Trek 2013

Despite being insecure and a little overwhelmed by our Trek calling, it was one of the most humbling and amazing experiences Ammon and I have shared together.

Fresh and clean to start the journey!

I will be the first to admit it was reallyyy awkward standing in front of all the youth reading off our family names. I had no idea what to say and I am not a 'hugger'.. so the awkward standing and waiting for the picture began. I gathered everyone together and the picture was taken. Then off we went to play 'Get to Know You' games (THE WORST.. get to know you games are just awkward and lame).. and pack up the cart. It was then that my kids mentioned they had no idea I was their 'Ma' and they thought they were doomed with the most annoying sister when I was herding them together for the picture. HA! We got a good laugh out of that one. We were blessed with 5 boys (one of which was a foreign exchange student from Ukraine, and not a member of the church) and 5 girls..  all of which ranged from 14-18 years old. The fam came up with the mottos "We like to party" (Really??? Umm okay we aren't naive, but we went with it anyway)... and our main motto was "We go Hard"... haha ammon and I laughed and the next thing we knew the motto was written on the flag!

The fam!

The first day was rough. Uphill for a good 7 miles with very little stopping. The boys refused to let the girls push the cart because "they have to save their energy for the woman's pull". I felt bad for our foreign exchange student the whole day.. just imagine having no connection to the pioneers, no connection to the LDS faith, and having to dress up in weird clothes and hike through the wilderness for 3 days straight. Yeah.. not fun. He complained in his cute little accent and looked miserable. He didn't really connect with any of the people in the family and I could tell he was just so unhappy! I felt so bad for him. That night we watched 17 Miracles on a projector screen in the middle of a huge field. It was one of the most emotional experiences I have had in my life. If you have not seen the movie.. you need to! It gave me even more respect for my amazingly faithful pioneer ancestors, and it seemed a lot more real after experiencing the things we had experienced earlier that day.

The Girls of the familly.
Madi. Calysta. Athena. Haley. Jainee. Jeanette.

That night I laid awake (freezing my A off might I add) listening to one of my sons, Clay have a chat with Andy (our non member foreign son) about life, religion, and standards. I will admit at points in the conversation I was nervous and felt like I should tell the boys to stop and go to bed, but decided to just let it go and went to sleep. The next day (my birthday) I awoke with anxiety and a bad attitude for the upcoming day. (Whoops Ma is not supposed to be like that!) We spent the morning playing pioneer games and running around in the fields. The boys in our family almost got bit by a rattlesnake.. it was the freakiest thing hearing that thing rattle and hiss! The family motto was in full force and the boys kept chanting "We go Hard!" .... I laugh every time I think about it.

The boys playing stick pull... Competing for the "Golden Child award".

The next morning was spent playing pioneer games. Our family motto was chanted loud and clear numerous times... "we go hard".. and every time I rolled my eyes and laughed. Our family wasn't too successful at the trek games and we always came in second (first loser).. except when it was a competition for the ma's and pa's. (*brag* am and I kicked butt). Our boys in the fam had a close call with a rattle snake and it was soo freaky hearing that creepy rattling noise and hiss from a far. Scared the crap outta me.

The trial Trail

The afternoon was a day filled with trials. Along the trail we had leaders stop us and read us an intimate story about different pioneer's stories. One included the story of a 7 year old boy who was responsible to carry his four year old brother across the plains. He ended up passing away from exhaustion and his brother safely made the rest of the journey. My kids were then asked to carry each other until the next trial came about. It was heartbreaking to see my kids struggle trying to carry each other.. until I saw Clay and Andy. Andy was on Clay's back.. and they were having a rap battle! haha! Hilarious. There were laughing together and Andy looked happy (partially because he didn't have to walk anymore). When it came time for them to switch, Andy complained, but I soon saw Clay (who was way bigger than Andy) jumping up onto Andy's back. It was so heartwarming to see Andy actually connecting and enjoying himself. The next trial came along and the leaders told a story about how some of the pioneer's had to walk without shoes. The next thing I knew.. I was walking down the trail barefoot. The sand was freaking hot, and I literally was running down the trail from shade spot to shade spot. I already had blisters on my feet and the burning hot sand did not help. I was pissed and swear words were flying through my head (mother of the year). I thought for sure Andy would not participate.. but as i looked up ahead.. I saw him and Clay sprinting down the trail together. Somehow Clay had talked him into doing the barefoot walk with him. I will admit I was the tearing up when I saw them together. The trial ended and we were soon at our camp.

The kids

There was absolutely no shade in sight, and I curled up in a ball and fell asleep for an hour or so. I woke up to a flower on my shoulder!..Ammon explained that one of the boys had ran over a mile to find me a desert flower for my birthday. Okay seriously how sweet! I tell you we had the sweetest kids in our family. That night Am and I square danced our little hearts out! Man! My husby has got moves. [he even admitted to enjoying dancing more than he expected *yes*]

Missing Boston!.
Ammon. Clay. Parker. Andy. Benjamin.

Later that night we had a great fhe with our family where each child shared Highs and Lows of the trip. We laughed and we cried.. and Ammon and I had the amazing confirmation that we were exactly where we needed to be. We had done just what we had hoped and our kids had had a fun and spiritual experience. I slept like a baby that night!

Benjamin and our baby Elizabeth with Pa Ammon.

The next morning we trekked into the city where we had family and stake members welcoming us with cheers and signs. I cried at the thought of "This is the place".. and felt so relieved our journey was over. I actually saw Andy smile (a smile that showed he had a good experience), and I forced him to give me a hug.

Trekking along.

I learned so much about myself during trek. When leaders of the church say "the youth of the church are amazing".. I know exactly what they mean. I realized that one person can impact a group of individuals and change experiences for all who are involved. I learned that I can do hard things. I learned that even though I was not called to trek across the country, I have battles of my own that I have been called to bare. My trials may not be physical trials, but I have trials that are equally as challenging. I know my ancestors are proud of who I am becoming, and I am soo grateful for their examples and strength. I am grateful for the sweet kids in our family and what they brought to my experience! I love them all so much (which is weird to say), and can't wait for our reunion!

Our first family picture. :) Love these kids.