Visitors at Church...

This is just a quick note without any pictures because we don't take out camera to church. (Wish I had though.) We were sitting on the next to the last bench in the chapel. We have to get there about 40 minutes early to get a bench since every week we have close to 2,000 visitors attend the ward. We actually have 3 sacrament tables. Anyway, the row behind us had a few of the core cast members sitting there. Jeff, who plays Joseph was sitting behind us. In walks the Catholic priest dressed in his full robes and he sat down by Jeff. We were all talking because we have met him before. He said, " I stick out like a blond in China." I said, "No, we are all Chinese and you don't stand out. It is Jeff that stands out." Just then some little children ran up to Jeff calling, "Joseph." He is so cute. He bends down and takes them into his arms and hugs each one. It was exactly what the prophet would have done if he were here. It was awesome!!! I thought it was the cutest thing. It was also so neat to have the father with us that day. Later that afternoon, we were able to have Virginia Pierce and her daughter Heidi and children to dinner. We talked and laughed and ended our Sabbath on a great note. Thanks for joining us Virginia and family. What a treat!

Chicago Here We Come....

Last week AJ and I took a day trip to the windy city. We rode the train into Chicago and spent the day seeing as many sights and doing as much shopping as we could. It was so much fun to spend the day together. We ate prime rib for lunch and had deep dish Chicago pizza for dinner. We saw some beautiful parks and cathedrals and walked till our feet felt as if they would fall off. After working so hard for so many weeks and having an aching body, it was nice to have some retail therapy. There is nothing a good shopping trip can't cure....right Jon?

AJ said that his favorite part of the day was the taxi rides. We had one pretty wild and wacky driver. He did get us to Union Station on time, but almost took out a couple of pedestrians along the way. We saw some really fun and interesting things. We also saw a few wacko's in that city. I think my favorite part of the trip was just being able to have some one on one time with my son.

On the train ride home I fell asleep and AJ noticed that I had goose bumps on my arms. He took his brand new jacket out of the bag and placed it over my cold body. When I woke up I noticed the jacket on me. He said, "Mom, you looked so cold. I just had to cover your goose bumps." That was truly the highlight of my day. I would pay any amount of money for those tender moments. Thanks for remembering your old mother AJ. I love you!

Our New Friend...Milton

Well, this is our new friend. The boys have been trying to catch a coon for several months. They didn't actually catch this one, but someone else did. They have been bottle feeding it and have it as a pet herein Nauvoo. We took AJ over to their home and surprised him. It was so funny to see the look on his face. He was a little shocked when we first opened the cellar door. He actually jumped and started to run away. Yes, I did hold the coon and NO I did not enjoy it. I do not want one for a pet nor do I ever care to hold one again. I don't even have a desire for a coon skin cap, well...unless it had some bling on it.

I just love AJ's face in this picture. The coon started scratching in his thick hair. He was happy he wore his hat. The coon's name is Milton.

For anyone who knows me....you have to admit that this was one of the bravest things I have done. Did you notice that I even did it with a smile on my face? The things we do for our kids!

Pageant.....

It is so much fun living right across the street from where they perform pageant. The cast members come over and we get to spend some time with them here at the house. They are truly amazing people. I love them all dearly. It was exciting to see pageant for the first time. After we had our picture taken with some of the cast members. See if you can guess who they portray in the show. I know that they are only portraying the saints that lived in this great city, but they become so real to us. They are so personal. The other day I was able to go to the grove and watch Jeff portray Joseph Smith in the King Follett discourse. It was amazing. I felt as if I was right there when he actually gave thissermon. I have been touched many times by the spirit here. I love those early saints more and more each and every day. In the pageant they say, "When you are here, we are here." That is a true statement. I feel their presence everyday. If you come to Nauvoo just to see the sights, you are missing the whole spirit of Nauvoo. I have gained such a great love and greater understanding for those saints who sacrificed everything and truly walked by faith each and every day. I love them! Ilove this city. The other night Joseph(Jeff) wasover to the house. He carved this picture in the watermelon. Do you who it is? Everyday is so much fun when you are with Joseph! The day I went to hear the discourse of King Follett, there was a man who walked up to Joseph (Jeff) when he had finished and told him that he had been practicing for six months and pulled out a big stick. Joseph sat down on the ground in the grove and they had a stick pull competition. Joseph won in a matter of seconds. They did best two out of three and Joseph won all three of them. A couple of other people challenged him and he won every time, except for the time he let the seven year old boy beat him and then he told him he was so excited for him to turn eight so that he could then be baptized. It was so neat. The entire time he was laughing and talking with the people in the grove. I honestlyfelt as if I was right there with the prophet. I know he had a deep love for the saints of Nauvoo and considered each one of them his dear, dear friend. He loved the people, the gospel and the Lord.

