We made it!

       Our move from California to New York City went very well.  We rented a 16 foot Penske Truck (almost brand new with 2000 miles on it) which fit all our our stuff and still had ample space.  Landes drove the entire 3350 miles without even complaining.  We loaded the truck on Friday evening with ample help from family and our ward in Davis.  After getting everything out of our apartment and cleaning, we slept on the floor and left early the next morning, July 30th.

    We spent the first night in South Jordan, Utah at Derek's house.  It was fun playing with the nephews for awhile before beginning the journey into the unknown.  We went out to Cafe Rio for dinner with some of Landes' best high school friends and their wives.  The next day, we drove through most of Wyoming and stopped near the South Dakota border.  On Monday, we went to the Crazy Horse Monument which will be much larger than Mt. Rushmore if it is ever finished.  We are standing by a 1:32 scale model, but if you look in the background, you can see a face on the mountain.

     We also stopped by Mt. Rushmore.  It was very impressive.  We went on a short hike that brought us to the base of the mountain.  I am so impressed that somebody thought of carving a mountain and actually did it.  It is especially impressive when you consider that Mt Rushmore was carved with the technologies that existed before World War 2.

   On Tuesday, we drove to Nauvoo, Illinois, where the Latter-day Saints built up a city in what was once a swamp.  We got to see how things were done in the 1800s.  My favorite parts were seeing where the leaders of the church used to live, including Brigham Young and John Taylor, the second and third prophets of this dispensation.  The temple in Nauvoo is beautiful as well.  Someday I want to go back to Nauvoo and see some of the shows we didn't get to see this trip.

    We hurried out of Nauvoo to make it to Carthage Jail.  This is where the prophet, Joseph Smith, and his brother Hyrum were martyred.  We stood in the room where they were shot and killed by the mob.  There are still bullet holes in the door.  I am so grateful that Joseph Smith stood for the truth until the end.  He never denied the truth he helped reveal to the world.  That takes a lot of courage.  I hope I can endure to the end as well.

 On Wednesday, we stopped in Kirtland, Ohio.  This is where the Saints first gathered and built the first temple of this dispensation.  The temple is still standing and represents a lot of sacrifices to build.  There were some glorious things that happened in this temple and I was so glad for the opportunity to see it for myself.  We took a guided tour of historic Kirtland and got to see several houses where the early saints lived. 

   This is the Newel K. Whitney Store.  This is the building where the school of the prophets was held and many of the revelations found in the Doctrine and Covenants were received.  I am so grateful for modern revelations received by prophets of God in these days. 

 On Thursday, we arrived at our final destination, New York City.  We are living in Washington Heights in Upper Manhattan.  This is a view from our doorstep.  We live on the fifth floor of a walk up building, so moving in was quite a challenge.  We were so grateful that about 8 members of or new ward came to help us move in.  Within 2 hours, all of our belongings were safely in our apartment on the fifth floor.  We spent an arduous hour driving through lower Manhattan, trying to navigate the giant truck to the Penske drop off.  Once that was done, we were free to relax.  We got some pizza for dinner and took the subway home to our new apartment.  It feels strange living in such an enormous city, but I am excited to be a New Yorker.