Weekend in Missouri

Ashlyn and I were lucky enough (due to free airplane tickets) to join my Mom and Dad on a trip to Missouri. It was a quick trip, leaving on Thursday, September 22nd and coming home on Monday the 26th. By the time we landed in Kansas City, got our baggage, and acquired a rental car, it was around 12:30 am. After driving for only about 15 minutes, we decided it would be best to get a hotel for the night, rather than make the three hour drive to Kirksville. We located a Comfort Inn and were, in fact, sleeping comfortably by 1:30 am. It was a good decision because A) we avoided any possibility of my Dad falling asleep at the wheel, B) we avoided being sleep-deprived and ornery the next day, and C) turns out we were very close to Liberty, Missouri and had the opportunity to make a quick stop at Liberty Jail on Friday morning.

One of my favorite stories about Joseph Smith happened during his time at Liberty Jail. Joseph Smith and five other men spent more than four months in horrible conditions at the jail. It was winter, and there was no source of heat. The food that the inmates were given to eat was often rotten, contaminated, and even poisoned. There were no beds to sleep in and some of the men were too tall to stand up straight in the six foot space. The guards were rude and cruel. One night as the inmates tried to sleep, the guards above them began boasting to each other about things they had done to the Mormons. Joseph Smith stood and said,

“SILENCE, ye fiends of the infernal pit! In the name of Jesus Christ I rebuke you, and command you to be still; I will not live another minute and hear such language. Cease such talk, or you or I die THIS INSTANT!”

Amazingly, the guards immediately stopped talking. Even as a prisoner, without a way to defend himself, Joseph Smith was not afraid to stand up for his beliefs.

I also learned a new story about Joseph Smith. Upon his arrival in Liberty, a number of men from the town came to the jail to see the new prisoners. Joseph Smith was the last of the six men to be led up the steps to the jail. Before entering, Joseph paused on the landing, turned and said, "Good afternoon gentlemen."

I think it is amazing that those are the words he chose to say. It truly is a testiment of his character. Now, had I been in that same situation, I would have said something like, "This is ridiculous! I haven't done anything wrong! I am innocent!" Just one the many reasons Joseph Smith was much better person than I.

The only downfall of our visit to Liberty Jail, was that when the lights were dimmed for the narration, the darkness and mob-like noises scared Ashlyn to the point of tears.

Almost three hours after leaving Liberty, we were finally in Kirksville! After unpacking and a little visiting, we met up with Aaron for lunch at Picklers and then watched the homecoming parade. The rest of the day wasn't very exciting (I took a nap, we went grocery shopping, and had dinner), but it was just nice being there.

On Saturday morning, we went to Ben's soccer game and after that, we went to Baconfest! That's right, a Baconfest! I'm not exactly sure why there was a Baconfest, but I believe it had something to do with collecting donations for the food bank. The Oscar Meyer mobile even came to town.
They had a couple bounce houses for the kids. But, the best part was the free BLTs.

Ashlyn skipped the L and T, and opted for a B sandwich.

A few local restaurants joined in the festivities as well, creating bacon filled sweets and treats. Just so you know, bacon ice cream is delicious, but bacon truffles are nasty. After eating the ice cream, I had such high hopes for the truffle and I'm sure a good one can be made, but the ones we ate were gross.

The next part of our day was the highlight and the sole reason for making the trip - Ben's baptism. It was a great event and I am so glad that Ashlyn and I got to see it.

Ben looked so handsome in his new suit! After the baptism, it was back to Aaron and Monica's house for root beer floats and chocolate chip cookies. FYI - one of the perks of living in an area with high humidity is being able to leave a tray of cookies on the counter for several hours and they are still soft and chewy.

Later that afternoon, Ashlyn enjoyed some swinging and then a few of us went on a walk around the block.

We didn't get to see Aaron much while we were there due to him being busy cramming for a big exam. But, he was able to meet up with us for dinner on Saturday at a local Mexican restaurant.

On Sunday, after attending Sacrament meeting, we took a two hour drive to Carthage, Illinois. We hadn't planned on visiting either Liberty or Carthage before leaving for our trip, but I am so glad we did! It was so neat visiting both places and my testimony grew.

The grounds surrounding Carthage jail are beautiful.

It was an interesting experience being in the place where the prophet spent his final days. The spirit was strong and I definitely gained a greater understanding and appreciation of what he suffered for because of his beliefs.

As we were arriving back in Kirsville, we witnessed a horrible accident. In front of us was a truck and in front of the truck was a van that suddenly veered off the road, over the curb and onto the grass. We wondered what in the world the driver was doing, when the van veered back onto the road. Just a second later, the van veered off the road again and headed straight for a John Deere store. Tractors went flying and the van crashed right into the store front.

We immediately pulled into the parking lot and I called 911. My Dad and I, along with a couple others who stopped, went to assess the situation. There was an elderly man (mid-80s?) at the wheel, but no others in the car. The man was unconscious and the car was still in gear. My Dad and the other men tried to get into the car, but it was wedged too tightly between the tractors and the store. Plus, all doors were locked. The police and the paramedics arrived quickly and broke a window to get in. The man was taken away in an ambulance and then my Dad and I filled out police reports of what we saw.

I have never seen anything like than in my life and would like to never see anything like it again. It was scary! Watching that van crash was like something out of movie. The poor man must have had a heart attack or stroke. My Dad tried to call the hospital later that night to see if he had lived, but they wouldn't tell him anything. I hope he made it.

My mom fixed a delicious Sunday dinner and once again Aaron graced us with his presence. It's a good thing the man has to eat, otherwise we would have never seen him.

Unfortunately, our trip came to an end the next day. Monday morning, we packed up and headed out. We had a little bit of time to kill, so we stopped at a local consignment shop. When we parked the car, Ashlyn said, "We aren't going to another jail, are we?" Poor girl thought we went to Missouri just to visit jails.

We were able to see Aaron and say goodbye to him after he finished up his tests. It would have been nice if we had a few more hours to actually spend with him, but we had to leave for the airport. Bummer. I am very proud of him for what he is doing. He will make a fine doctor one day.

This was Ashlyn's first airplane ride and she did so well! I was worried that she would take after me, but it didn't seem to bother her. She had so much fun and I loved being able to spend that one-on-one time with her, even if she did try my patience a few times. I think she was just too excited about being able to go on the trip.

When I asked her later what her favorite part of the trip was, she said, "Riding on an airplane. But, my most favorite part was Ben's baptism."

It really was a fun trip and I am so glad we were able to go. The only bad part for me, was having to leave the boys at home. I never like it when Brian and I aren't together and it was my first time being away from Luke. And the worst part was when Brian sent me a voice message from Trent saying how much he missed me and wanted me to come home. Broke my heart! Yes, it was a great getaway, but I was so happy to be home again.