In June I had a Buhler Family Reunion in Nauvoo, Illinois. Sean and I flew in Kansas City and met up with my parents and Peyton and Cat who arrived the day earlier to do some local sightseeing. Before we made it to Nauvoo we stopped at Adam-ondi-ahman. Even though it's just a big open area with nothing to see, it still was a good place to be reflective on the gospel and church history.
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| Peyton, my dad and I at Adam-ondi-ahman |
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| View of the lower valley of Adam-ondi-ahman |
We also stopped at Carthage Jail. There was a little more to the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith that I didn't know before. I always wondered why he was shot from a nice looking bedroom instead of a jail cell. I learned that the jail keepers gave the men their bedroom because it was more bearable to sleep in with the hot muggy summer weather. I also learned that the original door is still present with the hole that killed Hyrum Smith. Again, it was a nice place to reflect on the gospel and church history.
The highlight of the trip was seeing the family and playing with all the nieces and nephews. I have 8 of them and loved playing with them all! It's unfortunate they live on the other side of the country!
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| I title this: I am a Child of God |
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| I title this: too bright to keep my eyes open |
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| I title this: Let's Break Uncle Peyton's Back! |
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| Sean loved playing with the boys and they loved playing with him! |
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| All the grandkids! We really enjoyed seeing them! |
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| This was our first time seeing the youngest. She was super cute and sweet! |
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| Seriously, they are too adorable! |
Of course, Nauvoo had many sites that we saw. We went to the Temple which was gorgeous and I couldn't help but take tons of pictures. We saw many of the historical homes including the homes of Wilford Woodruff, Heber C. Kimball, Lucy Mack Smith and Joseph and Emma Smith. We visited the Brickyard, Masonic Hall, Mansion House, Blacksmith, Tin Shop (Sean's choice of occupation if he had to choose for the time period) and the temple quarry site. We also took an oxen ride to experience what it would have been like to travel cross country in a wagon. Being a history lover and especially living history experiences, I enjoyed Nauvoo.
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| Temple Quarry Site |
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| Kids with Grandma |
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| Spending time with Grandpa |
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| Having fun with Uncle Peyton |
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| Lovin the horses! |
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| Who needs video games when you got sticks and dirt?! |
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| This was his highlight of the trip-free Popsicles |
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| Heber C. Kimbal home-one of my ancestors was a maid in this home. |
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| Frozen Custard-YUM! |
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| This was one of his favorite moments of the trip |
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| Dressing up as pioneers |
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| Making rope |
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| My ancestors lived on this piece of land. |
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| This was the view of the temple from the property of my ancestors |
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| Loved the summer storm that rolled in. It was a short but powerful one! |
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| Playing dolls with Grandma |
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One of my favorite shots of the temple
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Temple with the impending storm
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| From our hotel balcony-I love how the windows show the illumination from the inside. |
