roadtrip day three, part two - april 16th (scroll down for previous days)

So after the amazing experiences at Carthage, we left for Chicago.  We were originally supposed to be selling in Chicago, so we wanted to swing through and check it out.  We'd planned to head in for a Cubs game.  Greg loves baseball and he was so excited to go.  Well, we ended up late for the game, then got stuck in traffic and couldn't find anywhere to park our Highlander and the trailer... SO, we missed the game.  We ended up parking at the coast of Lake Michigan (which is HUGE) and walking around near the stadium.  Chicago is a COOL place from what I could tell.  I'm glad we got to spend a little time there!

me and the kids in front of the skyline

might as well be the ocean

apparently chicago has rat problems

sad we missed the game!

wrigley field!!  too bad we couldn't go inside!

We got to the field right after the game had ended.  I'll tell you one thing.  There are A LOT of drunk people wandering around after a Cubs game.  Everyone out there are SUPERFANS too.  Most everyone was decked out in their Cubs gear!  It was a blast being around the people even though we missed the game!

roadtrip day three, part one - april 16th (scroll down for previous days)

nauvoo, illinois to... hmm...

The first stop on Friday was at Carthage Jail in Carthage, IL.  Wow.  It is an incredible place.  The visitors center has a video that talks about the events leading up to the Prophet's martyrdom, then you take a tour of the jail.  In the video, there is a part where Joseph is leaving his family for the last time.  Emma asks Joseph if he will come back, and he doesn't answer her.  Instead, they embrace and share their love for one another before he leaves.  On the way to Carthage, Joseph and Hyrum, on horseback, stopped in front of the Nauvoo Temple, not then complete, and admired the beautiful work. 

This statue is in front of the Nauvoo Temple and represents the journey to Carthage.

The following link is to pbs.org, it tells the story of the martyrdom.  It is not a church related link, but the story is explained better than I could do it. 

http://www.pbs.org/americanprophet/prologue.html

The stairs the mob rushed up. 

The door at the top of the stairs is a jail cell, after the martyrdom, John Taylor was hidden under a straw mattress in the jail cell and this saved his life because the straw helped stop his bleeding.  The room where the men were, is to the right of the stairs.  It was actually the jailer's bedroom.

the bullet that made this hole hit Hyrum as he was trying to hold the door shut

pardon the emotional wreckage

the top window is where Joseph fell from

Joseph and Hyrum truly did seal the work they performed on the Earth with their blood.  I love the verses written by John Taylor found in the 135th section of the Doctrine and Covenants:

 "Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two continents; has sent the fulness of the everlasting gospel, which it contained, to the four quarters of the earth; has brought forth the revelations and commandments which compose this book of Doctrine and Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the benefit of the children of men; gathered many thousands of the Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that cannot be slain. He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and like most of the Lord’s anointed in ancient times, has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood; and so has his brother Hyrum. In life they were not divided, and in death they were not separated!"

One more Joseph quote.  This one is on display at the site as well.

"I never feel to force my doctrine upon any person, I rejoice to see prejudice give way to truth, and the traditions of men dispersed by the pure principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

roadtrip day two - april 15th (scroll down for day one)

lincoln, nebraska to nauvoo, illinois

We woke up in a lovely truck stop parking lot and the first thing I saw when I got out of the Highlander was Powerade bottles full of pee all over the ground!  I understand it is inconvenient for truckers to have to stop everytime they  have to use the bathroom, but come on... at least dispose of the bottles in a garbage can.  It was sick looking it someone's urine in a bottle.  So after I had my dry heaving under control, we departed lincoln and headed to nauvoo!

We were so excited to see Nauvoo, but by the time we got there it was already 4 pm.  We didn't have a ton of time that evening, and we were planning to pull out early the next morning.  When we got to town, we headed over to the log cabins where all of the church leaders lived.  We didn't really get to tour anything there, just drove through.  We checked into our hotel and decided our time would be best spent by going through a session at the Nauvoo Temple.  It was just gorgeous.  The outside was built to 99% accuracy of the original building.  (They added a fire exit and changed the Angel Moroni.) 

