We had the great opportunity of going down to Nauvoo during Spring Break and spending a few days there. It was our first "official" family vacation and we had a really good time. We went with the Cannons, a family in our ward who are also first years. We stayed in the Nauvoo Family Hotel in a nice room with a kitchen where we were able to cook, so that was a lot of fun and helped us save some money.
We drove down on Sunday night and only got lost a couple of times because of poor directions (ha ha) but we got there in about six hours. On Monday, we visited most of the sites in Nauvoo. Chelsey really liked the family living center where she got to dip candles and we made some rope. We visited the Scovil bakery for some gingerbread cookies, learned how to make horseshoes in the blacksmith shop, and saw the Lyon drugstore. We had a lot of fun visiting all the different shops and homes and feeling the spirit of Nauvoo. Then, we went back to the hotel and took the girls swimming (Chelsey's favorite part of the day). :)
On Tuesday, we and the Cannons took turns babysitting each others kids while we went to a session in the Nauvoo temple. That was a great experience because we hadn't been able to go to the temple together since we moved here. It was so wonderful to feel the Spirit and know we were in the House of the Lord. What a beautiful temple! It was so fun to see the intricate wood carvings and beautiful windows and everything that makes the Nauvoo temple so unique. It was by far the best part of Nauvoo for Amy and me.
Tuesday night, we also got the opportunity to go to Rendevouz, the show that the senior missionaries put on each night. That was really really fun and Chelsey and Emily discovered very quickly how to win over the missionaries. They were very popular little girls that night. One senior Elder came up to me after the show and warned me that I needed to keep a better eye on Emily because she was "flirting" with him through the whole show...
This morning, we got to see the new movie "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration" in the Visitor's Center. It was so good! We really enjoyed it and it was a great way to culminate our vacation in Nauvoo. The Spirit was so strong and really testified that Joseph Smith was a prophet. It is truly amazing everything that he went through to testify of the Gospel and restore it to the Earth. We are very grateful for his influence, dedication, and all he did so that we can have the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives today.
After the movie, we drove to Carthage and saw the jail. It was a great way to finish up our time in Nauvoo and, again, we felt our testimonies of the prophet strengthened. As President Hinckley says, "It is a great time to be a member of the Church!"
We really had a great trip and it was a fun way to spend this little break away from school. We are so grateful for the Gospel and that the early saints sacrificed so much to give us the opportunities and blessings that we enjoy today.
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