal” experiences in different places and getting a feel for what they are like.

I can’t write about PA and not mention Gettysburg. Both on my Spring Break trip, and during a ward campout while living in the D.C. area I was able to go to that incredible, sacred place. I am awed by the experiences of those who were involved in that brutal, bloody battle. I am grateful for men and women who are willing to give their lives to fight for liberty and make the life I know and love possible.

Arizona: Grand Canyon and Last Minute Road Trips

How to choose between the Grand Canyon and a spontaneous road trip to visit a friend? Don’t! write about them both :)

I believe I was in high school when we went as a family to visit the Grand Canyon. I remember it being one of the most incredible things I had ever seen or imagined, and to this day it still is high on the list.

One thing that sticks in my mind about that trip and experience was from one of the hikes we went on. I have always loved water (always as in from infancy – as in my parents used the sound of it to distract me so they could change my diaper and hearing it would often make me stop crying). On one of our hikes, I noticed a small dripping sound. When I located it, I saw the beginnings of a stalagmite (that’s the one that builds from the ground up, right?).

It awed me – that a tiny thing like a drip of water could build a totally new structure over a long time.

I wanted to remember that, and to emulate that. To know that with consistent, and often seemingly so small, effort I could do incredible things. Things that seemed too hard at first. And to remember that even seemingly insurmountable things are possible with perseverance.

Years later I went back to Arizona shortly after graduating undergrad. A number of us were living in Utah for the summer, and one of our dear friends was living in Arizona and having a bit of a rough go of it. So we packed ourselves into a car and drove down to visit, as a surprise. She was definitely surprised! It was such a cool thing to be a part of – to see her, to have her show us her part of the world, to leave her with her spirits lifted.

Peaceful Vermont

I loved when my father was able to visit me during one of his business trips. Whether it was planned, or unexpected, it was always nice to have a chance to catch up, and to have some home away from home.

During one of his trips to Boston, we decided to drive up to Sharon, VT. There is a visitor’s center and a monument commemorating the birthplace of the prophet Joseph Smith.

The details of that drive, and our time at the visitor’s center, is fuzzy for me. But, I know I enjoyed spending the time with my father, and being in that beautiful, peaceful place.

I also enjoyed going back for ward campouts each year I lived in Boston. These added to the fond memories I have of sitting around campfires, night walks through nature, carefree afternoons playing games and swimming, and meeting new friends as we’re all thrown into different surroundings than normal.

One afternoon, we piled into a few cars and drove to the Ben & Jerry ‘s factory for a tour (complete with ice cream tasting!). I don’t remember much of anything about the tour, but I do remember something from a conversation I had with one of the people in my car. He asked me about the “Hidden Gems” I had found in the Boston area so far. And by “Hidden Gems” he wanted to know the places and things that made me happy, or that most people would overlook. It was a neat perspective, and I have thought of it from time to time and used it as a reminder to focus on the good things in life.

Idaho: Stretching our Legs at Parks and on Temple Grounds

Pocatello

My most meaningful experience in Pocatello was going to a park after a long, long car ride. It felt so good to be out of the car!

The most amazing part of this park was that it had legit see-saws. Oh man was it fun to ride up and down with my dad.

They also had swings – one of my favorite things in the world! Getting on a swing and soaring into the air never fails to take me back to my childhood and remind me of awesome Daddy Daughter dates I used to go on to the park.

Idaho Falls

The reason we were on this trip is lost to me. Perhaps it was the time we went to Yellowstone? Regardless of why we were there, the two things that I remember most were:

First, going to see the grounds of the Idaho Falls Temple.

I feel like the temple might have been pretty new and I know my brothers and I were excited to see it. Every temple has such a special feeling about it, and the grounds are so peaceful and beautiful.

Second, I remember that even though it was a Sunday, my parents told us we were going to change into pajamas for the car ride – this was a big deal since we always stayed in Church clothes all day unless we were sick.

West Virginia

Have you ever paced a place and thought, “wait – I’ve been here before!”? That was my experience when I drove from New York to Southern Virginia in October and passed signs for Harper’s Ferry – while I was in West Virginia.

Now, this might seem like a strange way to start my meaningful experience blog post for West Virginia. Let’s just say, I was very excited to learn that a place I visited with my parents after graduation from Southern Virginia University that I thought was in Virginia was in West Virginia.

Here I was thinking that the most meaningful experience I had in West Virginia was the time that we were lost on our way to the Mormon Temple in Washington D.C. when we stopped multiple times for directions (pre-Smart Phones…back when you still had to stop at a gas station and consult maps). The first time we put one thumb up from the sunroof of the SUV to indicate we now knew which way to go. Each stop added more thumbs up and less confidence from the other cars – but we made it!

As memorable as that experience was (very!) I have had another more meaningful experience in West Virginia.

Harper’s Ferry is a beautiful town nestled into a gorgeous bend where the Shenandoah and the Potomac Rivers meet. There is a lot of history there. And I bought a book that combined my love of literature and my love for Abraham Lincoln – Lincoln & Whitman: Parallel Lives in Civil War Washington. Plus it had a bookmark with a penny that had a heart punched out of it :)

On my drive back to New York, I stopped at the West Virginia Visitors Center and talked to the very friendly staff there and had yet another fun experience in West Virginia!

Las Vegas, Nevada

I have three distinct memories of Las Vegas.

One:
When I was very young we stopped in Vegas on our drive from Utah to California. I remember feeling a little scared. And I remember that we had an all you can eat breakfast somewhere – I loved the pancakes, but was terrified something crazy, or bad was going to happen at any moment.

