Back To The Temple and Back In Time

So in June Spencer and I decided to head to historic Nauvoo (where early Mormons settled before they trekked west) before their big pageant started and it got crazy busy. So we woke up early on a Saturday morning and headed off. Nauvoo is just over 2 hours away, but that's only because the roads to get there all look like this:

There are no main roads that go straight there, just a lot of back highways, otherwise it would only take about an hour. But we were very excited to come around a corner and see the temple!

After a great session at the temple (it felt like it had been forever since we'd been!) we took a few pictures...

We took about 10 before we got the whole
temple in the background and then Spencer
BLINKED!

And then we changed and went to get lunch

And of course dessert. I LOVE fudge (I think I get it from my mother) and so Spencer and I decided to indulge in some of the sweet goodness.

See? It's a commandment.

For the record, we didn't just chow on it like
it looks, this is purely for picture sake

We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting the recreated homes and shops like the bakery, the blacksmith, the boot maker, the printing press, the brickyard, and others. It is such a fun place, with demonstrations and souvenirs that you can take home with you.

After we saw what we could, we headed over to Carthage, where the first LDS prophet Joseph Smith was martyred. The Carthage Jail site is beautiful and peaceful and was the perfect end to our day. We had both been there before, but it is so cool to see things and experience them together.

I love Carthage, there is such a spirit there and I'm so glad we went. Our last stop before we headed home was a surprisingly delicious Mexican place called El Camino that the missionaries in Carthage suggested to us. Who knew? Good Mexican in Illinois.

Self? Great day.