Kirtland

Saturday the 28th we made the trip to Kirtland for Sterling's first time. It was a little chilly that day, but it was still fun walking around. We started at the temple and worked our way over to the Church's site. 

We got there about 30 minutes before the tours started, so we walked around on our own to take some pictures. Sterling was admiring the architecture of the temple and asked me to take a couple of extra pictures. 

It's nice to see a pop of red with all of the earthy colors of winter. Dad thought it was funny that I wanted to stop for this picture. I enjoy looking at vibrant colors. 

Sterling got an extra treat on our tour. Our tour guide allowed him to play the piano inside the temple on two different occasions. There is an old pump organ on the third floor that they played a few notes on. So that was really cool. Sterling's cousin Billy has one out at the farmhouse, so we already knew how those worked. Then when we came down to the first floor, the tour guide asked if anyone knew how to play they piano. I volunteered Sterling because he was being modest. But I had a feeling he would really enjoy having that opportunity. So he got up and played for us and I was able to record it on my phone. That was a unique experience for us all, because usually they don't allow photography inside the temple. 

More pictures of the berries. 

And some more.....

The next stop was the Church's tour site. The Elder that showed us around had a fun personality and we learned a lot with him. 

The N. K. Whitney store is always my favorite spot. I like looking at all of the things they would have sold in the store part. I always get a special feeling walking in here. 

One thing I missed with this tour was singing The Spirit of God in this room. I'm not sure if it was because of our tour guide, or if they just don't do it anymore. But the school of the Prophets room is always a spiritual room. Even without the song. 

It was a really pretty drive on the way home. I wish I would have gotten my camera out a little sooner. I missed some good photo opportunities. But between the pink and the blue skies, it was really pretty to look at. 

I was surprised I could get such a clear picture of the moon with my camera. It was hard to get it to focus with the movements of the car, but this turned out really good. My dad and I used to take walks around Hayesville at night to star gaze. We had some good talks doing that. Seeing the moon like this reminded me of those good times. 

This was the last full day of our Ohio trip. We left to go home on Sunday after visiting my great grandma Beninghof. We ended up getting home between 10 and 11pm. 

What's next with the Carters? Well when we got home we cranked up my equinox and found it smoking under the hood. So off to the mechanic we go. We always like to end things with a bang.  ;)