7.26.2013

Nauvoo, IL

Last weekend we drove to the other side of the state for a Hancock Family Reunion in Nauvoo!  It was fun for me to meet more of the Hancocks and we had a great time!  Travis and I got there before everyone else, so we explored Nauvoo and had a little lunch date at Grandpa Joe's:

The weather was beautiful the whole weekend!




Love it.



Before the pageant, we played at the country fair!

Stilts!

Janae & I are just a couple o' regular log sawers!

I <3 Nauvoo!

Sack Races...

...I think I won..? :)


Pictures of Hancocks making weird faces:



Travis had a lot of fun playing games with his younger cousins in the lodge at our campsite.  Sunday night, Grandma Hancock gave an incredible fireside on family history.  She had so many wonderful stories to share about the Hancocks--she worked so hard putting it all together.  She is amazing!  The Hancock family has a great legacy and I'm so happy I get to be a part of it!

On Monday we took a wagon ride, a carriage ride, explored Nauvoo a bit more, and visited the temple--it's a beautiful place and it reminded me of when I was there 4 years ago with my Creek Family!

Since they have so many more missionaries available now, the YPMs have really stepped it up!  They now do little vignettes around the town--they are so neat!  It's like you're really back in Nauvoo's glory days watching kids run around and play, listening to missionaries share their stories, and watching the youth interact.  And as expected, we ran into a bajillion people that know Travis (okay, more like 5, but still! He's a popular guy)!

"Are you sure this wagon is sanitary? It looks questionable to me!" --Travis

Presto the Best-o!

Learning an "easy" dance with the Nauvoo Brass Band on Main Street.  Poor Travis, his wife will never be able to dance as well as he can!




We've got a pretty great family, huh? :)

Now that Travis has finished his internship with Weber Shandwick, we're taking it easy in a gorgeous part of the state called Oswego.  Our life is so different now than it was two weeks ago, but we LOVE it!  Travis has started his internship with Bookoo and he fits right in!  He really loves that place and from what I've seen, I'm also a fan!  They had a community picnic last week and I got to go meet all the people he works with--they are so neat!!

We're living with a really nice couple in our ward and their little dog (Travis & I are realizing that we have no idea how to help take care of the dog since neither of our families are into pets, hahah).  I spend my days running little errands, working on our button website (hancockbuttons.com now exists! But is very much under construction), babysitting the Fishers' grandchildren, watching my hair grow out, journaling, watching the grass grow, jogging, liking pins of yummy foods I wish I could afford to make on pinterest, playing tennis with Travis, and watching things on Netflix...you know, spending my time doing things I'll never have time to do again! (Here's to hoping I NEVER have this much free time ever again! hahah)



We are Provo bound in 5 weeks!

The time that our life was crazy.

So in between moving out of our apartment and starting Trav's new internship with Oswego, this was our life:

  • Pack a bag to live out of for 2 weeks.
  • Pack everything else, move out of apartment, drive to Yorkville, IL.
  • Meet the family who is letting us crash in their house for 7 weeks, spend the night.
  • Leave at 5:30am to get back to the city in time for Travis to get to work.
  • Oh wait...at 5:45am, pull over to the side of the highway while car dies and blows smoke everywhere.



  • At 6:00 am, call tow truck.
  • 6:15am: "What are you guys doing in IL? This state sucks." --IL State Police Officer
  • At 7:40am, call to make sure the tow truck is on its way.
  • 8:30: call again for tow truck.  Find out the tow truck was almost there about an hour ago, but just decided to turn around instead of come help us.
  • 9:00am: tow truck arrives.
    "What are you guys doing in IL? This state sucks." --Tow Truck Driver
  • Settle in while the mechanic looks at our car.  In a few minutes he comes in to share the bad news: Charles is down for the count.
  • Rent a car for the next two weeks.
  • Drive into Chicago and check in at the Chicago Getaway Hostel.
  • By this time, Travis is not going to make it into work.
  • Wait in line at Comcast for an hour, just to give them back all of their stuff.
  • Spend a few days in this room:
  • With this creepy gal on the wall:
  • Laugh together and love each other the whole time :)
  • Drive to Ohio, then Pennsylvania for 4th of July vacation (it rocked!)
  • Go caving, white water rafting, and have an awesome time.
  • Steal Janae's car from her for the summer (Mom & Dad Hancock were so helpful in letting us buy that from them.  Such a great blessing!)
  • Drive to Indiana where Holly stays, and Travis drives on to Chicago to spend another week at the hostel.
    Caitlin's job.
    Sorry, Alyssa.

    Lipstick fight at the mall

    Who knew Greenwood Park mall had a summer concert series??
    Free food & cute costumes. Win/Win!

    Found my new motto for life at Chick-Fil-A.
  • Meet at Hertz to return the rental car, begin our life in Yorkville/Oswego!