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!
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