The day after Steven's graduation, we hopped into the car and set off on an adventure. As a family, we had never been east of Mt. Rushmore. Steven and I saw a couple east coast airports traveling to and from our missions, but we didn't get to actually see anything then, so we were very excited to be heading east.
Our first destination was my sister Kristy's house, near Kansas City,
Missouri. The kids had a blast playing with their cousins. I had my
first experience with cicadas. I never realized before how loud they can
be!
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| John and Dallen |
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| Peter and Benjamin |
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| Hannah, John, Joshua, Peter, Katie, Matthew and Benjamin |
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| a cicada exoskeleton on a tree outside Kristy's home |
We went to church with Kristy and her family Sunday morning, and after lunch we set off to explore some Church history sites in the area.
Our first stop was the
Visitor's Center in Independence, MO. While here, we took a tour with a sister missionary, who told us the story of the early Mormon saints' search for Zion, the frantic building of homes before the winter, the crowded one room cabins, and the destruction of the printing press. The kids enjoyed the many different exhibits.
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| Family picture in front of the Christus statue. |
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| The kids got to play "pioneer" |
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| the Community of Christ building across the street |
Our next stop was my friend Tabitha's home. We enjoyed a delicious dinner with her and her family, while the kids mingled and made friends. Hannah and Emily instantly gravitated toward each other. One of Tabitha's little boys followed Steven around, and another supposedly shy little boy gave me kisses. They are a sweet family and I enjoyed spending time with them.
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| All the kids (I won't name them... I'm sure to make a mistake somewhere.) |
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| Tabitha and me |
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| Emily and Hannah |
After dinner, Tabitha and her daughter Emily took us to see the Kansas City temple and
Liberty Jail, where the prophet Joseph Smith and other Church leaders were imprisoned for several months. Here, we listened to another sister missionary talk about the difficulties the Saints encountered in Missouri. She spoke of the massacre at
Haun's Mill, the
extermination order, and how Joseph came to be imprisoned. After that we went into the room where the jail itself was contained. The things we heard and experienced here were powerful, and the Spirit was strong.
We returned to Kristy's house for the night, and the following morning we packed up and set off on our way again. Before we got too far out of time, we stopped at a place called
Far West, where we saw some corner stones and a monument, as well as a restroom and picnic tables.
From there we traveled to a valley called
Adam-ondi-Ahman, where we stopped to have lunch before heading on to the next part of our trip: Nauvoo.
We returned to Kristy's house for the night, and the following morning we packed up and set off on our way again. Before we got too far out of time, we stopped at a place called Far West, where we saw some corner stones and a monument, as well as a restroom and picnic tables.
From there we traveled to a valley called Adam-ondi-Ahman, where we stopped to have lunch before heading on to the next part of our trip: Nauvoo. 
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