The more tender your feet......

The more tender your spirit.

Those were words spoken by a teenage girl about Trek. I could not have said it better myself. It is so true. But not just your feet. Your body, your mind, your everything!!!

There were so many beautiful and marvelous things that happened on Trek. It is not for the weak in spirit. It was the hardest thing both physically and mentally I have ever done. And for that, the blessings I have received have been insurmountable.

For starters, I could not have done it without this man. He kept me going when I thought I could go no more. He took care of our kids and our camp with pride. He made sure everything was as easy as it could be under our circumstances. From setting up camp, to packing the handcart, he is a man's man. It was no easy task, and he did it without complaint. (Or at least none that our kids could hear! I may have....)

Thank you for allowing me to do this Jason. It changed my life forever. And I know it strengthened our marriage.

This is the last passage of water we went through. It was more a mixture of manure and mud really. We still had another day to trek and my feet were still fine, so I chose to jump the water. But I did not have to. The day prior we had heard a devotional about the crossing of the Platte River crossing. We were told of a 16 year old GIRL that carried 17 members of her company across a frozen river.

When I came to the place that the women were crossing, there was a girl, approximately the same age, with one foot in the muddy water, helping others across a thin log. She sacrificed her own dry shoes and socks for us to keep ours. We live amongst amazing youth.

MA & PA Blue in all their glory!

A tender moment within our sweet and loving little...cough...cough...10kids!

Rosalyn~ What a wonderful YW she is! She was so helpful and has such a wonderful spirit.

Marlon~ Ok, we are in the same ward as Marlon. But he did not know that! He was so funny and sweet. And occasionally bored.....(that was quickly fixed by making him go get water, or our food box)! His brother's Brando and Hyrum were on trek too. If we could not find Marlon, he was with his brothers. I thought it was sweet.

Bri~ What an interesting character. She was quiet, and then would say the funniest things. One of which is that she thought we should do the trek in Nebraska next time because it's flat.

Trenton~ He is 12. Need I say more? He was fun to have around. He loves candy and was always into some! To the point where I had to hide the Jolley Ranchers I brought for the kids to have while walking! Trenton also announced during a devotional that the spirit was telling him to go see Harry Potter. (It was the night it came out). I gave him the look. You know the one!

Chandler~ This boy pulled our handcart 99% of the time. We had to pull him off to take a break. But then he was right back on. I want my daughters to marry a guy like Chandler. He was the best son a Ma and Pa could ask for!

Nathan~ This guy is a wonderful person! He was delightful, and helpful, and just such a pleasure to be around. He is a spiritual giant! Another boy my girls to marry! He loved our rice baby David. He even fashioned several outfits, and slings for him to wear!

Bailey Rae~ Well, we all know how much I love this one! SO MUCH! She was thoughtful and kind. I needed her on Trek. She kept me sane, when I thought I may lose it!

Jared~ Our other 12 year old! What a sweet boy this one! His Mom was so worried about him going. Her prayers were answered! He was amazing to have! His hand was always on the cart! I miss this guy!

Megan~ Our mini ox. Megan pulled for 2 straight days! She was funny, and adorable! I thought it a pleasure to be her Ma!

Alex~ This guy got some serious blisters starting day 1. He NEVER complained. If we needed anything he was right there to help! I loved having all these awesome boys!

The last 1/4 mile we were given the chance to walk in barefoot. We heard the most amazing story of sacrifice. How could we not do it? We were the second to last handcart and actually walked closer to a mile barefoot. It was dirty, rocky, and there were lot's of little thorns. But Jason said that the Spirit was so strong you could not feel them.

(Megan's tootsies)

We had such a spiritually significant time that I am finding it difficult to blog about. They are tender and personal. I hope you understand. But in these words and pictures, I hope you get the feel of the love we had for this special adventure!

On a funny note. One night we played Mafia with the Barne's family. That is one hour of my life I will never get back. And I have no IDEA what happened. And I as the police! LOL!