We have a Blackberry bush that lines our back fence. It's so much fun to watch the kids pick and eat as long as they want.
just living our lives one day at a time
Friday, May 23, 2014
Nauvoo
Wow what an amazing place this is. First of all the Nauvoo Temple is BEAUTIFUL. I've been to Nauvoo once before back in 2003. My parents gave me a church history tour for my senior gift and it was tons of fun. However I was a teenager and a little distracted at times during the trip and only realized it when I went back. This place is seriously amazing.
Day 1 Friday night
We were supposed to leave the church at 6:00pm to start our 12 1/2 hour bus ride. We didn't actually leave until 7:30pm. At about oh 1 am I started seriously rethinking my choice to come. Sleeping on a bus full of teenagers is not as easy as I thought it would be. However I probably got about 4/5 hours here and there.
Day 2 Saturday
This day was full from the minute we pulled into Nauvoo. We stepped off the bus and it was FREEZING. There was a foot of snow on the ground and of course all those Louisiana kids were going crazy! it was so fun to watch how excited they were. Some had never been in the snow their whole lives. We pulled into our hotel at 10 am and only had time to unpack grab our warm clothes and head for the bus. We headed down to old Nauvoo for a carriage ride tour. It was so cold I wore 2 pair of pants (and long underwear) A long sleeve shirt, a sweatshirt, a coat, gloves, scarf, boots, 3 pairs of socks and ear warmers at ALL TIMES outside. It was bitter cold because the Mississippi river is right there and ugh it made it bitter cold. We then headed back to the hotel to have lunch Change into church clothes (I kept my legging jeans on under my tights) and go to a fireside with Susan Easton Black and her husband George Durrant. These 2 are a amazing people. Seriously AMAZING. Susan Easton Black is one of the most well versed on the history of our Prophet Joseph Smith and Nauvoo. She has written tons of books. Taught at BYU for years in the huge auditorium classes. She's seriously amazing. But the most amazing part about her is how down to Earth she is. She is easy to talk to and fun to listen too and engaging. After they spoke we walked over to the temple. That temple is so beautiful. I have so much admiration for the saints who sacrificed all they had to build a temple in order to have sacred ordinances to bind them together forever. I was able to take a family name I found and do the baptism and confirmation for that person. I'm excited to finish the rest of the work in other temples. The spirit in that place was so strong. David and I went upstairs while everyone else finished and spoke again with Sister Black. She and her husband are serving a mission as Temple workers there. We asked her a few questions. One was why did the Whitmore family fall away from the church when they had been so important in the beginning work of the church. Her answer was because David was the "leader" of the family. When he did things they followed. So when he fell away they followed him. She told us the story of how George purposed to her. She said they had known each other a long time being faculty at BYU. One night about a year after her husband died he called and said he had something he'd like to talk to her about and asked if he could stop by. He walked in gave her a longer than usual hug and said "i'd like to ask you something." she replied with "I think you do." He then told her flat out "i want to marry you." she joked that he didn't even ask her on a date bring her flowers or anything. She replied that she needed to think it over first. He then showed up at her class the very next morning. She asked him to give the opening prayer. He walked up in front of her class of 200 students and said "I really like your teacher in fact I like her so much that last night I asked her to marry me." He has such a funny personality. She said yes and they have really been so happy together.
After the temple we went back to the hotel to change again have dinner and then go to watch a show and give the kids some down time at the church. I didn't know this but I was one of the only woman chaperones so I got the lucky job of "checking" up on all the girls to make sure they were in bed and not sneaking off. I didn't get to bed until 11:30 that night. I slept like a log though.
Day 3 Sunday
We woke up early to have breakfast and head to church. I bore my testimony which isn't like me at all. I felt for what ever reason I needed to get up. The testimony meeting in that ward was so different from any of the ones I have ever been to. People started walking up before the Bishopric member was done. It was like a race to get up there NO DEAD silence the entire time. The Durrants Spoke with us again. It was again amazing. This time Susan spoke about the last few days of the Prophets life. She told us of what happened after he had died. How Brigham Young was away on a mission and didn't know for weeks afterward. He came back to Nauvoo right in time. That night he went and administered to John Taylor and said that Sidney Rigdon was going to have a meeting the next day to speak to the saints about what should happen now that the Prophet was dead. He claimed he'd seen visions and been told he was the one who was supposed to be the next Prophet. Many had thought the church had ended with the death of the prophet some had left to go back to where they had come from and others were just lost. She talked about how Brigham Young was the little fiery red head and replied "Sidney hasn't ever seen anything." The next day Sidney spoke to the saints for hours and finally decided to turn a few minutes over to Brigham Young and that is when the saints say that they saw Joseph in his face and knew he was the one with the Keys to lead the church.
