Nauvoo-finale

Make a Smilebox slideshow

This is the slideshow I have been working on for months. I wanted to get it just right. The feelings of our experience in Nauvoo and on our vacation were so peaceful and fun at the same time that I wanted to capture that in the slideshow.

We spent Sunday, August 10th, going to church really early in the morning and then we went over to the temple to take pictures of our family. Unfortunately the camera battery didn't last long, so I didn't take as many as I would have. However, we did get some good pictures. We went to several homes that day, relaxed some, enjoyed a nice Sunday dinner and then that evening Lance and I went to a sociable about the Pratt Brothers.

Monday, I took Dallin to the Nauvoo Temple so he could do baptisms. It was his first time and he enjoyed his experience being in the temple. Afterwards,we found the others walking around downtown. Then we drove over to Carthage to visit the Carthage Jail. This is one of my favorite experiences of the whole trip because of Bruce. The day before he stated that he didn't want to go to Carthage. Grandpa asked him why, it's a very special place. Bruce with his head down said it would make him cry so he didn't want to go. Grandpa assured Bruce that it is okay to cry. We got to Carthage and ended up in a nice sized tour with other families with children. It is a nice tour focusing on Joseph's mission here on earth and the Savior. Afterwards we went outside and gathered the boys around the statue of Joseph and Hyrum for a picture. After two shots Bruce ducked his head behind the statue and he wouldn't come out for a good picture. That was when I realized he was feeling very sad. I gathered him close to me and bent down as he barried his forehead into my shoulder. As I asked him what was wrong I could see his tears that feel on the ground leaving wet marks. I know I had help from the Holy Ghost to say what I did. "Oh Bruce, it's okay. It really is okay. Joseph and Hyrum had to die that way. They had to seal their testimonies with their sacrifice. And it's okay because they are with Heavenly Father and Jesus now and because they did that He is going to give them everything. They will have their families back and everything they lost and much more." Bruce can feel this and he's learning to understand this. He is a sober child and is learning to recognize what he needs to know. Hunter felt all the joy while we were there. He looks for the beauty all around him and his smile radiates that happiness.

Afterwards we finished up with visits to the few sites we hadn't seen. We enjoyed the Family Living Center, but had to pull the boys out for a few minutes to calm them down. They were about toured out by this point. I can't believe how incredibly good they had been the whole time. We took them to all the houses but Sarah Granger Smith's and we did almost everything else together too. I went to Sarah Granger Smith's house last and enjoyed it. The spirit of the Relief Society is there--I thought I might feel it in the Red Brick Store where Relief Society was organized, but I really felt it at Sarah's house--where her idea to sew shirts for the brethren working on the temple lead to the founding of Relief Society. How I love Relief Society and enjoy the organization just for the women of the church. We need each other for friends, learning and service.

Later that evening we went to the Young Performing Missionaries talent show. Such amazing talent and fun. It was a beautiful night and the weather had been so fabulous the entire time we were there. It helped so much to keep our children happy while we visited everything.

Tuesday we packed up and headed over to Missouri. We went backwards from the Saints travels. First we stopped at Adam-ondi-Aman, then Far West, then Liberty Jail and last was Independence, Missouri. The boys were so happy to play in the children's area of the Visitors' Center. We loaded up and headed for some fast food supper in the van as we drove to Topeka that night to stay at a hotel. We watched some swimming on the Olympics and the boys all went swimming at the pool while I babysat our sleeping bags that needed to get dried in the dryers. We went through a huge down pour as we first drove through Missouri. The sleeping bags ride on top of the van! Lance bought some garbage bags for them before we left.

Wednesday we drove through Kansas and stayed in Colorado for the night. If you ever drive through Burlington, Colorado on I-70, stop and find the carousel. It is incredible! Rides are only like 25 cents. I remembered trying to stop and see it when I was with my parents driving to my brother's wedding in Chicago. But it wasn't open when we stopped. I was so excited that it was this time. Then we drove through Colorado Springs, which we had never been to before and we drove through the Garden of the Gods. I wish I would have known more about that before our trip because we would have stayed around there and hiked some. It is incredible. The boys knew all kinds of stuff about it from the PBS show Fetch with Ruff Ruffman. We ended up looking for a hotel in one town, but the big hotel was closed for construction so no thing was available. We ended up getting the last room at a Super 8 in Buena Vista--we had already stopped at the full Holiday Inn.

Thursday we enjoyed our beautiful drive across the Continental Divide and the pretty mountains of Colorado. Lance was floored that Aspen was so huge with condos after condos. As we passed Glenwood Springs, I wished I had remembered it from our other trips across I-70, so we could have stopped an gone in the really neat looking hot springs. Some other trip! I think we could vacation in Colorado sometime. We didn't do too much vacationing there when we lived there for 19 months. I think it is one of my favorite states. We finished the day off at Payson, Utah to visit DeAnn and Darren and cousins. The boys had a great time with Brayden and William. Lillian wasn't too sure about us, but she's warmed up with our later visits.

Friday we went up and visited my Grandma and Grandpa. It is so fun to see them. Grandma can never believe how much the boys change. We just don't get to see them enough. That night we hung out with Gregg and Kim and more cousins. The boys tried to sleep out on the deck--only a few really did it. So much fun. We have a lot of boys in the Warnick family.

Saturday we hit the Hoggle Zoo to check out all the monkeys and elephants and giraffes. We don't have most of those at the Boise Zoo. Our zoo pass is good for several zoos so it is fun to take advantage of it somewhere else. Two trips and it pays for itself!

Sunday we got to see more of the Warnick family in Kaysville when we went to Tyler who had just returned from his mission. He's such a great guy. I wish we could see our other nephews right when they got home too. It was just a lucky thing that we were already in Utah that weekend just before we headed home that afternoon.

What a road trip! I was nervous that it would be so long that it would be hard, but we really had a great time. I grew up taking trips like that and I enjoyed them then. Flying is great sometimes, but with taking the road you get the views of the country and a feel for America. I hope we can do it again someday.