My Name is Kris and I Blah-g

So, you know the drama with the “getting there” and “coming home”. There’s no need to rehash it. Despite the challenges the traveling gave me, the trip was well worth the trouble. On a whole, I will say that the locals in Nauvoo are not too fond of us Mormons. Not sure why. I mean, of the people that I encountered there, the most friendly were the fellow LDS who went out of their way to show hospitality to everyone and they didn’t have to figure out who we were or what affiliation we were. It didn’t matter. For those non-believers (ha ha), they must figure that if they don’t know us and to them, what other reason would a person have to visit a place like Nauvoo, we must be Mormon. Perhaps they’re right but it’d be behoove them to be at least a little more hospitable, especially when they’re taking our money.As a Mormon “Mecca”, visiting Nauvoo and Carthage is a must. The spirit there and what the early Mormon’s had to endure there is quite moving. I am not so sure that those of us with all the luxuries that we enjoy could handle a smidgen of what they had to. One afternoon in the humidity was enough for me and never mind the bugs!The church owned sites were great. The missionaries that worked the exhibits were very knowledgable and friendly. The shows were top notch and the meet/greet afterward with the performers left my 4 year old “star struck.” If only we had more time. There was much more to see. I guess we’ll have to return some day.The side of Nauvoo owned by the Community of Christ – formerly the Reorganized Church of Latter-Day Saints – formerly part of the official Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was a bit odd. The settings were ok and well taken care of. However, to visit the vistor’s center and some of the sites, cost money and viewing of their church commercial which would be ok (they need to pay for the upkeep some how) but what you learn about them is disconcerting given the fact that they control most of the Joseph Smith family sites and consider him to be their founder. The religion isn’t even a shell of what it once was when he headed it. And it makes me wonder if it made the changes because it merely wanted to be accepted? It’s a bit confusing, especially since they still regard the Book of Mormon as scripture yet contradict its teachings. It left me a sad feeling for them as it seems they undid what Joseph did and that for their sake, he died in vain.On a better note, the main reason for the trip was to come together as a family – immediate and extended – and share memories about Grandma and Grandpa Westover and for the first time ever, attend a temple session together. We also planned for this time to seal my Mother’s parents to each other and her to them. It was a moment long in coming and I was priveledged to be there. It will long be one of my most cherished memories.This trip was important for Michaela, too. Although she didn’t get to witness the sealing, she did get to spend a lot of time with her cousins (lots of them!) and played HARD! Each day ended with her drenched in sweat and covered in dirt. She listened intently to all the demostrations and watched the performances with great interest. By the time Saturday night came and we had to catch a flight home, she was in tears. The only thing I could do to tear her away from Illinois was to tell her that if we stayed there, we’d miss our trip to Disney World in September. Luckily that worked!