THE NAUVOO CHRONICLES

days 6... 7 and the trip home

so i am finally getting around to this.

my thursday was so much fun. i have friends (danika and brent) who's family live in iowa city (a 2 hour drive from nauvoo)... so off i went to meet their family. they were a BLAST! they took me to lunch, to a pottery place downtown where i painted a mug and saucer for my mommy and then before we ate the homemade chicken noodle soup and homemade rolls we played dominoes. it couldn't have been more fun. good people. good times. good memories! THANKS NEILSEN FAMILY!

friday morning i was stirred to coherency by the worst body aches i can ever remember feeling in my life. my head was sweltering, my lungs were on fire and i could barely move... one would say i wasn't feeling very well! oh excuse me... did i just understate?? i looked at the clock... 4 am... ooohhh this is gonna be a good day, i can tell already!

i was immediately disappointed. it would be my last day to see all of the sites i hadn't yet had time for. but there was no way i could walk around let alone be a tourist. my mind immediately went to the joseph smith movie and straight to the part where he healed the sick. i felt the power of it and knew i too could be healed. i waited until everyone else was awake and then asked my dad and brother-in-law to administer a blessing of healing. (many of you out there may not believe me when i tell you this... but i am here to bear witness to my miracle)

the minute the blessing was over i felt complete peace throughout my body. i was healed and promised that i would be able to see what i came to see. with that, i got up, showered and ready to go and we were off like banshees... trying to fit in the many awesome shops and houses and their tours. mid-day i began to feel lousy again, but it didn't stop me... i was determined to charge forward... and charge i did. i feel like i got to see the majority of things i wanted to and those things i didn't see, i will get a chance to see when i go back in june to "pick up my parents" when their mission is over.

that night, my parents had their show again... but this time they got to do their old parts. they used to play a couple named peter and abigail and had a great scene. (they don't do it anymore because the show always changes roles around so everyone gets a chance... but my parents loved doing it so much they got special permission to do it one last time...for us) it was my mom's starring debut and both she and my father were a hit! they are so great and did an excellent job. i was so proud of them!

then back to the house to pack up and get ready to say goodbye to nauvoo and my family. it had been a fantastic trip. one i desperately needed and one i will never forget.

the next morning it was a three hour car ride with amy and brad, then i jumped on my plane and was fortunate not to run into any travel delays. i was still feeling pretty yucky and just before we took off, i started in with another fever.

misery

it's the only word to describe that awful two hour plane ride in a small express plane, with cold air blasting from who knows where onto my feet with a fever and chills and body aches and then after what seemed like 18 hours the pilot finally took the seat belt sign off and i raced to the bathroom, only to discover that the toilet was clogged. that's right about the time i started to cry... yes pitiful i know... but true.

HOME... i made it HOME. my ugly house was the best thing i'd seen all day! i couldn't wait to get into bed. i still had to get up the next day to give my talk in church... remember... that still had to happen.

but let me go back and sum up this trip. i feel so so so blessed to have two amazing parents, who have sacrificed, time, talents, money and the like to serve our church by relaying these powerful testimonies of the early members of our church. the spirit of nauvoo is a tangible thing. it's in everything there... from the houses themselves, to the artifacts, to the streets and all through the tours that are given. nestled in the shadows of the temple on the hill, it's a piercing reminder that i am grateful to be a member of this church.

it was a great trip.