The chairs of Grant and Lee

One of the most touching parts of the exhibit were these 2 chairs - the actual chairs sat in by Gens. Grant and Lee at the Appomatox courthouse to officially signal the end of the Civil War. My brother Bry, somewhat of a history buff told us the story. Apparently the 2 Generals had served together in the Mexican American War almost 20 years earlier and spent most of the time getting acquainted and catching up on memories from that. It was Gen. Lee who had to bring up the business at hand, and when he offered up his sword (a traditional sign of surrender) Gen. Grant would not take it and allowed him to keep it as a sign of honor. Isn't it amazing that these two great men could have spent so much time on opposite sides of a brutal and war and then come together like old friends passing time in chairs on a porch. Perhaps without the Civil War, they could have been the greatest of friends.

Nauvoo

One of the greatest parts about our cross country trip was that we got to stop for 2 days in Nauvoo, IL. This place has great significance for my church, because it is where the pioneers on the "Mormon Trek" left from to go west to Salt Lake City. But they left behind their homes, their temple and their city that they sacrificed so much to build because the people in surrounding areas could not accept their faith and drove them out. What is there now is a touching monument - a rebuilt temple, restored homes, a brickyard, blacksmith shop, and post office, all just like they would have had it in the 1840s. It is a tribute to their faith and their sacrifice and to the divine mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith, who restored our church.

Nauvoo

The famous "sunstones" and beautiful stain glass red, white and blue stars on the side of the temple.
The temple at night. Doesn't it just glow? This was the view from outside our window. It was like being near to heaven.

One of the beautifully restored homes - this one was one of the bigger residences, built by Heber C. Kimball over many years.

Me on Parley Street - the famous "Trail of Hope" the pioneers walked leaving Nauvoo and going down to the banks of the Mississippi to cross over into Missouri.

Nauvoo

A view of the mighty Mississippi - can you believe they crossed this
frozen with nothing but their belongings and their newfound faith?

This is a branding symbol we saw on the door of the blacksmith shop - can you see the C L U F?

Us in front of the Nauvoo Temple. One of the most sacred and beautiful buildings I have ever been to.

Bronze statue of Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum. "In life they were not divided and in death, they were not separated."

Us in front of the bronze statue of Joseph and his wife Emma.

traveling across the midwest

When we drove from Arizona to Maryland, we crossed lots of the "bread basket" of the US. But I was struck with the fact that it all looks EXACTLY the same. Each day it would be like "What state are we in?" and then we'd realize that we had just passed through Indiana, Ohio, and were heading into Illinois without a single scenery change. Seriously, this is all you can see for miles and miles and miles. I never thought that when they sang "where the wind comes sweepin' down the range" in Oklahoma, it was because there was nothing in the way to stop it!