Nauvoo Trip 2024: Day 4 - Liberty, MO to Keokuk, IA

After we saw Marceline, we continued on our drive towards our next hotel in Keokuk.  We stopped and had some lunch and then looked around to see if there was something we could do in that town.  Tony found a small castle thing right on the water by the Mississippi River.  It was closed, of course, lots of things are closed on Monday/Memorial Day.  So, we just walked around it and watched the barges on the river get moved around.  That was pretty interesting.

After that we drove to our hotel.  It was a Hampton Inn in Keokuk, Iowa.  There were a lot of the cicadas at our hotel too, Josh did not like that. 

We unpacked the van and then we all went swimming in the pool.  It was a little on the chilly side, but we all got it (except Grandpa).  A hot tub would have been nice after the cool pool, but they only had a pool.  

After playing for a few hours, we all went up to the rooms and got showered.  After we got changed, we went out to dinner at the Pizza Hut.  The kids thought it was pretty cool that they had a dine in Pizza Hut.  After they were done eating Josh and Allie were dancing in the restaurant.  Josh was shower her how to dance with a boy.  It was adorable.

After dinner some of us walked back to the hotel while Tony drove the van back with Allie (I think).  We were only a couple blocks away, so it was a nice walk.  We then relaxed for the rest of the night.

Nauvoo Trip 2024: Day 4 - Walt Disney's Hometown

After breakfast and packing up the car, we checked out of our hotel Monday morning and then headed towards Nauvoo by way of Walt Disney's hometown of Marceline.  

It took us a couple hours to get there from Liberty.  We started off at the visitor's center.  Unfortunately, it was closed.  They are always closed on Mondays, so we couldn't get in the building, but a lady who works there stopped by the center and gave us a couple maps of the town and where to go on a walking tour.  So that was very nice.  

We walked around the outside of the visitor center where we encountered a ton of crazy, loud, flying bugs called cicadas.  They are not harmful to humans, but they would fly around you and land on you, and it was super yucky.  Josh was not having it at all.  He hates bugs and did not like them flying around him and especially landing on him.  I am with Josh, yucky.

We quickly left that area and went on to explore more parts of the town.  We saw a big train by the visitor's center.  The real railroad tracks ran right behind the visitor's center and the trains came by often and were very fast and very loud.  Walt said that his love for trains came from the train tracks that were near his home in Marceline.

Then we saw the area where they used to have Autopia.  We walked the track that it used to follow.  After that we went over a bridge that took us to a park area.  

From the park we walked on Main Street USA.  All the shops were closed either because it was Monday or because it was Memorial Day.  It was disappointing that we didn't get to go into the stores and the visitors center, but it was still neat to walk around the town.  

After we saw everything in town, we drove to where the Disney farm located.  We were able to walk back through the trees and see a replica of a barn that they had back when Walt was a child.  It was interesting to see.  There were a lot of the cicada bugs, so the kids decided to just stay in the car for this part.  

It was fun to walk around the town and see some of the things that inspired Disneyland.  After we saw all the sites, we stopped for a bathroom break at a gas station and then drove the rest of the way to our hotel outside of Nauvoo in Keokuk, Iowa. 

Nauvoo Trip 2024: Day 3 - Independence Visitor Center & Kansas City Temple

After Liberty Jail we drove to Independence Missouri.  They have a visitors center there, and the missionaries took us around to teach us about what happened to the early saint in Independence.    

They had some cute exhibits that were interactive for the kids to play with.  They told many stories of the saints and their struggles.  They also had a very nice statue of Christ in their lobby that was beautiful.

After our tour was over, I asked the missionaries questions about the Church of Christ which had its headquarters across the street from the visitor's center.  It was interesting to find out that there are a lot of random churches that have come off of our church that also believe in the Book of Mormon.  

I am not sure how you can believe in the beginning stories of our church, but not continue on with the progression to the Salt Lake Valley and the priesthood line from Joseph to Brigham Young.  I am thankful to have the fullness of the gospel with true and living modern day prophets.

After seeing everything in Independence, we then drove to the Kansas City temple.  It is a very pretty temple.  It is always nice to walk the grounds of the temple and feel the spirit of the Lord and take in all the beauty.  After the temple we went back to our hotel.  We decided to get some ice cream at the Freddy's next door.  It was pretty busy, but we had a good time and enjoyed our ice cream and yummy fresh fries.

Nauvoo Trip 2024: Day 3 - Far West & Liberty Jail

After Adam-Ondi-Ahman we drove to Far West.  Not much is there, but they do have a fenced off area that shows where the early saints put the corner stones of the temple they were going to build there, but never did.  They also had large stone signs with information about what happened there.  It was a nice well-kept area and interesting to see.

After we drove back towards the hotel to get some lunch.  We ended up at a yummy local place that was good.  Josh got fried chicken and ended up breaking a bracket on his braces.  Luckily it didn't seem to bother him.  After lunch we drove to Liberty Jail, which was only like a mile away from our hotel.  

It was different than I expected.  The jail itself is inside a building that the church built around the jail.  They had the front part of the building cut away and it showed the jail walls and everything inside.  That was cool to see how they built things back then.  The missionaries shared stories of what it was like for Joseph Smith and the others in the jail.  We had seen movies depicting the time in Liberty Jail, so it was neat to see it in real life.  It really brought life to the stories that I had heard my whole life about what happened to Joseph and Hyrum Smith.  After the jail we drove to Independence.

Nauvoo Trip 2024: Day 3 - Adam-ondi-Ahman

We started Sunday morning with breakfast and then going to the local ward for sacrament.  It was a nice program with lots of families in the ward.  I wondered how many ward members there were and how many people were visiting.  No one talked to us, so I kind of wondered if they get lots of visitors so the local ward members don't bother talking with new people.

