Sickness and Travel...Why is it they always go together?

So, today was wonderful. We finished touring Nauvoo at 5:00 when they closed, had an AMAZING dinner at the Hotel Nauvoo, went swimming at our hotel and bedded the kids down for the night. With the kids sound asleep, Jared and I were preparing for our early departure tomorrow morning. We have a 9.5 hour drive with a stop at Springfield Illinois to visit the Lincoln Museum. Then we arrive at Blake and Shonna's!! Yipee! We can't wait. As we were preparing, Brielle suddenly sat up in bed and puked everywhere, 4 times (we got towels and the ice bucket there in time to catch the last 2). Ugh. I got her all bathed, dressed in new pj's, and into our bed (I don't think she ever really woke up) and Jared is still trying to get new sheets for the other bed. I just threw all of her soiled clothes in to be washed which means no bedtime until at least midnight. Oh well. I am glad that she doesn't seem to be feeling badly. Jared and I are just hoping with all our mights that it isn't food poisoning from the medium to medium-rare beef that we all enjoyed at dinner. Both of us worried about eating it the day before we traveled in the car all day, but it tasted so good that we weren't about to voice our concerns to each other. Please pray that all four of us won't be up all night with churning tummys and only one toilet! Ugh!

P.S. Word of advice from Jared - Next time you stay at a hotel, as a matter of routine, put the plastic bag in the ice bucket (even if you don't plan to use it)...just in case.

Carthage and Nauvoo

We got a later start today, so we didn't do as much, but it was still a nice day. We left Kansas City at about 10 and drove and drove and drove. Today the driving seemed to be longer than any other day even though it was only 4.5 hours. I think we are getting tired of the car. Tomorrow in Nauvoo will be a welcome break!

Our first stop was Carthage Jail. When we arrived there was a large group of missionaries and their mission president were just finishing taking the tour. As we got out of the car, they started singing "Praise to the Man." What a touching way to start our visit. We watched a video and took a tour of the jail. The sister missionaries conducting the tour did a very nice job. I hadn't realized that the jailer, knowing that they were good men and realizing that their lives might be in danger, had given them he and his wife's own room. The dungeon room was 120 degrees, so he moved them to the guest room downstairs for the afternoon, so they weren't suffering in the heat. Then, knowing that the downstairs room wasn't safe for Joseph and his associates due to the large windows, he gave them his nice, well-ventilated, upstairs room. That is the room where the attack took place. As I contemplated what happened there, I felt sadness for Emma and Mary and their children, losing their husbands and fathers and having to face the rest of their earthly lives without them. But I felt a happiness and triumph for Joseph and Hyrum. They completed the mission God gave them to fulfill with faith and integrity. They were able to go home and receive their reward.

Then we drove to Nauvoo just in time to slip into the visitors center before it closed and get some guides so that we could plan our day tomorrow. We also got tickets to the show they put on this evening and really enjoyed going to that. As they closed the sites, we took a stroll through the Women's garden and then walked up to the beautiful Nauvoo temple. It is incredible to think that pioneers built such a glorious building so many years ago. After the show, we drove to a nearby town in Iowa to get food for the next 2 days. We got to cross a draw bridge over the Mississippi River on our way to the grocery store. It was exciting...especially because a train was crossing at the same time we were. The kids were asleep by the time we got back so Jared took care of some stuff online and I went swimming in the indoor pool here in the hotel. Aaah. So nice. It felt good to get some much needed exercise.

We are looking forward to a nice rainy day in Nauvoo tomorrow! :)Missionaries singing "Praise to the Man" outside Carthage Jail.Family PictureThis is my all-time favorite statue. I love and admire both Joseph and Hyrum. Hyrum's humility, integrity, and loyalty to the prophet (his younger brother) has always touched my heart. What amazing men they were.The room in Carthage where they were attacked.The bullet holes through the door.

The Nauvoo temple. I must say, spring is a glorious time to visit the church history sites. We have loved seeing all of the tulips and daffodils at every place we visit. AMAZING!

