an epic vacation pt 1

i am quite blessed to be a member of the harding family. growing up their were many vacations and opportunities to see world we live in. while living back east many years ago, we went up to this little town in new york where history was made. i do not remember it very much and am grateful to have this new trip to have seen it. terry is one amazing father and i am so lucky to have him.

we started the vacation out on wednesday flying from slc->jfk->rochester, long day of travel. meg took the red eye and her and terry met up with us (my two aunts and i) and we journeyed to palmyra. we walked around the ground of the smith family farm and toured their small cabin. i have always heard it was this tiny one room place but seeing it, i was astonished at how large it actually is (compared to what was in my mind). it was humbling to stand in their home and realize the history made there. the spirit was so strong and as the sister missionaries bore testimony, i knew without a doubt what they were saying was true. it was incredible to see the places where the things i testified of for 18 months took place. 

we ventured to the sacred grove and while inside a tremendous storm started. we were soaked within minutes even with the cover of trees. it was quite the experience. one i am so happy happened. later that day we went back to the grove after it had stopped raining. there is nothing better than being able to ponder the gospel and mortality in the sacred grove. 

it was awesome to tour the place where the book of mormon was first printed. the hardwood floors are original to the building as were some of the other things inside. it was neat to see that those things had held up after all these years.

the pageant was incredible. they had 10,000 thousand chairs set up and it was quite the production. the cast mingled with the audience before the production and it was fun to hear all the places people traveled from. what an amazing thing to see the book of mormon played out in a short amount of time.

we also got to do a session at the palmyra temple. it is the only temple in the world with a clear glass window. it overlooks the sacred grove and is an incredible view to see. 

this family

this family is a dear family i met while serving the great people of meridian, mississippi. meridian is a small town on the border of alabama. the ward was small, but the members were incredible, proof being in this family. i am so blessed to know them. we spent a lot of time with them helping them prepare for their move to northern mississippi. i will never forget the incredible spirit felt in their home, the great examples sister matheson and her husband are to me, and the incredible daughters of theirs. 

they just so happened to make a visit to utah and i got to meet up with them. we went to the lion house for lunch, the beehive house for a tour, shopped at city creek, and finished up with a haircut for katherine. 

i often forget how lucky i am to live in this incredible city. i forget that this is where the saint's settled and that there is so much history here. i have been to many of these places multiple times, but it had been at least 8 years since i had last toured the beehive house. what a wonderful place to be reminded of the sacrifices made for me. 

4th of july and mission besties

i hit the jackpot when it came to companions on my mission. sure there were hard times, and no i did not get along all the time with every one of them, but i am so grateful for all of them and they amazing lessons they taught me.

one of my dear companions sister richards (whom i deemed "richie") came to visit me. she just got home 6 weeks ago and is from spokane, wa. richie and i were together for 12 weeks and became such good friends. i love her so much. we had a fun week together exploring this beautiful city i live in. she came to school with me for a class that i could't miss, she experienced her first cafe rio, she visited me at work, we watched movies, and now i wish she could come back and visit again real soon.

we figured we would seize the opportunity to meet up with some other mission friends too. 

 findels trained richie and then came to hang out with me. she is getting married in a month and i could not be happier for her. 

 carter is a party, i never got the chance to serve full time with her, but we did have the best exchanges ever and became quite good friends. 

i showed them one of my favorite pizza spots, este. can't go wrong with cheap good food. 

 we went to the airport to see another of our mission friends and while waiting, i happened to spot athelia, the lady who created shabby apple clothing. i am obsessed in love with her stuff and think she has such  a great story. check her out here

sadly richie had to leave and i was on my own again. until next time... 

onto the fourth: i am sad i only have a few pictures to document this, however the fourth of july is one of my most very favorite holidays. it is incredible to celebrate this great nation we live in. i am so blessed to be one of the few people born here, with billions on the earth, the chance of being born an american is slim. how lucky.

 i am like a small child and still go for the sparklers and pops. childhood at its finest.

 we went to the sugar house fireworks because we heard they were the best. fail. they were some of the worst i have ever seen. i think even wyoming's are better. oh well, at least we know for next year.