Road Trip......

So I'm finally getting around to blogging about our little road trip that Steve and I went on. This is Joe and Karen's 3rd year in Indianapolis and we hadn't been to visit them yet, so we decided it was time to pay them a visit. We were going to fly, but then we found a holiday trailer that we decided to get that was only a few hours from them, so we decided to drive so we could bring it home.

I must admit I wasn't overly excited about the 26 hour drive, but Steve convinced me it would be fun and we would get to see a lot of nice scenery along the way. Well it was definitely long, but it wasn't too bad for the most part. Once you get threw Montana it was very pretty. Tons of trees, lots of farmhouses with cool old barns, lots of cornfields which were a topic of conversation many times, and lots of rivers. It was good to actually be able to talk to Steve without being interrupted by kids. And I had forgotten how fast you can stop for lunch, eat, go to the bathroom and get back on the road without kids slowing you down.

We got to Joe and Karen's Sunday night. We had a fun time with them. Steve and Joe got to play lots of golf which he loved. Karen and I got to do a lot of shopping which I loved. It was fun seeing where they live, meeting some of their friends, hearing funny stories about their crazy neighbors, seeing the sights of downtown Indianapolis, eating Karen's delicious home made ice cream, playing hide and seek with Mikey and Max, eating amazing Chinese food, playing rook, and just hanging out and chatting. For some reason I didn't take any pictures while we at their house so here is one I got off facebook of them. Wish it wasn't so small!!! Can't wait till they're done school and can move a little closer to home.

So on Thursday morning we woke up bright and early and left to go to Nauvoo and Carthage Jail. It wasn't exactly on the way, but when your driving for that long anyways what's a few hours?? This is somewhere I have always wanted to go so it was worth it to me. We were only in Nauvoo for about 6 hours. Could of been there a few days. But I did get to see most of the things that I wanted to see. There was such a neat spirit there. Especially at the temple.

They had a lot of different statues all over but I think this was my favorite one. Joseph and Hyrum on the last ride to the temple and looking over Nauvoo.

This was the gunsmith place which was right up Steve's alley. He loves it when I make him pose in front of things, especially when I make him point and act excited.

We also went on a couple of wagon rides which had someone narrating the whole time, one on the outskirts of Nauvoo and one in the town where we were able to see where everyone lived, and see different things like the bakery, brick place, school, shoe store, post office and lots of other things.

Another temple picture. We were tired of getting pictures by ourselves so we decided to use the timer on this one so we could actually be in one together.

There were flowers everywhere which were so pretty.

This is at Carthage Jail. From the moment you stepped out of your vehicle you could feel the strong spirit of this place. In front of the jail, the window which Joseph Smith fell from.

The room that they stayed in. After our tour was over the guide told me to go back in and get a picture without everyone in the room.

I know this last picture is really odd but Steve found an acorn and we both thought it was so cool. We have never actually seen an acorn before.

The next morning we went and picked up the trailer and headed home. On the way home I thought I would offer and drive for a bit since Steve was tired. I told him to nap for even an hour then he could drive again. I had never pulled a trailer before but I was pretty confident I could do it. It couldn't be that hard. So things started out really smoothly. Traffic started getting a little busy but I wasn't too worried. Then before I knew it I was trapped in Minneapolis during rush hour, 5 lanes of bumper to bumper traffic. And this lasted about an hour and a half. My hands honestly hurt after from gripping the steering wheel so tight. Steve was about having a nervous breakdown. It really sucked. But I know now that I am capable of driving pulling a trailer. The first chance I had to pull over I did and Steve took over.

We weren't planning on getting home until Sunday but we put in a really long day Friday and made it home Saturday. Everyone was surprised to see us and I think Jim and Trudy were a little relieved. They watched all 6 kids, with some help from Kristy,which I am so thankful for. I know it was a very long week for them and I'm glad they made it!!