The Perks of Driving Cross-Country

Early Monday (December 19) morning we packed up the remainder of our stuff, did a few finishing cleaning touches, and began our week long journey to Utah. We stopped off at Subway in Lexington where one of our friends, and the owner of the Subway, bought us breakfast (thanks Bro. Harris!). We then were off! Looking back as we drove away, I knew that I would really miss Virginia. I loved our time there! I loved all of the friends that I met while we were there and I miss them all! 

Anyway, on day 3 we ended up in Nauvoo. It was definitely not what I thought it would be. It was a really small town. The temple was beautiful! It was just before Christmas so the temple was decorated. It snowed/rained the whole time we were there, which made for a gloomy time in Nauvoo. Knowing what all happened to all of the saints while they were there and seeing where they began their exodus plus the gloomy weather made it seem more real to me. On our first day there we took a wagon ride through the country side. That was a lot of fun. I know I took some pictures, but I can't find them. If I do I will upload them. After that we visited a few of the shops including the brick shop to get our brick. We went to Joseph Smith, Emma Smith, and Hyrum Smith's graves. We then stayed the night in a small bed and breakfast place. I loved it! It was such a quaint place and it was right across the street from the temple. The next morning we took some pictures, then headed off to Carthadge which is only about 7 miles away. 

This is a sculpture of the day Hyrum and Joseph left for Carthadge. The Prophet paused to turn and look at the city knowing that they would never return. 

It was FREEZING cold and here Zach is in shorts! Crazy!

I'm 29 weeks pregnant here so don't judge! :)

Now, on to Carthadge. 

It was a bit smaller than Nauvoo, which wasn't what I was expecting. The jail is right off of main street so it was easy to find. It was still snowing/raining when we got there too. We went in and watched a video about the Prophet Joseph, which started the waterworks. Pregnancy hormones make crying way too easy! Then we went out back to the jail and looked inside. I have more pictures of the inside of the jail, but I can't find those either so it looks like I will be doing another post about our trip. The window just above the little shed was the window that Joseph fell out of after he was shot. It was really sad! The waterworks continued while we were in there. The spirit there was so strong! It was unusually comforting. It was as if Joseph were telling us that everything was ok and that all turned out how it was supposed to. It was so amazing! I feel so blessed to be able to see and experience Nauvoo and Carthadge! It was definitely amazing! 

“I do not regard my own life. I am ready to be offered a sacrifice for this people; for what can our enemies do? Only kill the body, and their power is then at an end. Stand firm, my friends; never flinch. Do not seek to save your lives, for he that is afraid to die for the truth, will lose eternal life. Hold out to the end, and we shall be resurrected and become like Gods, and reign in celestial kingdoms, principalities, and eternal dominions.” -President Joseph Smith