Carthage

The original door and bullet hole that Hyrum was shot through. Isn't it amazing to see original stuff? blows my mind.

the room where Joseph and Hyrum were shot and killed. We were really lucky to be the only ones on our tour through carthage with the sister missionaries. We were able to take our time and hear all the stories instead of being rushed through like they often have to do during the summer. One really cool thing I learned on this trip is that one of parkers ancestors was John Fullmer who was in Carthage Jail the night before Joseph was killed. Joseph had many friends come stay with him for support for the few nights he was there. The night before he was laying on the floor between Dan Jones and John Fullmer. He told john (i dont know the exact quote) "brother john, use my arm as a pillow to rest your head." Anyways, it was really cool to hear the Sisters tell the story and know that was one of Parker's ancestors.

The top window is where Joseph Smith was shot and then fell from.

Carthage has such a strong spirit there. You can really feel the spirit of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I'm so glad we got to go!

Nauvoo

I have a million pictures of all the little stores and homes in Nauvoo. This may be way boring to everyone but I wanted to post a few. Nauvoo is so sweet and small and quaint. We loved walking up and down the streets and going into all the little homes.
The plaque below the sculpture reads, "On the morning of June 24, 1844, Joseph Smitha nd his brother Hyrum left their familes, homes, and fellow Saints for the last time. Traveling on horseback, they paused on this bluff. Joseph looked admiringly at the unfinished temple and the city of Nauvoo and declared:

"This is the loveliest place and the best people under the heavens; little do they know the trials that await them."

Joseph and Hyrum then continued on to Carthage, Illinios, where they faced legal charges and eventual death at the hands of a mob.
Red Brick Store
the Nauvoo House this is the trail of hope that runs down Parley Street in Nauvoo. It is where the saints began the mass exodus out of Nauvoo in the middle of winter.


at the end of Parley Street is the Mississippi River, where the saints crossed over it while it was frozen.

The Nauvoo temple was gorgeous. It is 99% the same as it was when the Saints originally built it. Isn't it amazing they were able to build something so magnificent? and from a group of people who were mostly broke.

the windy city

deep dish pizza was the first thing we did when i got to town. it was to die for. best pizza i think i have ever had and oh so cheesy...we walked down michigan avenue where there are tons of little shops, restaurants, and museums. the streets were really clean and there were tons of quiet little park areas where you can get a moment away from the hustle and bustle of the city. there were also tons of outdoor scultures (outside the art institute) and this was one of our favorites. basically just a giant reflective globe but it was so interesting...we could have entertained ourselves all day. it might not look that cool but it really was. promise.

these are the shoes that have put me through some tendonitis misery the past week.

can you find us?
navy pier.

...more pics of nauvoo to come.

Chicago!

so parker has been working in chicago for the past couple of weeks and I am flying out there on Sunday to see him and bring him home!

Has anyone ever been to chicago or have suggestions of things that are a must see/do/eat? any suggestions would be great.

We are driving home through Nauvoo, Il. I haven't been there since i was like 10 years old and I am super excited to go back!

mothers day dinner

this is a really delicious pasta sauce recipe i got from my friend jen. It's delicious. I made it for my family for mothers day yesterday. It's really not hard, just make it on a non-calorie-counting day. It's not an exact recipe but I think it's pretty self explanatory.
cut up about three bell peppers. you can use red, yellow, and orange. You can just use 1 or 2 colors if thats all you have. Also about half an onion. melt some butter...


saute everything in that butter.

add one large jar pasta sauce, any kind you want. Then add whipping cream until it looks about how you want it... I told you, we aren't counting calories. I usually add one little carton per jar of red sauce.add oregano, basil, and garlic powder to taste.

and lots of parmesean cheese...no picture of the finished project but let me tell you, it was good. Grandma's request for mothers day was for dad to read Mark Twain. She gets a kick out of the different characters voices. Apparently this is a nightly routine with the grandparents.
*
it was great to spend the weekend in st. george with my family. I have the best mom in the whole world. She is so amazing and always drops her entire life to serve anyone. She is the most selfless person I know. love you mom!

watch

this.

and happy cinco de mayo!

white dunes

these pics are a few weeks old but i wanted to post them anyway. I love these white rock structures up in snow canyon. i think amy or i had a birthday party up here once...i know, what kind of little kid has a birthday party out in the desert in the rocks and dirt? and what kind of parents throw it? that would by my parents... there's a hill to the right of all this that is a steep slope of sand and it's actally still really fun to jump down...you take huge leaps downhill and land in sink into the sand anf when you land it's seriously so soft. when we were little, my dad would grab us by our ankles and pull us down on our butts...we didn't care about all the sand up the pants, it was just too much fun to notice the sand.

this girl is in D.C. right now and I am missing her! check out all the fun things she is doing on her blog.

happy birthday to me and the house we almost bought

yes i had a beautiful birthday... parker and i had a sonic burger picnic at liberty park and played a little frisbee. the sun was shining and it was warm and beautiful. parker took a half day off of work to play with me...he is so great.

and of course sushi for dinner. parker called a few of my close friends to come eat with us. we had just a great old time.bff's
the guests with mouthfuls of sushi...

i would rather have a plate of sushi over birthday cake any day.

on a side note. the first time home buyer tax credit is over... we were seriously thinking about purchasing a home to get the $8,000 but at the last moment felt uneasy about it and decided to wait until we didn't feel like we were rushing into something. it may be a while before we get anything but i have found myself noticing houses for sale more and more and wanting one. i can't tell if i really want a home or if i am just getting anxious and feeling stagnant...feeling like we need a change of some kind. either way, i don't think those are good reasons to get a home, right? I also think we have issues with committment... we always try to avoid things that are going to "tie us down" and I think a home was a little too much for us at this point in our lives when we don't know what the future holds. Parker's business is going great but who knows if it could take a turn or if he would decide he wanted to do something different. so for now i'm just saving pictures of my dream home on a little file in my computer... and we are feeling good about our decision not to get the house we were looking at.