Madison's Last Night

Kitchen Update

Day 2 in Nauvoo

On Tuesday, we went to all of the shows. All of the actors were peppy and perky. By the end of the week, we felt like they were our friends because we had seen them so much. When they weren't doing the shows, they were working in the houses around town. Among the shows we saw were; Just Plain Anna-Amanda, Highhopes and Riverboats and Rendevous in Old Nauvoo. When we were coming out of the Anna-Amanda show we were blessed by the presence of the Nauvoo Brass Band. All of the trombone players were girls, so we know where we are sending Jensen in a few summers. In between shows, we visited a few of the houses. The midwife's house. Glad I didn't have to birth my babies there.

Jensen helped make the string at the Family Living Center.

This rocking horse belonged to John Taylor's son. You will have to ask Roxanne Ingalls to tell you the story about it because I would mess it up.
This is in front of John Taylor's House. You might think that Parker took the picture because he is not in it. Not so, he was sitting in the car because he couldn't stand to look at one more house. It was a random act of kindness by a stranger that made this picture possible. I'm not sure what Madison and Jensen are doing. Madison porbably had to use the bathroom and Jensen is doing her impersenation of Michael Flately.

We also visited the Brickyard, Browning Home & Gunsmith Shop, Print Shop, Scovil Bakery, Webb Brothers' Blacksmith Shop and the Apothecary.

First Night in Nauvoo

Tired little children after three days on the road.

We took Janet with us on many of our adventures.

This is the well that Marty built. Some local businessmen commissioned

him to build a replica of the well that is in front of the Joseph Smith House.

He's not quite finished but I think it looks terrific.

The Nauvoo Temple at Night

The Joseph and Hyrum statue in front of the temple. This depicts their last ride out of Nauvoo.

We finally arrived in Nauvoo on Monday night about 8:30pm. We had just enough time to stroll downtown and take a gander at the temple. What an absolutely beautiful sight. I hope the people who live here do not start "not seeing" the temple because they see it so often. It was a wonderful sight to see first thing in the morning and the last thing at night. It is right smack dab in the middle of downtown.

Do The Hustle

Hannegan's








We stopped in St. Louis and had lunch at Hannegan’s Restaurant and Pub. They have delicious sandwiches. I felt like everyone knew our name. “Hannegan's is named for one of Missouri's leading New Deal politicians, St. Louis' "big boss" Robert E. Hannegan. Each table or booth displays a plaque inscribed with the name of a senator who voted to repeal Prohibition.”

We walked across the street to visit the arch. I tried to talk the kids into going up in it but had no takers. When we were leaving, Jensen said she would go but by then we didn’t want to spend the time or money. On the way out of the park, Lew and the kids were walking ahead taking pictures. Then I saw him…the hustler. He started running towards Lew. I thought, “Oh No!, we’re all going to die”. He told Lew that down by the lake there was a beautiful spot with the arch in the background that makes the perfect picture. He told Lew to follow him and he would show him. We followed the nice gentleman like sheep to a slaughter. He offered to take a picture of all of us. My next thought, of course, was there goes our camera. Madison said her battery was dead. Lew thought to give him a less expensive camera that we had with us. He took our picture and then asked for a couple of bucks. We obliged. My next thought was, “Thank you for not killing us.” I forgot to add that about a hundred feet from the picture spot was another shady character. My thought was, “Oh, no, there is his partner that is gonna help dispose of the bodies.” All in all he was a very nice hustler. I’ll have to get the pictures off of the other camera.

Things that make you go hmmm...

We would see miles and miles of corn fields and right in the middle would be a McDonalds sign. This was one of them.



This is a picuture that we found of Lew. We didn't realize he had a second job. He never vacuums our car.

It’s so hard to get caught up on blogging after getting behind on while on vacation. I’ll try to hit all of the highlights.

We left at 6:00pm on Saturday, July 12. We only made it as far as Tifton, Georgia. We laugh at ourselves because we just aren’t very good travelers. We have to make several pit stops because of irritable bowels and overactive bladders. I know that is probably more than you want to know about us, but hey, we’re all friends, right? I won’t tell you who has what, keep you guessing about some things.

The second night we made it to Clarksville, TN. We took, “The Last Train to Clarksville”, (The Monkees, 1966) after a stop at a book store to buy an atlas. Mapquest was driving us crazy, they don’t give enough details.

