A 2015 Review: July

JULY.

• This was the month of THE GREAT AMERICAN ADVENTURE VOL. III. This trip was much needed. The following bullet points are some of my favorite moments:

• We visited my grandparent's dream abode in Pinetop, AZ for the last time before we headed out on the official adventure. We took pictures, visited with our grandparents, ate my grandpa's signature pecan-crusted salmon, woke up early to ride out and see all the elk, revisited our childhood rock forts in the forest, curled up in massive quilts and chilled in the gorgeous cabin, caught snakes, and rode the four-wheelers on our favorite forest trail for hours and hours. I have so many memories of this place. If I had the means, I would buy their property in a heartbeat. We will all miss it so much when they move. 
• We drove through New Mexico to beautiful skies (including a rain storm, a double rainbow, a golden sunrise, and an incredible painted sunset). I am still partial to Arizona skies, however.
• Mom and us kids drove all through the stunning Palo Duro Canyon in Texas while listening to some incredible new classical music finds. I still remember how utterly exhilarated I felt. I was so hot and sweaty and alive and refreshed. This was the beginning of that adventure.
• We went to the National Weather Center in Norman, Oklahoma. Very stimulating and fascinating. 
• We ate salads (except Elaina, who insisted on a peanut butter shake for lunch) and walked around the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. Look it up. A terrifying and sobering event. 
• Branson, Missouri was just enchanting. There are some places you visit and think, "My, what a lovely place to be a tourist in." However, there are others where you cannot help but remark to yourself, "I could totally live here someday. I would like to live here." Branson was one of those places. I also got to be reunited with some dear friends from YFF, Derek and Kristina of the Hughes family, who perform at the Hughes Brothers' Theater. 
• In addition to watching their marvelous show and visiting with them, we had some of the most INCREDIBLE food at the "World Famous White River Fish House." Ahhhh. What a meal. You must look at the pictures below to see how enchanting this restaurant was. 
• We met a remarkable man who drives trolleys throughout Branson. He gave us all sorts of insider recommendations for Chicago and told us his life story as we, who were the only ones in the trolley, rode through the town. The world sure is made up of some amazing people. 
• While in Branson, we also watched the breathtaking magic show of Rick Thomas. I still cannot hardly describe it. I am fascinated by stage magic, and throughout the entirety of the show I could not help but scream and gasp and applaud and laugh about nine times every minute. I haven't Googled how he possibly makes people dance through the air without strings and cuts people in half and flies and levitates because the little girl in me does not want the magic spoiled. 
• St. Louis, Missouri. I loved this place. Our experience in the Arch and its visitor's center was remarkable. I have a newfound appreciation for American ingenuity because of it. I knew practically nothing about the arch before I came. It is placed where the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers merge, which already marks a sort of natural "gateway to the West." Once pioneers passed the Mississippi they were considered to have made it there and could then continue onward to settle. The arch itself actually wasn't made for any world fair or contest, despite its being an architectural wonder; rather, it was made to memorialize America's westward expansion. When I first heard this, I was incredibly skeptical because this sounded like a monument to the concept of "manifest destiny," which I strongly dislike and discourage. The idea that possessing those lands in the west was a God-given mission for the American people is hard to completely support, especially when you see that some felt so entitled to the West that they were willing to drive the native people out of their homelands at the cost of thousands of lives. No claim that Americans were destined to expand across the entire northern continent can justify that level of inhumanity. (I've done quite a bit of research in the past on the Trail of Tears and the Indian Removal Act for a presentation on manifest destiny.) Anyways, when I actually got to the Arch visitor's center, I saw the real intention behind the design and how hard and dedicated the work behind construction was. It was meant to honor those "builders of the nation" and pioneers everywhere. Also, throughout the 2.5 years they were building, they were filming. They've compiled it into a really neat old film that seems more like a movie that an instructional video like those at other national parks. After seeing the process of construction, I thought it was a neat example of the results of the "American Dream." People from every profession came together to create something innovate, record-setting, norm-challenging, beautiful, and meaningful.
• The Old Court House right by the Arch was also fantastic. Isn't it just spectacular when you happen upon great thinkers in unpredictable places? Upon walking through the exhibits inside, these two guys and I had a conversation about the issue of slavery in America and discussed the details of the Civil War and the historic Dred Scott decision (which was made in that very courthouse). I left with a greater understanding of how significant this portion of American history is. 