Brielle, Nathan and Jared holding hands.Brielle was intrigued by the statue of the baby walking to her daddy. She looked at it for 2 or 3 minutes.

Nathan was intrigued with the sticks, rocks, grass, and nuts on the ground. He loved exploring and it was difficult to convince him to come with us to the temple. He came though and said the word "temple" for the first time.

Some wonderful sights

Today was busy and wonderful. We started off at Winter Quarters where we took a tour of the visitor center and then wandered around the cemetary and temple. It was a very nice experience. They have smaller replicas of both the Nauvoo and the Salt Lake Temples in the visitor's center and Brielle got so excited when she saw them. She ran over, stood in front of the Nauvoo temple, and sang "I love to see the temple" with all of her heart. It was touching.
Kanesville Tabernacle was next. Jared had been there before and wasn't excited about going again, but I convinced him. We both ended up loving the tour. They taught us about all of the different tools that the pioneers used for various things. It was really interesting. We watched a movie about Brigham Young being sustained as the second president of the church which we enjoyed. What a wonderful man. He was truly a prophet of God. As we left, we realized why Jared had such different experiences. The town of Council Bluffs were the ones to rebuild the tabernacle and they were the ones running to tour when Jared went before. The church took over in 2003 and they have added a lot to the site since then. We would recommend that site to anyone traveling in the area.

After grabbing some Subways (thanks Mom and Dad Mackrory for the food yesterday. Thanks to you this was the first meal we had to buy on the trip!), we headed for Far West. We LOVED this site. We debated going because all that was there were the cornerstones for the temple...no tour or anything, but we are so glad that we did. It was our favorite stop of the day. As soon as I got out of the car, I felt a special spirit there. That is definitely a sacred place. It was so peaceful and beautiful with spring flowers in bloom and birds singing in the trees. We could have stayed there all afternoon. It was neat to think that all 12 apostles gathered on that sacred spot before leaving on their missions over seas. Those wonderful men gathered there in faith, despite persecution, to do as the Lord had commanded them. I look forward to the day that the temple there is completed.

We then drove up to Adam-Ondi-Ahman for a couple of brief walks and then went to Liberty where we took a tour of Liberty Jail. This site was a close second to Far West for both Jared and I. Our cousin Melanie has working for the church for the past several months doing in-depth research on Liberty Jail to put together a site guide for the missionaries who conduct the tours at that location. I was lucky enough to be in St. George when she spoke in Relief Society in my mom's ward a couple of weeks ago and I learned so much about the Prophet Joseph's experiences there and the effect it had on the church. After just learning so much from her, it was especially touching to go and visit that important place. The sister missionary who conducted our tour encouraged us to think of the "Liberty Jails" in our own lives--the experiences we have where our faith is tried. She taught us that this experience in Liberty Jail was to try the faith of those who were there and they proved faithful despite the difficulties. Through this experience they were refined and made better. It was touching to apply that to my life. I hope I can prove faithful in the "Liberty Jails" of my life.

We are having a wonderful time as a family visiting all of these sacred places. What a blessing. Tomorrow we are off to Nauvoo.Classic self couple shot in front of the beautiful pink blossoms at our hotel in Omaha.We found "Mormon Street" thanks to missing our turn off to Winter Quarters! :)Pioneer Brielle singing "I Love to See the Temple" in front of the Nauvoo temple replica.Brielle and Nathan are "packing the wagons" for the trip west.Nathan was a "pioneer" just long enough to play 2 quick games of peek-a-boo.
I love this statue of them pressing forward. They did this continually despite so many challenges and set backs. What courageous examples!Winter Quarters TempleBrigham Young and his newly sustained counselors outside the Kanesville Tabernacle.A covered wagon replica at the tabernacle.Jared looking at one of the cornerstones of the Far West temple.Nathan discovered the fence was not small enough to keep him in. In and out, in and out...how fun!Flowers and US flag at Far West. I admire the pioneers' devotion and loyalty to this country even when time and again their pleas for help to government officials were unanswered. Perhaps they understood God's hand in the establishment of this free country for the purpose of restoring the gospel to the earth.Jared stopped on the way to Adam-Ondi-Ahman so I could get a picture of one of the beautiful, classic barns.Adam-Ondi-Ahman

Liberty Jail

We found your city Blake and Shonna!

