Midwest Tour

Last week Hailey and I accompanied Alex on his business trip to Kansas City, Missouri. I had never been out there so it was a great opportunity to visit some church sites and also spend time with Hailey's cousins. We went to Independence, MO and saw a few sites including Liberty Jail. Drove to Jefferson City, MO and saw Alex's brother Andrew and his family, drove to Bettendorf, Iowa and saw Alex's sister Pam and her family, spent a day in Nauvoo, Illinois and visited Carthage Jail and the Nauvoo Temple.

Hailey loved playing with her cousins and got along with them wonderfully. We also got see our great friend Cassandra and her kids who had moved to Arkansas a few years ago. It was a lot of driving, but a lot of fun to see everything and everyone. I'm glad we were able to make the trip and I have found a new appreciation for the early LDS Saints who lived there and everything they went through. Here's a few pictures from the trip:


Hailey with Avery & Ethan Conn, who drove up from AK. We went a really fun farmstead where they got play and see a bunch of animals.


Hailey in front of the Church of Christ (R-LDS) Temple. She kept calling it the "cupcake building"


Hailey eating chocolate ice cream at the shop where Harry Truman had his first job in Independence, MO.


Hailey in front of the Liberty Jail sign.


A picture of the set-up of what Liberty Jail was like. The presentation was awesome, but Hailey got scared when it got dark and called it the "bad room".


All of us, including Pam's family in Carthage Jail in the room where Joseph Smith was martyred.


Hailey running in front of Carthage Jail.


Hailey with her cousins in front of the Joseph and Hyrum statue at Carthage Jail.


Alex, Hailey, and I in front of the Nauvoo Temple. It was the most gorgeous view of the valley and Mississippi River.


Hailey in front of the Nauvoo Temple.


Hailey in Nauvoo across from the temple. It was a beautiful area and the weather was perfect!