Springfield, the Tomb

I honestly can't say which was better; getting to see Lincoln's house or his tomb. They are both amazing locations with tons of history, and they are both places I have dreamed of visiting for many years. 

I wasn't able to get a picture of the outside of his tomb. There were 2 factors at play; one that was out of my control (the sun was shining too brightly) and the other involving a certain someone being way more into catching every detail of the tomb and the experience than paying attention to what setting my camera was on. Oops!

So, here is one I borrowed from Google. Isn't it grand? Andrew and I both rubbed his nose on the statue in the foreground. Apparently people think it is lucky to rub his nose and you can see that many, many people have done just that. I don't think it's lucky, but I couldn't pass up the chance to rub it myself!

This door is on the back of the tomb. I loved the detail on the bars.

When you walk around inside you come across a number of little statues like these four in nooks at the corners. They represent different parts of his life. You can see that he was younger in two of these as he doesn't have a beard. 

Finally, you turn a corner, and there it is; his tombstone. His coffin is in a steel cage 10 feet deep and is encased in the concrete of the floor to prevent any further attempts to steal his body. 

Also buried here are his wife, Mary Todd, and 3 of his four sons. (His eldest, Robert, is buried at Arlington per his wife's wishes.)

Even with all the people there, it truly was a peaceful place. Someday I would like to go back, maybe in the spring or fall, and take the time to wander around and see the other graves. We didn't take the time to do that and I wish we had. But, lunch was calling and the temperature was rising. Something for another time.

 I have visited a number of cemeteries (I enjoy the history and peace they provide.) but this one ranks right up at the top. It is a beautiful and peaceful location and the honor of being able to see Abraham Lincoln's tomb is something I will never forget. 

Springfield, stop 1, part 2

The little neighborhood they have set up is really beautiful. I loved all the old houses. They made us both think of our first apartment in the city. We realized that most of the houses in both neighborhoods were built in about the same time period, 1820-1830's. That would explain it! This is only a small sample of the houses there. There are so many more beautiful ones! 

They said that this is kind of what Lincoln's house would have looked like when he first bought it.

There was such beautiful architecture and woodwork!

I had to pull a mom and make these people stop so I could take their picture. They were headed to the of plot of land by the Lincoln house to show some kids toys of the era. Considering that it got up around 90 degrees that day, I have to imagine that they got quite warm!

It was a fun stop. I was so honored to be able to walk through his house. 

We also walked a few blocks and wandered through the Lincoln museum. I didn't manage to take any pictures there, but I highly recommend it. It was a great stop!

Springfield, stop 1, part 1

Most of you know that I love history. My favorite time period is, by far, the civil war era. There is something about the fashion, architecture, and people that I just can't get enough of. So, naturally, my list of places I want to visit is full of civil war related locations, including many, many battlefields. Near the top of the list was Springfield, Illinois. I have always wanted to see my favorite president's tomb and house. After my parents stopped there last year, I knew we needed to go this year. So, we ventured a little farther than our normal Chicago vacation spot.

The first stop was to Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln's house. This was the only home that he ever owned. All four of their kids were born here and one of them died here. The national park service runs it and has a four block area set up how it would have looked when they lived there in the mid 1800's.

This is their house. It was much smaller when they bought it. They added the second story and did a couple other smaller improvements.

The formal parlor. Everything in this room is the Lincoln's except one of the chairs.

This is the families sitting room. Those chairs really are as small as they look. We were told that Lincoln prefered to stretch out on the floor in front of the fireplace and read or play with his boys.

Going upstairs, you have a guest room, 

his oldest son, Robert's room, 

and the hired girl's room.

This is Lincoln's room and bed. That wallpaper is much crazier looking in person, than this picture shows. I would go crazy if I had to wake up to that every day!

His shaving table, 

and mirror.

This is Mary's room. The two rooms were connected with a doorway. She slept here with the younger boys. They were in a trundle bed next to her. 

Heading back downstairs you find the kitchen.

Mary loved this stove so much that she insisted on taking it with her when they moved to the white house. 

Heading out the back door you find this small building. Yes, you guessed it. It's the outhouse, complete with three seats. I guess it was a family event!

Tomorrow we will explore a bit of the neighborhood!

New Purchase

First, I must apologize for my lack of posts lately. I have been a poor blogger. 

On another note, my wonderful sister recently informed me of a local auction website (one item in particular) that she thought I would like. She was very right. I bid on it and was lucky enough to win! 

Isn't this vintage film reel cool? I love it sitting there with a stack of old books. 

Coming up next week, I have pictures of our vacation to Springfield, Illinois. It has been a place I have wanted to go to since I was little and I was so excited to finally visit!

Base Camp

When did life get so busy and time move so fast? 

We were very busy this past week at church. It was Base Camp week. Base Camp is our version of a VBS program. We have an amazing group of people that write the lessons for the week and an absolutely amazing creative team that decorates the whole church. Our theme this year was Jesus By The Sea. We heard the stories of Peter walking on water, Jesus calming the storm, Jesus serving the disciples breakfast after he rose again, and Jesus feeding the 5,000. 

There is also a drama team that performs every night. This year it was about pirates and islanders. You know the story; the pirates stole the islanders treasure and the islanders were trying to get it back. (Which they did by the end of the week.)

These two are in the sanctuary. We had a working waterfall, 

boats for the kids to sit in and the back of a pirate ship up top!

I was working with the 6th and 7th grade girls. We had a large group!

The islanders...

and their fearless leader, Chickbow.

The band of pirates (minus their captain). That tall, scruffy looking one in the back would be my husband. He makes a pretty good pirate.

And finally, our worship leaders. They always do some silly stuff at the end of the night. This was day 4. They really pulled out the disco; we even had a conga line going! 

I was also able to bring along my niece Alaina. She really seemed to have fun. Here she is with her cabin group (she is in the striped dress). She was lucky enough to have one of my friends teaching her.

Day 5 is always family day. We do a wrap up in the sanctuary and then it is off to hot dogs and fun. We have a couple bounce houses set up in the parking lot that the kids enjoy. We also have a couple really large tarps that we set up down a hill as a slip and slide. It is always a big hit with kids and adults alike!

 I went down, fully clothed, with both Alaina and Ruby. My blue jeans were still soaked the next day, but the girls loved it!

It was a long week, but such a blessing to be able to minster to all those kids. Now to make it through the first half of this week and it's off to vacation for Andrew and I!