Upstate New York Trip

Months ago Ryan had planned a work trip to Rochester, NY for mid July.  A few weeks before the trip he said that he may have enough frequent flyer miles to get me up there too, but Cannon would have to stay here.  I wrestled with the idea in my head for a long time.  I really dislike leaving Cannon overnight, but I also felt strongly that Ryan and I needed this trip together.  My good friend Yvonne was able to watch Cannon and my heart felt at peace.  She has two boys, one just older and just younger than Cannon, so it worked out perfectly.  He fit right in with their family and didn't miss a beat! 


Emerson, Cannon, and Everest

I flew in on a Thursday late afternoon, so as soon as Ryan picked me up from the airport we went straight to dinner.  On the way to our hotel we detoured a bit so that I could see what Rochester and the surrounding areas looked like.  We even passed their old house in Fairport!  I could just imagine Sugar dog running around and visiting the neighbors!  We passed Ryan's high school and some other places of interest to him.  I LOVED being able to finally see all the places that I have been hearing stories about.  For eight years now I've been hearing how great Fairport is, and this restaurant, and that store, and this pizza...and the list goes on!  It was a trip down memory lane for Ryan and it brought us closer together to listen to old and new stories and to share in his happiness. 

Our hotel was in Victor, fairly close to his old hood.  Once we got settled in, Ryan asked me on a whim if I wanted to go to the movies.  Sure, why not!  I don't even remember what we saw, but we ate raisinets.  On Friday he only had to work in the morning and he was back before noon.  That gave me enough time to sleep in, get ready, and finish the book I was reading.  We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping, eating, and just enjoying being together. 

I got to experience Wegmans, which Ryan and his family claims is the greatest grocery store ever.  I have to say it did not disappoint! 

And we went to Lombardi's which is Ryan's mom's favorite store.  It's a darling little Italian store in the Village of Fairport, that has more varieties of pasta than I have ever seen in my life!  Not to mention their selections of olive oils!

We also started our Church History tour with a trip to Fayette to see the Peter Whitmer Farm.  We got a nice tour in the church and the house.  It was a little busy, which Ryan warned me of because of it being pageant weekend.  Outside of Utah, I haven't experienced any church history sites so this was something I was really looking forward to during this trip. 

On Saturday we spent pretty much the whole day touring the church sites.  This was the highlight of the trip for me.  Everything strengthened my testimony and deepened my faith.  I left with feelings of humility and gratitude for all those who sacrificed and paved the way.  Being at these sites and seeing them with my own eyes, I relived these sacred moments and I'll never forget what I felt.  I can't wait to take Cannon and our future children back here someday!  I was a bad at remembering to take pictures, so the Grandin Building was left out.  Which is so sad because that ended up being one of my favorite places we visited.  When Ryan was living here as a teenager, he was able to be a part of some special experiences. 

During that time, the Palmyra Temple was just being built.  Ryan showed me the spot where he helped to lay in the new grass and worked to get the temple grounds ready.  During the dedication of this temple, Ryan's family was in attendance.  It was a chilly day and President Hinckley wasn't wearing a coat, so Ryan's dad leant him his coat!  It's a famous coat in our family now and Ryan's parents still have it somewhere. 

Palmyra Temple

The Hill Cumorah Monument

The Smith Home

The Smith Farm overlooking the Sacred Grove

Inside the Sacred Grove

I love this picture and I'm so sad that it turned out blurry

The day was topped off with watching the Hill Cumorah Pageant!  I've heard lots of stories from Ryan's family about pageant and now it was finally my turn to experience it!  The youth from our stake were here in Palmyra for the weekend too, so we met up with them at pageant.  The pageant itself was pretty awesome!  I am in awe of the magnitude of talent that is put into this program.  Again, I can't wait to take Cannon here when he's older!

On Sunday we went to the church that Ryan and his family went to when they lived here.  It was fun for him to see some people he hasn't seen in years and it was fun for me to finally have a face for a name!  After church we drove up to Niagara Falls, another first for me!

I didn't realize how touristy it is, which is a big turnoff for me.  However, we parked along the side of the river and walked to the falls.  That made it more peaceful and allowed us the time and space to take in the beauty.  We didn't do the Maid of the Mist boat ride, but I was happy to just walk around.

The next morning Ryan took me to the airport and that ended our trip!   He came home later that night on a different flight. This was such a wonderful trip and it replenished me more than I thought I needed, both spiritually and physically.