Trip to Springfield

Last Wednesday (our p-day) we went to Springfield with several other couples to see the Lincoln sites. What a marvelous day. The Lincoln museum is like no other that I have ever seen! We were there for 6 hours and could have stayed another 6, but needed to get back. It is about a 2 1/2 drive from Nauvoo, so it took all day. We didn't get home until 11:00 that night and then had to be at the Temple the next morning at 6:00! It was worth it though.
Lincoln's Home in Springfield where he lived before he went to Washington DC to become President. His only living son donated this to the State with the stipulation that they would maintain it and keep it open for free tours . It was very interesting and our guide was very knowledgable.





This is the street where he lived. They have maintained the entire street so it looks just like it did 150 years ago. This year is the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth, so they are celebrating a lot in Springfield

The main bedroom. How do you like the wallpaper?!! I could never sleep in that! This was what the original looked like too!

The kitchen...so small compared to the kitchens of today.

The Parlor

Back yard by the water pump. This is a couple of our missionaries.....Elder Eickbush and Elder Mills

Lincoln's tomb

There were all these statues of Lincoln inside the tomb. I thought this one was especially interesting because he looked so sad....and apparently he was sad much of his life. He lost his mother when he was just a young boy....was very poor...had to work 16-18 hours a day on his father's farm and his father never really showed him any affection His first love died . He had a stormy courtship with Mary Todd who became his wife. Three of his 4 children (all sons) died before adulthood....one at age 5 and one at 11. He suffered a lot of criticism from the press and a lot of the people when he became President. His presidential years were consumed with the Civil War, and all that sorrow. And then only a few days after the end of the war....when he maybe could have enjoyed life....he was assassinated!!

In the center of the tomb where he is buried. We should have been looking more sad, I think:)

Some of our group inside the tomb.

Right as we were leaving, they were lowering the flag for the day. I thought this was a cool picture with the tomb in the background. Everyone was standing quietly with their hands over their hearts in respect. It was touching.

I thought this was an impressive monument. This was for a former governor of the State of Illinios


Sister Phillips and Elder Eickbush

In the museum you could only take pictures in the foyer, not inside any of the exhibits! And there was SO much in side. They had all these wax figures depicting different times in Lincoln's life. There were probably 15-20 different events including the Ford Theatre where he was shot. By the time you got through it all, you felt like you really had been there at that time. In the big foyer, when you first walk in there is the replica of his log cabin on one side and then the White House on the other side. This is Mary Todd inside the White House, but I had to take the picture standing outside.

These figures on the porch of the White House are John Wilkes Booth who shot Lincoln and General Lee and General McClellan

The Lincoln family in front of the White House with us joining them in back.


The family again...their one son had already died in Springfield at age 5.

By the log cabin and the figure of Lincoln as a boy

The Log Cabin....there were about 8-10 different exhibits inside this.

Besides all the exhibits, there were plays and movies you could watch about him. This one was called "Lincoln's Eyes" and was amazing....the special effects unbelievable.


This is the old State Capitol where Lincoln served. There are tours in there also, but we didn't have time to tour it. It was a full day, but very informative and actually very spiritual. We really felt Lincoln was foreordained to do what he did, just as Joseph Smith was. It is interesting to see the similarities in their lives also They don't know if the two ever met, but they probably did when Joseph Smith was brought to Springfield to be tried for the attempted murder of Governor Boggs.

50 YEAR CLASS REUNION!

Since several of us are missing our 50 year class reunion this year we decided to have one of our own! We all talked about our own high school and shared some funny things about our school years. It was great fun! We found out later that there are two more members of the class of 1959 among the Temple missionaries so we are going to have another party later in the summer! This was held at the apartment of the Bradys, but it looks identical to our apartment, minus the crepe paper and balloons :)

Brother and Sister Jaussi from the Manti Temple. She is telling her experience of being in a private plane crash that she was flying and survived in the wilderness for 5 days! Amazing story! A book and movie was made about it called "SOLO"!

This is President and Sister Peterson. She was a 1959 graduate from Logan .

