Pure Joy

Hey all! Happy new week! I love Mondays because of what they bring….a whole new opportunity to have an incredible week.

After having such a joyful weekend, I am all about continuing that into a new work week. Too often we get discouraged, frustrated, and negative once Monday hits. Why not channel the weekend energy into the work week?

I am all for it—-who’s with me?

The weekend was full of pure joy because I got to spend it with A.My husband B. My wonderful family C. Lovely sister(s) D. And all in an area that means a lot to me (hence my blogging hiatus. So sorry to my lovely readers, but life was being lived to its fullest )

Harry Potter

The weekend all started with dressing up and seeing Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 with my amazing man. It was a great movie, with lots of action, funny lines, and a very engaging story line. I am a huge HP fan, so this was a bittersweet ending for me.

okay, okay, they were actually JUST jelly bellys. But we pretended. Isn’t that what is so magical about the series, anyways? Magic and imagination and pretend? Or is it really all REAL?

Road Trip

My husband and I headed 3 hours east/north to go see my family in a famous Nauvoo pageant. The pageant tells the beloved story of the faithful Mormon saints who were kicked out of MO, and thus ended up building a city in Nauvoo, Illinois. Nauvoo means ‘beautiful.’

My family dressed in period pieces and performed a beautiful pageant that depicts the hardships, triumphs, and lives of the early Mormon saints. It is set in the 1800′s, and the audience learns much about the wonderful prophet Joseph Smith and his faithful wife, Emma. It also tells the story of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.

Nauvoo

I was in the pageant several years ago on the dance team, and boy was it FUN. And really hot. Illinois is known for its mosquitoes, heat, and humidity. Props to my family for sweatin’ and dancin’ it out for 2 weeks!

We’re already sweating…..

With snowcones in tow, we settled to watch the show at dusk.

We were okay (sweat wise) once the sun set, and the ice melted in our mouths.

The show was magical. It was moving. And it brought me to tears.

I am a spiritual person, so this definitely hit the spot. Thanks to an amazing family who let us come up and watch them dance and frolic in period costumes!

The view behind the stage, you ask (it was outside)?

It was this:

Mobs burned down the Nauvoo temple in the 1850′s, after the Saints headed West (to Utah and surrounding areas).

The Nauvoo temple was rebuilt and dedicated in June 2002.

The whole weekend was perfect. Pure joy would describe it best, actually.

I try to stay healthy in a full, holistic sense, so this weekend definitely filled a spiritual void that I felt I had been missing. I love hearing the faith and sacrifice of ancestors who paved the way for others to live their faith.

We walked a bunch, rode on a carriage ride, napped, and just hung out. It was absolutely lovely. And so perfect for my mental health.

Once in awhile you gotta take a break from routines, life, workouts, etc, and take a BREAK. A mental, spiritual, meditative break. Life is more than workouts, food, how much we weigh, fashion, and work.

Life is meant to be enjoyed and lived. Life is about family, love, faith, health, and joy, wouldn’t you agree??

Be back tomorrow for a motivational post you will not want to miss! Have a lovely day!

When was the last time YOU took a nice, meditative vacation/getaway/trip?? What does LIFE mean to YOU?