• We went to walk around the lovely St. Louis Temple. What amazing FLOWERS they have in the nation. Arizona gets kinda ripped off in general. 
• Chillicothe, MS. Hahahahahhahahaha. #babynamegoals 
• The Kansas City Temple was amazing. The vast temple grounds and surrounding lands carries a very special spirit, like it's being kept in reserve for some grand event. I would highly recommend a visit. 
• We had a frisbee tournament at the lovely Far West Memorial and became sweatier than I ever have been in my whole life. Yes, there is a picture of my sweat below. It was amazing. 
• Independence, Missouri. I will never forget how strangely I felt there. It was a feeling of divisiveness and uneasiness, yet there was still some hope and light if you looked in the right places. 
• Liberty Jail in Missouri. Doctrine and Covenants 121 got real for me. Just a word, throughout this entire trip, my testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith and the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ was expanded far more than I had thought possible. Truly remarkable this was. The Spirit was very strong. 
• Adam-Ondi-Ahman. Words and pictures cannot capture how wondrous and marvelous this place is. One must visit to experience it. It is one of my favorite places on earth. This is sacred ground. 
• On our way to Des Moines from Adam-Ondi-Ahman that afternoon and evening, we found that many of the roads were flooded leading us to the highway we needed and we could not cross safely. We were on all these dirt country roads trying to find a crossable road, we were losing light, and we were four hours behind schedule. We happened upon this pair of gentlemen (generously bearded and clad in lots of denim and dirt) heading home in their massive pickup truck, and they offered to take off our luggage attachment (so it wouldn't go underwater) and drive first through the deep water covering the road. We made it and we have a happy video to show for it. 
• I have some lovely memories of all seven of us sleeping in our Yukon on the nights we were too late in finding our hotels. 
• We went to Des Moines, Iowa to visit our lovely cousins Alex and Sarah Green family in their charming abode. We went to a horse race for the first time and we had a magnificent burger dinner at the Green's. Grass fed beef on lettuce with homemade mayonnaise, sauerkraut, dijon mustard, freshly salted and peppered tomatoes, bacon, bubbling sharp cheddar cheese, and grilled onions all juicy and sizzling from the grill. The meal combined with a good frisbee game with Josh and Izzy amid the fireflies and forested yard of the Greens made for a heavenly day. 
• FIREFLIES. They exist?!?!? They were everywhere. All our drives through fields and forests were magical because of them. 
• Honestly, I did not expect much from Iowa. This was a grave mistake. This was one of the coolest places I have ever BEEN. I would totally love to live here. There was such a neat sense of community identity in the city. There was a MASSIVE farmers market and, among many other exquisite finds, I must mention that the candied pecans and the mangoes-on-a-stick were absolutely delectable.
• THE IOWA STATE CAPITOL BUILDING MADE MY LIFE. AHHHHHHH. THE LAW LIBRARY WAS STRAIGHT OUT OF A FAIRYTALE. AHHHHHHHH. 
• We also visited the coolest historical house. I don't remember the name of it, but it belonged to this famous guy who invented makeup and had an obsession with medieval interior design. SO very cool. I'll include pictures below. #housegoals
• Nauvoo, Illinois. I could say so much about Historic Nauvoo, but all I am going to say is that it is like the Mormon Disneyland. See the pictures. It was awesome. My testimony grew. #partyspirituallyeveryday Also, the pageant is absolutely splendid. Two of our dear family friends from Queen Creek were performing missionaries. 
• Josh, Isabelle, and I got to perform baptisms for the dead in the Nauvoo Temple. It was Isabelle's first time. That was such a sacred and special experience. 
• We spent more time than we initially planned in Chicago, which was completely okay with me. Strangely enough, I fell in love with this city. We stayed in a fabulous hotel (Swisshotel Chicago, in case you were wondering), ate tons of fabulous food (HOLY DEEP DISH PIZZA. In case you were wondering, we did not do very well in sticking to our GAPS diet while on this trip. We failed. But it was delicious and so happy.)
• In our hotel room one morning, I led the family in a small-scale popsicle stick simulation. Those people I get to be with forever are indescribably marvelous. 
• I absolutely loved walking through downtown Chicago. I loved it. The history and bustle and vibes just made me buzz. 
• There was the most magnificent Lego Store at Water Tower Place that had a station where you could build your lookalike lego people. They also were a cool updated lego store where you hold up boxes of legos in front of sensors and watch a hologram of the lego set come to life on a screen. I had SO much fun with my family. 
