Waking Up In Vegas...What?

I've been blogging about my trip to Israel every day for the past week, when today I thought it's about time I add something fun about the kids. My brother-in-law Drew makes crazy videos and posts them on Youtube. We love watching his videos because our kids get to see their cousins who live in Korea. Drew and his daughters made a video lip-synching to Katy Perry's Waking Up In Vegas. Our girls watched the video over and over and wanted to duplicate it, so with a little editing help from their Dad, Ani & Ina made this cute video titled Waking Up In Vegas 2.

Judean Wilderness & Lazarus' Tomb

Judean Wilderness, where Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. Our tour director Bro. Judd has seen this wilderness when it was green. This photo was taken in April and it looks like a desert.




Lazarus' Tomb in Bethany where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.




Our tour group. Israel Holy Land Tour Spring 2009.


Our hotel for the remaining 10 days, the Olive Tree Hotel in Jerusalem.

Jordan River & Jericho

Yardenit is the baptismal site at the southern end of Galilee, where the Jordan River emerges from the Galilee and flows down to the Dead Sea. This site is not far from where Jesus was baptized at the river Jordan by John the Baptist. Many Christians journey to Yardenit to be baptized.




Kiosk "concession stands" and W.C. (water closet) "restrooms".


Jericho, where Joshua and his army brought down the walls of Jericho.

Nazareth & Mount of Transfiguration

Nazareth, the childhood home of Jesus.



Nazareth Village, a village designed to show life as it was at the time of Jesus.




Mount Tabor also known as the Mount of Transfiguration, said to be the site of the Savior's Transfiguration.


Church of Transfiguration at the summit of Mount Tabor.


Who needs to read? Visuals get the message across in all languages.
No immodest clothing. No eating. No loud talking. No smoking. No weapons. No pets.


View from the summit of Mt Tabor. We rode taxi vans that zigzagged and winded up and down and around the mountain at alarming speeds. I always get car sick on 'whine-dy' roads, so I was very dizzy and nauseous when the van stopped. If I had known how crazy the taxi drivers were, I would have taken Dramamine.

O Galilee!

My absolute favorite area in Israel is Galilee. The weather is perfect, breezy and cool. There are a wide variety of plants and trees--bougainvillea, hibiscus, juniper, cedar and palm trees--it's hard not to picture the Garden of Eden in your mind. As our tour bus departed from Galilee, our group sang the old hymn "Each Cooing Dove". This hymn describes the love I have in my heart for Galilee.

"Each Cooing Dove"

Each cooing dove and sighing bough
That makes the eve so blest to me
Has something far diviner now
It bears me back to Galilee

Each flow'ry glen and mossy dell
Where happy birds in song agree
Thro' sunny morn the praises tell
Of sights and sounds in Galilee

And when I read the thrilling lore
Of him who walked upon the sea
I long, oh, how I long once more
To follow him in Galilee

O Galilee! Sweet Galilee!
Where Jesus loved so much to be
O Galilee! Blue Galilee!
Come, sing thy song again to me

The Sea of Galilee and its surrounding beauty.




An "authentic" boat ride across the Sea of Galilee, minus the tempest in the sea.

Our hotel for three days, the Nof Ginosar Hotel in Galilee.


LDS branch house in Galilee.

Caesarea Maritima & Haifa

Caesarea Maritima, the ancient port city by the Mediterranean Sea and the site of one of Herod's palaces.


Roman hipodrome.


Roman aquaduct.


Haifa, the modern port city and center of the Baha'i faith.

Beautiful View of Tel Aviv, Israel

After a long and uncomfortable 17 hour flight from Salt Lake City via New York City-JFK to Tel Aviv, our group of 16 arrived in Israel on April 26, 2009.

Our Palestinian bus driver, SubHi, and our very luxurious, air-conditioned tour bus.



Our American tour director from LDS Travel Study, Brother Joel Judd.


Our Palestinian tour guide, Mike.


A breathtaking view of Tel Aviv from Joppa.


Our first night in Israel at the Marina Hotel in Tel Aviv.