We woke up very early this morning to pack everything up and and go to the Nauvoo Temple for a session. Like most of the temples the Nauvoo temple shows a video, but unlike most temples you go from one room to another throughout the session. The murals on the wall were so vivid and beautiful. When I walked into the first room it literally took my breath away.
After the session we were told that there was a little museum down one of the halls in the temple and we were welcomed to look at it. Most of the items were items from early leaders in the church. We also asked if we could see the baptismal font and we were escorted to it. It was kind of cool because there was this really big glass window between the hallway and the font, so a lot of people could watch without disturbing those working in the temple.
As we left the temple we took some fun photos. Then we went back to the King's to finish packing a few things. Before we left town we stopped by the Red Brick Store and saw a room where the first Relief Society Meeting was held. Just down the road from the Red Brick Store is the Smith Family Cemetery. We also took a little detour through Carthage on our way to Saint Louis to find a magnet. All we could find was a silly cow that represented the fact that they were a farming community. The man at the cash register said that the Church asked that magnets of Carthage jail not be made, so we got the cow because Matthew thought it was funny and we were on our way.
When we were planning this trip I discovered that Saint Louis was close-by and talked with Matthew about going to see the arch. I though it would be really cool and because it was only a few hours out of our way I thought it was a good idea. Matthew on the other hand thought it would be lame, but after a little convincing and compromise (he really wanted to go to Philadelphia even though it was way out of the way) he agreed to go.
As we got closer and closer to were Mandy told us the arch would be I got more and more nervous because I couldn't see it. I was worried that maybe Mandy had a screw loose and in fact didn't know where she was taking us, but when we were just a few miles away we finally saw it. Matthew and I both agree that the directions leading off the freeway were very confusing, but eventually we made it.
The closer we got to the arch, the more amazing it became. Until I began looking up information about visiting the arch I didn't realize that you could actually go up in it. I was very excited about it. While we waited for our time to go up into the arch we watched a video on the making of the arch. Matthew and I were blown away by how the arch was built. The workers built up one leg of the arch at a time and then connected them in the middle when they got close together. What was most amazing about this building was the fact that it was built at a time when workers didn't wear safety harnesses and yet, not one man died during its construction.
When it came time for us to go up into the arch we were brought to these very small doors and when the doors finally opened we were placed inside these pods the seat 5 people. Matthew and I thought they looked like something that came out of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. Being at the top of the arch was amazing. It was cool to see the shadow of the arch in the river below. Matthew and I were even happier with our visit when we found out that parking only cost us 2 dollars rather than the 22 dollars we spent parking in Chicago. After our visit to the arch we headed towards Independence, MO.
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