N Town Pride

Yes, this is where I live. And I'm proud of it. It's like living at Disneyland because it's a tourist attraction, but you never get tired of it. I learn something new each day. Because the seminary cycles are different in Japan and here, I skipped D&C and will get Book of Mormon twice. I was sad about skipping it, and was explaining this to my parents. And they go, "silly lexi, you live in D&C land!" that made me feel silly indeed.

The pageant started on Tuesday, and I went 4 days. I only missed 1. Tuesday night, opening night, it poured rain, but I stayed anyways. Kudos to them for acting in the rain.

A few weeks ago I got a little overwhelmed about having to go to youth conference for 3 days and then being in the pageant for 2 whole weeks after that (right after we get home), and have guests stay at our house. That was 2 and a half weeks of work I was missing! My personal space would be invaded! But now I'm excited to take a break from restocking fudge double for all the pageant tourists, and to have the sweet temptation away from me (maybe lose some weight from not eating fudge...just maybe).

Now I get to meet new people, my grandparents get to be in the cast with us. I love them so much. I'll get to know the core cast better. It just might end up being better than EFY.

I love it when tourists come into the fudge factory and can't believe that I actually live here. I must have been imported to work here from Utah. There's no other explanation! I go on to explain how many non-missionary people live in N Town, how far away our high school is, but how I love living here. And then from the other side, how kids at our new high school didn't understand us. Like how they thought that we all wear pioneer clothes still because of the missionaries they have seen that dress up. It makes me giggle. I love explaining N Town to anybody. I can never get tired of it.

The fudge factory is just a few steps away from the temple. I just have to step outside the front door at work and it's like boom. And now that the pageant has started, the bagpipers walk around town. They stop right across the street from the fudge factory at a certain time each morning. So I always ask to go water the plants out front the second I see them. The watering can can never seem to fill up fast enough and I feel like I'm going to miss them.

I was looking back in my journal from a year ago when we moved here. I was so upset that my parents were moving me again, making it so the first 3 years of high school for me were in 3 different schools. I was so angry and bitter. Even though I knew my parents felt prompted to move here. But like Robert Laird in the pageant, Nauvoo has started to heal me. Against my own will. It all started when I first got here in the middle of July with no friends, a house to be unpacked, the weather hot and muggy, and nothing to do in the city (haha that sounds silly now. there's so much to do here). But I had nothing to do, so I went to the pageant every night. That's where it all started.

I've changed so much just from living here this past year. Obviously there's a lot more I want to change, and it makes me antsy. I wrote about the pageant so much in my journal last year. There was so much I had already forgotten. But I can't believe it's been a whole year and the pageant has snuck up on me again. I love it so much. I wasn't planning on going every night, but now I have. It's like part of my daily routine now. I plan my day around it. I invite all my friends to come watch it with me. No matter how tired me and Chantelle get from work, we both go to the pageant every night. I love seeing her there. This is the place to live. And I live on the best street in Nauvoo. I try and take a walk down it as often as I can. It's such a peaceful road. I like to think about my ancestors that walked down it in February 1846. It's funny to think that I'm back where they lived. They were so sad to leave this city. They must have been so full of despair.

And last of all, I love the beautiful temple so close. At EFY on night last year, our counselors made us stand in front of it all lit up. (None of the other groups got to do this). They told us that if the saints hadn't made their temple covenants right before they left, they probably wouldn't have made the long journey. I just sat there and thought about how I wouldn't have been there right then if not for that temple. So it is very special to me now. I'm grateful to my ancestors and my parents that moved me here.

N Town pride forever