Kirtland Visitor Center

We took the kids to the Kirtland Visitor Center to take the tour and learn more about it's history with the Mormon temple and Joseph Smith. I'm very glad that we did this...in fact I think we should have done it sooner.

This tour has really opened my eyes a lot. Imagine having no technology to help with your cooking, heating, no TV...It's like you have to learn to live and survive and not depend on anything except for yourself and your family. I couldn't even imagine how life would be if it still was like that now. It made me think that we are very lucky to be living in this time. With all the technology we have with computers, cell phones and TVs. We've become so dependent on these things, I wonder if we could even go back to living like those days again. I'm sure I could do it and I'm sure everyone else could too if put into that kind of situation with no other choice. We are pretty spoiled with our GPS, internet, and cell phones. I can only imagine how that would be. It's made me realize we take so many things for granted. And it's made me realize that our kids are definitely pretty lucky!

When I was a kid having McDonalds was like a big deal. We'd have McDonald about only 5 times a year! It was such a great treat for us back then. And look at us now...we usually visit the Ronald about at least once a week! Wow how times has changed. When I was a kid having a chocolate candy bar was a no no. The only time we ever had those willingly around the house would be Halloween time. There was no way we could buy candy bars. We just didn't have that much money. I remember going to the store with my mom when I was little and I'd see the candy bar and I look up at my mom and ask "mom, can i have this?". And of course the answer would always be "no you can't, we don't have enough money to buy that". Of course me, being just a little kid, felt devestated! Of course I'd have to put it down but not without a sad face. Thinking back to it now, I realize how it must have felt for my mom to say no to her child and having to see my face when she said no. It must have been more devestating for her to see that she couldn't buy just this little candy bar for me. Now that I'm a mom I understand why she had to say no. She never wanted to say no, no mother wants to say no to her child, but she had to. It was either a candy bar that would only last the ride home or a weeks or two worth of food for the family. Now I understand. Athough at that time I really wanted those things and always ask for them but I also knew that we couldn't buy them. I knew why....but I was a kid back then, kids will be kids! Now that I'm a mother and things are a little different from when I was a child I don't want to deprive my kids of those things. If I know that we'll be ok or if we can, i'll buy them for my kids. I know how it felt for me at that time when I heard the word no, so I don't want to make it a habit of saying no all the time. Athough my kids will contest to that! I actually do say no to them, a lot. They actually have a lot already. What more do they need? There's always food in the house, plenty of snacks for them, juices to drink..etc. Why spend another dollar or so on candy bar when you've just went Tricking-or-Treating? I mean come on now! I know my boundaries and I hope that my children will understand when I do have to say no. It's not because I don't love them. I love them with all my heart...I just want them to know that we have enough, we don't need more then what we have. And it's ok that other people have more. We have enough for us! I hope that my kids will learn to appreciate things in life, all the small things too. I know that they will! They are smart kids and they will. Like I said though...Kids will be kids!

I hope that this tour will help my childern understand and appreciate things a little bit more. Kids will whine and whine..."mom why does she get to have that and I don't? Mom why does he get to do that and I don't" Mom why can't i buy that? etc..... Never ending. All I want is that they will one day understand why we have the things we have and why we have to do the things we do. My husband worked so hard just to get to this point and the kids love to hear his life story...I have to admit although Lien is a "story" man...meaning his stories are pretty long and very detailed (there's no such thing as "long story short" to him) I sometimes enjoy listening to his hardship just to get to where his at right now. And i'm so proud of him. I hope that our teachings will be instilled in their hearts and mind so that it will guide them through out their lives. Let them know that "hey just because I can't have that car like my friend" that one day it will come, they will have that  car just as long as they work hard for it.

I know my kids are good kids and I know that they understand everything. But sometimes kids will just whine and I'll just have to get use to it! ;-) Whose kid doesn't whine right? All I'm saying is that people should be more appreciative of what we have and spend less time wanting so much. I will try now to not want so many things and just be content with what we have right now. The other things will come if it is meant to be!

Back to the tour. We were able to see Sister Robertson too! So it was a bonus for us. Too bad Nilun did not get to enjoy it as much as we did. See he had spent the night at Bobbys' house and I guess they did not sleep all night or got like a total of 3 hrs of sleep. When we picked them up they looked like zombies! I can not believe that their parents did not care that they didn't sleep all night! Anyways on our tour Nilun and Bobby were like actually falling asleep!!! You'd have to see it to see how funny it was. I really wish that he was more "with us" so to speak, so that he could listen to the things that the sisters were telling us about Joseph Smith and the Whitneys. Nilun and Bobby were so out of it that they fell asleep while we were watching the movie and feel asleep on the way home and lets just say Nilun is STILL ASLEEP! So we will have to go back to do the tour again during the spring or summer so Nilun can enjoy it more and so we can go see the Ashery and the place where they made the wood. We couldn't go since it was cold out!
Lien and I are so glad we did this tour especially with the kids. It is such a good lesson not just for us but for them too. So they will understand how hard things were for people back then and hopefully now they won't whine or ask for too much! That is wishful thinking but hey it could help! ; -)

This chair was in the Whitneys' home! It is soo cool, I want one like that.

This was in the N.K Whitney store. Back than we found out that the most expensive thing to buy were nails! Yes Nails..because back than it was hard to get a hold of and hard to make. The sisters asked us if we could guess what was the most expensive thing in there and none of us could guess it. Lien was the only one who guessed it! He is so smart. They asked him why he thought it and he said because back than it was hard to make and probably very hard to find. Very interesting isn't it?

 

This is the front of the Whitney store. In this room were all the things that he had to offer to sell. In this room we learned that he made shoes the same size or i mean the same shape. Like now we have a left shoe and right shoe...right? Well back than they made their shoe the same shape, no left or right side! So that they both were more useful if the other side were to worn out!

 

Us in front of the N.K. Whitney store. It was sunny even with all that snow. Which was a great thing for us. It wasn't as cold so we enjoyed our tour more! Thanks to the sun! Can you tell Bobby was ready to go home?

 

Us again. The yellow house back there is the Whitneys' residents! It was a nice and cozy place!

Here's Jaz enjoying the tour and keeping warm!

 

Sister Robertson, Naree and Jasmine. It was so nice to see her again. We've missed her. 

Here we are! This day is a good day. We learned so much. We will definitely look at life a little differently now...be more appreciative! It was a two in one deal. Taking the tour and seeing Sister Robertson again. We made egg rolls and took some to give to the sisters...well we knew sister Robertson would be there and we know she loves them so we made it for her and the sisters.