Two:
When I was in high school we took a bus from Utah to California for a Debate tournament (traveling from Northridge High in Utah to compete against Northridge High from California – it had never crossed my mind there could be TWO schools with my schools name!). On our way out to California we stopped at Denny’s for food at some crazy hour. I don’t remember what I ate on that stop, but I do remember my friend Derek wearing a cowboy hat asking me to dance with him in the middle of restaurant. I was jointly flattered and terribly embarrassed!

Three:
Two of my brothers and I met up in San Francisco to road trip to Utah for Christmas a few years back. My sister-in-law, another couple, and their young child joined us in our epic mini-van road trip. One of our stops was in Las Vegas. We stayed with a family that my sister-in-law knew well, and it was fun to meet some people close to her since her family lives so far away and we haven’t had much of a chance to interact with them. This stop included my first trip to the Vegas strip (to my knowledge). Despite being freezing cold, it was fun to watch the water show at the Bellagio Hotel. It was also fun to see the mini Eiffel Tower having recently walked up the steps at the real thing a few months prior. But truth be told, my favorite part of my Vegas experience was going to the temple with one of my brothers and spending time in the beautiful celestial room contemplating things that really matter in life.

Colorado: Amtrak and Speeding Tickets

Not normally two things that would go together, I know! Never fear, they were two separate Colorado experiences.

First Amtrak

One Sunday while I was in 9^th grade, my aunt Kayleen and her husband Bill brought their young son Kyle over to visit my family. It was fun – but also a little out of the ordinary. After we’d been sitting around talking for a bit, my aunt introduced the reason they had come over to visit.

Bill had won four Amtrak tickets from Salt Lake City, Utah to Denver, Colorado as part of a call in radio contest. They were there to invite me to be their fourth travel companion. I could go, if my parents agreed, and if I promised to help care for my cousin Kyle on the trip. Win!! I loved helping with children, and a train ride to Colorado sounded like a grand adventure to me.

Then the other piece of information came out: I would have to miss about a week of school. I nearly refused to go immediately. And I was sure that if I didn’t refuse, my parents would decline to give permission. And if my parents were willing, I was sure my teachers would never approve. Luckily, my parents asked for time to think about it, and after discussing further and checking in with my teachers (who gave me work to do as make up for what I’d miss), I was given a green light that I choose to take.

The train ride itself was incredible. I remember there was a car that was nearly all windows, and the amazing dessert landscape that rolled by was breathtakingly beautiful. On that note, I’ve never understood people who feel that the only beautiful natural landscape includes a lot of green. Don’t get me wrong, I like green scenery too, I just love that there is such variety on this earth!

In Colorado, we stayed in an AMAZING hotel. At that point I had never stayed anywhere so fancy. At breakfast our first morning there, I learned a little bit about the unfortunate reality that often the more you pay for a hotel, the more you pay for everything else at the hotel. My family had always stayed at places that had very few amenities, and one of the things that some of them did have was a continental breakfast (which we took full advantage of). At this hotel, they had a restaurant downstairs. Aunt Kayleen and Bill had us go there for breakfast. When Bill got the bill, he realized that the orange juice was $3 for a glass – and that was for each glass. I felt very grateful that I had not asked for a second glass and cost even more money.

We got around the city on public transit. My job was to help lift Kyle’s stroller into the buses. I remember feeling scared that I wouldn’t get in or out in time and the doors would close on me.

One of the places to went to in the city bus was an aquarium. It was pretty cool. And Kyle loved it. There are two things that really stayed with me about that place 1) I think I spent nearly as much time looking at cute boys in the aquarium an on the grounds outside as I did looking at the fish. I know for sure I used my wind up camera to take photos of people so far away that when I developed the film I couldn’t even tell which body in the distance was the cute boy I wanted to see again. 2) A few years later I read this adventure novel and it talked about a woman getting into some ducts in the Colorado Aquarium and there were corners she talked about in the building and various fish tanks that I could so vividly picture because of my trip there – it was so cool!

Bill made a video of the trip, and he gave me a videocassette copy. So fun.

Second Speeding Tickets, well, just one really

The summer that my friend Amber and I drove her car from Boston to Utah, we stayed with various friends and family along the way. Our first night in Colorado, we stayed with some of Amber’s family. We got to see some beautiful red rock

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And pretend to be a part of a buffalo stampede

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And found an awesome book painting

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My uncle Jon and his family lived in Castle Rock (I believe!) at the time, so we were able to stay with him. The Olympics were going during that cross-country drive, and I remember watching volleyball and other events that evening.

I also remember that uncle Jon had a shower that was different from anything I had experienced before (but exactly like the one I have now :) and I couldn’t figure it out. Since I was already undressed and in the tub, I just let the water pour out of the spout and did my best to wash up. Uncle Jon knocked on the door and tried to explain to me how to turn the shower on. Despite his best efforts (and lots of laughing) I was unable to figure it out, and unwilling to get out and decent so he could show me.

Luckily for Amber, I went first, so uncle Jon was able to help her learn how to work the shower, and she got a real one!

We headed out the next morning, and there was a construction zone. It was downhill, and there were no workers around. Amber was driving, and apparently we missed the sign that said the speed limit had decreased from 45 to 35 MPH (remember – downhill, unknown area, normally 65 MPH). Next thing we knew, there were flashing lights behind us, and Amber was edging over towards the construction barriers.

Instead of passing us, the police officer got out of the car and came to talk to us. We tried explaining that we were new in the area, and that we didn’t see the sign for the further decreased speed limit. We didn’t point out that there was no one around. There was no mercy. And it was a ticket in a work zone. So sad.

An especially sad note on which to leave Colorado, and for ending our adventure. But, certainly memorable; especially since Amber drove all the way back to contest the ticket!