And Then They were Gone

It's been awhile since I posted anything, but for a very good reason...or few. A week ago I had the privilege of having all my siblings and their spouses and children (minus one sibling and her family), my brother's girlfriend, and my parents at my home. It was so nice for us all to get together. Today the last ones left. It was bittersweet. It's nice to be able to get everything and everyone back into a routine, but it's so sad to see my family gone. I'll miss you guys until next time!

While everyone was here, we were able to enjoy a few things together as a family. The most important was that we had the privilege of going to the Temple together. It was most exciting, because it was the first time for Adam and myself to go. We believe the power of Sealing has been restored on earth, and so Adam and I were sealed together and then Haydn was sealed to the both of us (Matthew 16: 18 - 19 "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Marriage is usually stated as "until Death do us Part", thus being "loose on earth" and "loosed in heaven". Being Sealed to each other allows us to be married after death or "[bound] in heaven".) It was a very exciting and spiritual time for all involved.

We also had the opportunity to go and visit one of the houses we lived in when we were young. The owner of the house allowed us to walk through and let us reminisce about our past in the home. The house was very different from what we remember (besides the fact that they are remodeling it and attempting to make it look more like it did originally). However, it was very neat to walk though and have an adult perspective of the house.

Another event we were able to do was to go to Nauvoo, IL. For those who don't know, Nauvoo was a very large city in late 1830s to early 1840s. There is quite a bit of LDS church history there and sites to see. We learned a few new things about the city and were able to take the horse and wagon ride through the city. It's about a 50 minute ride in a Constenoga wagon, pulled by two horses. Riding in the wagon gives you an idea of what it was like to travel by wagon. Of course we rode on paved streets and not dirt roads. The ride allowed us to go through Old Nauvoo and hear some information about the houses and shops/businesses that have been restored or reconstructed and about the people who lived in the houses or ran the businesses. This was very inspirational to me as we rode down Parley Street. Parley Street is the road that the early Saints had to take to get to the ferry dock to leave Nauvoo in 1846 and later to leave their beloved city. There is a walking trail parallel to Parley street (Trail of Hope) with plackards that have excerpts from a few citizens of Nauvoo about leaving. I was touched when thinking about how the early Saints must have felt sitting in or standing by their wagons waiting for the ferry to take them across the river. There had to be feelings of excitement and sadness. I was literally sitting in a wagon in the same place they had been sitting 163 years ago. I do think it's a great place to visit and think all should take the opportunity to visit whether you are a member of the LDS church or not. Nauvoo is special to me because of the history of my "church family" but it is also everyone's' American History.

Sorry for the lengthy post, but I thought I'd try to catch everyone up on where I've been and what I've been up to.