Trip to Nauvoo

 As you all know, we moved to South Carolina for the summer months.  We had to drive SO FAR so we thought, What the heck, we might as well make it a road trip and go see Nauvoo!   We have both been wanting to go really bad, so we DID!....and we ended up staying a lot longer than planned because we didn't want to leave!  And it was so neat.  Very humbling.  We left early Friday morning and drove 16 hours to Des Moines, Iowa where we stayed the night.  We got up Saturday morning and drove to Nauvoo, Illinois (about 3 more hours).  We crossed the Mississippi river and came into Nauvoo the back way.  When we saw the temple, we were both so excited!  It is BEAUTIFUL! It rests on a hill overlooking the beautiful Mississippi river.  A stunning scene to behold! We parked the car and walked across the street to the grassy hill in front of the temple.  From where we stood we could look up and see the temple in front of us, or we could look out and see the Mississippi out just below us.  As I looked up at the temple and then out at the Mississippi river, tears came to my eyes.  The spirit was so strong there on that hill you could just feel it.  I could feel that we were on sacred grounds.  I looked over at Kade and he had tears in his eyes too and we hadn't said a word to each other.  I hugged him and told him what an awesome experience it was to share with him.

 We were able to attend a session while there in Nauvoo and it was very nice.  Just calming and peacful.  I love the inside of this temple!

After our session, we took some time to walk around the temple and just think back on the great heritage of our church, the people who worked so hard to build this temple, and who sacrificed so much to then leave it, to go to the Salt Lake valley.  The sky was really pretty that night.  

 back side of the temple.

 Front steps

 I absolutely LOVED this statue.  It is placed directly in front of the temple. It is of Joseph and Hyrum, depicting "The Last Ride", and on the front, there is some words said by Joseph to Hyrum as they left Nauvoo for the final time in this life. They stopped on this hill and he said to Hyrum, "This is the loveliest place and the best people under the heavens; little do they know the trials that await them". 

 Front view of the temple.

 Statue in front of the temple

 We stopped in the gift shop and looked around a bit, and I had to try on this pioneer bonet! :)  ....Sometimes I wish we could step back in time, so I could wear it.....on my horse!.....in a dresss!.....riding side saddle! :)

 We went on a wagon ride, pulled by Tim and Tom.  They were our big Percheron team.  They did a great job and so did the teamsters (our missionaries).  The teamsters took us out in the country of Nauvoo and talked about the local members that lived in the area way back then, and about some of their relationships with the Prophet Joseph. One of the people that they talked about was Dan Jones.  We stopped in "Dan's Hollow" which was down in a little ravine.  It was quiet and peaceful there.  The missionaries asked us all to sing, 'I am a child of God'.  It was neat being out in the trees in a wagon singing one of my favorite primary songs! 

 I loved touring all of the differnt buildings that they have preserved there in Nauvoo.  And these quilts were in the Culteral Hall upstairs and get me way too excited!  I LOVE THEM!!!  There were lots and lots of them. I'm kind of obsessed with old quilting, and how they did it, and how they didn't waste anything that they had....they USED IT!  A little different from our generation! 

 This was one of my favorite places.  This was were Joseph Smith lived first here in Nauvoo.  It was so pretty!  It literally sat right on the bank of the Mississippi River!  The feeling here was very calm and peaceful.  I just imagined their families all gathered here to spend time together.  This is also where the bodies of Joseph, Emma, Hyrum, Lucy Mack, Joseph Smith Sr and a whole bunch of their kids were burried. 

 It was a really cool feeling to look upon the graves of such life changing people who will forever be exaples to the world.  And what a perfect place for them to rest, in their own yard, where they were at the happiest times in life. There was a humility and reverence there.  The birds were chirping and there was a light breeze. 

 Sitting by Joseph's house (pictured above) by the Mississippi River.

 The trail of hope was very eye opening for me.  This was the very route that the saints were driven out of Nauvoo.  There were many plaques along the way, of actual journal entries of people who walked this path to the Salt Lake Valley.  The temple is in view (looking back) almost the whole way along the trail.  I can only imagine the emotions that were felt as they looked back at the beautiful temple that they had to leave behind.

 This was at the waters edge, the end of the trail of hope before they had to cross the Mississippi River. 

 This was a statue of Joseph and Brigham Young at the rivers edge.  I love it, because it makes me think of Joseph, turning over the responsibility to Brigham, and what Brigham must have felt like with this new responsibility placed on his shoulders.