After the fireside we went to Carthage and watched the movie and sat in the room where Joseph was killed. That is a very spiritual place.
We had a testimony meeting at the Seventies house in downtown Nauvoo. It was great to hear the youth share their thoughts and testimonies.
We then went back to the hotel for dinner and bonding time. We played some hilarious games thanks to David. Also we hosted a Q&A where the kids could ask whatever question they had on a piece of paper and then we the leaders would answer it. It was so great and the trust was there and the spirit was strong and the questions were handled in such a great way.
Day 4 Monday
We got up early to walk around Old Nauvoo. We learned about how they make rope and barrels and quilts and butter and bread at the visitors family center. We walked to the Blacksmith shop and got our prairie rings and mini horse shoes. We visited the shoe cobblers and learned how they made shoes. Headed back to the hotel to clean up and pack up and then back to Old Nauvoo to walk the path down to the river where they corssed so many years ago on their journey to Zion.
We left about 4pm stopped for dinner at Taco Bell and were off. At about 10 pm we had to pull off the road because once we hit the Arkansas border there was a THICK maybe 2 inch sheet of ice on the road. There were cars all over the place slipping and semi's jackknifed. It was so SCARY and traffic came to a complete stand still. So we pulled off at a gas station to wait. One of the other leaders joked about it taking us 6 hours to get to Memphis which was only 60 miles away and how horrible that would be. Well we waited and we waited and we waited and we waited.
Day 5 Tuesday
It was 9 am before we left the gas station. That was the time that we were supposed to be home. My mommy heart was hurting and missing my babies. It literally took us 6 hours to drive to Memphis! The bus driver was going 10 mph because the roads were so bad and the traffic was so bad. He couldn't have gone faster if he wanted to. The problem that had caused all the delay was a semi had jackknifed at a spot in the interstate that was under construction and only had 2 lanes one going each way. The tow truck had to go in reverse until it could get to the semi. There were also a lot of other smaller accidents. It was so crazy. David whipped out all his entertaining skills and hosted a talent show and some fun games for the kids to play while we slowly made our way to Memphis. Luckily once we hit Memphis it was smooth sailing. I thanked our bus driver over and over for taking it slow and being cautious. He kept asking if my kids were ok at home and if the babysitter was able to stay longer. He was such a sweet man. We got home at 10:30 that night. It took us forever but it was so worth it.
A few things I gained from the trip.
Hyrum was one of the most loyal brothers I've ever heard of. He stayed by his brothers side until death. He loved his brother and knew he was a man called of God and supported him through many difficult times. God Loves his children and that is why we are placed in families. He knew our journey would be hard and Families are here to help strengthen and at times carry us through our difficult times. The love was of course Mutual as Joseph loved his brother dearly.
Jospeh Smith truly is a Prophet of God. I knew that before but going back only testified once more of the truthfulness of that testimony I have. He loved his God he loved the church and he loved the people he served as Prophet. He loved it so much that he gave everything even his life for it.
Emma was a great woman who endured trials no mother or wife should have too. She suffered and unless we go through those exact same trails we have no room to judge her.
Mary Fielding was a rockstar of a mother. If I am half as good as she was I'll count myself a success. She lost her husband packed up her family and alone walked the plains to the promised land. She raised a Prophet and was faithful until the end. She was a do-er. I hope I can be more like her.
Nauvoo is AMAZING. The pioneer spirit is so strong. They were strong people physically and spiritually. They worked hard for every single thing they had. From the ropes they made by hand to the bricks they fired. From the stones they cut for the temple draining a swamp to create a beautiful town. Being able to turn away and close their doors and cross the river leaving behind all that they had worked so hard for to follow their prophet across lands unknown and being willing to do so because they had Faith, unshakeable faith that their God knew them and their struggles and knew they would find a better place. I respect them so very much.
I love my husband. He is amazing. I love spending time with him and I love watching him in his calling serving as a Bishop. He really is so great!
Now for the pictures:
Day 1 Friday night
We were supposed to leave the church at 6:00pm to start our 12 1/2 hour bus ride. We didn't actually leave until 7:30pm. At about oh 1 am I started seriously rethinking my choice to come. Sleeping on a bus full of teenagers is not as easy as I thought it would be. However I probably got about 4/5 hours here and there.