• The Art Institute of Chicago was AMAAAAZZINNNNGGGG. We spent five hours there. I could not get enough of it. 
• The views from the top of the John Hancock Observatory were incredible.
• Chicago was also fabulous because Dad flew out to join us on that leg of the trip. 
• I visited my birthplace, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for the first time since my early childhood. We found our old house, toured my dad's medical school (and the SAME librarian who was there 18 years ago is STILL THERE), went to our favorite custard places (LEON'S IS THE BEST ONE. GO THERE.), reminisced on the early years of the Jensen Family, and just admired the general splendor. It was truly splendid. 
• We sang primary songs while hiking in the most gorgeous forest in Wisconsin at Effigy Mounds National Monument for Kate's birthday. I loved it. So peaceful and green. Plus the mounds were radical. Plus Kate is even more radical.
• We went on a riverboat ride down the Mississippi river by the Twin Cities in Minnesota. Man, was it refreshing. I am in love with the Mississippi. 
• We had a wild time in Minnesota at the Mall of America. IT'S HUMONGOUS and they have a THEME PARK in the middle of the mall. The rides at Nickelodean Universe were 2.1 times better than those at Legoland in my opinion. The theme park made for a nice break in the constant travel. The Jimmy Neutron ride was quite thrilling. 
• We saw some stunning albino bison and learned all about the legends told about them by the Native American tribes. There have been some token white, yellow, and red bison born in recent years. Many natives believe that these births are signs of the last days and the Second Coming. It was fascinating. 
• Theodore Roosevelt National Park ROCKED MY WORLD. My soul felt at home there. All hard feelings I had against the good man Teddy and some of the decisions he made as president were lessened as I learned about his work in creating the national parks. This particular area was where he grew up, and he claimed that the lessons he learned while in the beautiful surroundings were influential in his upbringing. He basically said that these mountains and hills and rivers prepared him to live and to lead nobly. I have to hand it to you on this one, Teddy. Thank you for the national parks. (P.S. I also meditated on a cliff and got SUPER CLOSE to a massive bison. The bison became my favorite animal. Look 'em up.)
• Licorice ice cream. I was exposed to it (AND IT WAS SO UNIQUELY DELICIOUS. So weird. This little place claimed to be famous for it. So good.) and the windiest weather I've ever endured while in this little town right outside Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We couldn't open our car doors without significant effort, and the moment they opened, every loose item within the cavity of the vehicle would start flying through the air. It was verrryyyy cold too. I even saw a loose stop sign lift up and fly away. 
• We visited Mount Rushmore and had an incredible time. IT IS SO COOL. We hiked on the beautiful forested trails all around it, visited the museums (which are very well done), and stayed for the lighting presentation. It was cold and dark and the mosquitos were attacking, yet this was one of the neatest experiences I have ever had in regards to the  #Murica
• We stayed in the best place ever. It was a little one-room cabin right on the edge of a river in the middle of a National Forest and was extremely hard to find. We nearly hit a massive deer on our way and we got incredibly lost, for Google Maps utterly failed in the middle of nowhere. We were able to navigate ourselves back to civilized-ish areas and eventually found it. (Nearly lost our bladders as we were in the car driving in nowhereland for hours. That had to be one of the most relieving moments of my life.)
• That morning, we split up and went to journal, pray, and meditate by ourselves outside our little cabin/hotelroom. That alone time was much needed for me. 
• We hiked to the top of Scott's Bluff, Nebraska and were on top of the world. 
• Note: I will never again eat another Activia Yogurt. Ever. Or red delicious apples (unless forced). Or hotel scrambled eggs. I still do not understand why they don't salt their eggs. The little greasy sizzly sausage patty things kinda made me sick, but they make the eggs taste tolerable when combined. At least they usually have oranges and oatmeal packets and herbal teas and those adorable little cups of sugar-loaded peanut butter. #freehotelbreakfaststruggles #pblover On occasion, at the nicer hotels, there were omelettes made to order, which made my life. #baconsausagehamspinachcheesetomatomushroom One enchanting bed and breakfast outside Nauvoo had homemade quiche for breakfast. I had way too many servings that morning. You guys rocked my world. (In order to stay within our allotted daily food budgets, not eat garbage for lunch and dinner, and partake in the local cuisine as we traveled, we stayed in hotels with free breakfasts, which we ate at every morning. That became hard after a while. I'm so thankful for good, wholesome, delicious breakfasts.) 

Prepare your soul. I apologize. They are not in order.