This is Kate, me, and Aubrey. They're roommates and they live a few doors down from me on our hall. We live on Solah, each student belongs to a "house." Solah is the oldest and most popular female house at Graceland University (which is where i go to school. fyi. haha) These 2 are freshman and each have a few cousins here at school with them. They just met, but they are hilarious to watch and be around. Aubrey is the world's most sarcastic cinic and pessimist. Yesterday she came into my room and said she's never seen so much positivity in pictures and signs in her life and had to leave cuz it was overwhelming her. Haha. Awesome. This was at our Solah Inductions last week. We each had a candle and then blew it out. I can't believe i showered for it, but everyone else was getting all ready for it. . so. .
We had a lot of welcome activities for the school and our hall. One of them on our hall was a tye dye day! I don't know, but everyone here is like super into tye dying. I haven't done it since like elementary. . but it's cool! haha i liked it! These are some girls on my hall! Kate, Kayla, Lindsay, Amantha, Aubrey and me!
Lamoni is only 3 miles from the Missouri border. And they are lots of corn fields and bean fields around! It's very green and pretty! There is a sign as we enter Lamoni that says something about being aware of buggy's and horses, to respect the Amish people in our town. Haha which is also awesome! Lamoni is actually a very cute little town! It should be filmed on a Lifetime movie.
This is one of the two hotels in town. It's called Chief Lamoni Motel, which i found amusing, since he was a king, but whatever. The school is sponsored by COC (Community of Christ- which used to be RLDS) but i don't have to take any classes or anything for it. Lots of kids' families are COC, but i haven't met many that are very active and into the religion. We had a a big religion talk last night in my room, which was good and neat. My roommate went to a Restoration high school, which is a break of COC, there were Mormons at her school, but she doesn't claim any religion. It's neat being able to talk to her about religion because she's knowledgable in it, but not judgmental about anything. She's really awesome! i love her! She's a freshman from Independence, MO.
There is something very great that I have come to appreciate each fall for the last 3 years. It is college. Higher education, better jobs, more money, competitve world, we should do it, blah, blah, blah. Actually the whole school thing is important and awesome, but college life is SOOOO easy! I love it! Sure there are times where i have to push myself physically and mentally in basketball, which is what's paying for my schooling. . . but it's a good life. I wake up each late-morning to get ready for a 50 to 75 minute class. I got to 2 or 3 a day, with breaks in between and prepared meals at my behalf in the commons, or if i'm running late in the "Swarm" which is our on campus fast food place. Things are going good!
Basketball is going good! We're having a team bonding day today, instead of practice. The girls are all pretty cool. My ward family is Awesome and so supportive! The RS presidency drove a 1/2 hour yesterday to come visit me and the 3 other mormon girl's that go here, and took us for ice cream. I get to give a talk on Sunday on Nurturing Testimonies and am going to be working in the primary! So things are looking good! If only i could stop procrastinating all homework assignments, things will be golden!
I am so excited to share this post with you all! I took waaaay more pictures, but i only put up these ones (and there's a bunch). I wish you could of all been there with me. Nauvoo is a beautiful and wonderful place! The midwest is such a beautiful landscape. Those poor Saints who left such a green fertile land. . are so great, for turning the Salt Lake valley into what it is today. The Bishop's wife and I left at 5:30 AM to make the 3 hour drive across the Nauvoo and Mississippi River to the Nauvoo Temple. Then we spent the whole day exploring. I looked up ancestors that lived here and even saw the plot of land that one of them owned back in the 1840's.
This is the view from the steps of the Mississippi River. It is SOOOOO big and beautiful! I am in love with the Mississippi and so excited to finally say i've been East of it! hahah, even tho it was only a few miles.
The temple was beautiful, as they all are in their own unique ways.
Water towers are big here in this area. . altho they don't look like our good ol' red and white checker one.
This statue sits across from the entrance of the temple as well. It's of Hyrum and Joseph Smith. They paused here, overlooking the temple and beautiful city the Saints built up, before they rode off to Carthage. It was one of my favorite spots in Nauvoo. To see the river, the temple . . to be standing in the same place the prophet Joseph stood, was very special for me. The plaque meant a lot to me to, it read of Joseph's words: "This is the lovliest place and best people under the heavens; little do they know the trials that await them."
Me waiting outside the temple for Sister Bair to finish her session.
The artwork, sun, moon of the famous temple
I love this.
The back view of the temple as i enter the 'downtown' street of Nauvoo. . look at the trees! So prettY!
Heber C. Kimball's home. . it was a big a beautiful house. Just like Brighams, Wilford's, John Taylor's.. .
The print shop sat next to john taylor's house, which is where i wished i'd lived, if i lived in Nauvoo!
The brick place! i got my famous red brick with a bunch of little kids. haha
Me and the Mississippi river at sunset. I LOVE it.
We also went to the Nauvoo Burial grounds. It was the last place we went. I tried to catch the beauty of it in the pictures. . . the serene, peacefullness here would be a wonderful resting place for my body, until the Resurrection. Many of the headstones were unreadable, so it made us wonder what our burials will be like it 150 years. . what will i leave behind? . . who will care?
The sun was streaming through the trees. . it was a perfect end, to a lovely day. We didn't have time to see everything, apparently that takes 3 days. . . and we didn't make it to Carthage, but i can't wait to get back and visit there.
Look at the colors of these leaves!
This is one of my favorites too!
The temple on the hill. I still can't believe i was able to go to Nauvoo! I feel so blessed to be living here at the time being, going to school, playing basketball, enjoying the friendships of so many wonderful people on campus and in my ward.
With the lack of mountains, the sunsets fill the sky. This is as we drove over the bridge, back into Iowa. :)
I went to Nauvoo on Saturday, on Monday i had no school, because of fall break. . so the Grave's, this old couple in our ward took me to Mt. Pisgah and Garden Grove. Two places the Saints stopped and made as living areas, as they travelled West and prepared for the long trek to Zion. All that is left of the pioneers is a cemetery area, with no head stones or marking and a monument at each. At Mt. Pisgah, the Des Moine's stake built this log cabin to represent what the Pioneers built, while they stayed for a season. They cleared the land, planted crops, harvest, planted again and left, and the next batch of Saints came and harvested. . . brother helping brother.
Mt. Pisgah monument, with saints names who died on it. . the valley below is where the Saints farmed. There's even a spot where there are wagon wheel indents, from being beaten into the ground.
This is the monument at Garden Grove.. about a half hour drive from Mt. Pisgah and Osceole, IA.
No editing necessary. A tree by Garden Grove with the setting sun and rolling green hills.
Hahah, this little jail was found in town. idk if they still use it. . but maybe they do. No one was stuck into it tonight tho. haha!
