1 Year

Since I didn't have this blog up and running when we went on our big vacation last year I decided to do it when it had been a year and a year ago this week we were with our entire family in Nauvoo, Illinois!!!  So I am going to go through each day at Nauvoo so I always have it to remember!! Sorry if it's boring to read but this blog is like my journal...The first day of nauvoo was so much fun we flew out form Salt Lake City International airport to the Kansas City airport.  It was a good flight we got there and the humidity was terrible we started off by going to the independence visitors center it was amazing and we saw 2 sister missionaries that we figured out knew people we knew well one played basketball at western wyoming with jess jeppsen and one who was from logan and my dad worked with her dad for awhile at Tremonton Heating...Next we went over to the church lot where we saw the corner stones for gods temple.  We then walked over to the community of christ church that one of Joseph Smiths boys started it was interesting and a big eye opener that our church is the true church!!! I had a terrible feeling the whole time we walked around you don't feel the spirit at all and everything about the atmosphere is different.  We then headed to Carney where we went around the areas where ike served his mission we saw where he once lived while he was on his mission we ne the family and everything.  We then went to his wealthy bishop thornes house where we suprised him with ike on his doorstep had no clue ike was back in missouri.  We all met his family and visited with them for awhile.  We also awkwardly ran into on of ikes converts jogging on the side of the road.  After all this and a 6 hour drive back to nauvoo we made it to nauvoo family inn where we stayed our entire trip.  Day 2 started out bright and early with a great visit to the nauvoo temple with my cousins to do something that was amazing and not everyone had the opportunity to do.  we got to go and do baptisms for the dead and be took around the temple to the five levels of the spiral staircase.. After starting off with a great spiritual opening to the day we walked down around the nauvoo gift shops to all the cool antique stores.. Later that night we were lucky enough to be there the week the nauvoo pagent...This was a spiritual night that I will never forget how I felt... These performers did an amazing job feeling in the shoes of those who were in nauvoo it was as real as it could get... There was a part that I will never forget when these guys came out who were angels and were singing the spirit of god and one of the angels looked identical to my grandpa lynn it was a neat expirence for all of us to see that because we knew he really was with us on our trip... after the pagent we went to the nauvoo custard shop where we watched them make the custard and it was the best custard I have ever had..This was a great day to end the night...Day 3: we started off by spending the day in old nauvoo where as a family we made a rope just like the pioneers made theres.  We also got to be put in the shoes of the pioneers to learn how they survived and what it was like.. We also went to a black smith shop where they made us each a parie diamond ring and also the brick shop where we got a brick and visited many more of the cool shops. We then went to 3 really good plays at old nauvoo then went on horse carriage rides through nauvoo with the missionaries...Day 4: we started off by going to the trail of hope for a nice walk down a trail where they have journal entries of the pioneers and it ends on a beautiful spot of the mississippi river... we then went to the temple ground and wondred around to have another good spiritual feeling..  We then headed to Cathdage to visit Carthage Jail which was the most amazing feeling and most amazing spiritual expierence it was so cool to be in the dungen with the door shut where Joseph smith once was the to go in the room to where he was shot and have a moment of silence while they played a music number... then we got to touch the bullet hole in the door... Once we arrived back in nauvoo we got together as a family (48 of us) and shared our testimonies of this trip and thanked our grandma for everything she did for us to make this trip possible... and also our grandpa because we never would have done this if he hadn't had passed... Day 5: We woke up bright and early to go down to the horses and watch them run out of the field down the road to the barn and go directly into there correct stall where they get harnessed up for the day.  After this we headed to adam ondi adam talk about an amazing place that the missionaries keep up on the maintance it is one of the most beautiful place I have ever visited... When ike was there on his mission he had scratches his name on a rock and 1 year later it was still there we also got to hike down to preechers rock Joseph Smith preeched to the people this also is the place where the men of the church will come to during the second coming we then headed back to Independence Missouri where we went to liberty jail and did a tour and got to go in and see the jail and saw what it was like for the men who were traped in there and how hard it would have been for them.  We also got to see the arch and water fall where Joseph Smailth and Emma first kissed which was amazing and it shows it in the joseph smith movie too... We then reached kansas city where we got on the plane and headed home this was an amazing epirence that i will never take back this trip truely strengthend my testimony of the gospel and that this church is true....I will always remember the feeling I had there and hope to go back again!!!