The Stephens Family

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Ten Things We Loved About Nauvoo, Part Two

I just can't resist... here are our top 5 -

#5 - Carriage Ride

The very first thing we did on our first morning in Nauvoo was take the carriage ride, and we loved it so much. Adam and Camille loved the horses,

and we all loved the stories about the Prophet-including how he would come here to "Inspiration Point" overlooking the great Mississippi when he needed time to be alone,

and about how hard the saints worked to get Nauvoo inhabitible, including cutting into the limestone so the water could drain from their swampy land.

#4 - The Nauvoo Temple Pagent

It was wonderful.

#3 - Trail of Hope

I loved every bit of the pagent, but I loved the Trail of Hope even more. The actors from the pagent stand along the trail, and as groups pass by they tell their stories - stories of grief, hard work, sadness, and joy. Jane Manning was one of my favorites...

along with Eliza Leavitt who made me love the song "Come, Let Us Anew"

We were in the first group (thanks Dave & Katie for saving us a spot) and the morning was quiet and peaceful and deeply spiritual. We learned that very few of the saints took their wagons over the river by barge - most of them simply walked across the great Mississippi because it was completely frozen over when they crossed in the dead of winter.

Here we are on the edge of the Mississippi-I've always wanted to see this river, and let me tell you... it didn't dissapoint!

Skipping rocks...

#2 - Carthage
Carthage was amazing. I have to say, one thing the church does very well is landscaping! The first thing I noticed about this place was how lovely it is, thanks to the hard work and dedication of the "Garden Missionaries"

Aren't these borders amazing!

Did you know that Carthage was a family home? We learned all about how kind this family was to Joseph and the others,

saw this bullet hole,

and realized that it was only because the father of the home let these great men stay in his bedroom that they weren't all killed.

I can't think of any window in the world with more significance to me...

Adam, Camille, Joseph, Hyrum, and Matthew...

#1 - The Temple

Without a doubt, my favorite part of our trip - and worth the trip all on its own. Brad and I spent one whole morning here - doing work and getting a wonderful tour from my brother-in-law's wife (Thanks, Bonnie). In the afternoon she took Camille out shopping while the kids (and Brad and I) did baptisms.

Best. Part. Of. Our. Trip!

I love being in any temple, but the spirit of the sacrifice of those saints is so strong in this temple that you almost feel like you can reach right out and touch it. I love this place!

All in all, a lovely trip.... so glad we went!

Friday, August 19, 2011

St. Louis, Missouri

This summer we took a trip to Nauvoo that started in St. Louis, Missouri. After a long, 3-part airplane ride, Brad & the boys went to a Cardinals baseball game.

Thankfully, their favorite player - Albert Pujols -had just come back from an injury and hit a home run in the bottom of the 9th that won the game (and landed two seats away from the boys who had their own very brief and very annonymous appearance on Sports Center's Top Ten)!

They had the time of their lives - a great game at a fabulous stadium with some of the game's most devoted fans. (I think they were just about the only ones there not wearing red... we should have planned better!)

The next morning we all went to the famous St. Louis arch. We had all seen pictures of it before, but had no idea how huge it was... (see how tiny we are standing there!)

or that you could actually go up insideof it! (see that row of tiny windows near the top???)

They have these tiny little elevators

that our family barely fit inside!

Brad's a bit claustrophobic - and terribly afraid of heights - so he asked us to sing him a lullaby on the way up to the top. We thought "Rock-a-bye Baby" was appropriate! {Nothing like a song about a little baby falling out of a tree to help you get over your fears, honey!}