When we were at Camp Joseph, we found a little souvenir in the grass.  None other than a three-inch-tall Captain Jack Sparrow!
   It was 53 degrees.  Only half of Arizona's temperature!
   But the beach was astonishing!  The water was so clear, the sand so white.
   Apparently they had a seaweed fight.  I missed it. Dang.
    Sophie, always stylin'.

   In the main part of the camp was a building with a tour about Joseph Smith's life.  In the very first part we were showed the Howland Family History chart.  It was fascinating, because Joseph Smith, his wife Emma Hale, George W. Bush, George W. H. Bush, Richard Nixon, GeraldR. Ford, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill all descended from the same man.  The tour also included a breathtaking video that left us in tears.

   The doorstep of the Smith Family, one of the few things left of their home.
   At the "Waters of Mormon," the younger ones really wanted to go fishing.  Luckily, they didn't catch anything (and I say 'luckily' because we wouldn't be able to eat the fish, which would just mean the fishing/torturing of fish was for no reason whatsoever).  They did have fun, though I think Eric and Sophie grew a bit too attached to the worms.
  Our cabins.


   It was beautiful, and being there left this really neat, peaceful feeling inside us.

   The boys- Dad especially- were thrilled to see Fenway Park.
   The Freedom Tail, obviously, included many famous historical sites, including the Old North Church Bunker Hill, etc.
   It didn't include Mike's Pastry, of course, but we couldn't resist. Four chocolate-covered chocolate chip cannolies and a crab puff later...
   One thing we got to see was the USS Constitution.  Called "Old Ironside" in the War of 1812, this ship is the last of its kind in the water (there is one more in England that is on land).  It was really neat to explore the different levels and listen to the stories about the ship and her sailors.
   Bunker Hill....  "Don't shoot until you see the whites of their eyes..."
  All of us girls were excited when we found out that there was an American Girl Doll store in Boston.  We had been planning to see the one in NY, but that one closed too early.  Rachel and I had been dying to see it at Livy's age, so it brought back memories, but the two little girls looked like they would melt with joy before our eyes.  "I want this.... and this.... and this....."
   On one of the days, my family joined the Menzies (and Kenzie Manning)  and went to the Boston Temple.  Lucky kiddos got to stay in the car for a couple hours as the dads, Christina, Rachel, Thomas, and I did baptisms for the dead.  Inside and out, the temple was absolutely beautiful.  And, like every temple, it had that wonderful, peaceful aura.
   Umm... yeah...  Eric is two years older than Sophie and three years older than Wesley....
   We got to drive around a bit.  The girls were in one car while the guys were in the other car (though Livy and Grace had to go in the guy car because of space).  That was fun.
   The Old North Bridge.  It was stunning to think that we were where the "Shot Heard Round the World" was fired.
   We also went to Louisa May Alcott's house.  That was really neat, especially because Christina and I share a fictional writing blog.   This building was her father's schoolhouse.
   After spending a few hours in Maine one time, we brought back four two-pound lobsters for a total bargain.  They were only for the adults, but that was fine by me since I decided over the spring break that I don't like "lobstah."
   One of the last cobblestone streets left in America.



  On our last Sunday of the trip, we went to our old ward in Franklin.  It was kind of awkward for people to exclaim how they remembered me when I was "only this tall" when I couldn't exactly say I remembered them too.  But, it was fun nevertheless.
  Going to Boston gave my family the time to bring back memories and see, first hand, sites that changed the world.  I really hope we can go there again someday.

  While the Dad stayed with Adam and the two little ones at the beach, Mom, Rachel, Livy and I took the cliff walk.  I think they had more fun back at the beach because Adam (a fantastic architect/engineer) built this.
  It was gorgeous.
   And it was really funny because both me and Rachel could remember coming here as toddlers and seeing a dead whale!
   Afterwards we stopped at this little place for a cheap but delicious seafood dinner.

  Although it doesn't show it in this specific picture, there were lots of giant signs advertising Broadway shows.  I almost couldn't believe it when my dad decided to get tickets to Phantom for Mom, Rachel, and I (and then Adam when he claimed he loves that show just as much, which is not possible in my mind).  But unfortunately they were sold out for almost another week, unless we wanted tickets that were $125 each.  Oh well.  At least we tried.
  The Statue of Liberty on the Staten Island Ferry.  How fascinating to think that we sailed the same waters, our eyes upon the great statue, as so many who came to America in search of freedom!

  Who knew that there was a four-story Toys R Us with a ferris wheel?  I didn't.  With these totally decked-out sections for LEGO's, Barbies, babies, Candy Land, Willy Wonka, etc, my four younger siblings had a blast.
  When we were becoming a bit on-edge with frustration at the city, coming here totally changed our attitude.  Despite it being ten years, mostly Ground Zero is still just ruins, though they are building over it.  It reminded us of how grateful we are for our freedom and our lives.

   In Valley Forge, we got to see the site where George Washington and his men stayed that symbolic winter.  This was his headquarters.  It was almost unbelievable to think that our hands were brushing the same railing that one of the founders of our nation touched.

   These are the very original documents that are the foundation of the U.S.