getting ready for pageant

The afternoon sun made a pretty reflection on the outside windows of the celestial room of the Palmyra Temple. Every time we attend the temple, our spiritual batteries get recharged.

While at the temple, we like to head over to the nearby Sacred Grove or the Hill Cumorah. At the Hill, we found preparations have begun for the physical set-up for the Hill Cumorah Pageant which starts July 13.

A collection of older Pageant costumes was on display at the Hill Cumorah Visitors Center.


Donny Osmond wore this one back in 1987.

Even before Pageant starts, tourists are starting to pour into Palmyra to visit the historic and sacred sites. Glenn Beck was here last week. Elder Ellis got to visit with the young man who plays the part of Jesus in the Church's new Bible video series.  He was here last week touring with his family before going back to Utah, to film 35 more segments. Elder Ellis was treating our two Elders to ice creams at the" Chill and Grill" before our Stake Priesthood Meeting, which was held at the Hill Cumorah, when he visited with this young man, who was there with his family. He recognized him from the day before, when we saw him leaving the Hill Cumorah Visitors Center, and  a sister missionary pointed him out to us. Elder Ellis was impressed with how very kind and loving he is. We have a wonderful picture of him with his arm around Elder Ellis. He doesn't want pictures of him or his name posted on blogs. But you can check him out on the home page of www.lds.org, where you can see the latest film.

A favorite place to catch a bite to eat is the "Chill and Grill", a modest roadside stand on Palmyra Road, that serves bigger than Texas size ice cream cones. Here we are, enjoying our "kiddie"size ice cream cones (mine is half of a kiddie size). A "small" ice cream cone has 4 scoops! "Chill and Grill" was a favorite of Donny Osmond.

Another great happening this week, was grandson Aiden's 8th birthday (that means he'll be getting baptized).  On the way home from district meeting, our Elders wished Aiden "happy birthday" and sang him a very original birthday song. Aiden, here are Elders Garcia and Schow when they were talking to you.

And here are these sweet Elders (they live close by, in our apartment complex),  on Father's Day, when they came over to wish Elder Ellis "happy Father's Day". They presented him with a card, as well as a present. Each of them gave him one of their ties, autographed with their names on the back.