July 2012

So since we last blogged, I have graduated from BYU-I, Kipp received an associate degree and we have moved to Orem Utah. But here are some precious memories from dear old Rexburg.  Our first apartment, its the one in the bottom left corner.

 Then even though I did not walk, we took a few graduation photos. Good memories at BYU-I come to a close. 

In July we also got to meet and welcome our newest niece into the family.

And our summer fun didn't stop there. Mom then took Kipp and I on a trip to the church history sites over in and by Nauvoo. It was so much fun. Thanks again Mom.  But here are some of my favorite pictures. 

This is our picture in front of the Mississippi River. Really muddy. 

 Since we were in the area we swung by Hannibal Missouri to visit Mark Twains hometown, below is a statue of Huckleberry Finn.

Next stop was Nauvoo. Here we went on a wagon ride into the county to listen to stories about the Saints.

We also found a marker of a family members property Theodore Turley. The house in the background is Joseph Smith's Mansion. 

Mom and I took some time in the Woman's Garden behind the visitor's center. In the garden are beautiful bronze statues of women in various stages of life. 

This is the end of Parley Street where the Saints would have loaded up there wagon on a little boat and cross the Mississippi River when they were driven out of Nauvoo.

This is the Smith's Homestead. You can see the different add-ons the family did over the years. Just to the right is the Smith family cemetery, and behind is the river. 

 This of course is the Nauvoo Temple. Amazing! 

This is Carthage jail, were Joseph and Hyrum Smith were martyred 

 Next we stopped by Adam-ondi-ahman. It was a breathtaking valley. So pretty and peaceful.

Then we saw Far West. All that is here is this monument, and then the four corner stones of the temple. It's out in the middle of no-where. But very amazing to think the cornerstones are still there. 

 Here is the Liberty Jail replica. There are a few actual stones from the original jail used in this replica. To think of how dark and cold it would have been in the bottom. I would not have handled it so well, and with very little light entering the prison would have been terrible and disheartening. 

This is the monument of Zion's Camp. Not the most impressive, but still interesting to read.

We went to several other sites, but we are still not great at taking pictures. But this is a good summery of the trip. We were able to go inside the Smith homestead and mansion, among other buildings in Nauvoo. Also, we got  to experience the Nauvoo pageant. It was a fun way to start our summer, and makes history come alive.