On Sunday, 7/19 we left Sioux Falls (gratefully – this was NOT one of my favorite hotels) and headed for Omaha, NE. Our purposes their were two-fold. The first was to visit a Church historical site. This is where the early pioneers of our church made their home in the winters of 1846 and 1847. After having to leave Nauvoo, IL because of persecution they decided to make their way to Salt Lake City. But many were not prepared and it was late in the season, so they built a small city to stay for the winter…they called it Winter Quarters (now known as Omaha, NE). The Church has a Mormon Trail Center – a museum with missionaries as guides. The Pioneer Cemetery where the dead were buried during those years still exists and is on the grounds. And the Church has in the last decade built a temple adjacent to the cemetery. The boys loved the visitor's center – there was another family with children going through with us and it was a nice casual experience. We had a picnic lunch there on the grounds. My favorite part was the cemetery. Half of the dead who are buried there are under the age of 3. I felt a strong spirit there and felt that it was hallowed. Temples, for us, are all about the opportunity for families to be bound for eternity through covenants. I couldn't help but wonder at the juxtaposition of the cemetery and the temple. It was a neat experience for me, and a good teaching opportunity for the boys.
The other purpose for our trip was to visit the town of Bellevue, NE and go see where Steve (my mom's husband) grew up, where his mom lived 50+ years before moving here to TX, and where my mom spent 5 of her teenage years (this is where she and Steve originally met). We also visited with some of Kay's old neighbors and dearest friends, who welcomed us so graciously. We loved getting to meet them and see where those we love spent memorable years.
Barbara and Grant Brollier
It was a lovely stop for us and we were glad to make this leg of the trip! After leaving Omaha we headed to Wichita, KS for our last night of the Road Trip. We were thrilled when we arrived to a brand new, beautiful Homewood Suites. The next morning we had a yummy breakfast and swim before leaving.
And then we headed home! But not before stopping one more time in Oklahoma City where we stopped for lunch and went to see the Murrah Federal Building Memorial. So moving and well done. It brought back all of those memories of that tragic day and was neat to see.
Each of the chairs represent the people who lost their lives that day.
And one last funny (or not so) sidenote: The last three days of the trip were hard. 23 hours of driving is never fun, even with all of the side trips and stops. Our 2-year old and 9-year old seemed to feel it the worst. Samuel was screaming when we hit the OK/TX border, and Jacob was growling at him to stop (he's sensitive to loud noises). So I headed to the very back seat to try to hold Sam and read to him to calm him down. This worked for awhile, but when I offered to put him back in his seat and give him a snack, he threw his head forward, then reared back and knocked me square in the nose with his head. I instantly felt blood and had to hold my nose with one hand and his head with another to keep him still. At that point Jacob is fuming and now mad at his brother for hurting me. Thankfully it was not broken (although still sore a week later) and we all lived to get home safe and sound.
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