A Retrospective of my August Vacation

So I am going to start with the stats of our latest adventure-

• 20 days and 19 nights
• 5,041 miles of driving, not counting any of the driving we did in Illinois, except for the 2 day trip to Nauvoo
• 4 nights in hotels
• 14 states visited (7 of which were new states for Ellie)
• 12 new temples (We are up to 50 and will be staying there until my mom takes us to Hawaii)
• 1 house that we brought the plague to - Sorry Ben and Kristi
• More cousins seen that I care to count
• 1 square ice cream cone
• 1 dozen of the best donuts ever - Thanks Kristi
• 1 view from 103 stories up
• 2 days of experiences that strengthened my testimony of the Gospel

Obviously it is impossible to truly sum up this trip via statistics. I am not sure which trip I liked better - this one or the one to D.C. last month. Either way they were both a lot of fun and I will always remember these experiences. Thank goodness for digital cameras and shutterfly so I can show Ellie as she gets older.


I was thinking about it the other day and I have subjected my 2 year old to over 10,000 miles in the car this summer. Who does that?

• Trip to Sacramento - 1,205 miles
• Trip to Utah - 2,808 miles
  
• Trip Back East - 4,144 miles
  
• Pacific Northwest Circle - 3,631 miles
  
• Nauvoo Circle - 1,410 miles
  
• Total - 13,198 miles
  

Maybe that is why she was so happy to see Kim on Friday. :) Her Mom doesn't punish her by having her drive for thousands of miles in a car. Having said that, I really feel like Ellie and I both a great time on all of these trips. Even though we drove a lot more than I ever expected to drive, we were able to spend a lot of good time together. I also have learned who Swiper is, when Ellie would say, "Stop swiping Swiper." I have the most amazing little girl in the world. I am so glad we have been able to spend all of this time together and I am glad she has been able to meet so much of her family this summer. She has more cousins than she knows what to do with.

We don't have anything big coming up, but we do have a few little things that are in the works. We get to go to Sacramento at the end of September for Cody's wedding. The following week we are going up to St. George, as I am running in the St. George marathon. I am also thinking of going to the BYU-UNLV football game the following week.

There have also been a couple of other things that have happened this summer that I still need to write about. For example our trip to Sacramento for Memorial Day, the Dodger game, the Angels game, trip to the zoo, and beach trip. So I am going to try and write about those in the coming weeks. Until then, wish me luck as I go back to school tomorrow!

Home at last!!!

So Ellie and I made it home. We woke-up around 9:00 and were out of Kari's by 9:30. We stopped in Vegas for breakfast, and in Redlands to get lunch and a better picture of the temple, and then it was on to Pasadena. The closer we got to Pasadena, the more realized it was more than just hot there. It is on fire... literally. Apparently we are having fires earlier this year than last year. The hills north of Pasadena are full of flames, and there is a lot of smoke in the air. It smells like a campfire. Maybe I won't be going for my 18 mile run tomorrow. :)

Anyway, I am going to write a bit more when I have some time and kind of summarize my thoughts and feelings about our epic adventure. It was a lot of fun, it was very tiring, but it is nice to be back home.

Almost home...

Well there aren't pictures for today, and I am kicking myself because I should have taken a couple, but what can you do? Nothing terribly exciting happened. I woke-up, Ellie was helping Mom can beans or tomatoes or some other vegetable, and so I went running. It was a difficult run and so I cut it short. It felt like there was concrete in my shoes.

I went back to Mom's, got a haircut, finished packing and then we hung out for a little while before going to Carabba's for lunch. I had some chicken Parmesan, said goodbye to Mom and the Ellie got in the trusty Xterra and drove the 260 miles to St. George, which is where we ended the night.

Apparently St. George has some really good ice cream made by a company called Blue Bunny, so I went and had some of that, and afterwards I hung out with Kari and Lonnie for awhile and now it is time to go to bed.

