I absolutely LOVE that I get to go have lunch at my sister's almost every day. Seriously, its my favorite part of my week. I love the random phone calls I get from Malla about how I should just come over now. Today was especially hilarious! She went potty all by herself and my sister and I are telling her how proud of her we are and she runs up and gives me a big squeeze and says, "AUNTIE...I JUST WENT POTTY! I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!" hahaha apparently, that's just what you say when someone does something good! LOVE LOVE LOVE. Seriously.
Okay, so here's the Nauvoo breakdown...this was SUCH a beautiful place. I think my favorite part was that I didn't get reception hardly anywhere in the town except for inside Joseph Smith's first homestead.
Talk about hilarious. I had my phone in my pocket (not sure why) and we're walking around in his house and it starts to vibrate...I admit, I was very confused all of a sudden. I exchanged a confused look to Amy, checked my phone and was followed by a, "really?" hahaha too good. Why not have reception in a home that was built in the 1700s! Isn't it beautiful though?
Around the corner is the Mansion House which was really cool as well. It's weird to think that this was the last place that Joseph was before he was taken to Carthage Jail. I cant imagine what Emma and their children felt like as they watched him ride away, not knowing if he'd ever come back....
One of my favorite places we got to see was the Cultural Hall. This was where they used to have all of their theatrical performances and then upstairs was a dance hall that had an indoor balcony for the band to play. Natur
ally, if I were alive back then, that would have probably been the place where I spent most of my time :) I couldn't help but think of what it would have been like to be there with close friends, all dressed up in old timey dresses and dancing the night away to live band. I can't even imagine! Sounds like good times to me.The last big place that we stopped was Carthage Jail
where Joseph and Hyru
m were both martyred. This place was fantastic. The spirit was so strong the moment you walked into the room where they were held. I can only imagine what was going on through their minds when the mob was about to attack. This is a picture of the window that Joseph tried to escape out of during the shooting.Now, I must show you three of the most beautiful sites of Nauvoo, only because I love looking at the pictures :)
3) This was the entry way into the Pioneer grave site.
So pretty. Not to mention that the weather couldn't have been more perfect, which added to the awesomeness. Because not all of the graves are marked, it's hard to path out how to walk...I definitely felt some of the ground moving out from under my feet and I've heard of ppl falling in before if they walk over just the right places so I'm pretty sure I split outta there after a good 10 minutes haha. Still, so beautiful though.2) This was where the Trail of Hope meets the Mississippi river.
And at sunset, you can see why it made the list! The trail of hope went down Parley street where it is lined with journal entries from saints who had to walk down that street in order to cross the river when they started their trek west. It amazes me how much faith they had to have to be able to leave everything behind, in the dead of winter, to go to a place that they had no idea about. And for most, this wasn't the first time they had to flee from oppression. I don't think I could do it that easily. They were definitely strong willed people. Nauvoo would have been very hard to leave behind.1) HOLY FANTASTIC! I LOVE this temple. Everything is absolutely gorgeous inside and out. Not that the other temples aren't, but holy cow. This made up for the fact that everything closed down at 6pm and
we had to go into Iowa for dinner...or eat PB&J sandwiches, but I think we were kind of spent on those since that what we had for lunch every day. Still...so fantastic. We were able to do baptisms and endowments twice. SO GREAT. I loved every minute of it. One of the best parts of Nauvoo is that no matter where you go, for the most part, you can see the temple in plain view and you'd pass it all the time. It's such a great reminder of what things are important in life, rather than letting wordly things get too prominent in our minds. Seriously...favorite part of the trip, easily.In all, it was a fantastic trip. One that I'd easily take again. Next stop, Palmyra! :) Actually, next stop Utah but Palmyra is my next destination of choice haha. I would also LOVE to hit up the Jerusalem Center someday. If it was this fantastic to walk where Joseph Smith walked, can you imagine how wonderful it would be to walk where the Savior walked? Dude...I really hope I get that chance someday. Until then, its back to real life for now. Make it a great day or not, the choice is yours. Love you long time! XOXO
