We have come to the end of our trip. Now we ask the serious question, "was it worth it?" At least three times today the answer was a resounding yes. Tony and I got up with the sun and enjoyed a magnificent session at the Nauvoo temple. I loved the needlepoint and artwork and the rich dark woodwork and furniture. I got muddled at the veil this morning and had to smile when the temple worker said with a smile, "try again." How did she know that is a family motto of ours?
We spent the morning exploring Nauvoo, getting a cookie at the bakery, a ring at the blacksmith, a brick at the kiln. We picnicked as a glorious midwestern rainstorm gathered in the sky. We watched a show in the visitor center entitled, "The Promise," and drove through the beautiful corn fields to Carthage. As we headed up the stairs of the jail to see the room where the prophet was martyred I said a little prayer that Tony and I would have a little time to bear our testimonies to our children. I was trying to figure out how to ask permission from the missionary, when she announced that the spirit prompted her to forgo her own testimony and allow Tony and I a few moments to share our feelings. It was a tender moment as Tony and I bore witness that God had and currently has prophets on the earth and that Joseph Smith is the prophet of the restoration. Marcos was touching the hole where the fatal bullet went through the door and may not remember our words, but I hope all the kids remember the spirit.
Tonight we left the kids at the hotel to swim and came to the Stake Center to hear a special fireside by Susan Easton Black and her husband George Durant. What a treat!
We go home tomorrow and start summer for real. My kids have no idea how lucky they are, but they cannot deny what their parents value most. We were willing to spend a lot of time and money for them to feel the spirit of the restoration. As we get close to watching our children disperse, I am very grateful for the memories we've made on this once in a lifetime trip.
The lesson that has been so continually taught me this trip is the commonality between a mormon pioneer, a jewish holocaust victim, a founding father and me is simply a decision to dedicate our life to God. The loss of property, family and even dignity are shaping opportunities when we are focused on the Savior. Without that focus, they are devastating losses.
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Sunday, June 22, 2014
DC
We arrived yesterday in DC, grabbed our rental car and hurried to church. It felt so good to be in the familiarity of sacrament meeting. The Bishopric was speaking and spoke on Pres Hinckley's talk: A Father in Zion. As the speaker listed the 10 things that a good father should do, I placed a mental checkmark on each item, giving Tony a 100% score, an A + Dad. Everyday of this trip I am more grateful for this gift of memories that Tony is giving our family.
After church we had dinner at a Thai restaurant near our hotel in Chinatown. The evening was an absolutely perfect temperature so our walk in the National Mall was breathtaking. We strolled along the pathway to visit the Vietnam, Lincoln, and Washington memorials. We also walked around the National sculpture garden and in front of the White House. It was a peaceful and reverent night. After ice cream Tony and I dropped the kids at the hotel and went for a drive to the Washington DC temple. It was such a nice way to end the day; I have always wanted to see that temple. DC is a beautiful city, clean and peaceful, a contrast from New York that is so loud and "in your face." I was proud of the city that is the face of our country. I loved loved loved the beautiful brick homes and classic architecture.
We were stopped twice by people who told us what a beautiful family we have. For this one night, with everyone getting along and in that beautiful place, I could agree. Wilson found $10.00 on the ground and I was proud of him for listening to the spirit direct him to give it to a homeless man. I'm also impressed that Cooper thinks to do things like "drop a pin" on his phone so he won't get lost and set a timer for parking meters. Cooper has a gift of forethought that gives him confidence.
We had our first sleep-in morning, had a workout, enjoyed breakfast at the hotel and were off to the DC museums. Tony frightened the kids by putting on his red swimming suit with a blue shirt and white socks. He called it his patriotic outfit. Wilson described it as the "outfit of shame."
We started at the Air and Space Museum and spent a beautiful couple of hours among the planes and rockets. After refueling with Popsicles and hotdogs with kraut we played some frisbee at the beautiful park nearby. After lunch we spent another couple of hours at the Museum of Natural History. Marcos loved the ocean exhibit, especially the shark bones. In the animals of North America exhibit we ran into our neighbors from St John! What were the chances? Tony could have stayed in the airplance and space exhibits forever. Cooper got good at using the microscope, to get close ups of all the specimens. Wilson enjoyed the ocean photographer who found a new species of whale. He felt like the museums would give a writer so much inspiration. Max most enjoyed shopping in the museum stores, especially the lego stuff. Eliza most liked the minerals and gems. I enjoyed the exhibit about Anne Morrow Lindberg. None of us liked the evolution exhibit. Too much science, not enough truth.