We are about 400 miles from home, and should be getting in late tomorrow afternoon. I am dreading go back to SoCal because it is blazing hot there right now. Aarrghh.

Starting the trip back home...

Today was our last day in Illinois and I am kind of sad. I was telling Mom that many of the days have lasted a long time, but the week has gone by so fast. We have done so many fun things here, ride 4-wheelers, gone golfing, hung out with Hank and Linda, drove a Corvette like a sissy, eaten a couple pork loin sandwiches, seen 4 temples, gone to 5 new states, ridden 4-wheelers, gone on a spur of the moment 1,410 mile roadtrip, seen 4 of my first cousins and their families, gone to a Journey concert, run to Wisconsin, gone to an air show, and ridden 4 wheelers. J It was busy and that doesn’t even take into account today.

I was going to go running this morning, but that didn’t happen because it was pouring rain, and I didn’t feel like doing a speed work-out in a downpour. So I finshed packing, helped Mom clean up the house, and then loaded up the car and we went and picked up Linda. Then we got Beth and took 2 cars into Rockford where we picked up Hank. Then we drove into Chicago.


By the time we rolled into Chicago it was lunch time and Hank took us all to Harry Caray’s. I got a Kansas City Strip medium-rare with garlic mashed potatoes. It was really good. It was better than any steak I have ever had at Outback, but I don’t think it was so much better to warrant the million dollar price tag. Having said that I would definitely go back for a special occasion. Linda let me try some of her sausage and peppers and that was really good. That may have been the best sausage I have ever had.

With lunch completed and enjoyed it was off to the Sears Tower (I refuse to acknowledge its new name). Today was another rainy day, and so there was a lot of cloud cover. Hank and Linda didn’t want to go up, so they hung out at a Starbucks. When we got there they told us there was zero visibility, so Mom decided she didn’t want to go. However, I didn’t care. I wanted to go, especially with their new skydeck where you walk into these little glass booths that actually hang out from the side of the building 103 stories up.

So Ellie and I paid for our ticket (She is still free, since she is only 2). Then we watched a movie about the history of the building, and took the 1 minute elevator ride to the 103rd floor. Once we got up there I was a little worried because the view from to the East was all cloud cover. However, as we walked to the West side, which is where these new viewing areas are, the cloud cover was less and we were able to see quite a bit. Ellie and I were able to go into these observation decks and it was a little strange to be able to look 103 stories straight down. However it wasn’t as freaky as I had expected. We took a bunch of pictures and then we met up with Hank and Mom.

Our final stop before the airport was the Navy Pier. It is kind of like the Santa Monica pier only cleaner and today it was way less crowded. There wasn’t a lot to do, so we just walked up and down it. We took a picture of us at the anchor of the USS Chicago, and then we got into the car and went to the airport.

Now I am back in Orem getting ready to go to bed. Tomorrow we are going to drive to St. George and on Friday we will drive the rest of the way home. It was a good trip but went by way too fast. Hopefully I can get to Illinois before another 16 years pass by.

A Side Note about Winter Quarters and Nauvoo

One of the things I was most excited about for on this trip was the opportunity to go to Nauvoo, Illinois. However, on this trip I also had the opportunity to go to Winter Quarters.

As I wrote earlier, my visit to the visitors center in Winter Quarters was a little hectic. This is due to the fact that I have a precocious two year old daughter. However I truly enjoyed the spirit that is at that building. It is the same spirit I have felt as I have visited 50 different temples with Ellie. It is the same spirit I felt during my two year mission to the West Indies. It is the same spirit I have felt as I have gone throughout life.

One of the things that jumped into my mind is the sacrifice these people made, some of whom were my relatives. In the winter of 1846, they were essentially forced from their homes in Nauvoo, Illinois, where over the next several months they trudged 300 miles from Nauvoo to what is now Omaha. They did this and experienced the harsh winter of the Midwest and then some insane mud when the snow melted. Once there they built houses, lived there for about a year, and then walked 1,000 miles from Omaha to Salt Lake City, where there was nothing. I love Utah, but if you have been there imagine leaving lush, beautiful, green Illinois and then stopping at the dry, barren land of the Salt Lake Valley. I think I would just want to turn around and go back to Illinois.

