Home Again Home Again

Yay for being home! Yay for a super stupendous vacation! Driving wasn't nearly as awful as I thought it was going to be. Besides Lauren throwing up only three hours after we left all went very smoothly.
Some observations about the states we went through....
Kansas: Why did Dorthy WANT to go back there? Oz is way more interesting! Pretty much just cows and fields, and religious billboards.
Missouri: Well Missourians can eat, lets put it that way. I have never been to a nicer Walmart, it was seriously like the TajMahal of Walmarts. And by the way can I just profess my love for the Walmarts around this great nation. You really never need to pack well again with these havens splatter from sea to shinning sea. I know WalMart gives everyone the cooties, but man they're like a nice warm blanket to me. Maybe I am just white trash. I know I am because I am too cheap to buy the new people so I read it in the book section as my kids tear every children's book off the shelves. Whatever they were stuck in the car for like 14 hours, and its Walmart, like anyone is going to say anything.
Illinois: well I just really like Illinois. But I promise you this, if we ever hear B.S. about there not being enough corn, "THEY" are LYING!!!! That's all we drove past, billions and billions of rows of corn stalks!
Iowa: Kinda sad. Just seemed so dreary and slowpokey.
Nebraska: It has possibilities, but from what we saw it was disappointing.
Colorado: YOU RULE!
Nauvoo was awesome! We stayed in this sweet Bed and Breakfast, an original home from the pioneer time. It was so amazing to see all the church history in Nauvoo. We took a horse carriage ride, went through homes (John Taylor, Lucy Mack Smith, Heber C. Kimball), went through the old school house and the brickyard, and the bakery. There a lot of things for the kids to do, but we had to tell the tour guides to give us the short version otherwise Lauren was going to destroy things. Yeah its not really the best place for toddlers. We saw how they made bread, made bricks, and made ropes. We got a sample of each to take home, well the bread we ate! We took a little trip down the road to Carthage, and saw the Carthage jail. That touched us way more than I thought it would. It is sooo crazy to stand in those places. Ryan and I were completely enveloped by the spirit in Nauvoo, you can just feel the sacred nature of that land. It was an extremely spiritual experience. The temple is amazing, you get the most incredible feelings standing before it, knowing how much it meant to the people that built it and had to leave it.

Here is a picture, on the steps of the temple, taken by Julia. Ryan and I celebrated our 7 year anniversary there that day! So special to be at one temple on the day that you were sealed for all eternity years before in another temple.
So I don't know if we're dumb or what but the first place we stopped was the Joseph Smith Center and it wasn't until later that we figured out that that place is run by the Community of Christ (RLDS). I don't know why the missionary in a Hawaiian shirt didn't tip me off, or the fact they didn't know anything about what went on in the town??? Our church pretty much runs the show there, however all the Joseph Smith sites are owned by the RLDS. So we just drove by his home and store. We did get out and see his grave. I was so not sure what they believe or how the divide occurred so I asked one of them what the deal is. Yeah the explanation was eye popping interesting. They were very nice and I appreciated him taking the time to talk to me. It is just so reassuring that the Lord's work pressed forward after Joseph Smith's death and through the faith of the early saints the Lord had a lot to work with.
After we left Nauvoo we stayed the rest of the time at my Aunt's. We hung out a little with my best friend from my childhood, Renee, and her family. They are such FUN people! I love being with them because no matter how long we are apart, when we're together its like no time has passed. That's true friendship!

Then we spent a day in CHICAGO! Oh man, Chicago is so much like NY, we LOVE it!!!!!
WE tore that town up, going to the Sear's Tower, taking a water taxi to Navy Pier, riding the Ferris Wheel, eating Chicago PIZZA,
Almost saw AL GORE! Oh mama that would have been too cool! Instead I got a shirt (more for humor than the actual belief, but it says, "Al Gore America needs You! 2008) I loved wearing that shirt home and seeing people read it and then avert their eyes, HA! So being true to the Adams name, what do we want to do now? Move to Chicago, of course! Ryan's started looking into Ad schools, so WHO KNOWS!!! That fast paced life is much more us. There is a lot to consider, but since I feel like we still have time before Julia starts school, now is the time to figure out where we truly want to raise these girls. Although the Midwest can be a little lame, if we could live right outside Chicago, that would rock. Lauren looks like she'd fit right in the MidWest huh? Got corn?
Most importantly though is Ryan's happiness, and doing advertising it what makes him happy. I think it would be great, The Todd's are such an inspiration to us too!

I took the girls to my Grandpa's house and Julia was so excited to have her hair done in my Grandma's Beauty Shop. My Grandma did hair in her basement, had a little shop and everything down there. I have soooo many cherished memories from that basement and beauty shop, from a little little girl to a teenager. It was very surreal to being doing my little girl's hair in the place my Grandma did mine. That's the one place that is very hard for me to go back to because I miss my Grandma so much and her memory is so vivid there. But Jules and Lauren had a lot of fun and I know my Grandpa enjoyed seeing life around his house again.

We headed home Friday and the drive was a little harder on Lauren, she was way done with her funky vomit smelling car seat. Ryan was very happy we found a good Mexican retuarant to eat at. I got a lovely souvenir in freaking Council Bluffs Iowa- mosquito bite on my head which has ballooned up and I look like the elephant man as I type. (Yes faithful blog readers this happened last September too, crazy I got bit in the same spot!!!) My eye is all but swollen shut and I get to teach the Mia Maids today! WOOHOO!

In Nebraska we found this random Buffalo Bill Trading Post for the girls to run around in. Ryan professed his love for his daughters when they walked right by all the cheap toy guns, knives, and rabbit hides. They each got a sugar stick as I thought that might keep them happy for at least a half hour, and it did, bliss! We made it home and have so many great memories and a few new ideas brewing!!!