We ended our visit at the Jefferson Memorial and were impressed that Jefferson looks straight at the White House as if to remind our government that "we place on the alter of God the eternal hostility of the tyranny of the mind." We had to miss the Arlington Cemetery, because we were hot, tired and thirsty, but talked about it on our way out of town. We spent our drive to Cleveland listening to "The Book Thief," Les Mis music and Tom T Hall. It was nice that we have a couple of teenage drivers to give us a driving break. We passed through four states, my favorite being Pennsylvania. Such beautiful scenery. Only the toll roads were driving us crazy.
We had a peaceful day in Kirtland after a good breakfast and a quick swim. We started at the visitor center where we saw the Newell K Whitney store, Smith home and sawmill. We next visited the Kirtland temple, owned by the Community of Christ Church. Our guide, a young man from India did a good job telling us all the facts, but the kids noticed right away the infrequent mention of the Savior and lack of testimony. I was anxious to have the church put money and expertise into the renovation, as it seems pretty dilapidated. We ended our Kirtland visit at the Morley farm. I am again struck with the importance of finding our own sacred grove, our own temple experiences where the Lord reveals himself to us. Another lesson exemplified by the pioneers is that I need to not concern myself with material possessions. Commandments involving material possessions are for the purpose of directing us to the Savior, they are tools.
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After church we had dinner at a Thai restaurant near our hotel in Chinatown. The evening was an absolutely perfect temperature so our walk in the National Mall was breathtaking. We strolled along the pathway to visit the Vietnam, Lincoln, and Washington memorials. We also walked around the National sculpture garden and in front of the White House. It was a peaceful and reverent night. After ice cream Tony and I dropped the kids at the hotel and went for a drive to the Washington DC temple. It was such a nice way to end the day; I have always wanted to see that temple. DC is a beautiful city, clean and peaceful, a contrast from New York that is so loud and "in your face." I was proud of the city that is the face of our country. I loved loved loved the beautiful brick homes and classic architecture.
We were stopped twice by people who told us what a beautiful family we have. For this one night, with everyone getting along and in that beautiful place, I could agree. Wilson found $10.00 on the ground and I was proud of him for listening to the spirit direct him to give it to a homeless man. I'm also impressed that Cooper thinks to do things like "drop a pin" on his phone so he won't get lost and set a timer for parking meters. Cooper has a gift of forethought that gives him confidence.
We had our first sleep-in morning, had a workout, enjoyed breakfast at the hotel and were off to the DC museums. Tony frightened the kids by putting on his red swimming suit with a blue shirt and white socks. He called it his patriotic outfit. Wilson described it as the "outfit of shame."
We started at the Air and Space Museum and spent a beautiful couple of hours among the planes and rockets. After refueling with Popsicles and hotdogs with kraut we played some frisbee at the beautiful park nearby. After lunch we spent another couple of hours at the Museum of Natural History. Marcos loved the ocean exhibit, especially the shark bones. In the animals of North America exhibit we ran into our neighbors from St John! What were the chances? Tony could have stayed in the airplance and space exhibits forever. Cooper got good at using the microscope, to get close ups of all the specimens. Wilson enjoyed the ocean photographer who found a new species of whale. He felt like the museums would give a writer so much inspiration. Max most enjoyed shopping in the museum stores, especially the lego stuff. Eliza most liked the minerals and gems. I enjoyed the exhibit about Anne Morrow Lindberg. None of us liked the evolution exhibit. Too much science, not enough truth.
We ended our visit at the Jefferson Memorial and were impressed that Jefferson looks straight at the White House as if to remind our government that "we place on the alter of God the eternal hostility of the tyranny of the mind." We had to miss the Arlington Cemetery, because we were hot, tired and thirsty, but talked about it on our way out of town. We spent our drive to Cleveland listening to "The Book Thief," Les Mis music and Tom T Hall. It was nice that we have a couple of teenage drivers to give us a driving break. We passed through four states, my favorite being Pennsylvania. Such beautiful scenery. Only the toll roads were driving us crazy.
We had a peaceful day in Kirtland after a good breakfast and a quick swim. We started at the visitor center where we saw the Newell K Whitney store, Smith home and sawmill. We next visited the Kirtland temple, owned by the Community of Christ Church. Our guide, a young man from India did a good job telling us all the facts, but the kids noticed right away the infrequent mention of the Savior and lack of testimony. I was anxious to have the church put money and expertise into the renovation, as it seems pretty dilapidated. We ended our Kirtland visit at the Morley farm. I am again struck with the importance of finding our own sacred grove, our own temple experiences where the Lord reveals himself to us. Another lesson exemplified by the pioneers is that I need to not concern myself with material possessions. Commandments involving material possessions are for the purpose of directing us to the Savior, they are tools.