 After church we drove around to try and find the church that Lloyd went to when he worked in Liberty for nine months.  We couldn't find it, but it was fun to try.

We then went back to the hotel and got changed before driving to Adam-ondi-Ahman.  It was about an hour away from out hotel.  The drive was nice and as we got closer, we saw a sign for homemade Dutch pies.  So, we followed the sign to see if we could get some pie.  We finally found the place, but it was closed for Sunday.  We did get to see a man driving a horse and small buggy, so that was exciting.  We had just saw a sign to look out for horse and buggies, and then we saw one.  Fascinating way to live.

With no pie available we drove back towards Adam-ondi-Ahman.  We started off going left towards a lookout point.  It was a very pretty open field with trees on the outside of the field.  They also had a bathroom and a trail that went down to the lookout spot.  We then went to the other side and saw the rest of the property.

After we got out of the van a couple more cars came and parked by us.  A lady got out of the car (with Utah plates) and she said that she lived nearby and was going to be doing a tour of Adam-ondi-Ahman and we were welcome to join.  I said yes, and then she asked where we were from.  I said Utah, and she said that the other couple was from Utah as well.  It turns out it was a man from Tony's parents ward who used to be their Bishop and Stake President and we went to school with their kids and my partner from DFCU married their son.  Such a small world.

So, we went on the tour with them and a few other people.  Another from Utah and three locals from the same ward as the sister giving the tour.  She said it was her unofficial calling to give tours, since the church doesn't have any official missionaries giving tours at Adam-ondi-Ahman.  They do have missionaries serving there, but they mainly just take care of the property.

It was beautiful there.  Lot of open farmlands with trees all around.  She said that the church leases out the land to nearby farmers.  She also said that every seven or so years the land floods and they can't farm on it that year, but the church doesn't charge the farmers to use the land on those years.  

Joseph Smith got a revelation that after Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden (which they think was in Independence, Missouri), they came to Adma-ondi-Ahman and built an altar.  The record show that they found altars on the property during Joseph Smith's time, but we are unsure if any of them are still standing after many different people have owned the land and developed different parts of the land over the years.

Some early saints came and started living in this area.  The locals were worried that too many Mormons would come and have an over-whelming vote.  There was even a fight at the voting location that ended up causing a lot of problems and started the Mormon war which eventually led to the governor making an order to evict or kill the Mormon saints because they were the enemies.  

We were able to see the foundation of house that Lyman Wight built for his family.  The church has since planted a large grove of Walnut trees and you can stand on top of the hill and speak down and the people below can hear.  

She told us about the revelations that Christ himself will come to Adam-ondi-Ahman in the second coming and will gather his past and current prophets and leaders.  The prophesy said that all worthy members of the church will be in attendance.  We believe that this means it will be broadcasted into stakes and possibly temples so that the millions of members from all around the world will be able to be in attendance.  What an amazing place to go and visit.  It really is just thousands of acres of land with farms and trees and hills, but it is so much more.

This land was dedicated to have a temple on it during Joseph Smith's time.  It is sacred and almost feels like you're in the temple.  I never realized that this land had such history and has so many plans for the future.  It was such a neat experience to go around with this guide who knew so much about the history and this land.  It was an amazing blessing that we were able to get there just in time to go on the tour and to be there with Brother Nieder.  I know that it wasn't a coincidence that we got there when we did.  We were meant to be in on that tour.  God is good and we are very blessed people.

Nauvoo Trip 2024: Day 1 & 2 - SLC to Cheyenne, WY & Cheyenne to Liberty, MO

We checked the girls out of school an hour early so that we could get on the road sooner.

Lloyd and Margie were at our house early to get the van packed with our stuff.  My mom also stopped by to give Megan a gift for her 6-grade graduation.  Margie and my mom came with me to check out the girls.   I think the girls both liked that.

After we got home, we finished up packing and then hit the road.  We drove to Cheyenne on the first day.  It was about six and a half hours away.  

We stopped at got some dinner before getting to our hotel.  We had some yummy food and then drove the rest of the way to our hotel.  We got into our room and then rested for the night.  

The next day we drove the rest of the way to get to our next hotel in Liberty Missouri.  This hotel was overrun with a young baseball team.  Players and families all over the place.  After getting unpacked we went to dinner at Chili's.  The food was good.  After eating Lloyd walked the kids back to the hotel and took the girls swimming while Tony, Margie, and I went to Walmart.  

The weather started getting crazy.  We had a tornado warning, and the wind was really picking up.  Luckily, we were on the outside of the big storm, so we were fine.  We then all got showered and ready for bed.  It was a good safe day, and we were excited for our next adventure.

Last Day of School 2023-2024

The last day of school is complete.  It has been a great school year with lots of learning and lots of new opportunities.  

The kids have liked most of their teachers.  Really, I can only think of one teacher that Tyler didn't really like her teaching style.  So that is always a good thing.  

The kids all really like school and will miss it, but I think they are excited for summer and all the fun things that we have planned.

Tony and I helped at Summerfest at Josh's school and then we brought him home after it was over to get ready to leave on our trip to Nauvoo.

Megan's 6 Grade Graduation

 

Megan is officially done with elementary school.  She graduated the 6th grade and is really going to miss Mr. Reese and her classmates.  She really excelled this year.  She has improved in all areas of her learning and really stood out as a leader in her school.  She is super sweet to her classmates and is nice to everyone.  She is excited for Jr. High and all the new adventures that await her.  

Frost End of the School Year Field Day

It was another fun field day at the elementary school this year.  They had tons of fun activities, and they had the whole school have field day at the same time.  This year they did more water activities and the kids really liked that.   It's fun to see the kids having so much fun and I can't believe that Allie will only have one more year at elementary school.