Day 2 Saturday
This day was full from the minute we pulled into Nauvoo. We stepped off the bus and it was FREEZING. There was a foot of snow on the ground and of course all those Louisiana kids were going crazy! it was so fun to watch how excited they were. Some had never been in the snow their whole lives. We pulled into our hotel at 10 am and only had time to unpack grab our warm clothes and head for the bus. We headed down to old Nauvoo for a carriage ride tour. It was so cold I wore 2 pair of pants (and long underwear) A long sleeve shirt, a sweatshirt, a coat, gloves, scarf, boots, 3 pairs of socks and ear warmers at ALL TIMES outside. It was bitter cold because the Mississippi river is right there and ugh it made it bitter cold. We then headed back to the hotel to have lunch Change into church clothes (I kept my legging jeans on under my tights) and go to a fireside with Susan Easton Black and her husband George Durrant. These 2 are a amazing people. Seriously AMAZING. Susan Easton Black is one of the most well versed on the history of our Prophet Joseph Smith and Nauvoo. She has written tons of books. Taught at BYU for years in the huge auditorium classes. She's seriously amazing. But the most amazing part about her is how down to Earth she is. She is easy to talk to and fun to listen too and engaging. After they spoke we walked over to the temple. That temple is so beautiful. I have so much admiration for the saints who sacrificed all they had to build a temple in order to have sacred ordinances to bind them together forever. I was able to take a family name I found and do the baptism and confirmation for that person. I'm excited to finish the rest of the work in other temples. The spirit in that place was so strong. David and I went upstairs while everyone else finished and spoke again with Sister Black. She and her husband are serving a mission as Temple workers there. We asked her a few questions. One was why did the Whitmore family fall away from the church when they had been so important in the beginning work of the church. Her answer was because David was the "leader" of the family. When he did things they followed. So when he fell away they followed him. She told us the story of how George purposed to her. She said they had known each other a long time being faculty at BYU. One night about a year after her husband died he called and said he had something he'd like to talk to her about and asked if he could stop by. He walked in gave her a longer than usual hug and said "i'd like to ask you something." she replied with "I think you do." He then told her flat out "i want to marry you." she joked that he didn't even ask her on a date bring her flowers or anything. She replied that she needed to think it over first. He then showed up at her class the very next morning. She asked him to give the opening prayer. He walked up in front of her class of 200 students and said "I really like your teacher in fact I like her so much that last night I asked her to marry me." He has such a funny personality. She said yes and they have really been so happy together.
After the temple we went back to the hotel to change again have dinner and then go to watch a show and give the kids some down time at the church. I didn't know this but I was one of the only woman chaperones so I got the lucky job of "checking" up on all the girls to make sure they were in bed and not sneaking off. I didn't get to bed until 11:30 that night. I slept like a log though.
Day 3 Sunday
We woke up early to have breakfast and head to church. I bore my testimony which isn't like me at all. I felt for what ever reason I needed to get up. The testimony meeting in that ward was so different from any of the ones I have ever been to. People started walking up before the Bishopric member was done. It was like a race to get up there NO DEAD silence the entire time. The Durrants Spoke with us again. It was again amazing. This time Susan spoke about the last few days of the Prophets life. She told us of what happened after he had died. How Brigham Young was away on a mission and didn't know for weeks afterward. He came back to Nauvoo right in time. That night he went and administered to John Taylor and said that Sidney Rigdon was going to have a meeting the next day to speak to the saints about what should happen now that the Prophet was dead. He claimed he'd seen visions and been told he was the one who was supposed to be the next Prophet. Many had thought the church had ended with the death of the prophet some had left to go back to where they had come from and others were just lost. She talked about how Brigham Young was the little fiery red head and replied "Sidney hasn't ever seen anything." The next day Sidney spoke to the saints for hours and finally decided to turn a few minutes over to Brigham Young and that is when the saints say that they saw Joseph in his face and knew he was the one with the Keys to lead the church.
After the fireside we went to Carthage and watched the movie and sat in the room where Joseph was killed. That is a very spiritual place.
We had a testimony meeting at the Seventies house in downtown Nauvoo. It was great to hear the youth share their thoughts and testimonies.
We then went back to the hotel for dinner and bonding time. We played some hilarious games thanks to David. Also we hosted a Q&A where the kids could ask whatever question they had on a piece of paper and then we the leaders would answer it. It was so great and the trust was there and the spirit was strong and the questions were handled in such a great way.
Day 4 Monday
We got up early to walk around Old Nauvoo. We learned about how they make rope and barrels and quilts and butter and bread at the visitors family center. We walked to the Blacksmith shop and got our prairie rings and mini horse shoes. We visited the shoe cobblers and learned how they made shoes. Headed back to the hotel to clean up and pack up and then back to Old Nauvoo to walk the path down to the river where they corssed so many years ago on their journey to Zion.
