Awesome Vacation Part 2 - Nauvoo

-

Nauvoo. To the early Saints, it was a refuge, a gathering place. It was a place of peace and growth, a short lull in the storm of their history. From the time I learned that the family reunion would be held at Steven's sister Karen's home in Nauvoo, I was excited to go.

Family. This was the first time in several years that the kids and I had been able to see some members of Steven's family. (Steven was able to see them more recently when he flew out to David's wedding a few years ago.) The kids got to know cousins they had never seen. They got to celebrate mock holidays with their grandma. Steven's grandparents were in attendance, and this was a chance for the kids to get to know their great grandparents while they are still around. 

We spent a wonderful week there, spending time with family, watching the shows, exploring the historic buildings, visiting the temple, and soaking in the Spirit that permeates the area. It would take too long to write about everything we did, but here are some photo highlights.

Monday we arrived late in the afternoon, but still got in a few activities before bedtime:

We went swimming with the family at a nearby indoor pool.
At a family home evening, Great-Grandma Maureen taught the kids a song about a hunted rabbit.
Tuesday the exploration of Nauvoo really began. We visited several shops, including the bakery, the post office, the tin shop, and the many displays at the family living center. Other events included:

We watched the play, "Just Plain Anna-Amanda" at the Cultural Hall
Josh and Peter practice walking on stilts. The vests were provided by Grandma Kathy. The hats were given the boys by Karen; someone there in Nauvoo makes them.
John helps the wooden bear climb the ropes
Hannah explores a playhouse. The dress and bonnet were also made by Grandma Kathy
After the variety show, "Sunset on the Mississippi", Hannah gave her bonnet to Steven to hold.
After the "Sunset" show, the cousins played on the stage.
Wednesday's main event was a trip to Carthage Jail. Following that trip, some of us also toured the Joseph Smith homes and store owned by the Community of Christ. We noticed that the tour guides there didn't bear testimony as the missionaries who gave tours of the LDS owned sites do. Here are some of the pictures we took at Carthage:

The kids sit in the window from which Joseph fell
Family picture outside the jail

Thursday we got up early to attend the Trail of Hope, where we were able to hear cast members share experiences of the saints in Nauvoo. Several times I was moved to tears. It was a great morning devotional! Other events of the day:
We took a carriage ride, where we heard many stories about the Saints.
The kids liked the horses
We watched the show, "High Hopes and River Boats" We also saw "Rendezvous", performed by the senior missionaries.
We visited the fudge shop. Delicious!
We went to the carnival preceding the Pageant. The kids received sock puppets.
They also got to pull/ride in a hand cart.
Friday began with family pictures, followed by a trip to the Nauvoo temple. That evening we enjoyed the fun and games at carnival once again, followed by watching the Pageant:





 
 
 
 
 
 
The Pageant itself was spectacular! I loved the story, the gospel teachings, the music, the way the temple was built, and especially the strong Spirit I felt.
Saturday we saw more of the sights of historic Nauvoo including:
We took a ride in an ox cart
We visited the brick yard
The kids visited the school house.
We also saw a couple vignettes that day, one called "Youth of Zion", the other called "Go Ye Into All the World" about the early missionaries.
Sunday we attended church, then spent most of the afternoon relaxing at home. That evening we attended a performance by the Pageant cast entitled "Our Story Goes On". Once again I loved the music and the powerful Spirit that I felt.

Monday morning we loaded up the car and headed off on the last stage of our journey.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Talk about Gratitude

-
I recently told my bishop that I enjoyed giving talks in Sacrament Meeting, and it is true. I didn't expect, however, that I would get an email from a bishopric member on Thursday last week to say that his talks for Sunday had to leave town, and would I be willing to speak? Here is the talk that I gave on Sunday, May 27th, 2012: For my topic today, I was given a talk which was given by President Monson in 1992, entitled “An Attitude of Gratitude”. In his talk President Monson begins by telling the story of the 10 lepers. I would like to share it with you. In Luke 17 we read: And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” And when he saw them, he said unto them, “Go show yourselves unto the priests.” And it came to pass, that, as they went, ...
Read more

How Clean is Clean Enough?

-
Image
How clean is "clean enough"? I realize this question is loaded and the answers are very individual, so for a moment, think about yourself and your home and consider, for you, how clean is "clean enough"? What is the difference between a "quick clean", a "daily clean" and a "deep clean"? At what point do you consider your home "clean enough"? Does "clean enough" mean having a clear path from the front door to the other rooms in the house? Is it having the clutter picked up and the floors vacuumed? Must it be dusted every week, every month, or at all? Is it a quick swipe on the surface to remove the dust or crumbs? Is it a scrub with disinfectant? Is it clearing tables and desks, or delving into cupboards and drawers, purging and organizing?    Does it depend on the day of the week? Is "clean enough" on a weekday the same as "clean enough" on a weekend? If not, is it more clean, or less? Is there a...
Read more

School closing, Josh adventures, Back pain relief...

-
On Wednesday school was cancelled all over the Denver area because there was a credible threat that an 18 year old woman with a fixation on the Columbine shooting would attack a school. Apparently she arrived in Denver and bought a gun and then vanished, so they shut down everything just in case. (They found her body later that day... She committed suicide. More info here .) John was frustrated that school was cancelled because one acts are coming up (they are this week!) and he needed the rehearsal time. Instead, John took advantage of the free day to go to School of Mines to check out the campus and talk to someone about getting his admission deferred. I got a ride to my book club, and both of us were home again before Josh and Peter rolled out of bed. Early in the afternoon I took Josh to Children's Hospital to see a cardiologist about his seizures . They did an EKG, but the results were normal. He doesn't have a heart murmur or anything else they could identify. I still thi...
Read more