Nauvoo Temple...

Here are some pictures we took of us around the Nauvoo Temple. It was so beautiful and the flowers on the grounds are absolutely amazing right now. We had a lovely time taking pictures. There I go again, saying lovely. There are several cast members that are from Britain and I love their accent. When you hang with them long enough you start speaking like them and they say lovely..a lot. They are adorable. It is so neat to meet all the different people from all around the world. One of the things we have learned to do here is at the end of each day when it is time to say prayers, we each tell about the tender mercies that we recognized that day. When we know that at the end of the day we will have the opportunity to share our experiences, it makes you more aware of each and every moment in your day. I have found that I feel much closer to my Heavenly Father when I recognize His hand in my daily life. I love the little things that

I am aware of these days. It makes life so much more meaningful.

Jon's Arrival in Nauvoo....

I was so excited for this week because Jon was flying out to spend the 4th of July with us. The boys and I could hardly wait for him to get here. He arrived Saturday about 6:00 pm. It was crazy that night at the store, so when Jon got here I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to help guest check in and fix a few minor situations that arose. I was thrilled to see him. That evening we walked around Nauvoo a bit and attended Rendezvous with Karen and the boys. I just love those senior missionaries that perform that play every night. The boys had a great time showing Jon some ofthe special places in Nauvoo. It was fun for me to see them share the things that they have learned the past few weeks.

The next day was Sunday, July 4th

.We all went to church together and I loved that. Jon thought it was fun to meet some of the members of the core cast that attend the ward with us. I had a good time introducing him to Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, etc. After church we went to Carthage so that Jon could visit that wonderful sight. We invited Joseph and Hyrum to dinner and had a totally enjoyable time with them. I had to really focus and tell myself it was really Jeff and John and not Joseph and Hyrum. That evening we went to the fireside that the core cast from the Nauvoo Pageant puts on. It is entitled 'Our Story Goes On'. It was a tender story of life, family and the changes we all face as we journey here on earth.I loved it. The show was incredible and it was great having Jon there with us.

Monday morning Jon and I were able to attend a session at the Nauvoo Temple. I can only encourage everyone that has a chance to visit Nauvoo, to attend the temple. What an experience. I have developed such a love for this amazing temple. I love the people that built it, the people that serve there and everything about it. When we were finished with our session, the boys bet us in the baptistery to do some baptisms. That was a mother's dream come true. There is nothing better than being in the temple with your children. We ended up spending about 4 hours in the temple that day. It truly was a blessing and an unforgettable experience. I will cherish that memory for a long, long time.

That afternoon we had Brian and Kim over for a bar-b-que. We decided that since Joseph was the champion stick puller, we would have our own little competition. So, the granddaughter of Joesph Smith and the granddaughter of Hyrum Smith challenged each other to the ultimate stick pull. Well, Joseph definitely passed the stick pulling gene down through his posterity...I lost! I hate loosing! Next up was Brian and AJ. AJ won that one, so it was now even. One win for Joseph and one win for Hyrum. We thought it would be good to end the competition on a tie. It was a lot of fun.

When we had finished the skies started to turn gray and you could hear the thunder rolling in. We have amazing storms out here. It rained all night long. The boys actually went swimming in a field that had flooded because of the huge amount of rain that fell. They had a grand time until they found out that they were swimming about four feet away from a skunk...once again the adventures we have. I was okay with all the rain that fell except for the fact that my boys had signed us up to do a pioneer trek the next morning. The rain was so heavy and I just knew that they would cancel the event, but alas, I was wrong. So, I walked and walked and walked through mud and streams; up hills and down ledges, through manure and herds of cows. I walked and fell and walked and slid and walked and cried. I was covered in mud. My heart ached for the pioneers who did this day after day, week after week and could not go home each night and have a nice, warm shower. When we finished the trek I sat in the middle of the stream and cried. What and Adventure!