Fisher Family Reunion--Kirtland, Ohio and Johnson Farm

Monday morning we drove 3 hours to Kirtland.  I don't know why but I love bridges!  I feel the need to take a picture of them on our road trips.

We were still exhausted from our flight.  Henry fell asleep within minutes of getting in the car.

We had packed a lunch and stopped to eat on the grounds at the Kirtland Temple visitors center.

James found a cool bug that he wanted a picture of.   James is still the "bug whisperer".

 

We first toured the Kirtland Temple.  It was neat to see places I had only seen in pictures.  The tour was long but the little kids did pretty well. (I really wish that the church owned it though! It would really be a different experience.)

Next we headed to the LDS visitors center and toured the sites there.

We took pictures in front of the school house while we waited for everyone.

Jacob found this pretty heart-shaped leaf.

We got to visit the sawmill.

And the ashery.

We also visited the Newell K. Whitney store and home.

Joseph and Emma lived in the store for about a year and the Newel K. Whitney store became the church headquarters.  Many revelations were received here such as the Word of Wisdom, oath and covenant of the priesthood, and the commandment to build temple in Kirtland.  It was here that Joseph also worked on much of the translation of the Bible.  This is the upper room of the store where the School of the Prophets was held.  

Next we hopped in the car and headed to the John Johnson farm.

So much of church history happened here.  I knew most of the stories... but didn't realize that they had all taken place in this home.

Elsa Johnson had a fun taste in her home decor.  This was the mantle to the fireplace in the kitchen.

Joseph, Emma, and their babies (the Murdock twins) lived here for about a year.  The Johnson Farm served as church headquarters during that time.  This was the living room that also served as Joseph and Emma's room.  It was here that a mob came during the night and dragged Joseph out to tar and feather him.

Upstairs Joseph had an office.  He finished his translation of the Bible here and received many revelations--including D&C 76.

After our tour we had a picnic dinner on the grounds and let the children play around.  The big trees sheltered us from the rain that started.

And then we hopped in the car--again. 

We rented a duplex for the night.  It was the perfect size for all 23 of us.

That evening we had a little family night where everyone got to tell what they liked and/or learned from our adventures that day.  Then the kids wrote a little bit about it in their scrapbooks.

The cousins had a big sleepover upstairs and Olivia kept everyone entertained by telling them stories.  After the kids were all asleep the adults gathered in the living area downstairs to talk, eat ice cream, and play games.  Rachelle even gave me an awesome head massage.

It was a very full first day of our tour but so much fun to be together!