Getting from There to Here

 Yeah, it's been awhile.

My summer has been a bit chaotic

but I'm going to make up for it with this post

and a gazillion pictures!

We left our home in Massachusetts on June 28th

with the U-haul loaded

and the boys smiling...

 and we made it as far as New York before a tire blew on the trailer

and we spent some time sitting here

enjoying the view

and waiting

 until help arrived

 This is the only picture I took of Pennsylvania...

(if you'd like to see more of this state, please refer to this post :)

and moving on to...

 Historic Kirtland

 with the Sister Missionaries who showed us around

 Our next stop was Isaac Morley's Farm

where you can see the original trail leading into Kirtland 

that Joseph and Emma would have traveled on

 and there's just something about a "witness tree" that I love

 Kirtland Temple

 then on we went to...

and

 where we passed LOTS of beautiful farms and neat old barns

(these are all taken from the window of a speeding Tahoe... so pardon the quality)

on our way to Nauvoo

 where Collin and Logan made some rope

 with the help of a Massachusett friend's (Maddy W.) Grandpa!

 Of course, we had to stop at the Browning Store

(the view from the back window of the home)

 and while learning about bricks...

 we ran into Elizabeth (another friend from Massachusetts) who was attending EFY there!

We spent some time outside the Nauvoo Temple

 and "touched the temple"

 and then watched the sun set over the Mississippi River

 which made the temple look a little pink - it was beautiful!

We also stopped in Carthage

and then headed down the road to...

 the Winter Quarters Visitor's Center and Temple

 (reading the names of those who died there)

 where we touched one more temple

 and got closer to home.

 With no more historical stops on our schedule 

I resorted to taking pictures of the scenery

which looked something like this

 and this

(I loved the clouds in that pretty blue sky)

and this

 Can you tell what this sign says?

(again, taken through a window... while traveling fast... into direct sunlight)

 and finally...

Home Sweet (Other) Home 

on July 2nd

We had a great trip across the beautiful U.S.A.

but it is nice to be home... for good.

(and look, those two boys are still smiling!)