The Muny

One of our favorite things we did this summer was attend a couple musicals at the outdoor theater in Forest Park called The Muny. Some of the tickets can be pretty expensive, but if you are willing to wait in line you can sit in the last 1500 seats of the theater for free! The first show we saw was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Michael's dad was visiting that weekend so he got to come too. This one was my personal favorite and I loved that they had some audience participation and incorporated some popular St. Louis landmarks into the sets and script. The second show we saw was Pirates, a spin on the popular Pirates of Penzance. Not my personal favorite, but still entertaining. This one we went and saw with Josh, Erica and baby Charles on our last weekend in St. Louis. It was a great way to end our fun summer together before we went our separate ways- us back to Utah and their family on another adventure in NYC!

At the Joseph Show

At the Pirates Show

Card's Game

No trip to St. Louis would be complete without a going to a Cardinal's baseball game. The Cardinal's are a really big deal out here. Everyone has their Card shirts and they wear them all the time. It was kind of fun being around so many fans. Kind of like being in Provo on a Cougar game day! This was my first baseball game ever, so I was pretty excited for the experience. Although I was pretty sure I wouldn't be really interested in the actual game :) We went right before Michael's birthday and I was so excited to submit a little birthday message to go across the scoreboard, but I didn't realize they had to be submitted 48 hours in advance...bummer :( It was a fun experience, and we just happened to go to the game when they were playing the LA Dodgers, but Michael and I both agree we would be fine if we never go to another major league game again. This one went to 13 innings and wasn't over until 11:30! Plus, it was super hot- 101 when we got there, and still 92 degrees when it was finally over! The only thing that kept me entertained through the game was this cute little boy sitting in front of us. He was very talkative and he told me all about the things he had done on his trip to St. Louis. I found out this was also his first baseball game and we even played with his little animals from the zoo together. His parent's kept apologizing for all his questions, but I loved it. It made the game so much more exciting! I just love little kids!

Sitting right in the sun! Thankfully it was setting by the time the game started.

Had to document the crazy temps! 

A neat shot of the field. I will admit I do like the perfectly green grass!  

The birthday boy after the game! 

Had to document my first baseball game! Excited its (finally) over! 

Walking back to the car we got this neat shot of the arch all lit up with the dome of the courthouse. Of course its a little blurry, because no post would be complete with out a blurry picture! :)

4th of July

It was a little different for me to not be spending the 4th with family, but we enjoyed spending the holiday in St. Louis, a place rich in early American history. In the morning we attended a little Ward walk/run event and  had some yummy cinnamon rolls afterwards. Around lunch time we headed over to Josh and Erica's for some swimming, a yummy bbq, and some card games. Then we all headed off to watch the fireworks along the banks of the Missouri River in St. Charles (where Lewis and Clark set off on their expedition). Although our celebrations were much more simple compared to my family's usual festivities, we had a great day and were so happy we could spend it with such great friends!

The men at the grill, making sure the salmon turned out just right! 

waiting for the fireworks to begin

A little blurry, but I just had to show how close we were to the river.  They launched the fireworks pretty much directly in front of us right on the other side of the river. Our seats were pretty perfect! 

Of course the only picture I get with Josh and Erica all summer and it turns out blurry! (have I mentioned I hate my camera?)

I love fireworks! Every year I take tons of pictures during the show. This was my favorite from this year! 

Kansas City

One fun thing about our Missouri summer, was that Michael's dad moved to Kansas City for work part way through the summer. We were able to head to Kansas City for a weekend to visit him and see some of the fun sites there. We took a drive and saw many of the historic church sites.

Far West:

Michael and his Dad

 Haun's Mill:

 Liberty Jail:

Independence, MO visitors center:

The Community of Christ Church across the street from the visitor's center

The only picture of us together that weekend and of course our camera decided to be stubborn! I can't wait to get a new camera! 

 And a trip to Kansas City wouldn't be complete without a trip to famous Oklahoma Joe's for some yummy bbq! Despite the long wait, and line out the door, it was worth it! Thanks for the recommendation Lindsay and Shaun!

Savoring the fall-off-the-bone ribs! 

I loved it a lot more than this picture makes you think :) 

St. Louis Zoo

Of all the free things in St. Louis the Zoo was one of our favorites. I went by myself, one time with Erica and Charles. And one time Michael and I went and just happened to run into Josh, Erica and Charles- It was a fun surprise! It certainly isn't anything huge like the San Diego Zoo, but still lots of fun. Our favorite was the Penguin exhibit (probably since it was the best place to escape the heat!) Here are some pictures from our various trips!

Michael with the turtles from Ecuador (where he served his mission)

Feeding time for the penguins. 

Cooling off in the Penguin exhibit. 

Brown Bear Brown Bear what do you see?

 The brown bear getting a treat. He was a great catcher! (sorry its side ways)

I spy 3 Hippos! I decided to get the smooshed penny with the hippo in memory of these guys. They were just so fun to watch swim around and around! 

