Burns in Nauvoo: Six months! How did that happen?

Saturday was our 6 -month anniversary of being on our mission! How did that happen? Time has flown by! We are loving our mission and are so blessed to be able to serve at this time!

Also, this week my daughter Kendra and her son Clark came to visit and we had a blast! It did my heart and soul good to see them and to spend time with them! Elder Burns and I still worked everyday and attended our meetings, etc. We did take a little time off to go see the horses during the day while the Teamsters were there. Clark loved petting them and feeding them dandelions. Even with the Historic Sites closed, we saw a lot and the spirit of Nauvoo was alive and well! There will be picture overload on the blog this week! Haha

The flowers are blooming and the grounds are beautiful! I love walking the grounds! We had a few nice days amongst the rainy days that we were able to get out and do things. We walked around Historic Nauvoo, spent time at the Mississippi where Clark loved throwing sticks in it and watching them float upriver in the wind, we went to Carthage and walked around there. The "grounds" person in me had to gather the sticks and branches that were on the ground from the windstorm that had come through. Haha - I was told that I need to turn the switch off and enjoy my off time. I really didn't mind picking them up and beautifying the sacred grounds of Carthage. While we were out, we also headed to Webster (it used to be Ramus in the pioneer era) and showed Kendra her 5th great-grandma's grave site. I hope to someday find the site where they lived.

We also visited the Old Burial Grounds in Nauvoo. We have relatives buried there but most of the headstones are gone so we don't know where they are buried. I've been told that most of the saints marked the graves with wooden markers that have long since disappeared. There used to be a Memorial there that listed the names of those that were buried there but a windstorm blew a tree over that ruined it and it hasn't been rebuilt.

We also visited an area that has many ancient burial mounds. They date back to 300 BC - 500 AD. We spent time walking the grounds and talking about what wars could have happened there. In the Book of Mormon, there are wars where there were so many that died, that they piled the bodies in mounds. These could be those mounds. I'd love to learn more about them.

One of the many highlights of the week - taking Clark on a Grandma/Clark date to Dairy Queen. He was so fun to be with. He is so smart and was not shy at all! He started talking to the lady behind him and by the end of the visit, she knew his Kindergarten teacher, that he was five and when his birthday was. He also made her promise that she would celebrate his birthday! I love that kid!

Another highlight - Maryjane Wadley, the sweetest woman you'll ever meet, came to Nauvoo this week to visit and help in the sewing room. Sister Wadley and her husband served their mission in Nauvoo and we were so excited to be able to serve with them. We were going to be in the same cast for "Sunset by the Mississippi" and then, Covid. By the time we finally made it to Nauvoo, they were already home. She helped finish my pioneer dress this week and it's beautiful! It was so good to see her and hug her. I love and admire her so much! We actually met the first year of the Nauvoo Pageant in 2005 and I have loved her ever since. We had a few years together in Pageant and many years of doing Savior of the World together. I love you Maryjane!

Elder Burns and I were called to be District Leaders this week. This will be a humbling experience but one that we are excited to fulfil. I was also asked to be on the FM Community Relations Committee.

There are a lot of great things happening and we thank the Lord everyday for the blessing we have to be serving this mission.

Love and blessings to all!

My cute grandson Clark and his "awesome big" ice cream cone.

Elder Burns is learning how to make miniature horseshoes that are given to others at the Blacksmith Shop. These are the first and last of the day. Can you tell which is which?

Clark saw this tree and said it made his mind scared. He named it the Halloween Tree.

Fun with the horses! The teamsters take the horses out everyday, even though no one is here for rides. They are ready to go when we open!

At the quarry, where the rock was taken to build the temple. A replica of the Sunstone. To my knowledge, there are two original Sunstones from the original Nauvoo Temple. One is at the Smithsonian and the other is at the Visitor Center.

Joseph and Hyrum statue across from the Temple.

The teamsters are starting to put the old wagons out.

Browning Gun and the flowers in front of it!

Just some pretty clouds at sunset with the Mississippi in the background.

We have a family tradition of walking the Trail of Hope each time we leave Nauvoo. Kendra and Clark went to do that as they were leaving, only to find that it was totally flooded. We've had so much rain!