Ah, Nauvoo

I feel like I now belong to the elite club of Nauvoo-ers. We have never been to Nauvoo before. Heck, we have never been anywhere before. A trek to Grandma and Grandpa's is as far as our little family has ever gone. But now, we have been to Nauvoo. I understand now why everyone who mentions Nauvoo turns into a blubbering puddle and gets that homesick look in their eyes. I can see now why the Saints were so devastated to leave their beautiful city, why they loved it so much, and why the "Trail of Hope" is such a powerful experience. Thank you, Erik and Kristi, for organizing such a memorable family reunion for our family. We are so thankful to have these memories of this wonderful place of legacy. We had such a good time! We now belong to the club that gets that faraway, homesick look in their eyes when talking of Nauvoo. We plan to accept a mission call to Nauvoo, anytime. That is if a 5 year old didn't cramp our style a bit, and if mission calls actually worked that way. We may have to wait, I guess. But, at least we have our reunion.

Let me sum up:

* Overnighter with cousins in Kansas. Great way to kick off vacation

*Wagon ride through streets of Nauvoo

*Sweltering heat, humidity...and mayflies!

*Dressing up in pioneer clothes, playing pioneer games.

*Puppets shoes and plays

*Learning of family legacies at the Memorial down by the Mississippi

*Walking the "Trail of Hope"

*Hearing the stories of my ancestors that lived in Nauvoo, and learning of several of Jeff's that were there.

*Visiting the spot where Jeff's ancestors had lived with their acre

*Lovely senior missionaries that added to the spirit

*Standing where the Prophet Joseph Smith stood

*Feeling the incredible spirit that lingers there

*Celebrating Father's Day with our whole family gather around Grandpa

*Collecting souvenirs, in a ziploc baggie

*Sharing our touring with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Yeah, I know; COOL!

*Swimming, late nights, visiting in the hallway at the hotel

*Family pictures

*Getting to watch my brother Clark's reaction at the Carthage Jail

*Getting a red brick

*Getting the best family reunion t-shirts ever. Thanks Kirk and Heather!

*Relearning Church History facts I have taken for granted

*Watching Jeff have the time of his life

*Attending the Nauvoo temple

*Cousins! Cousins! Cousins!!

*Family Conference

*Two and a half day car ride home with my brother Jeremy and our kids.

*Trying to communicate with a family as large as ours. We all missed the memo at least once.

Anyway, sorry about a lengthy post. It just had to be done. I am sure I missed a lot of things. It is late and I keep getting sidetracked with daydreaming about our time in Nauvoo. Thank you, Erik and Kristi for planning this for us. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for making it possible for us to enjoy this time with our family and for having the faith that we could pull off this Exodus.

WE HAD A GREAT TIME!