cross-country honeymoon :)

{Palmyra, NY}

DAY 1: The real first day of our honeymoon was spent driving to New York BUT let's not think about that. We started the day in Palmyra, NY visiting all the different church history sites. We went to the Joseph Smith Farm, the Sacred Grove, Palmyra Temple, Hill Cumorah, the Grandin Print Shop {where the Book of Mormon was first published} AND we even got some ice cream. It was a really awesome experience to be in the actual spots where some major events happened for the church. The next stop for the day was CANADA. We went to see Niagara Falls. Paul had already been to the falls but I had never been and they were amazing!!! I've never seen so much gushing water in my life.

{Niagara Falls, Canada}

DAY 2: Chicago was the next place we visited on the map. First, we went to the Shedd Aquarium. Oh how I love aquariums :) I love seeing all the fish and penguins and dolphins and turtles. Just in case you were wondering, YES I did wear my fish shirt that day because we were going to the aquarium. You can all make fun of me now...Paul did.

{Chicago, IL}

After the aquarium we went to Millennium Park to see "The Cloud Bean". It is this huge awesome bean shaped structure with mirror-like surfaces. It was really cool!!! After that we just had to have famous Chicago deep dish pizza for dinner. We didn't tell the waiter that we were on our honeymoon BUT he overheard us talking to the people at the next table so he gave us free dessert and a bottle of their really delicious salad dressing. It was great. Note to unmarrieds: When you are on your honeymoon tell people you are on your honeymoon and you will get free things. After dinner we went to the Navy Pier. It's kind of like a boardwalk with attractions and rides. Paul and I were excited to go because of the rides but we got there and there was really just a ferris wheel and merry-go-round and other things more geared towards little kids BUT we enjoyed it anyway and had a lot of fun {acting like children}. 

{Chicago, IL}

DAY 3: On day three we were still in Chicago for the morning. We knew that we couldn't leave the city until we went to the Willis Tower {Sears Tower} which is the tallest building in the United States. We took an elevator all the way up to the skydeck on the 103rd floor of the building. For someone that is a little LOT scared of heights, let's just say we were really, really high. There are glass skyboxes that you can walk out on and basically feel like you are standing on nothing. You can look down under your feet and see the street below. I stepped out and I was so scared. As you can see in the picture I was very uneasy and you can also notice the kids behind me thinking that it was the best thing ever. Blah, I hate my fear of heights.

{Chicago, IL}

Moving on, we left Chicago and drove to Nauvoo. That evening Paul and I were able to go to the temple. I was so grateful to be able to be in the temple with Paul just days after being sealed to him for eternity :) It was also very neat to go to a temple that neither one of us had been to. As we left the temple, the sun was setting over the Mississippi River and it was a beautiful sunset.

{Nauvoo, IL}

{Carthage, IL}

DAY 4: In the morning, we visited a few more historic sites in Nauvoo and also traveled down the road a little to Carthage Jail. Our trip cross-country was as much of a church history tour as it was a sightseeing of America tour. We planned it that way because there was so much rich church history in the states we were driving through. It was a very special experience to be where the Prophet Joseph Smith was martyred. After leaving Carthage we drove across the whole state of Iowa. It was a lot of driving and there was not much to look at...

DAY 5: Today was another day for driving. We started in western Iowa and drove across most of the South Dakota. After driving for basically the whole day, we arrived at the Badlands. Badlands National Park is so cool. There are these geological formations shaped like sharp pointed hills. The areas that we visited were AMAZING! That night we got to sleep under the stars in our cute two-person tent. 

{Badlands National Park, SD}

DAY 6: The next morning we got to explore the Badlands a little more. There was just so much to look at. Next we went to the famous town of Wall, South Dakota. I had never ever heard of it in my life, but apparently it is "America's Favorite Roadside Attraction". Anyways Paul's family had to come to Wall before so it was fun for Paul to show me around. All you have to do is just start walking around this town and you will find so many things to do and to look at.

{Wall, SD}

We took a break in Rapid City, SD to stretch our legs, get some lunch and play mini golf. Because that's what all people do when they need a potty break. After a very short drive {compared to the miles we'd been covering for the last few days} we arrived at Mount Rushmore. Ever since I had seen the Mount Rushmore monument in pictures I had wanted to visit and see Mount Rushmore in person. I was so excited!!!  Mount Rushmore was awesome. If you have never been, you should plan a road trip ASAP.

{Rapid City, SD}

{Mount Rushmore, SD}

DAY 7: The last day of our honeymoon was spent driving back to Rexburg, ID. On the way home we stopped in Jackson, WY. Neither of us had ever been to Jackson, so it was really fun to just walk around this cute little touristy town. We made sure to see the large arches made of elk antlers. After Jackson, I was so happy to see the 'Welcome to Idaho' sign. Don't get me wrong, our honeymoon was awesome and I loved traveling cross-country with Paul, BUT I was very ready to not be in a car :)

{Jackson, WY}

{HOME}