Going to Nauvoo I felt the same thing. It was amazing how strong the Spirit was as we drove into the city limits of Nauvoo. It is truly a sacred place. Then to feel the same Spirit at Carthage Jail.

I bring this all up, because I am grateful for these people. I am grateful for the sacrifices they made. Without these sacrifices, I wouldn't be where I am today. I wouldn't have the great blessings in my life, that I have. The last 18 months have been difficult to say the least, but it pales in comparison to what the Mormon Pioneers went through. I can't imagine having to choose between death or walking 1,000 miles across this country. I can't imagine losing 1 member of my family, let alone several. I can't imagine showing up in the middle of the desert with the expectation that it be turned into a thriving oasis. Yes, the last several months have been hard, but it could be so much more difficult. So I am thankful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am thankful for the examples of my pioneer ancestors. I am thankful for my family and for the sacrifices they have made for me. I guess what I am trying to say is I am thankful for the many blessings in my life.

A Beautiful Plantation

Today was the day I was looking forward to most on this trip. It was the day we went to Nauvoo. We ended up sleeping in for awhile, and didn’t get out of Iowa City until around 9:00, which was nice. The drive to Nauvoo wasn’t anything special, but it was fun to cross the Mississippi River. A short drive after that, we were in Nauvoo.

It was amazing as we were pulling into the city limits, how there was a different feeling. I think it is because Nauvoo is a special place, even a sacred place. Granted this maybe wanting to feel something because of my Mormon Heritage, but I truly felt something different while I was there. More on that later…

Our first stop was the temple. It is a beautiful temple, probably in my top 5 (Portland, San Diego, Salt Lake, Idaho Falls). We got a couple pictures, but the time of day wasn’t best for pictures from the angle we were taking them at, so we decided to go see the sites of Nauvoo.

We went to the Nauvoo Visitors Center, and after a couple attempts to get Ellie from knocking everything down in the place, we watched a movie on the history of Nauvoo. While the movie was showing, I again felt that strong spirit of the town. (On a its a small world note - the sister missionary who showed us the movie is from Payson, Utah and dated one of the Meservys. Lydia (Meservy) Glod was one of my best friends in high school, who lived about half a mile from me)

Next we went to the Living History Center. This was a place where Ellie could actually play around and not get into too much trouble. We went into the main building and Ellie dressed up like a pioneer, learned how the pioneers made bread, got a candle, and played with dolls. Then we went over to the old bakery, learned how the old bakery worked and ate some gingerbread cookies.

The next stop was Ellie’s favorite. It was a place designed with children in mind. I don’t remember the name of it, but they had toys, and a mini log cabin with a kitchen, and a mini-schoolhouse. Ellie loved the kitchen portion. She dressed up like a pioneer and played with everything in the kitchen. She even “made” me a chocolate pie. Once she finally noticed the schoolhouse, she loved the little bell in it that she could ring. We let her play for quite awhile, before we drove 20 miles to Carthage.

In Carthage we got lunch first, and then I went over to the old Carthage jail by myself, while Mom watched Ellie. I didn’t think Ellie would hold still to watch a movie and go on a tour. So I went alone. It was pretty quiet there. I looked at some of the things in the visitors center and then I saw a short movie on the history of the jail, and Joseph Smith’s final days. Once that was complete, I was taken on a tour of the jail by a sister missionary from North Hollywood with 2 other women. It was interesting to learn that the jailer lived in the jail with his wife and 7 kids, and that the prisoners stayed in one of two cells in the house. I don’t know that I would want my family to live in a jail. Anyway, we went upstairs to where Joseph was shot, and the Spirit was there so strong. I know I am a bit biased since I have grown up LDS (Mormon), but I will never understand why people could have so much hate for a man that taught the gospel of Jesus Christ. How could people have so much hate that they felt the need to murder him. It is truly baffling. What I do know for sure is that I am extremely grateful for him, and for the early Saints.

