Trip to Nauvoo

The beautiful bride, Jessica, and Alyssa right after she came out of the temple. Alyssa was so excited to see the "princess"

Our family on the temple grounds after the wedding

Rob being silly...as usual

Walking around the Smith Cemetery in Nauvoo

In front of Joseph and Emma Smith's home

The Nauvoo temple

The top of the Nauvoo temple-showing the angel Moroni
Last Thursday we went to Nauvoo, IL for a family member's wedding. We left in the evening and drove through the night so the girls would hopefully sleep most of the drive. When I told Alyssa to close her eyes and sleep a little she told me, "I'm not going to sleep until I find my new bed at the hotel." I thought...okay...good luck with that! However, she always seems to surprise me, hours and hours went by and I'd look back and she was still awake watching her Disney movies. Thank goodness for the DVD players in vehicles these days...it would have been a much longer trip without it. We made it to the hotel about 4:30am and got a few hours rest and then had to hurry and get ready to go to the temple for the wedding ceremony at 10:00am. We were very tired and I'm sure my eyes looked it, but once we got onto those temple grounds and I saw the Nauvoo temple in person, I didn't even feel tired anymore. It is much more than a beautiful building. We dropped the girls off with a friend at the family accommodations house across the street from the temple and my husband and I walked hand in hand up the temple steps into the house of the Lord. The minute I walked in I felt a kind of peace that I haven't felt in a long time. I hadn't been to the temple since Isabella was born. The feeling that I get when I am in that sacred and holy place that no where else on earth I can feel it. It is the closest place to heaven and the closest place to God that I know.
The ceremony was sweet and special. The couple was much in love you could tell. Watching two other young people sit across the alter and make sacred covenants with God together, always reminds me that my husband and I have made those same covenants and how special it all is to me. I walked away from the temple with a re-commitment to my covenants and a new found appreciation and joy for them.
All day Friday was spent with the wedding. We had pictures and lunch after the wedding ceremony. Then we all drove another 4 hours to get to where the reception was held that evening. It was a long 24 hours for my little girls and for me and Robert. By the time the reception was over we were running on about 2 hours sleep. We were all exhausted!
The groom's parents were friends with the owner of the Raddison hotel, so for a wedding gift to them, he got them and all the traveling family members a room for free for the night. It was so nice! We were able to get some much needed sleep.
On Saturday we wanted to take time alone as our family and drive back to Nauvoo and tour around the town. (Nauvoo is where the prophet, Joseph Smith, and other early Latter Day Saints settled and built the Nauvoo temple before being ran out by people who were against Joseph Smith and our church teachings.) We didn't get back to Nauvoo until late afternoon, so we didn't get as much time to see things as I wanted. But, it was still very cool to see how they lived back then.
Sunday morning we packed up and drove another 9 hours home. As you can see, most of our trip was spent in the car driving. I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to tour Carthage Jail, where Joseph Smith was killed- it was closed by the time we could go. But it was just so neat to go and see that area and to think about all the the early Saints and how much they sacrificed and endured to bring us the full gospel of Jesus Christ to us today. I think I appreciate it all a little more because of it. It was a good trip.