Church History Vol. II, or when the saints crossed the great Niagara

OK, so that's not really a part of Church history, but we did fit it into our tour. Some of my favorite quotes from Niagara Falls:
Jake--"What a waste of water. In St. George they would have at least turned it off at night."

Jake to Alex as we were getting closer to the falls in a boat--"Alex, have you ever seen anything like this before?"
Alex--"yep"

And the thing that made Alex's day? Some really nice guy at the arcade gave him like 240 tickets so he could buy a sword.
Niagara falls met my every expectation. It was completely amazing!

Yesterday at Kirtland we went to the temple, which was one thing I have REALLY been looking forward to this trip. Ever since I read {D&C 110} years ago I've wanted to see the place where angels literally appeared to the saints, keys were restored, and from many accounts the building appeared to be on fire. It was really interesting to to get the tour from the Community of Christ guide because it seemed like in a place of such significance some kind of testimony should have been borne. Not to disrespect them at all, but their presentation seemed to not do justice to the spirit I felt there. They were so nice and accommodating, they even let us sing "The Spirit of God" in the temple. It was a neat experience.
My kids did not fully appreciate it, in case you were wondering.
After that we went to the Newel K. Whitney store and saw the School of the Prophets. Also amazing. And what a difference to be in that sacred place and hear someones heart-felt testimony. The spirit was very strong.
The kids, also, could not have cared less.
But that's OK, because I've finally become OK with the fact that I have not been able to see everything with my kids. I understand now that I have been here that most of these sites are four walls built by a man. The spirit can touch me outside of those 4 walls. Just being here and hearing the stories builds my testimony. I don't know if this makes sense. One of my disappointments was that I was not able to go up to the upper floors of the Kirtland Temple because our group was so big, but I still felt the spirit of that place. I think what I'm learning is that if I prepare myself to learn, the spirit will teach me. I don't have to be in the place where Joseph Smith saw the Father and the Son to know that happened through the Spirit. (Although, don't get me wrong, it is very cool to see.) I think the point I'm trying to make is that it is the testimony more than the place that is important to understand. This is about a pilgrimage to God, not to Nauvoo, per-say.
Anyway, I don't know if that makes any sense. That's about as much as I'm going to say on the hotel computer at 9pm.
Tomorrow: The Sacred Grove.
Until next time!