Completing the Update...

Okay back to the update. Justin was out of town doing a job and was gone from Wednesday to Monday (2nd year in a row without him here for my b-day :( sad huh?) He thought it was a great idea for us to go and have fun. So since my sister & her family was going to be in Moab, I thought it would be well worth the 3 1/2 hr. drive to hang out with them since we don't usually see them 2 times in a month! I invited Tara to go with us since Justin was gone. She said she was up for anything!! Sunday morning (after we cleaned the house...) we headed to Moab. We ended up not going the "normal" way. We went the scenic route, and based on the amount of time we were in the car on the way home, it was no different in time, and it was really pretty. When we got down there we checked into the hotel, let the girls swim and then we all went out to dinner. If you're ever in Moab, I recommend the Moab Brewery. The food was great and it was well priced. After dinner, we went back to the hotel and got ready for bed. I was going to call Justin and let him know our plan, but I decided to wait until morning since he didn't have good reception anyway. The next morning we got up & ate and I called Justin's phone, he answered singing "happy birthday". He had gotten done early and got home @ 2:00 am! Then we all headed to do the Delicate Arch Hike. Thank the Lord for the cloud cover on my birthday...that was present enough! When we started the hike it was 96 degrees at the end of the hike it was 104! I'm glad we went when we did! For a minute, Tara Janine & I thought we were dying, and then we see this womanhiking with a backpack that was probably as heavy as she was. Right then & there we decided to STOP complaining! So if you don't recognize a woman in the slideshow, just know, she was our motivation! We had so much fun together. Tara & I figured out that the last time either of us had been to Arches was in 8th grade for Outdoor Ed....like 17 years ago! Wow, saying 17 years ago makes me feel REALLY OLD! After our hike we went our seperate ways. The Moses Family headed to their reunion and we headed home to meet Justin for dinner. On our way, we stopped in Green River and bought melons....mmmm! Overall I had a stupendous birthday! Thank you to everyone who helped make it awesome! And thank you Justin for buying the software for your wife who decided to be an airhead and DELETE all of the pictures that she had taken. Yes, you read it right...I DELETED ALL OF THE 188 PICTURES I TOOK IN ARCHES!!! But thanks to technology and my sweet hubber, they were recovered for me to put on the blog!! Thank you Justin! :) Enjoy the arches slideshow (above)


Here are a couple pictures of Justin's weekend.(It's actually his best friend Jon in the pic...I'm sure someone got a picture of him!)

Justin had to go to the hospital on my birthday...while working, a grinder he was using kicked back and sliced his arm. He thought he might have broken it, thank heaven he didn't, he does have ligament damage though. Not fun! So there's the wrap up of our weekend! I'll try to be better at posting at least once a week!

Carthage Jail

Sunday we all slept in…thank heaven! It felt so nice! We got up and headed out to Carthage. It was about a 30 minute drive from Nauvoo. When we got there we ate lunch and then went on a tour. We watched a little video about the history of Carthage Jail. It is where Joseph & Hyrum Smith were martyred. The Jail had such a somber mood. It is such a beautiful area. We all really enjoyed it. There is so much history there! I didn’t realize that the jailers family also lived in the jail. I had always imagined it so much more prison-like. On our way back to Nauvoo, Kyle got a flat tire. Thank heaven there was a gas station & a DQ right there! Kyle & I went to Keokuk, Iowa’s Wal*Mart to get a tire repair kit while everyone else ate ice cream and told jokes. I think we all pretty much just enjoyed each other’s company.

Busy Day in Nauvoo

Monday Dad only had Piping practice in the morning. So we tried to get as many things seen as we could, because it was really our last full day in Nauvoo. We went to the Family Living Center, where we were able to learn about different things in the everyday life of a pioneer. We made a rope, learned how to make candles, bread, rugs and flax. We also went to the Brickyard where the kids each got a souvenir Nauvoo brick. The kids really enjoyed all of the different things and I hope that they also realize how lucky we are today.
We also went on a Carriage ride pulled by 2 gi-normous Clydesdale horses. It was called ‘ The ride to Inspiration Point’. It was so beautiful. So peaceful. It took about 45 minutes and my butt was so sore from the oh-so uncomfortable benches. I loved it. I think it is one of my favorite things we did.
Monday we also saw a program called “Just Plain Anna-Amanda” It was put on by some of the younger service missionaries. It was geared for a younger audience, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Towards the end they asked Carsun to come up on stage. They had her SHOUT her name and then they sang a song about just being you. As we left the theatre, I took Carsun’s picture in the better light and as we walked away they all yelled goodbye to Carsun. Then one of the girls shouted, “You’re important!” Carsun said, “I was only a little embarrassed, cause I’ve been on stage before!!”
We went that night to a show called “Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo” It was put on by the Senior Missionary couples. I tell you what…I have not laughed that hard in quite a while! Later in the evening, we went to “Sunset by the Mississippi”. It was a whole lot of singin’, dancin’ , and laughin’. It was a beautiful setting. The sun set behind the stage area, the crickets chirping and fireflies lighting up the night sky… just a great time!