Back to the beginning

Do you like how I am making this vacation a puzzle? I am trying to recreate it. I hope you can follow. These are pictures that I found on Lew's camera.

Packed up and ready to go.

We're actually going to drive for 18+ hours in this little car,

with all of these people and all of this stuff?

Love having a skilled teenaged driver. I sat in the back most of the trip and read or slept. Sweet. I usually woke up to Lew fussing at Parker for driving too fast. Lew and I disagree on the speed limit. I guess Parker does too.

Madison and Jensen start the trip as friends and loving sisters.

Parker when he is not driving...I think. Maybe that's what Lew was fussing about.

This is what happens when mom goes down to unpack more of the car, or get ice or

something responsible. When the cat's away the mice will play.

Nauvoo or Bust

We are off to Nauvoo. All five of us!!!!!!

P-Money

This is Parker showing off his Mad Skillz. Isn't he awesome? I just love him. Don't tell him you saw this beause he hates it when I share stories about him.

The Garretts

On Monday, June 30 we went to dinner with the Garretts to help them to celebrate their 17th anniversary. I told them we would go as long as there was no PDA. She said they had been married 17 years there were no worries.

We met Kyle first. He moved down to our ward from New Jersey. He used to sit in the back and look so sad. Lew and I talked and thought we should invite him over for dinner. We never did. Danette moved down after they were married. We didn't really hang out with them at first because they only hung out with tall people. The Fullenwider's and the Shofkom's. That's my conspiracy theory. They finally came to their senses and realized that we were way more fun than the tall people. Danette and I started hanging out more when Jensen was born. She was born about one year and two hours after Melena. Danette would come over and hang out with me because I had a daycare with about four or five kids and Melena fit right in. We would go to the park, or swimming or to the library. Danette and I became good friends and she helped me keep my sanity with the day care. Melena and Jensen also became BFF and have pretty much become inseperable. Their friendship is much like the book "Sister of my Heart". I hope they remaim friends for an eternity.

Dinner with the Sages

On Friday, June 27, we had dinner with Jon and Katie Sage. We try to go out with them every once in a while but it seems like at least a year has passed. I have known Jon since I was 11 so that is almost 33 years. We went to Seminary, high school, stake dances, and youth conferences together. We have a lot of great memories with a lot of laughs involved. I consider all of his family very dear to me.

One day, in Provo, I was driving to work and I got behind a car that had a Lake County, Florida tag. I was so excited. I thought, "This is got to be someone I know because there are not that many Mormons in Lake County, Florida." I followed the car and sure enough, it was Jon! We reconnected and went to his house for a visit and met Katie and Michael for the first time. She fell into out friendship naturally like she had been there all along.

Tiffany's Shower

On June 28, we celebrated at my niece Tiffany's Bridal Shower. It was a nice afternoon and I think eveyone had a good time. She had a nice turn out. My mother planned most of it and we had it at my sister's house since she is the Maid of Honor. She will be getting married September 26. I can't believe it. When the kids start getting married, it makes me feel very old. Her fiance is a great guy and very good to her. I am very happy for her.

I'm not who I thought I was...maybe

I haven't been posting because other things have been taking precedence. I thought I needed to write this one for my posterity. The other night I was having dinner at my mother's. We started talking about names. She said that my biological father picked my name. He didn't like the names she had picked out. My sister, Melissa, was supposed to be Jennifer but my couldn't remember what she had picked out for me.

She told me that I was named after her great aunt. Apparently, it was quite the scandal. My mother was practically raised by here grandmother, Charlotte Gunter. Charlotte always talked about an older sister, Carey, that was put on a train and sent away and was never heard from again. Charlotte was young at the time and didn't know what was going on but she always talked about Carey to my mother. My mother gave me her name as my middle name. We know what happened to young women back then when there was a scandal. They were shipped away but they usually came back in nine months. She is not listed in any of my genealogy. Hmmm! That is going to be a tricky one.


I told her that I liked my middle name and the way she had spelled it, Carey. She said, "No" it's Cary. I said, "What? All of these years I have spelled it with an "e". She said, "No, I'm pretty sure it is Cary." I said I would go home and look at my birth certificate. Of course, now I can't find it because my kitchen is in my bedroom and in my living room and everywhere else. I can't find anything. Stay tuned for who I really am...

Mystery solved. I just looked in my genealogy and found my birth certificate. Good place fot it, huh? It is Carey. Whew! I feel whole again.