Jacob and Jessica played with coins. 

Going home

Life takes many strange turns.

I had first applied for the State department IMS position back in March of 2002. 3 Years later they call me up and offer me a job.

We jumped onboard with great enthusiasm. In spite of the warning signs: A mean recruiter. Misdirected forms. The incomplete requests. Above all the misinformation.

We moved out here. Found even more misdirection and misinformation.

The LAYERS of incompetence is flabbergasting.

INSPITE of all this we remained excited for our first post to Beijing, China. I mean WOW!

Then my two angels let me know, in their own special way that this was hard. Too hard in fact.

Coupled with the DoS' poor performance as a quality employer, my family and I have taken a position back in our home state of Utah.

What a difference PacifiCorp is. They have given me the best customer service. They have worked with me and my schedule to get back to Utah. Best of all, the recruiter never yelled at me.

I feel I have made some great friends in the State department.

I will miss you. Take care!

If you are ever in Utah look me up! mecdrox (a_t-) hotmail (_do_t-) com

-Mecdrox

Oh, how lovely was the morning!

We took a trip over the long weekend. We went to Palmyra, New York. It was a wonderful trip.

Here we are out on a cold November morning. You can see Marilou, the kids and Elder Tenney looking over the Smith family farm. You can see the log home and the sacred grove. Here we sung Joseph Smith's First Prayer. Hymn number 26.  

Here is Marilou, Jacob, Jessica and myself in the kitchen of the Smith Family's log home. I am sure it is here where the young boy Joseph Smith read the bible. It would have been here where he recieved the insipration to ask of God. Like he read in James 1:5.

Jacob, Marilou and Jessica stand in the upper room of the Smith's first house. The house was made of logs. This room is where Moroni came to Joseph. 

The Frame house! 

Marilou, Jacob and Jessica in the Frame house Alvin had built for his parents. Behind them you can see the original white washed walls. 

Jacob kneels at the fireplace where Joseph Smith had once hid the golden plates. 

Here we are inside the frame house kitchen. I can hardly think as to what wonderful things took place here. 

The Smith Family barn! 

Here we are inside the Smith family barn. 

. . . 

Jessica and Marilou sit and ponder in the sacred grove. 

I will take this moment to let you know a few things. I know for myself that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. He was witness to many miracles and was the instrument God choose to open the last dispensation of time. It is by this work that I have come to know my savior Jesus Christ. I pray that Jacob and Jessica will learn for them selves the truthfulness of this great gospel. 

After taking a blissful tour of the sacred grove and the Smith family farm we stopped at the Palmyra Temple. 

Jacob, myself and Jessica stand on the east side of the Palmrya Temple. It is a wonderful place to be. 

The Palmrya Temple as seen from the west facing east. I took this while on the Smith family farm. 

Here is the Palmyra Temple seen from the Smith family farm. The temple sits on a portion of the original Smith farm 100 acers. (I took this from the same spot as the previous picture, more to show off the zoom of my camera then to do much of anything else. But since both pictures looked so good I put them in.) 

The sign says it all. Thank you brother Harris! 

Jacob, Jessica and Marilou at the Martin Harris Farm. 

While the Martin Haris farm house had burned down the next owner of the land had this place built. They used stones found inthe nearby lakes and rivers. It is still used today as a private home.

This is Marilou, Jessica and Jacob at the publishing house that printed the first 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon.

This picture speaks for itself. All of the tours we took had a wealth of information about the history of the church and the people involved. I had no idea they cost $1.25 back in the day.

Here is an original copy of the book of mormon. 

Jacob and Jessica are in front of the printing press where the Book of Mormon was first published.