Road Trips

Recently we have been discovering the places around where we live. The video is of an Amish carriage going down the street. Last Saturday we were on our way to Ottumwa, Iowa to go to the Target there (about an 1 hour and 15 min. drive...yes, that is the closet Target). To get there you have to drive through Amish country-well, it's all pretty much Amish country-and I didn't realize that the Amish share the road with the cars. I mean, it makes sense, how else would they get around? But I just never considered it before.
Then, Wednesday it was a BEAUTIFUL day (it must have been because it was Mom's birthday) and we looked at the forecast and saw that it was going to rain for the rest of the week-so on a whim we jumped in the car and drove the 2 hours to Nauvoo to see the Pageant. We didn't get there until 3 pm and the houses all close at 6 pm-but it was just enough time for us...having a baby in a stroller is not very conducive to going easily in and out of the houses). So we started out taking a wagon tour around Nauvoo. I'm glad we did because we got a good overveiw of the places without ever getting out of our seat. After the wagon tour we did go into a few places-but we were mostly there to see the Pageant. It was INCREDIBLE. Much different from the Hill Cumorah Pageant-much more personal and a lot shorter. Parley P. Pratt is the narrator and throughout the whole Pageant he talks about how when we go to Nauvoo, the people who lived there are there too-that their spirit is all around us. It was just a neat thing to think about. But, I have to say, it was amazing. I hope that this reunion works out and that we go during the Pageant so that everyone can enjoy it too and feel the amazing spirit that is there and that it brings. It was well worth the drive and Noah did great so it made it even that much better. It is so cool to live this close to such an amazing place.
This is a veiw of the temple from our wagon tour. Gosh it's beautiful!
Noah is showing you how excited he was to be going to the Pageant (and also just eating the flyer).
Eric and Noah in the backyard of the Brigham Young house.
Me and Noah in front of the root cellar at the Brigham Young house (yes, I got my hair cut Tuesday).
Pre-Pagaent pioneer activities. They had stick pull and three legged races, etc.
I tried to show the little stage they had during the activities. They were teaching square dancing.
This was the veiw of the stage from where we put our camping chairs-it really wasn't so bad. The pole in the middle got annoying only every once in a while.
The temple at sunset-just before the pageant started.