Nauvoo - June 2015

This past week, I got back from visiting Nauvoo, IL for a week. My sweet grandparents are serving their mission in the Nauvoo temple, and we headed back for a visit. "Coincidentally," BYU's touring team was on tour back there at the time, so I got to see a bunch of my friends and watch their show a few times. [It really wasn't totally coincidental - I knew they were going on tour to Nauvoo and when the time came to plan our trip, it worked out for us to visit at the same time :D.]

We flew from Salt Lake to Phoenix (yes, Arizona), then to Chicago.

It was Emma's first time on a plane in a long time. 

Since we flew into Chicago, we stayed and explored for awhile. Kind of rainy, but it was fun!

The architecture was so pretty! I took more pictures at the end of our trip, so you'll see them a bit further down. 

Lunch was at Pizzeria Uno. Definitely the most sauce I have had on pizza in a long time. 

Lake Michigan

If you ever head out to Chicago, make sure you visit the bean in Millenium Park. So cool!

Next stop: Nauvoo. We were there for a few days, staying with my grandparents. It was absolutely beautiful, and VERY humid. We had the chance to visit several homes of early Church members, Joseph Smith's home and Red Brick Store. We also took a trip out to Carthage Jail.

 First time seeing the Mississippi.

The graves of Joseph, Emma, and Hyrum. 

BYU BDC show! It was so fun to actually sit in the audience and just watch the show, and then talk to everyone afterward. One of their shows was moved indoors because of the rain, and I got to talk to a really nice man. He wasn't a member, but he loved the show so much that he had driven from his home in Iowa a few times that week to watch it!

We also watched one of the shows that the performing missionaries - senior and young adult - put on. One of my favorite numbers was by all of the senior men. 

Behind the visitor's center was a garden filled with sculptures of women. It was one of my favorite places in Nauvoo. 

photo by Todd Frederick Wakefield

I was able to walk the Trail of Hope (the path that the Saints took to the Mississippi on their way West) with these lovely people! 

We made two other stops - one in St. Louis to see my dad's childhood home and visit the Gateway Arch. 

We explored Chicago a little bit more before we left, which included a visit to a delicious pastry shop (2nd visit actually - we went there our first day in Chicago too!) and a Cubs vs. Dodgers MLB game. 

I have now visited the American Girl stores in New York, LA, and Chicago. I guess you could say it was a bucket list item completed, even though I don't actually have a bucket list. 

These macaroons were delicious!!!

It was a fun trip, but boy are we glad to be home!