June 12, 2016

What a great week!  We had our office meeting on Monday and after President Francis said that he wanted to take us all out for lunch because we had missed doing anything for Elder Merrill’s birthday.  We had lunch with the staff at a Mexican food place close to the office and enjoyed visiting with everyone. 

On Tuesday we worked diligently to get ahead so we could spend more time with my parents.  It poured rain all day and then cleared up.  After work we did a few things and then drove over to Buffalo to pick mom and dad up at the airport.  It was such a blessing that dad felt good enough to travel.  We had a good visit and hated to go to bed because it was so good to see them.

We went over to Palmyra on Wednesday after we stopped into the office to do a few things.  We went to the Grandin Printing Press and had about half of the tour.  There was a large bus load of people that came in during our tour and we decided that we would come back when it wasn’t so congested.  A lady from the tour talked to us and she was from Rigby, her maiden name was Peggy Walker.  We went out to Hill Cumorah and showed them the art exhibit by Liz Lemon Swindle.  It is so beautiful!  I think I like it more each time I see it.  She has so much talent! 
It was windy and we decided that we would wait to take them to the top.   Last week was so warm and we had so much humidity.  This week it has cooled down and there isn’t much humidity.  I think that this is a blessing because it is easier to put on a jacket than try to keep cool.  We went back to the Grandin and finished our tour.  It is such a great place and always humbles me to realize that there were so many little things that happened to bring about the Book of Mormon and the restoration of the gospel.
We had something to eat at the Yellow Mill and then we drove around and looked at a few other things (the Erie Canal, the mushroom house, Trader Joe’s, and Wegman’s).  We played lots of games and had a good time hearing about those at home.  We really hoped that we didn’t wear them out with all the things we did.

On Thursday we went to the Smith Farm, the Martin Harris home, and the top of the Hill Cumorah.  We also attended the Temple in the evening.  We found really good fresh corn at Walmart for 20 cents an ear and had a nice supper at home.

On Friday, after some time in the office, we drove up to Lake Ontario and looked around.  We also went to High Falls and drove through Highland Park.  Everything is so beautiful and green.  We ate a good sandwich at DiBella’s.

On Saturday we went over to Fayette and toured the Whitmer Farm. They have a new movie there and I really enjoyed it.  I can always see President Kimball standing behind the table in the Whitmer home and talking during conference.  It is great to remember when they dedicated it in 1980.  We also went to the camp at Seneca Lake and enjoyed seeing all of the beautiful things there.  We also went into Sauder’s and looked around their unique store. 

We got up early on Sunday (as usual) and drove over to Batavia for church.  The members were so excited to meet my parents.  I had lent Chuck Lehman my book, Belonging to Heaven, about Hawaii (because they had lived there several years).  He read it in 1 week and said that it took away his manhood; because he cried like a baby.  I liked the book, but it wasn’t that sad to me.  I think that he was really attached to the good people he knew in Hawaii and he related the book to them.  He loved it!

After church we drove over to Attica and looked at the State Penitentiary (they call it a correctional facility).  It is huge and looks like a place you don’t want to go.  We noticed 2 other ‘facilities’ in other towns nearby.  We thought that maybe they weren’t quite as bad of places to go.  I can’t think of the term right now.  Step downs, less mean, I can’t think of what it is to go to a place that isn’t so bad.???

We drove to Letchworth Park after we ate our picnic (we had made one at home before church and put it into the cooler).  We enjoyed seeing everything there and it was a nice day.  We found out after we visited that a family had fallen into the river the evening prior and they had all gone over the falls and that 2 of the children were still missing.  They had been hiking in a restricted area and one of the kids had slipped and started a shale slide and they had all gone with him.  There were 5 rescued and a 5 year old boy and a 7 year old boy were drowned.  We felt so bad about hearing of this tragedy.  They have all been found now.

We went into the office on Monday and had our office meeting.  There were many things to do and we didn’t get home until about 1:00 to see how mom and dad were fairing.  They looked pretty fresh, having caught up a little bit on sleep. (we hoped)  They were ready and we loaded up and went to Pittsford and ate a burger at Tom Wahl’s.  The burgers there are always delicious!  We especially like the buns they use. 

After lunch we drove to Greece and then down Ridge Road.  We went to the lighthouse on Lake Ontario and then to the cemetery in Albion and Dennis decided to climb to the top of a tower there.  He said the view was very pretty, but that the climb was a little difficult.  It had a circular stair case and got more and more narrow the closer you got to the top. 

I'm waving to Dennis from the car

We went over to Oakfield and showed them Lamb Dairy and we enjoyed watching the cows ride the merry go round for awhile.  It is one of those things that is kind of mesmerizing. 

We then drove to Buffalo and checked into the hotel and relaxed for a little bit.   We stayed at the hotel with them and for some reason none of us slept that great.  We didn’t make noise (snore) or roll around all night, but for some reason we didn’t sleep that well.  The alarm went off at 5:00 and we got ready and went to the airport to get them onto the 7:00 flight.  It was so much fun and we hated to see them go.

Mom wanted crab legs after seeing the ones Doug got for his birthday!

Happy Birthday this week to Doug Johnson, Heidi Merrill and Andy Atkinson!  Make it the best day ever!

Blessing:  Having parents that love and care for us and want the best for us.  Being raised with good values and work ethics; knowing right and wrong and how to make good choices.  Thanks Everett & Janice Mueller and Glen and Ranae Merrill!