Nauvoo... in August.

August 18th i had a best friend get married in Nauvoo. Since Lynn and the girls were visiting (that post will come later) Lynn and I decided to go on a sisters road trip down for it. I had a blast! it was definitely eventful, but we made the most of it all. 

We left Marshfield mid morning on wednesday and took the backroads so we could go Bargain Nooking. it was a fairly productive trip shopping. lynn found me a $1.50 denim skirt. and i know she got at least one really REALLY cute shirt (i can't remember what else). So there we were, on our way to Nauvoo. We were planning on staying close to Nauvoo but not IN Nauvoo. Well, we stopped in Dubuque for lunch at arbys. that is a very beautiful drive coming into Dubuque!! all of these old red brick buildings and homes going up a hill from the river. it was wonderful (but very hazy because of ALL the humidity) well after lunch, we're driving up a hill and i look down and panicked. 

the engine was hotter than it should be! the needle wasn't all the way up, but it was higher than normal. it was at... where the gas needle would be if the tank was 3/4 full. does that make sense? it does to me. that image is engrained in my mind forever i think. So i immediately pull over at a gas station and call daddy. haha. I follow his directions and go inside and buy coolant and fill the coolant tank. then some very nice gentleman (with no top teeth, and a van full of kids) stops and asks if we need help. He takes the radiator cap off and fills the entire radiator. it was basically empty!! NOT GOOD. mom (the amazing woman that she is) had already started looking for a Honda Dealership for us to go to. we hop back in the car and head straight there. they get us in, take forever to look at it (why would someone take a chevy truck to a honda dealership for an oil change!? stupid people), and then they hit us with it. head gasket. over $2000. i'm trying not to cry. dad says he's driving the Echo down to us so we can keep traveling, and he will 'tow the honda home.' mom and dad get us a hotel room in Dubuque (i got us a better room by telling her our sob story about our car breaking down) and lynn and i have the evening to relax. we walk across the parking lot to Olive Garden for dinner. Then went hot tubbing! eventually dad showed up and told us his real plan. he was just gonna drive it home. he ended up researching forums and getting this product he put in and it was supposed to seal a head gasket leak. and so far.. it's working!!

so anyways, lynn and i got up and drove the 3+ hours to Nauvoo (in the Echo). I was driving like a crazy person at the end. but we got there. i missed them coming out of the temple (which seriously made me cry) but i still got a ton of awesome pictures, and i still got to hug sammi. Then Lynn and I went and toured Nauvoo. We did a carriage ride to Inspiration Point. we toured a few buildings. we ate dinner at a diner. we got to go and learn about our heritage! on our way back to the hotel i heard this dragging sound and then a 'thud' and then i saw this piece of metal in the middle of the road in the rear view mirror. i ran back to get it. we got to the hotel and i tried and tried to figure out where this rusted piece of junk came from but i had no idea. so i took a picture, sent it to dad, then put it in a walmart bag and took it home. and then i got a terrible migraine and poor lynn had to sit in the hotel with me all night since i couldn't do anything. 

on the carriage ride!

friday morning we got up and i took some family pictures for the Plesheks (since their family had just grown!) Lynn and i shopped at a few stores in Nauvoo, then we hit the road for Muscatine, for sammi and jeffs reception.

sisters enjoying a morning in Nauvoo.

We got there a bit early and decided to go see a movie. The Help. we walked to the theater (that was kinda difficult to find using googlemaps) but we LOVED the movie!! it makes you laugh and cry. After the movie we hit up this amazing Thai restaurant downtown Muscatine. it was delish. Then we walked over to the reception. it was out on a patio of a historic building. it was wonderful! we talked, danced, took pictures. loved it. 

at the reception. we were the self dubbed photographers

saturday morning we got up and drove back to dubuque. shopped for clothes for the photo shoot for the girls. then eventually headed for home. but we stopped at grandma jeffersons! we got to grill out with grandma, mom, lynn, me, toni, rich, carolyn, and mark. we had a blast! then we were finally home. 

4 generations

3 sets of sisters.