All of the graduates! Brother Brady was student body president of his high school AND captain of the football team in Tennesee. He had helped organize his reunion for this year and THEN got called on this mission. He said everyone was upset with him for not leaving the mission to attend. (none of them are members)

It was also Brother's Foote's birthday this day, so we celebrated that also. His wife is the one in the white pants and black & white top in the above picture.

Missionary party

Once a month we have a party with all the Temple Missionaries which is about 150. This first one in June was held at a member's home (who used to work in the Temple) They actually came here as Site missionaries and then decided to stay so bought this home. It is in a beautiful wooded area, as you can see, and overlooks the Mississippi. It was a perfect setting and we had a wonderful time getting to know each other a little better.

Performances at Nauvoo!

One of the fun things about living in Nauvoo in the summer is all the programs and performances they have. There is something going on every day and night . Here are just a few of the things we have been to in the last couple of weeks.

Sunday evening they had a "HYMN ALONG" on the outdoor stage (where they do Sunset by the Mississippi) It was presented by the Nauvoo Band and the young performing missionaries.

These are all young people in their late teens who try out for these parts and then come to Nauvoo for the summer. They are very talented and very fun to have around.
The singers on both sides of the band are the Performing Missionaries there are twenty of them, 10 girls and 10 boys. They are from all over the U.S.

A hilarious song and dance in SUNSET called "Down with Rum." The young Performing Missionaries are in the back and the older Site Missionaries are on the walkers! They really AREN'T THAT OLD, but it is a funny dance with walkers!

The beginning of the song BEFORE the walkers come out!

A cute puppet show put on by the performing missionaries.

The play "Just Plain Anna Amanda" is also done by the performing missionaries. This is an especially good play for children and is performed twice daily.

The BYU Ballroom dancers came to Nauvoo for 2 weeks and performed every night. They were wonderful! We went a couple of times...wish we could have gone more. This is their final performance. They were posing afterwards with some of the performing missionaries. The two groups really had a good time together while they were here.

Elder and Sister Howard (Temple missionaries) with a couple of the BYU dancers. The Howards are an amazing couple. He has had a complete heart transplant and she has survived a major bout with breast cancer. Yet they are the most positive, happy couple, and they are always helping others.
This was a performance put on just last night by a group of older women from Midway called the Swiss Belles. They were bell ringers, of course, and it was delightful.


Their conductor was so funny. She was dancing and bouncing all over the place as she was conducting them. She was really a show all alone!
This is one of the oldest members of the group. She was so cute....always with this big smile and she was also one of the best, and I'll bet she was 85 or more! What a fun thing to do in your old age. I'll bet it keeps one young at heart!

More Pictures of Nauvoo.

This sister in the green dress is Sister Tukuafu. She is married to a Hawaiian man and they are both District Temple workers and live in Nauvoo. They have 15 children, all grown now. They lived many years in a small hut in Hawaii with no electricity or running water! They are now in the process of building this round home for themselves down by the river. It is amazing!

Look at the view of the river they will have!

A storm coming in! It can happen in just a few minutes

A fungus that grows on the trees here. I guess it is a kind of mushroom When you look at it up close, it is really quite beautiful...lots of colors. I don't know if you can tell from the picture below or not. In the Garden Room at the Temple there is a tree in the mural with a growth on it just like this!

Other mushrooms growing in the forest. There are some kinds you can eat, but since I don't know what kind (and many are poison), I leave them alone :)





These next 3 pictures are of an old stone bridge just minutes from where we live. It is so picturesque!! Everyone goes there to take their favorite shot.

A statue of Joseph and Hyrum in a little park across from the Temple.

This is downtown Nauvoo...during rush hour :) I LOVE SMALL TOWNS! I would love to live here IF ALL MY CHILDREN & GRANDCHILDREN WERE HERE!!

I never tire of taking pictures of this beautiful Temple. What a blessing it is to serve here every day!

This stature is of Joseph and Hyrum leaving Nauvoo for Carthage. I love the way the sun was coming through just at that moment

The view of the Mississippi from the statue above.


Another gorgeous sunset on the Mississippi!