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Sunday, June 15, 2014
The great Lundberg Adventure
The Great Lundberg Adventure is in full swing! We are running at a frenetic pace and cramming it all in to this once in a lifetime trip.
Our plane was delayed on Thursday so our arrival into Buffalo was several hours late. We survived the airport by indulging in Chicago hot dogs, potato cakes and Ben and Jerry milkshakes. Tony and I spent the better part of two hours on the phone arguing with hotel reservation people. Watching Tony drink his milkshake, Cooper commented, "Dad is drinking his milkshake angrily!" It stuck. Now when someone gets worked up, we offer them an "angry milkshake." Our delay did make for ideal traffic conditions upon our arrival and we quickly crossed the border into Canada at about 2:00 am.
Friday morning we headed straight for Niagara Falls and enjoyed the amazing view, cool mist and pretty parks. I was glad to be on the Canadian side and would have loved more time to do some hikes. We couldn't help compare the Falls to our own beautiful Palouse version, which we are very partial to.
From Buffalo we drove to Palmyra. We grabbed a pizza lunch and then visited the Grandin press where the first Book of Mormon was published. The spirit was very strong in that building and it was amazing to see how much work and sacrifice went into making that book. I appreciated the missionaries challenging us not to take this scripture for granted. Our next stop was the Smith farm. Our guide told us about the Beans, a couple who lived at the Smith farm to take care of it, as a sort of mission. The Beans made an incredible difference in their town, by maintaining their values and by participating in their community. I thought they were a great example of what I want to be. We had a fantastic New York thunderstorm and our walk through the sacred grove was a little damp. The Sacred Grove was peaceful and calm and reminiscent of all the other beautiful places I have been all over the world. It reminds me that sacred grove experiences are possible when I ask a question and wait for the Lord to reveal himself to me. The kids liked seeing all the places Joseph Smith hid the plates from the people who ironically did not believe he had them.
After briefly visiting the Hill Cumorah we started our rainy drive through lush upstate NewYork. We stopped at the famous Dyno BBQ and had our first ever fried green tomatoes. The wings and ribs were the best we had ever had. I was glad we were eating the messy stuff in a rental car! We had one of our most exiting moments as we raced the clock to return our rental car on Manhattan Island by 11:00. We drove through Times Square and 5th Avenue with all the bright lights and hoards of people as aggressively as a NY cabdriver. We pulled into the garage at exactly 10:59 and Tony had to nearly run the rental employee down yelling, "its 10:59!" It was an exciting entrance to New York City. I loved walking through the city at midnight and feeling all the energy.
We slept well that night in our hotel on 5th Ave and were up early to catch our ferry to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis island. The statue of Liberty is beautiful and it was fun to learn how it was made. I should have recognized that the engineer who designed the iron framework, also designed the Eifel Tower. Our crowd tolerance" was low and we were back on the island for lunch (official New York Cheesecake and Cannoli) a walk down Wall street and a view of the 9/11 sites. We thought we were going to see the 9/11 museum, but the lines were oppressive and they just changed the policy for no appointments. One of the games we played while waiting in lines was, "try to find someone with feet bigger than Cooper's." It is a hard game. Nobody ever could win. We ended our Manhattan Island tour on a water taxi that took us all around the harbor, the Brooklyn Bridge, past Governors Island and back up to our hotel. We would all highly recommend this relaxing tour as the best way to see the views. We collapsed for a couple of hours, did a little shopping for "i ❤️ NY" tshirts and rested before the big play.
Les Mis on Broadway at the Imperial theatre was a very cool experience. The actors seemed so close, the live music made a difference and the scenery was my favorite yet. It was a long play for little Marcos and he did OK until his mosquito bites started itching and brought him to tears. Cooper also got a touch of food poisoning and ended up puking in the bathroom. Later that night over icecream and soda in the hotel room we talked about lessons we learned from the play. Wilson liked the focus on mercy. Cooper thought that Jean Valjean represented the Savior, because he saved people with his compassion. I was really touched this time by the lesson that we cannot allow others control over us, that we must learn to react not be reacted upon. Eliza liked the part when the Bishop extends kindness and changes a person's life. Tony pretty much cried through the whole thing.
We were up early in our church clothes this morning to catch our train to DC. The train station was a confusing mess and this beautiful woman saw us looking frazzled. She led us on a private elevator and got us all situated at comfy tables. Train travel is brilliant, once you get on. We had a relaxing bagel breakfast and the kids are sleeping happily.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Our plane was delayed on Thursday so our arrival into Buffalo was several hours late. We survived the airport by indulging in Chicago hot dogs, potato cakes and Ben and Jerry milkshakes. Tony and I spent the better part of two hours on the phone arguing with hotel reservation people. Watching Tony drink his milkshake, Cooper commented, "Dad is drinking his milkshake angrily!" It stuck. Now when someone gets worked up, we offer them an "angry milkshake." Our delay did make for ideal traffic conditions upon our arrival and we quickly crossed the border into Canada at about 2:00 am.