 I took a lot of pictures of different journal enties on the trial of hope, but this one stood out to me a lot.

 View looking back from the trail of hope.

 This was in the black smith shop, where I got a diamond ring (a horseshoe nail, shapped into a ring).

 The back of the Brigham Young home, one of the original structures in Nauvoo.

 Carthage jail.....very humbling experience.  It was definitely a different feeling here than in Nauvoo, you could still feel the spirit, but it was more of a spirit of testimony, that this is where he was in fact martyered, also a spirit of reverence and respect for him and the men that were with him.  

It was awesome going on the tour because we got to hear the facts about Carthage jail and more of the detail of what happened.  They also said that the door inside with the bullet hole in it, was the original door from back then.  They played, on an old radio(maybe a phonograph) a naration with the song that was sung by John Taylor(a poor wafering man of grief) as we sat in that room.  I'm so grateful that I have been able to have this experience, and I know Kade feels the same.  It has built my testimony stronger of the prophet Joseph Smith and it makes him more real to me.  We hear so much about him and never doubt that he was a prophet, the prophet of the restoration,  but to visit his 'place', where he lived and where he died, to see where his body rests and to have glimpses of his world, was very humbling for me.   

Pieces of Our Lives

Since I have LOTS of time on our drive to SC, I thought I would catch up on my blog. The past couple of months we have really tried to hang out with family a lot. We know the summers can be long and we miss our family so we have to make as many memories as we can while we are together:) Family is everything! So this post is just some random, wonderful "pieces of our lives". Pictures are of nieces and nephews, mom and dads sheep camp, bonfire with the Church's, Kade trying to stuff Tyson in a TINY car, some fun projects that I've done, Princess Shilo:), and FHE at Snow College. We LOVE our families and will miss you all so much while we're gone!

Armoire Makeover!

 Well, it has been a super long time since I posted last.....pretty much what happens to my blog during the winter months:(  But....I did want to post this fun project that I have been working on.  I bought this armoire off of ksl(love ksl!) back in August for $30!  I was super happy!  I've been wanting to work on it but havent made the time until now.  I finally started on it and could'nt stop...because the progress was so fun to see!  I bought it for my sewing room, to organize my material, and it works wonderful! Before and After!



Camping!

 I feel like there have about a million billion trillion gazillion things going on!  Life is super busy and crazy and FUN! We are loving it so much!  And this post is long over due and I have other posts that are just going to have to wait.  Too many things and not enough time I guess.  But what a blessing it is to be busy and to be close to family, and just enjoy the craziness of life! I LOVE IT!!!  We have been doing more guided hunts, BOTTLING BOTTLING AND MORE BOTTLING!, Getting loads of wood, doing hair, going to football games, LOTS OF YARD WORK, taking pictures,  and just hanging out with family!  I know I'm missing half of the list, but thats what I remember right off the top of my head :)

So this post, I've been meaning to put up for quite a while now.  About a month ago we had a fun time going to our family cabin and hanging out with our good friends Gordon and Trisha and John and Nancy, and of course their adorable kids!  The are such good friends to us, we've all decided that we are pretty much family because we spend so much time together during the summer, and we're all so comfortable around each other......maybe the boys are a little too comfortable!!  Haha!  And I love Trisha and Nancy to death, they are some of my very best friends.   I'm so glad they are there for me during the summer, in the moments when the summer seems long. 

The above pic is of our sleeping arrangement! haha! We decided to pile in the loft upstairs of the cabin, and we actually slept pretty good.  Better than I had expected, but I think Trisha may not have had the same experience:( because she was up with Camden a bit.   The best part of the night was before we actually went to bed, all the kids were to sleep and the adults just stayed up talking about all of our crazy adventures together!  I love when we all get laughing and can't stop! :)

 We had a lot of fun!  We kicked off the trip with a good camp fire and some smores!  It was a nice weekend to go! The weather cooperated very nicely.

 Josh and Tyler in their jamies after they woke up.

 Kade helped Josh catch his first fish!  They were pretty happy boys!

John and Nancy and their family enjoying the paddle boats!

 Gordon and Trisha and family taking a 4-wheeler ride!

 Kade and I hanging out by the pond, watching Shilo swim.

