On Oct 4-8 I had the opportunity to go to Nauvoo with the Northwest Managers for a conference with Deseret Book. We flew into St. Louis first and we had a couple of hours to use up while we waited for one manager to arrive. All of us went downtown to "The Arch" Gateway to the West. It is an amazing edifice. We didn't go up in it, but standing down at the base showed us just how big it was.
We arrived in Nauvoo, and after viewing the Joseph Smith Movie in the Visitors Center there, we went outside for our buggy ride with these two beauties. Rod and Rick, 4 year old Belgians. We took a tour around parts of Nauvoo and learned much about why it was a swamp in the first place and what they did to drain it. Very interesting.
This is a shot I took when we were walking around and visiting the homesteads, shops and historical sites. The Nauvoo Temple is a beautiful site!
I took this shot at sunset. This beautiful monument of Joseph and Hyrum as they rode to Carthage.
This view of the temple was right at sunset as well and it was a beautiful evening.
Thursday we took a short drive to Carthage. This is the jail where Joseph and Hyrum were, and that window is the window Joseph fell from. This was a very solemn experience. The Church takes such great care of these properties and the missionaries that oversee the tours are blessed with a wonderful spirit as they tell about what happened and answer questions.
It amazed me that I was actually at the place where the Prophet Joseph was, in the very room where the mob took his and Hyrum's lives. It was a very reverent place.
This is a picture of trees in "The Groves" in Nauvoo. This is the place where Joseph would give his talks and lectures to the masses of people there in Nauvoo. He gave his King Follett Sermon right here. Go to LDS.org and read it. It is amazing.
The final morning early at 7 am we took a walk down the Trail of Hope where the people of Nauvoo made their exodus to cross the Mississippi river. It was a sad time for them to leave their beautiful homes and the city they had made from a swamp. Mostly it must have been hard to leave the temple they had worked and sacrificed to make. 
Here is a picture of the Mississippi River. It is very wide and very hard for me to imagine them crossing such a large body of water in the winter with no where to go. 
This is a grove of trees in the morning light as we walked down the trail. Beautiful!
The morning mist of Nauvoo. I hated to leave, but my testimony of Joseph Smith, the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and of all they suffered and did for us will be with me always. I am so glad I got to go. This was my second time at Nauvoo, but this time we actually spent a few days there not just hours. It truly made a difference. The whole experience of Nauvoo was great and that place has a very special spirit.
Derek receives his diploma
It takes the love of a whole family to get through school and then graduate. What a great family and great support from Tara! 
