"On the Road, Late at Night... The Highway is so Inviting"

On Thursday 23 July, Team BAnSea departed Dallas after getting oil changed, picking Bethany up, and jam-packing Jony. We headed up I-75 and began our journey through Oklahoma, Missouri, into Iowa, and on to Nauvoo, Illinois. Here is what the trip up there looked like--

I started off driving, drove for a few hours, then Lance got behind the wheel and took us the rest of the way to Festus, Mo. He sure does love driving!


Whilst on I-75, we passed Bethany Drive... So, naturally, we got a picture!


This is what we looked at for about an hour before we finally got into Oklahoma. There was lots of construction throughout the drive!


Bethany's sister, Jo Anna, lives in Festus, Missouri, and she was nice enough to let us stay there for the night... We pulled into her cute little neighborhood at about 2:30 in the morning and crashed on the floor pretty much immediately. 7:30 came much too quickly Friday morning- but we eventually got up and moving and this is us in front of her house just before we were "on the road again"!

Thanks, Jo Anna, for opening your home to us!!

The drive from Festus was only about three and a half hours, and Bethany got us there quickly and safely! We arrived in quaint little Nauvoo right at about noon... Our first stop was the Visitor's center for a quick (very much needed) potty break. We also picked up our tickets for High Hopes and River Boats, a show performed in the daytime by the young performing missionaries serving in Nauvoo for the Summer. We were hoping to get on the stand-by ticket list for Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo, the show performed by the senior missionaries in the evening- because all the shows we were going to be in town for were full. As we picked up our tickets for High Hopes, we asked the Sister behind the desk if we could get on the stand-by list for tomorrow's show, and guess what?! She JUST BARELY had two tickets for Saturday's show freed up, and she offered them to us! Well, since there were three of us, she said,

"I'm going to just go ahead and give you the third ticket. Enjoy the show, you're going to love it."

How wonderful was that?! It was such a blessing--

What a great welcome to Nauvoo... Happy Pioneer Day!!!

According to this van, there has never been "A Better Time To See Nauvoo"! and it was definately true!!

Lance and I, in front of the Visitor's Center... We were SO HAPPY to be there!!


This is Bethany and I with one of the original sunstones from the first Nauvoo temple. How neat to be so close! :)