 So.......this was quite the tramatic experience for Sydney (Nancy's dog).  Shilo had caught two mice in the pond earlier that day, she would sniff them out of their holes, and they would jump into the pond and swim for their lives....well, she loved the game and would jump in and grab the mice and bring them to shore.....LIVE BAIT!  And of course, we encouraged her to "get the mice!" and she would do it.  Well........John decided to throw Sydney into the water to see if she would swim (Sydney doesn't seem to like the water).  Well as soon as Shilo heard the splash of Sydney being thrown into the water, she was all over that idea, and pretty much tried to down Sydney!  She must have thought Sydney was another mouse or something :( 

 Poor Sydney :(  She's like half her size when she is wet!  She's a little fur ball when she's dry. 

We took a long 4-wheeler ride up over the cabin hill, which was really fun.  Shilo ran the entire way up the hill along side the 4-wheelers, which is a huge hill!  She looked like she was going to die when we got their! But she sure has a lot of endurance.  So I let her ride next to me on the 4-wheeler on the way down, and she didn't hesitate for the ride :)

Good times!  Definately going to have to make that a yearly trip, if not more :)

Guided Hunting

 The past week, Kade and I were able to go and be guides with a friend for a CWMU unit.  There are hunters who come from all over and hunt, and we happended to get some really fun hunters, Gary and Dave.  They were a blast!  We had lots of fun!  I was the camp cook and Kade helped guide them during the day. And on the down time, when the elk are sleeping, the pellet guns came out and there was some competitions that began, with pepsi cans, bottles, and squirrels.......

 I was able to take Shilo with for the week, and she was my BEST buddy!  She followed me around wherever I went and was so good!!! She even laid down by me while I cooked and didn't beg for food :)  GOOD DOGGIE! :)

There is a european elk mount hanging on the tree at camp, that was kinda cool.  Kade decided to shoot his bow while we had some down time, well, he's pretty much Robin Hood......he split his arrow straight down the middle.  The knock was even pushed down the shaft.  So we decided to add to the decor at camp and put his arrow up on the elk antlers!.....adding a nice finishing touch :)

 This is actually elk number 2 that we got for Gary.  Nice bull! Way to go Gary!!!!! 

 This was actually on our drive home, and not the greatest pictrure, but I snapped it in front of Kade's face, out the window, as he was driving.  The colors are just amazing! I seriously can't believe how beautiful it is right now!

 This was our little home for a week.  They are the warmest little cabins ever.  I didn't get cold one of the nights we where there!  They are so well insulated, that they stay so warm in the night and so cool in the day. 

 As the camp cook, I'm alone about 6 hours of the day, so I have lots of things to get done, like reading, movies.....and whatever I bring to do :)  One of the days, I noticed some antilope walking by camp, so I decided to watch them.  They are so pretty I think.  I actually really love their coat.  Very unique.

This was our camp site.  I love how its tucked into the trees.

 Inside our little cabin.  During the day, I would mostly read and watch movies, while Shilo slept on the floor by me, on her blanket.  She was a great pal to be with!

I seriously can't get enough of the fall colors. They are just beautiful! Amazing! Stunning! LOVE IT!

And this was elk number 1 of the week.  Way to go DAVE!!!!!!!  Wahooo!!!  He was with Kade when he shot so it was a pretty cool experience!  This was also a very nice bull! :)  Good times being home, thats for sure!  I'm loving the mountains, being with the family, and just being able to be in our home.  It feels really good and I'm ready to be here for a while! :)

Hunting

 Well, we have been having a lot of fun since we have been home.  We have been hunting a lot!  I always love hunting season! Its super fun to go hike around in the mountains "Church" style :)  The Church's always get up early in the morning, around 5:30 to get ready to leave by 6.  We are usually in the mountains until dark or after dark most times, depending on if they see the elk or not, so we always prep our hunting packs with lots of water and food for the day.  And if the elk quiet down, we just lay down and take a nap wherever we want.  Good times!

 If there are a few of us, most of the time, we split up and go to differnt ridges.  One of the hunting days, there was Kade and I, Tyson and Karissa, and Dennis.  So we split up and went to different places.  I got to hang out with Kade all day :)

 I love when we see the back country like no one ever sees it!  We see stuff down in the deep dark parts of the woods :)  I love all the water that trickles down the mountains, that you would never know existed.

There is SO much beauty that I feel like I would never see if I didn't go hunting. I really love to hike around in all the cool places......don't get me wrong, its hard work hinking out, but I think its always so worth it!

Me and my beautiful sister-in-law after the hike out:)  Fun times with the family! :)