Camping at Lake Michigan/ 4th of July!

      The 3rd of July we headed up to Michigan from Nauvoo. We got there in the evening met up with Lee so he could take us to the campsite where Dan, Heather, Becky, Matthew, & Katelynn were waiting for us (Stanley stayed home with his grandparents) When we got there Russell and Becky set to getting a campfire going so that we could make dinner. We ate and hung around and chatted around the fire and then we went to bed. I didn't get out my camera until the next day.

 Kennadee and Katelynn became fast friends

 Russell making us some tasty Breakfast

 The girls playing in the tent

    After we got camp cleaned up we picked up Stanley and then we went to the beach at Lake Michigan. Let me just start out by saying that Lake Michigan is HUGE!!!! You can't even see the other side from where we were. It was so gorgeous! The sand was soft and pretty, the water was really clear and cold, it was amazing!! Kennadee is such a beach girl. She loves to play in the sand and get in the shallow part of the water. She had a blast. This beach is a Resident's only beach so it wasn't too horribly crowded given that it was the 4th of July and all. 

   Lee wanted to dig a big hole that would fill up when the tide came in.

 Dan decided to bury Katelynn. She loved it!

 After he was done burying Katelynn they buried Heather.

 Matthew and Stanley helping Lee dig the hole.

It was altogether a blast! We loved the water. 

That night we went to Lee's Aunt & Uncles house where we had a weenie roast with lots of other yummy food and then we watched the fireworks on their private beach in their backyard. It was so gorgeous! Unfortunately I forgot my camera so I don't have any pictures of that night.

Nauvoo Trip Part VIII: Brigham Young's Home

Here are pictures from Brigham Young's home: They are pretty self explanatory. The dishes were found in pieces when they were digging up the cellar and a missionary spent his entire mission gluing them back together.

 

Nauvoo Trip Part VII: Carthage Jail

When we first got to the Carthage Jail site we ended up running into our Stake President and his wife who were there with one of their sons and his wife. It was so fun to see them.
It was amazing to be at Carthage. I wasn't sure how I would feel about visiting the place where our beloved prophet was murdered but there is a peaceful feeling there now. We learned that the building that is there is still the original building. We learned that a few years after the prophet was killed a family bought it and lived there with their 7 children and the church bought it after that and restored it back to what it looked like when it was the jail.

 This is where the inmates ate all their meals:

 This is where the jailers wife cooked the meals for her family and the inmates. I thought it was so strange that they had their family living in the jail with the inmates there.

 This is the cell downstairs that Joseph Smith and seven others were put when they got to Carthage.

 This is the room where they were when they were killed. It was actually the jailers room but he had them stay in there because he thought they would be safer there when the mobs were outside.

 The mobbers broke into the jail and came up the stairs and tried to get into the room where they were. They stood behind the door trying to hold them back and the mobbers shot through the door hitting Hyrum first and killing him. This bullet hole is where the bullet came trough the door. This door is over 100 years old.

After Joseph Smith was shot he fell out of the window and the mob ran down to see if he was dead. And the two other inmates Willard Richards and John Taylor were able to be saved and they were able to go on and tell the story of what happened. 

I am so grateful to Joseph Smith and his family for all they sacrificed to bring forward the work of Christ. It was so amazing to be able to walk where they walked and see what they saw and know that they did it all so that I could be saved and know my Savior and be able to return to him. I am so grateful to my Pioneer ancestors for the sacrifices they made to make sure my family knew the truth. What an amazing experience it was to be here. I am so glad we came and I hope we can make it back there again and be able to see more and learn more! If you would like to know more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints please visit: mormon.org or you can always ask me any questions you have.

Nauvoo Trip part VI: Pioneer Activities

They had this cute little place where kids could dress up like pioneers and play with toys and games that the pioneers did. The Nauvoo band came and played music for us while we were there the players were all missionaries and they came around and talked to people. One Sister missionary came over to talk to us and asked Kennadee her name and she was being really shy and wouldn't answer her so the sister guessed Rumpelstiltskin and it made Kennadee laugh and then she opened up and talked to her for a bit. Doesn't my girl make a cute pioneer? We also went on a carriage ride around the property and got to hear some great stories about the pioneers. We also went to the Brick yard and learned about how the bricks were made to build all the houses. They gave us a brick to take home that says Nauvoo on it. 

 These are the horses that pulled the carriage. Kennadee was standing on some stairs to be able to see them better.

Nauvoo Trip Part V: Quorum of the Seventy Building

The quorum of the seventy building was used for quorum meetings and also for training the missionaries before they left on their missions. They had some old artifacts that they had found when renovating the properties they even found some curled up glass from the windows of the original Nauvoo Temple from when it was burned down. They had books of names of the original quorum and I found the name of my Great Great Great Great Grandfather Thomas Woolsey. It was so neat to see that. I even called my Mom to verify that it was the right person.

 Kennadee had fun playing at the pulpit she even had us sing a song with her. It was so cute!

 Buttons made from shells

 Glass from the temple

 Pieces from the original star stone on the temple