The temple president was in the lobby when we finished the session and he was telling us about the inside of the original temple and how different it was from the current construction.  Also, he pointed us down a hallway which houses some artifacts from the times.  There were paintings, temple keys, temple aprons and shoes... but the thing that was really neat to me was a sword that belonged to Joseph Smith that he had given to someone.  That was the first thing I've ever seen that actually belonged to the Prophet.  He touched it, he carried it.  It was amazing for me to have a quiet experience reflecting on my gratitude for Joseph Smith.

After the temple, we walked around the little town and took some pictures, then called it a night and crashed in our lovely king sized hotel bed :)

kinda blurry, but still cute!

little tobes being afraid of heights.  he wouldn't jump down

view from our hotel room

The open door is our hotel room.  It was a nice place with a big comfy bed!

All in all, we absolutely loved Nauvoo.  Even though we didn't get as much time there as we could have hoped, it was amazing to be in the temple there and to reflect upon Joseph Smith and the restoration.  Little did we know, so many unforgettable experiences awaited us.

roadtrip day one - april 14th

roy to lincoln, nebraska

Day one of the roadtrip was the longest day in the car by far.  We pulled out early Wednesday morning and decided to drive until we couldn't drive anymore.  We would take turns driving and sleeping in the back of the highlander.  We had the back set up with a million pillows and blankets and a dvd player.  (I can't believe I don't have a picture of our SWEET setup!)  We had planned on sleeping in KOA campgrounds each night, but this plan didn't work out every night, so Wednesday night, we decided to sleep in the back of the Highlander at a truckstop.  Our puppies kept freaking out everytime they'd hear a little noise.  So, you can imagine we didn't get much sleep.  Total, we spent about 14 hours driving throughout the day...

That night, we ate dinner at an Applebees in a little town in Nebraska.  The pace of life is so much slower there, even than Utah.  Food prep took longer, the waitress was slower, people stayed to chit chat a lot longer.  Service was good, just so slow!  It was fun on the trip to people watch and notice how different and how similar we all are!

final destination

So, we've finally made it to our summer destination.  Bear, Delaware.  Greg will be selling with APX alarms in delaware, philly and jersey, I believe.  This summer will be awesome and I'm so excited to be able to see a million amazing things!  We're so close to NYC, Washington DC, Boston, Philly, Jersey... and the list goes on.  We took a 5 day road trip on the way here and saw a lot of church history sites and some other cool things.  I'm probably going to take a couple of days to document our trip, and will make each day we traveled its own post.  We had so much fun and I'm excited for family and friends to be able to see what we were up to!

quiet

Well, today is one of those days where I just have lots on my mind.  It is nice, especially on days like today, to leave the tv turned off.  There are many more opportunities to listen in these quiet moments.  The puppies are peacefully sleeping on the couch... laundry is FINALLY done, and I just painted my fingernails lime green. 

I made a realization this week.  One that I will  not talk about, but the principle I will share.  It made a world of difference to me and my outlook on where I have been fitting into my own life lately.  Do you ever look back at your life (years, months, weeks, days) and think you may have been better to make a different decision?  I tend to have these sort of thoughts frequently.  I lead myself to ask "what if?"...   Well, I had an experience this week that completely erased one of my "what if?" scenarios.  It has opened up my eyes and I have been able to recognize so many blessings that I was actually seeing as potholes in my life. 

I need to look for the good in my own life.  I need to look for the good in other people.  Most importantly, I need to search for, grasp onto and cherish the good in myself.  Why do we NEVER see the good in ourselves?  I think we would be so much happier if we recognized good within ourselves and were proud of our own accomplishments and the person we are.  I'm learning to take pride in what I do and who I am.  God wants us to know we are valued.  He wants us to be positive and healthy and happy. 

I feel so blessed to be able to have quiet moments in my life where I can listen and learn from the One who knows so much more than I do.