Looks like we made it...

To steal a few lines from Barry Manilow, we have not only made it to North Carolina but we also made it through the rain!  (It has been raining for the past four days and can stop anytime now...my Colorado sunshine has spoiled me rotten.)  We arrived in Durham late Saturday night.  After unloading the SUV and making a run to the nearest grocery store, we fell into bed.  Move to Durham--accomplished!

We stopped a few points along the way to take in the sights.  We took a tour through the Winter Quarter's Visitor Center (Nebraska) and saw the beautiful temple at the top of the hill and the old Mormon burial grounds at the base. I have one ancestor who was born in Winter Quarters and another, Elizabeth Young, who passed away there and is listed on the burial marker.  Very cool--makes genealogy come alive.

At the visitor center with our tour guide, Sister S from Tokyo. 

The Winter Quarters Temple

Our next stop included another temple, the new Kansas City Missouri Temple.  Since this temple is brand new, we were able to tour it during the open house.  How awesome is that??!!  This is the area where Rheid's grandfather helped build up a branch of the church.  He would have been thrilled to participate in all the festivities associated with the new temple--never dreaming that from such humble beginnings, the church would grow so much in that area.  The inside of the temple was beautiful and the whole experience made me even more anxious for the time I can participate in the Fort Collins Temple open house.  Hurry builders, let's get moving!

After going through the open house for
the Kansas City Temple

This didn't start out to be a LDS Temples of the Midwest Tour but were we ever surprised the next day to round a curve on the interstate and see yet another temple, the St. Louis Missouri Temple.  We took the next exit, totally annoying our GPS tour guide we lovingly call Glenda, and made our way back to see this one up close as well.  Very beautiful.

Rheid at the St. Louis Temple

The next night, Friday the 20th, found us pulling into Nashville,Tennessee.  We were able at 6:30 p.m. to purchase tickets for the 7:00 p.m. show of the Grand Ole Opry!  Thanks to my father's cultural training, I knew just about every song performed in the next two hours.  It was a blast.  We saw Little Jimmy Dickens, Diamond Rio, John Anderson, Jim Ed Brown, The Whites, Jean Shepard, Marty Stuart, Connie Smith, Mark Wills, and more.  I died and went to hillbilly heaven, clapping and singing all the way.  The next morning we wanted to see more of the sights around town, including the Nashville Temple, but it was cold and rainy and we had a long last day of driving ahead of us so we pressed on.

In front of The Grand Ole Opry

Riders in the Sky open the show.

Audience members at the Opry

We passed two ballparks along the way as well, the KC Royals and the St. Louis Cardinals.  Both looked like beautiful stadiums.  Made us a touch homesick for Coors Field and our beloved Rockies.

The Kansas City Royals ballpark

Sunday we did a bit of unpacking and went to church.  We are now members of the Chapel Hill 1st Ward.  People seemed nice.  Found out the only members who live close by actually live in the apartment directly above us.  A tender mercy.  They are a cute young couple with two adorable little girls.  I can hear Annabelle and Reece running around upstairs and it makes me smile.

I miss home already but am trying not to get too sad about it.  We are lucky to have cell phones, facebook, and Skype to keep us better connected to family and friends.  Well, we are here and to quote Barry yet again, it's a miracle.