On our way

It has been way too long since I blogged. Sorry! Life has been busy preparing for our move across the country to Wisconsin, but we are finally on our way! We left on Friday (Nathan threw up during the drive--no more soft serve ice cream for him!) and we spent the weekend with Granny and Granddad in Colorado. We all had such a nice time with them chatting, playing, and eating delicious food. We were sad to leave this morning, but we made it to our hotel in Omaha. We are excited to go to Winter Quarters and the temple tomorrow morning. We will then go to Liberty Jail and Far West tomorrow and then off to Nauvoo for a couple of days. We are enjoying reading about church history in the car together and are learning a lot. Then we get to have more wonderful family time as we visit Blake and Shonna and then Andrew and KaraLynne in Ohio. From there we backtrack to find our new home in Wisconsin. We are loving the opportunity to have dad with us all day with no work and no school. He is all ours! Life is good!

I got a new camera right before we left. We have loved the Sony Cybershot we got a couple of years ago, but it is so big that is hard for me to handle with 2 kids, so I don't take it with us when we go on fun outings. So we got another Sony Cybershot, but this one is small and fits in the little pocket in my purse so I can take it everywhere. I LOVE it. The shutter speed is really fast too. Yay! Here are a few pictures from our trip so far:Granny and Granddad and Brielle and Nathan. The kids had such a great time with them this weekend...as did we.

Grandpa and Brielle

Grandma and Nathan

These grandparents are referred to by Brielle as "the ones who have the giraffe". The kids love their oversized animals that keep the South African feel alive in their home.

Grandpa rounded up the kids and watched Thomas the Tank engine with them on his computer while we were trying to pack. Thanks dad! Nathan says "Thomas" now. :)

Brielle enjoying granny's beautiful flowersBrielle loves playing the piano and singing and feels especially cool when she gets to wear the headphones. We heard many beautiful primary songs throughout the weekend.Isn't Nebraska pretty? I love the sky! I also really enjoyed seeing the quaint, classic farms along the way, but wasn't able to get a good picture.Our fearless leader! (We did break down and buy a GPS when we arrived in Omaha. After a bit of confusion this morning, and knowing that we are headed into more unknown territory, we decided it would be a good time to purchase one. We have now joined the ranks. What should we name ours?)The kids LOVE the car ride!

Nathan discovered where mom was hiding the crackers and that he could actually reach them from his seat! Yipee! I wish I had captured his look of triumph, but at least you can see him enjoying the goods.

I am a Builder

I noticed on the handout Brielle received at a primary activity last weekend that they are learning a song called "My Eternal Family" this month in Sharing Time. I didn't know it at all and thought I should learn it so that we could practice at home. I tracked it down and have fallen in LOVE with it. It captures exactly what we are all trying to do every day and it fills me with faith, motivation, inspiration, and purpose. I think we all need to learn it! :)

Go here: http://www.lds.org/cm/display/0,17631,7206-1,00.html, scroll down and click on "My Eternal Family - Music and Voice". You will be glad you did! Here are the words:

"I am a builder, working each day to build my family.
And I will do the best I can to serve them lovingly.
I am builder, growing so tall and learning every day
To speak with kindness in my home, to help and work and play.

Chorus: My Heavenly Father sent me here and He knows I can be
Strong and righteous as I build my eternal family.

I am a builder, building a home, I seek the Lord in prayer
And as I try to live God's word I feel the spirit there.
I am a builder, serving the Lord and following His plan,
To help my family come back home and live with Him again."

My new theme song! :)