Once the tour was over I went outside and Ellie and mom were there. We took some pictures, loaded up in the car, and drove 200 miles to Freeport. The drive home wasn’t too bad. The only downer was when Mom told me to ignore the GPS and we took a turn that made us go 25 miles out of our way. However, the GPS ended up re-routing us through the middle of nowhere (i.e. Northern Illinois farmland) and we bypassed virtually every little town until just before Freeport, so we didn’t lose that much time in the long run. I was hoping to see a deer, but we didn’t. On the Brightside, we did experience some thunder and lightning and that was nice.

We got into Freeport, filled the car up with gas, washed the car, and grabbed some dinner. As we were driving from Freeport to Hank’s, the rains came. It was a great heavy rain, complete with more thunder and lightning. Unfortunately it didn’t last very long, and by the time we were pulling into the house, the rain had all but ended.

Once we were home, we ate dinner, packed for tomorrow’s flight, and spent an hour looking for the keys to the Denali we had been driving all week. In case you were wondering they were under the little chair in the living room.

All in all it was a great day, even if it was another long day. We were out and about for about 12 hours, we drove 383 miles, saw 1 temple, had 1 really good thunderstorm, lost 1 car key, and found 1 car key. It’s too bad tomorrow is our last day, but at the same time I am ready to start the next chapter of my life.

Too much driving...

So I am finishing up today after getting about 4-1/2 hours of sleep yesterday. I didn't go to bed until 2:00 and I woke-up around 6:30. I can't believe I am still functioning. Anyway... here's today's recap.

After waking-up, we all got ready for the day, and then it was off to temple 48 - St. Paul, Minnesota. Ellie was in a fine mood, and then something upset her while we were there. I am still unsure as to what happened, but it was kind of funny looking back on it. She was fine getting pictures by herself and with me, but she lost it when I tried to take pictures of her and grandma. Once we got those pictures, it was the beginning of a very long day.

Last night, Mom and I decided to add an extra 45 minutes to the day's trip and go to South Dakota. That way Ellie and I would have one less state to visit. So we drove straight south from St. Paul, almost to the Minnesota-Iowa border and then we hung a right and went straight west for awhile, before getting into South Dakota. Minnesota was nothing special to look at. It was a lot of corn and soybeans, and that was about it. Well, there was that and a ton of windmills. South Dakota wasn't much different, except for the fact that the speed limit is 75 mph!

Anyway we had lunch in Sioux Falls, and then drove another couple hours to Omaha, Nebraska - home of Winter Quarters. We took a bunch of pictures and walked around the temple grounds. I was a little bummed because the grounds were closed. I know that temples are closed on Mondays, but I thought this one would be open because it has the visitors center. Then we noticed that the gates didn't have locks. So we opened them and were able to get some pictures inside the gates.

Before leaving, we went inside the visitors center at Winter Quarters. Other than the sister missionaries there, it was empty. So we took the tour, and for most of the time I was trying to keep Ellie under control. By this time she was pretty wound up, and with good reason - we had been on the road for quite awhile by the time we got to Omaha. She enjoyed dressing up like a pioneer, playing with the toy wagons, and pressing the buttons that turned display lights on. After doing that, we spent some time at a park, and then we drove to Iowa City, with a stop in Des Moines for dinner at Cracker Barrel.

Once we got to the hotel in Iowa City, I went running while doing some laundry at a local laundromat. We have a car-seat cover that had to be cleaned today. Ellie loves Dora, and gets so involved in the movie she is watching that she forgets to do other things. Anyway, today was a little bit of a tough day for Ellie, but we managed to get through it.

Today's stats - 716 miles, 3 states, 2 temples, 14 hours of traveling, which equals 1 long day of travel. Tomorrow we go to Nauvoo and then back to Freeport. I can't wait.