Friday morning we headed straight for Niagara Falls and enjoyed the amazing view, cool mist and pretty parks. I was glad to be on the Canadian side and would have loved more time to do some hikes. We couldn't help compare the Falls to our own beautiful Palouse version, which we are very partial to.
From Buffalo we drove to Palmyra. We grabbed a pizza lunch and then visited the Grandin press where the first Book of Mormon was published. The spirit was very strong in that building and it was amazing to see how much work and sacrifice went into making that book. I appreciated the missionaries challenging us not to take this scripture for granted. Our next stop was the Smith farm. Our guide told us about the Beans, a couple who lived at the Smith farm to take care of it, as a sort of mission. The Beans made an incredible difference in their town, by maintaining their values and by participating in their community. I thought they were a great example of what I want to be. We had a fantastic New York thunderstorm and our walk through the sacred grove was a little damp. The Sacred Grove was peaceful and calm and reminiscent of all the other beautiful places I have been all over the world. It reminds me that sacred grove experiences are possible when I ask a question and wait for the Lord to reveal himself to me. The kids liked seeing all the places Joseph Smith hid the plates from the people who ironically did not believe he had them.
After briefly visiting the Hill Cumorah we started our rainy drive through lush upstate NewYork. We stopped at the famous Dyno BBQ and had our first ever fried green tomatoes. The wings and ribs were the best we had ever had. I was glad we were eating the messy stuff in a rental car! We had one of our most exiting moments as we raced the clock to return our rental car on Manhattan Island by 11:00. We drove through Times Square and 5th Avenue with all the bright lights and hoards of people as aggressively as a NY cabdriver. We pulled into the garage at exactly 10:59 and Tony had to nearly run the rental employee down yelling, "its 10:59!" It was an exciting entrance to New York City. I loved walking through the city at midnight and feeling all the energy.
We slept well that night in our hotel on 5th Ave and were up early to catch our ferry to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis island. The statue of Liberty is beautiful and it was fun to learn how it was made. I should have recognized that the engineer who designed the iron framework, also designed the Eifel Tower. Our crowd tolerance" was low and we were back on the island for lunch (official New York Cheesecake and Cannoli) a walk down Wall street and a view of the 9/11 sites. We thought we were going to see the 9/11 museum, but the lines were oppressive and they just changed the policy for no appointments. One of the games we played while waiting in lines was, "try to find someone with feet bigger than Cooper's." It is a hard game. Nobody ever could win. We ended our Manhattan Island tour on a water taxi that took us all around the harbor, the Brooklyn Bridge, past Governors Island and back up to our hotel. We would all highly recommend this relaxing tour as the best way to see the views. We collapsed for a couple of hours, did a little shopping for "i ❤️ NY" tshirts and rested before the big play.
Les Mis on Broadway at the Imperial theatre was a very cool experience. The actors seemed so close, the live music made a difference and the scenery was my favorite yet. It was a long play for little Marcos and he did OK until his mosquito bites started itching and brought him to tears. Cooper also got a touch of food poisoning and ended up puking in the bathroom. Later that night over icecream and soda in the hotel room we talked about lessons we learned from the play. Wilson liked the focus on mercy. Cooper thought that Jean Valjean represented the Savior, because he saved people with his compassion. I was really touched this time by the lesson that we cannot allow others control over us, that we must learn to react not be reacted upon. Eliza liked the part when the Bishop extends kindness and changes a person's life. Tony pretty much cried through the whole thing.
We were up early in our church clothes this morning to catch our train to DC. The train station was a confusing mess and this beautiful woman saw us looking frazzled. She led us on a private elevator and got us all situated at comfy tables. Train travel is brilliant, once you get on. We had a relaxing bagel breakfast and the kids are sleeping happily.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Saturday, June 7, 2014
field day for the lundbergs
Lundbergs had good showings at the track and field events this Spring. Max got a 1st and 2nd place and Eliza two 2nd places, out of 250 kids in the county. Wilson had some extra ordinary times and was commended by his coach for being an all around good athlete as he competed in throwing, running and jumping events.
Last week was the Mother's Day bike ride and although we have cut back to 40 miles, it was a glorious day. Today Tony and I participated in a St John Triathalon Sprint: Bike 14 miles, run 5 and roll 900 bales of hay. It was totally awesome! I think we might be setting a new trend.
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