NE States

 

We are currently in Lancaster, PA. Just finished a week in Boston, then a week in NYC. It’s nice to have some slower weeks after some that are busier.

We are in Amish country and it's been very fascinating to look into a radical way of living.

The picture of us below is at an Amish home. Some interesting things we've learned:

-Amish don't use bikes, they can use the scooters seen in the picture.

-Obviously they don't use cars as well. They have buggies pulled by horse.

-The best American innovation in the last ten years that has helped the Amish has been the LED light bulb. They live 'off the grid' completely off of their own power (solar, propane, generators, batteries) so having a light bulb that takes a fraction of the amount of energy has been great for them.

-A big part of the reason for their not using cars and bicycles is due to their concern for maintaining their community. They want it to be difficult to travel far, so the majority of their dealings is with their neighbors and local community. They support each other significantly.

-The Amish (at least in this area) are all pretty wealthy. They have large homes a lot of land.

-They work very hard, living off the land, waking up most days at 4:30am.

-Their homes and yards are beautifully kept. I don't think I've ever been anywhere as clean and beautiful as this area.

-They are similar to a lot of other protestant churches where their different congregations will have slightly different interpretations of the Bible.

-They have A LOT of rules to follow. Reminds me of Mormonism at times. I can understand how you would have to be careful to not forget the principle of the law, not just focusing on the letter of the law.

-They generally have 3 languages they use: Pennsylvania Dutch is their main language they use with each other, they learn English to be able to speak with other locals. Their church services are in German. They only read the Bible in German (the language they generally understand the least).

This was at Burger Box in New Paltz, NY. Best burgers we've had so far on our road trip. This is owned by a husband and wife that are also the only chefs at the place. It's not very big and the orders are slow but it was AMAZING. The pretzel bites and beer cheese were also insane. 

After finishing NYC most of the kids responded that their favorite activity was the broadways. We saw Wicked and Hamilton. We've been hearing the songs quite frequently over the past few months. 

The Museum of Natural History was a pleasure. Jenny, Trevor, Bethany and I visited here in January. I could spend DAYS here. So much biology, evolution and history in this museum. It was hard for me to shut up at times with the kids. 😂

Central Park was beautiful as always. 

Statue of Liberty. It was wet and windy but we went and it was a blast! I always enjoy learning about the early days of our country. One thing that stood out to me at the museum was showing a newspaper article at the time that pointed out the irony of the statue of liberty being commemorated and erected while the majority of the country still did NOT have the liberty to vote. For me, it just goes to show that we can celebrate our wins while still continuing to improve. I really love idea meritocracy and capitalism. 

The 9/11 Museum was heavy. Very heavy, but so well done. Was an incredible experience to go through. 

WICKED! This was enjoyable for all of us. Funny and wonderful.

I was able to meet up with a couple clients (brothers in a dental practice) and it was an absolute pleasure to get lunch and meet in person. 

Grand Central Station. 

We were able to make a quick stop at Walden Pond when we were in the area. It was fun to visit here after going through Louisa May Alcott's home and learning about her family's friendship with Henry David Thoreau. 

A beautiful lookout on a hike in Lancaster.

It has been truly an incredible experience to live a more minimalistic lifestyle. Everything we 'own' is in a trailer. It has required us to not get too attached to things. As we've been around Amish this week, it's made us realize how we have some similar desires to live a more simple lifestyle with less current life influence. We try to limit electronics, we don't watch TV or the news, we value our family time and learning and growing together. 

FYI: we decided not to come home to Utah for Christmas this year. This will be the first time for Jenny and I since our missions, not being home with familiy for Christmas. We will be staying in our cabin in Georgia for about 6-7 weeks during Thanksgiving and Christmas. We are looking forward to some time in a home we can decorate, have a tree, eat some good home cooking, etc.