Trip Up North

A couple weekends ago we took a trip up north to visit some more sites. We are loving the fact that so many amazing places are within reach out here on the East Coast. My cousin Jessica and her husband Cameron live in Rochester NY so we decided it would be fun to drive up and stay with them for a few nights and then we would be even closer to some of the places we wanted to see.

We were planning on driving up Friday night as soon as McKay got off work but I got stuck in a rain storm and didn't pick McKay from work on time. It ended up being a busy day so we were way behind schedule. We finally left around 7:00pm and made it 40 minutes down the road when we realized we forgot our passports and the stroller. It had been a long day so we decided to go home and sleep at our place then we could get up early and head to my cousins. So Saturday morning we got up and left at 4:00am so we didn't miss out on any time with Jessica and Cameron. 

We made good time and were able to eat breakfast and talk with Jess and Cameron before we headed out sightseeing. We drove to Buffalo and then across the water into Canada so we could view Niagara Falls from that side. Oh my, they were gorgeous! I remember thinking the U.S. side was pretty, but it was so much better from Canada. You could see a lot more of the falls and the town over there seemed a little nicer. We grabbed some crepes for lunch as enjoyed a good amount of time walking around and taking pictures. 

For dinner we went out to Chipotle over where Jessica is attending Medical School, it was fun to see the area where she will be spending so much time these next four years.

On Sunday we attended Stake Conference with Jessica and Cameron and then went back to their place to chill for a little bit and have delicious BBQ pork sandwiches for lunch. Jessica started playing the piano and Lewis quickly crawled over to join in. He even started dancing to her songs haha. 

We said our goodbyes after a quick visit and headed out for some church history sites on our way home. It was a gorgeous fall day to walk around the Sacred Grove and reflect on the amazing events that took place there. I can see why Joseph Smith often went into this grove to ponder. There is something so spiritual about being in nature. There were leaves all over the ground so we couldn't help but take some pictures of Lewis. 

We did a quick tour of the log cabin home where the Smith family first lived in Palmyra. Again, so neat to be in a place where many key events happened in the church. 

We had limited time so we just did a quick drive by the Palmyra Temple and the Hill Cumorah. There was a sign for the Moroni memorial on top of the Hill Cumorah so we drove up there to check it out. I really wanted a picture with the Moroni statue but the angle was a little difficult, hence the awkward photos. 

On our way home we drove through Scranton Pennsylvania so we had to stop and get a picture to prove it. This was the best we could do at night. 

It was a fun and quick weekend trip. We are so grateful that Lewis is a trooper with our adventures! A huge thanks to Jessica and Cameron for letting us crash at their place and for showing us around Rochester. Hopefully we will get to see them again before we move back West.