We left about 4pm stopped for dinner at Taco Bell and were off. At about 10 pm we had to pull off the road because once we hit the Arkansas border there was a THICK maybe 2 inch sheet of ice on the road. There were cars all over the place slipping and semi's jackknifed. It was so SCARY and traffic came to a complete stand still. So we pulled off at a gas station to wait. One of the other leaders joked about it taking us 6 hours to get to Memphis which was only 60 miles away and how horrible that would be. Well we waited and we waited and we waited and we waited.
Day 5 Tuesday
It was 9 am before we left the gas station. That was the time that we were supposed to be home. My mommy heart was hurting and missing my babies. It literally took us 6 hours to drive to Memphis! The bus driver was going 10 mph because the roads were so bad and the traffic was so bad. He couldn't have gone faster if he wanted to. The problem that had caused all the delay was a semi had jackknifed at a spot in the interstate that was under construction and only had 2 lanes one going each way. The tow truck had to go in reverse until it could get to the semi. There were also a lot of other smaller accidents. It was so crazy. David whipped out all his entertaining skills and hosted a talent show and some fun games for the kids to play while we slowly made our way to Memphis. Luckily once we hit Memphis it was smooth sailing. I thanked our bus driver over and over for taking it slow and being cautious. He kept asking if my kids were ok at home and if the babysitter was able to stay longer. He was such a sweet man. We got home at 10:30 that night. It took us forever but it was so worth it.
A few things I gained from the trip.
Hyrum was one of the most loyal brothers I've ever heard of. He stayed by his brothers side until death. He loved his brother and knew he was a man called of God and supported him through many difficult times. God Loves his children and that is why we are placed in families. He knew our journey would be hard and Families are here to help strengthen and at times carry us through our difficult times. The love was of course Mutual as Joseph loved his brother dearly.
Jospeh Smith truly is a Prophet of God. I knew that before but going back only testified once more of the truthfulness of that testimony I have. He loved his God he loved the church and he loved the people he served as Prophet. He loved it so much that he gave everything even his life for it.
Emma was a great woman who endured trials no mother or wife should have too. She suffered and unless we go through those exact same trails we have no room to judge her.
Mary Fielding was a rockstar of a mother. If I am half as good as she was I'll count myself a success. She lost her husband packed up her family and alone walked the plains to the promised land. She raised a Prophet and was faithful until the end. She was a do-er. I hope I can be more like her.
Nauvoo is AMAZING. The pioneer spirit is so strong. They were strong people physically and spiritually. They worked hard for every single thing they had. From the ropes they made by hand to the bricks they fired. From the stones they cut for the temple draining a swamp to create a beautiful town. Being able to turn away and close their doors and cross the river leaving behind all that they had worked so hard for to follow their prophet across lands unknown and being willing to do so because they had Faith, unshakeable faith that their God knew them and their struggles and knew they would find a better place. I respect them so very much.
I love my husband. He is amazing. I love spending time with him and I love watching him in his calling serving as a Bishop. He really is so great!
Now for the pictures:
First night on the bus
Carriage ride
After the temple
FREEZING
Nauvoo Temple
Bullet hole in the Door of Carthage. The Bullet that took Hyrum's life
Carthage
Smith's mansion house
Smith's first home
Frozen Mississippi River behind us
One of MANY and sewn beautiful quilts
Our group minus me
Our Group again minus me
Walking where the Saints walked
Standing on the Frozen Mississippi
David working his magic
Trying not to go crazy after so many hours on the bus.
Time keeps on ticking
February, March, April and now May have slipped away and I only posted once. Sometimes time just goes too fast in the wrong way.
Feb was full of visitors. We had Bryan and Dylan come hang out with us for almost a full week. I gained major pounds after all the Blue Bell we put away each night.
My mom came at the end of Feb beginning of March. She watched the kids so David and I could go to Nauvoo with the youth in our stake for 4 days. She is so amazing and spoiled us all rotten. We ate Benigets and went shopping and watched Call the Midwives. It was so nice to have her. We love when we have visitors and she's pretty great.
Nauvoo was such a great experience. I'm going to do a whole post about that because its worth its own post.
David was Heck Tate in UNO's production of To Kill a Mockingbird. He did an amazing job! He grew a mustache for the occasion and luckily it was gone after the last performance.
It started warming up so we whipped out the swim suits.
Newest redo's
Noah found Maggie's lipstick
We have Playschool once a week with these princesses
Noah Chipped his tooth falling out of the tub.
One of like a million school pictures his school took of him this year and wanted us to sale all we own to buy it.
A REALLY great book i'm reading and learning so much from.
My loving husband
A super princess
and Super Iron Man
2 naked kids
Maggie would swing ALL DAY LONG if I let her and if we owned a swing. Noah is in a close second
Daniel and I made a fairy house at the park he was so proud of it.
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