Daddy:
1. Touring the Joseph Smith Homestead, Mansion House, and Red Brick Store. It was neat to walk where the prophet Joseph Smith lived. Hearing about the hiding places located in the homestead and mansion house was fascinating. Very humbling to think about all that Joseph Smith was willing to suffer to restore the Church of Jesus Christ to the earth.
2. The wagon rides and carriage rides through town. It was so great to see all of Nauvoo and hear the wonderful stories about the buildings and the people who lived in them. There was a sweet feeling in the wagons as the missionaries spoke to us. Such a wonderful way to see all of the city.
3. The Printing Shop and learning about the Nauvoo Neighbor Newspaper. It was amazing to see what a painstaking process it was to print a newspaper back in the 1840s.
"The Nauvoo Neighbor was a weekly newspaper edited and published by Latter Day Saint Apostle John Taylor in Nauvoo, Illinois from 1843 to 1845.
The Neighbor reported on local, state, national, and international news and also commonly featured agricultural, commercial, scientific, and religious news as well as excerpts of literature. It, along with Times and Seasons, was the primary vehicle in which a Latter Day Saint perspective on the incarceration and assassination of Joseph Smith, Jr. was transmitted to the public.
The first edition of the Nauvoo Neighbor was dated March 3, 1843. The final edition was published on October 29, 1845. Publication ceased when the majority of Latter Day Saints, including Taylor, decided to leave Nauvoo and emigrate to the Salt Lake Valley under the direction of Brigham Young." (source: Wikipedia)
4. The Jonathon Browning House. Tommy was grumpy and insisted on sitting on the sidewalk outside to drink his chocolate milk, so Mommy didn't tour this house. But Daddy and the kids had a good time learning about the gunsmith and his family, seeing the home, and seeing one of the first machine guns.
5. Carthage Jail. The first picture in this grouping is actually on the Nauvoo Temple grounds; we never got a family photo at Carthage. The statue is of Joseph and Hyrum Smith who were both killed while imprisoned at Carthage Jail. The statue below is of Joseph and Hyrum and is located on the grounds at Carthage. There was a wonderful live program performed in the Carthage Visitor's Center full of music and stories about the martyrdom of Joseph Smith. It was beautifully done. Not a dry eye in the room after the performance. Such a special place.
Mommy:
I have been to Nauvoo once before so I thought I knew what to expect from this trip. I was so amazed at how much has changed in the past 20 years. There were so many more buildings, programs, and activities. The temple is such a beautiful addition to the city. The whole place touched my heart, strengthened my testimony, and surpassed my expectations.
1. The Temple. The last time I went to Nauvoo, there was just a hole in the ground where the temple once stood. I was touched by how beautiful the temple was and felt grateful to go inside and participate in an endowment session. What a heartbreaking thing it must have been to leave this temple behind when the Saints were forced from Nauvoo. It is so inspiring to see it stand again today.
2. Living Legends Program. This program was on tour performing in Nauvoo while we were there. The dancing and costumes were stunning. It was an impressive program. Jeremy and I had a great night away from the kids watching this show. Thanks for tending the little ones Grammy and Grampy!
3. I'm going to cheat and combine a few things since they're related: 1) Being together as a family for over a week. 2) Watching the kids learn and explore. 3) Seeing our children have so much fun with their cousins and grandparents. I think that says it all. The long drives weren't fun, but we had a great time being together and exploring new places together. The kids would run and play until they crashed every night. We had more smiles than tears. We had a great experience. Lily and Annie talk about Nauvoo as if it were Disneyland. They felt the Spirit there. They felt the love of family there. I don't know how much they'll remember in the future. But I do know that they understand Nauvoo is a special place and they learned and felt things that were new to them. It was a great experience.
Thanks for a great reunion Grammy and Grampy!
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