Shortly after we got back from Hawaii, Abby went off to girls' camp for a week. She had a blast. While she was gone, Aaron and Natalie and their boys came and we had a great time with them. (Marcus said that his favorite part of the vacation was playing ping-pong with Uncle Todd.) Our family took Marcus to see "Brave", which we loved. Marcus wasn't so sure.
Anyway, the very next week Abby and I flew to St. Louis and then drove up to Nauvoo. I didn't realize it was such a long drive, but we had a great time. On Monday, June 25th, Abby started EFY, and I started a true vacation. Abby had a great time learning about the history of the church and the gospel, and I had a great time attending the temple and several sites, eating at Annie's Custard, quilting and watching Wimbledon. It was really wonderful.
One thing I really enjoyed was walking the Trail of Hope and walking through the path in the Groves. I had plenty of time to ponder about my life and the life of the amazing men, women and children who built Nauvoo and the temple, and then left it all to follow the prophet. The story is incredible and I know it is true. I know that the only way they could do it was that they knew the gospel was true and that God loved them no matter what. That inspires me. This picture is at the end of the Trail of Hope looking out towards the Mississippi.
Abby and I were both able to be at the Carthage Jail on the 168th anniversary of the martyrdom of Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum. We were there at different times, but I was happy that both of us were there that day. It is important to think about the selfless lives those great men lived. I know that Joseph was a prophet and that he did his best to serve the Lord. Basically his whole life he had very little rest, but I know he loved life and his God and his people.
While we were gone the boys had a good time with Todd. He took them to the temple (It turned out that we were all in the temple on the same day, but in two different temples and three different times.), to a movie, a splash pad, the dinosaur museum, and the Bean Museum. What an awesome Dad!
Since all this happened, we've just been having summer.... 4th of July parade and fireworks, tennis lessons for Abby, swimming with Alex and McKay, etc. I love summer!!!!!!
