Hocking Hills

Rock Climbing

Duffy and I

The Cabin

Hiking

Elaina, Brooklyn, and Maddie

Over Labor Day weekend, I went with Duffy's family, who could easily be considered my 2nd family, to Hocking Hills State Park. I just love it there. Just as Rob had said to me, it's like Heavenly Father placed this area randomly in Ohio because it's really not characteristic of Ohio terrain. It's just beautiful with great places to hike, climb, and horseback ride. We took advantage of the great hiking on Friday afternoon when we got there. Then we met everyone back at the cabin, which was in a secluded area, and had a great dinner and fun night bonding. Then we all got up Saturday and went rock climbing! That was great fun too. We went back to the cabin and had another fun night talking with one another. There was even a hot tub to relax in. Sunday we went on a beautiful hike and chilled at the cabin. We played cards that night. Then Monday we hiked one last time and came on home. I had such a great time. I just love being a part of such a wonderful family! Thanks everyone for taking me in!

Restoring Honor: Faith, Hope, and Charity

On August 28th, my grandma, Dalton, Karen and Duffy, A.j. and Lisa, MaryAnn, and I went to Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor Rally on the Mall in Washington D.C. It was filled with patriotism and pride for our Nation! I just love D.C. to begin with. On Friday, we went to the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of American History. Those are my favorite! Then on Saturday, we got up early to get a seat in between the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument. Then we had the opportunity to hear many wonderful speakers, all talking about restoring faith, hope, and charity back to our Nation! I loved the feeling of unity there.

Nauvoo :)

I had the wonderful opportunity to go see Nauvoo this summer. The Young's, Tabby and her girls, Joe, and I hopped in 2 cars and took off Thursday morning. We stayed through Sunday morning. I had such a great time! It was filled with spiritual experiences for sure. I loved learning about the church's history there and visiting the historical sites. Seeing Carthage Jail was powerful as well. Our campsite was literally minutes away from the Temple, so each night Duffy, Joe, and I had the opportunity to go and read our scriptures outside of it. That was something I will never forget. On Saturday, we got to go to the Temple! It's so beautiful inside. I look forward to the next time I can go back. Also, the shows at night we're really great! What a treat to see the BYU folk dancers. They are crazy good. I can definitely say that my testimony of the church and it's history grew from this trip!

Cincinnati Zoo!

Over the summer, Duffy and I went to the Cincinnati Zoo! We had such a fun time. The weather wasn't too hot and the park wasn't too crowded. Taking pictures was challenging sometimes, but for the most part we got what we wanted. After leaving the Zoo, we had dinner in Newport at a seafood place. It was really great! We are both suckers for a good shrimp and pasta dish.

First Trip to the Temple!

First Time going to the Temple

Duffy and I at the Columbus Temple

What a wonderful day! After joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on June 12 this summer, I was looking forward to going to the temple. Who better to go with than the Young's? They were just as excited as I was! It was so peaceful there. It truly is the House of the Lord and I can feel the Spirit strong. I have been back twice since then and I can tell you that the feeling will never get old.

Starting My Blog!

So I decided to finally start blogging! I am going to try and post some pictures soon of my adventures over the summer.