Enjoying the live music, and letting our feet take a break after walking all afternoon. 

Sea Lion Kisses! 

Nauvoo

This one time back in July we went to Nauvoo with our 3 favorite people in Missouri (who now live in NY!). And we had a blast (minus nearly getting eaten alive from chiggers). It was a first for both Michael and I. There is so much to do there and I wish we had had more than 1 day to see all the sights. But I am so glad that I had just taken the Joseph Smith and the Restoration class from Sister Black that past semester and the events of the Restoration were still fresh in my mind. We got there late Friday afternoon, had all day Saturday to explore the beautiful town and see the Nauvoo Pageant, and then left Sunday morning with just enough time to make it back to St. Louis for church at 1. We camped at the Community of Christ campground, which I highly recommend! Its just a small little place, but only $3 a night/per person and has free showers...SCORE!

Friday:

About to cross the Mississippi for the first time on our drive to Nauvoo

Michael and I were able to stop at Carthage Jail on our way. What a wonderful experience! It was pretty rainy/gloomy/thundery, but it just emphasized the solemn atmosphere of the jail and the important events that occurred there.

Outside the Jail by the upper window that Joseph Smith fell out of when he was shot. We had a picture of Michael...but his came out blurry :(

 Then we drove the last 20 minutes or so to Nauvoo. We had just a few minutes before all the sites were closing for the day so we decided to stop by the Scovill Bakery for some yummy gingerbread cookies!

We took a stroll by the temple. Wishing that I had remembered to make a reservation so we could do a session there. Next time that is on the top of our list!  

This statue is titled the "Last Ride" of Joseph and Hyrum and it is located  in front of the temple at the approximate location that they stopped for one last look at Nauvoo and the unfinished temple before riding to Carthage where they both died. 

Then it was off to find our campsite and get our tinfoil dinners started so they would be there when Josh, Erica and Baby Charles got there. Thankfully the rain had stopped and the sky was clearing, or else we would have been sleeping in the cars that night! Actually the dampness from the rain made for the perfect evening, the weather was perfect and a great break from the normal hot and humid! 

 Saturday:
After a delicious breakfast at camp we headed off to downtown Nauvoo. Michael and I watched Baby Charles for a couple hours, so Josh and Erica could do a session at the temple. We had fun practicing being parents while visiting some of the historic buildings. We even got Charles to take a nap in the carrier, I was quite proud of that!

Right when we got there we ran into our friend Nathaniel, who was in my Raintree ward, and who was in Nauvoo for the summer as a performing missionary. He was super surprised to see us and gave us some great advice of top things to see that day. 

Some of the historic sites we visited: The Print Shop, Post Office/General Store, The Gunnery, Lucy Mack Smith's home, Brickyard, and Blacksmith shop.

How they would lay out the stamps when printing the newspaper

Various fonts. I love how it says "this type"

The phrase "mind your P's and Q's" came from early printing presses. I would certainly get these mixed up all the time!  

General Store on one side...

...Post Office on the other. Did you know that in order to save paper they would write over their words: first vertical, then horizontal, then diagonal each way! They passed around a copy of a letter like that and it was so hard to read! I can't even imagine trying to write a letter like that.

Practicing being parents, in the gun shop of all places :)

The blacksmith shop

We also did took the tour offered by the Community of Christ Church. They own the Red Brick Store, The Mansion House, and a few other historic buildings. They don't allow photography in those buildings though, so no pictures :(

This is the view over looking the Mississippi

When we ran into Nathaniel he told us about a musical that he was in later that afternoon. It was a great show and the perfect chance to sit and relax in a nice cool air conditioned building! The humidity is killer, I don't know how the pioneers did it! 

Then it was back to camp for dinner. Erica and Josh brought all the fixin's for yummy brats and shish-kabobs! 

I always seem to catch a picture with the men-folk by the grill! 

We finished our day with the amazing Nauvoo Pageant! It was wonderful and I love how they lit up the temple in the background during the finale. Such an amazing spiritual and uplifting performance. Plus the Relief Society president in our St. Louis ward and her family were performing in it so it was fun to see them.

And I know you were all dying to see a picture of our chigger bits :) As you can see mine were a bit worse than Michael's. Let just hope our kids get their daddy's genes when it comes to insect bites!

Mine. It took a lot of Aleve, ice and anti-itch lotion to keep from itching them. The worse part is they don't go away as fast as mosquito bites. They were still itchy a couple weeks later and I still have some faint scars from them and it is now October! 

Michael's. His were tiny! They look like just a little pen mark.  Lucky duck!

Oh, before the Pageant began they had pioneer games and activities. Erica and I learned how to make a braided rug. This is how mine looked a couple days after we got back. It was so much fun, and I was so excited to make it I decided to get some old sheets to make a bigger rug. Unfortunately, the technique they showed us only works for a bag or a hot pad- not a big rug. I haven't given up yet though! I still have all my rags and will someday figure out how to make a bigger rug. For now, this little one is getting put to good use as a fun little pot holder.