Taking Jessica to School

We started our "Road Trip" a day late...due to technical difficulties (like locking keys in the car, needing a BIGGER rental car to carry all of Jessica's stuff...etc...). We drove all the way to Spanish Fork, Utah. There we stayed at Kayla's (my niece) home. What a BEAUTIFUL home it is!!! We enjoyed getting to know her and Landon. Jessica and I spent a day in Provo. We went to BYU and looked around. We also did a little shopping. On Friday night, we went to the movies with Landon and Kayla. We saw Despicable Me. CUTE, CUTE, CUTE movie. We went to dinner afterwards... Saturday, we drove up to Temple Square or "Temple Squay" according to Hunky Harry, our British GPS. We took a "Tur" of the conference center and of the "Squay".

In one of the visitor's center, they had a model of a cross section of the Salt Lake Temple.

We enjoyed the peace of walking around the square!

We did a lot of walking and went home EXHAUSTED!!! Sunday, we visited a friend of mine from when I attended BYU. It was fun to see her and her family. We then spent the night with my niece Amy and her husband Cody. What a beautiful house she has! I am so impressed. Unfortunately, we only got to spend the one night as we wanted to get up to BYU - Idaho a little earlier.

On our way to Logan, Utah, we went up Provo Canyon. Here we stopped and looked at the beautiful Bridal Veil Falls. Then continued up to Park City. (Did you know there is an outlet mall there?)

We visited with Grandpa and Grandma Porter. They took us up to the cemetery where Martin Harris was buried. It was a fun trip.

We were supposed to head to Twin Falls, Idaho next. However, due to a death in the family of my friend, we went straight to Cheryl's house. What a good thing too!

These next two pictures are an inside joke that Jessica and I have! I believe that is all I will say on this subject...ha,ha.

We ARRIVED at BYU - Idaho or Brigham Young University in Idaho!

We drove around campus the first day. The second day, we went up on campus and purchased the books that she still needed. On the third day, we walked around campus and found where all her classes were. It was nice to see where Jessica will be studying.

Jessica was so excited to have a temple (the Rexburg Temple) almost right outside her door, that she kept taking pictures out of the window of the car.

We spent Saturday with Cheryl and her family at the Idaho State Fair in Blackhawk (I think). We had a lot of fun with her 2 children (Whitney and Reagan)and her husband (Bob)!

The girls and Jessica sure enjoyed looking at the animals.

And feeding them....

And Petting them.....

And hugging on them....

Not sure if Reagan really like them getting close though!

Jessica is a sucker for them animals! Who would have thought?

Jessica made a lot of flowers to put in your hair (with a lot of help from Cheryl). So, I made a frame to hang them in. The animal background for Jessica (it matches the comforter that we made)

And a princess one for the girls...since they are beautiful little princesses!

A special thanks to Jan for telling me how to do it! We visited with Susan and her family on Sunday since Tom was getting the Priesthood. It was wonderful to be able to share that experience with them. We met up at the Bates Cabin for dinner after. Jessica and Cheryl had made some flowers for Susan's girls...but Adam thought they ALL belonged on his head...

Adam is the miracle baby that survived drowning...He is doing wonderful. He still has a feeding tube, but he is able to walk and play. We are all hoping for a complete recovery!

The next day, was move in day. We checked into Jessica's apartment. We got all of her STUFF unloaded and then went out shopping for some essentials needed in the kitchen...namely FOOD. After we put the groceries away, we unpacked and got her things situated. I did not have the camera with me, so there are no pictures of her apartment. I will try to get them from her and post them. She has 3 very nice roommates. I am sure it will be a positive experience for her. We had lunch, then went back to her apartment. They started all the activities for the students WITHOUT the parents. I decided that it would be a good time for me to start home. Cheryl was such a wonderful Aunt and went to the Dinner and Luau with her that night.

I miss my baby horribly, but know that this is the best place for her to continue to grow. I've done my job...I have taught her what she needs to know to succeed! I know that she will have rough days ahead as she adjusts to life without her family breathing down her neck. It is comforting to know that her Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Bob are only a phone call and 10 minutes away. I am very proud of Jessica...she is setting a great example to her family and roommates!

My hope is that she studies as hard as she plays. We love you Jessica!!

Summer Vacation - Nauvoo

I should caution....LOTS of PICTURES!

We spent the bulk of our vacation in Nauvoo and the surrounding areas. Here is the beautiful Nauvoo temple. Each night, they had a pageant. It was so fun. They would have a carnival type activity before they would start the pageant. They had various activities that the pioneers would do. Here is Tiffany pulling Chris in one of the handcarts they had on display.
Each night, there was dancing. There were so many dancing pictures, that I had to take just a few. The kids LOVED doing all the dances!

This was in the Young Women's garden.

As we were shopping in down town Nauvoo, a Bagpipe Band came marching down the street. We had our picture taken with them.

One of the most memorable experiences was taking our own family trek. It started out as early in the morning. I can't say that it was a beautiful morning as it was quite humid. We were excited to go...so off we went.

We had to work together to make it over streams. Some of the banks were quite steep. As a family unit, we worked well together. Along the trail, they posted signs that told historical facts. There were also tubes that held pioneer stories in them.

It was great having tough/STRONG boys to help out.

Due to recent rains, there was a lot of MUD!

Shortly after reaching the one mile mark, the sky turned a sudden blackish/grey. We didn't think much of it and kept on walking. A few minute later, the skies opened up. Within seconds we were completely drenched. Lightening was flashing all around us. There really wasn't a place for us to take shelter. We gathered together and had a family prayer. We waited for a short period and decided that it was getting WORSE, not better. After another prayer, we decided to abandon our cart (as the mud had grown too thick and the stream too deep). We started to run. Wayne held on to Tiffany, followed by Jessica. The two boys grabbed either one of my arms to steady me since I was so dizzy. With lightening flashing all around us and rain pouring, we ran...somehow a gate that we had to pass had been opened. (We were given strict instructions to close ALL gates as we passed them). We continued to run...We stopped to rest for a few seconds to make sure all was alright. Once again, we had another family prayer. We all felt as though Sweet Grandma Rita was helping us through....as her presence was felt by all! We continued running until we saw a building. We headed for it and found a Sister Missionary at home. She called for help while we waited outside as we were all completely drenched. Lucky for us, Grandpa was able to rescue us...it was a growing experience for all of us!

It is amazing how much closer your family gets when faced with a crisis!

The next day, we went to Carthage...where our dear Prophet Joseph Smith sealed his testimony with his blood. He was martyred in the Carthage Jail.

This was the window that he fell out of after being shot by the mob.

It was on the second story of the building.

Here is a statue of Joseph & Hyrum Smith...very close brothers!

We went back to Nauvoo and visited more sites. One house hosted the "Living Center". This is where they have demonstrations on how the pioneers did various tasks, like making candles, baking bread and of course making rope...here all of the children had to work together to make our "Family rope".

I feel so fortunate to have such a wonderful family. I am so grateful that we will be together forever!

Let's not forget the nightly ritual of Dancing :)

This was how my children travelled. I think they got all caught up on their sleep.

We also went to Liberty Jail. This was where Joseph Smith was kept for quite some time. Here he wrote the 121st section of the Doctrine & Covenants giving hope to those who struggle through trials!

We continued on and visited Far West and Independence, MO. It was a wonderful experience!