I know, I know, I have been a huge slacker on keeping up with this blog. I am recommitting now and will try to catch up on all the significant events that have happened since my last post. The first blog worthy event that I missed was our Stake Trek. Darren and I were blessed to be a Ma and Pa on the trek this year and we had a fabulous time! Our family was the greatest! It was held on May 27-30 in Luna, New Mexico (just over the Arizona border). It was for all the youth in our Stake ages 14 and up, so Madison was the only one of our kids old enough to go this time.
This the "before" picture.
We met at the church at six a.m. on Wednesday and after everyone was checked in, and we had an opening prayer, we loaded up the buses and headed to Luna. We arrived in Luna about 1 p.m. and had a boxed lunch at the little tiny church they have there. Then the kids lugged all their belongings to a field next to the church and we had a little opening ceremony. Then all the Ma's and Pa's were introduced (there were 21). Next, they had all the kids line up shoulder to shoulder, boys on one side and girls on the other, and the Ma's and Pa's picked their "families". The ma's picked the boys and the pa's picked the girls (we were told before hand how many of each to pick). Then we took our kids to our numbered flag posted in the field. We were family number 14. We got to know each other a little, the kids assembled and loaded our handcart and we took off up the road. By this time it was about 4 o'clock in the afternoon. We pulled (I should say "they pulled" because ma's and pa's weren't supposed to help) until 1 a.m. before we reached our destination. It was super dark that night because the moon went down about two hours after it came out. It was a real testimony that we were being watched over simply because there were no serious injuries that whole night. Our kids were so great. Even though none of them knew each other they all had such positive attitudes and we really gelled as a family quickly. We were having fun the whole time.
Our "son" Jake packing up after night one.
When we got to the field that night, the kids had a dinner of beef broth and a roll. Then we spread out a tarp on the ground and everyone went to sleep in their sleeping bags. In the morning our sleeping bags were covered in frost. It was cold! Good thing we were allowed to bring coats! After a breakfast of oatmeal and ash cakes, we were off again. We traveled over hill and stream until we stopped at a water house for lunch. They had a pump to get the most delicious well water ever. 
Our "son" Brady getting some shade during lunch.
Then we pulled again until we were told to stop by a man dressed as a Union soldier. We were told that our men were needed to fight in the war and so the guys left. This was to represent the Mormon Battalion. The boys went off to a spot about half way up this super steep mountain. Then the girls had a little meeting and our stake leaders shared messages about how we are stronger than we think we are. When that was over, the girls started pulling the handcart (I helped at this point because the trail was hard!). When we got to the mountain, us girls had to pull the handcart up it by ourselves. I thought I was going to die because I was so tired! My daughters were awesome! We totally had to work together. When we got close to where our brothers were (about half way up the mountain) we were exhausted, but at that point our brothers were allowed to hop on and help us push. We have never appreciated our boys more than we did at that moment. 
The girls on the "women's pull".
After we got up and over the top of the mountain, our girls ran back down to help the carts behind us. Because of this, one daughter hurt her leg and another completely exhausted herself. Our boys had watched us pull the whole time and said that it stunk to see us struggle and not be able to help. I think that the purposes of the "women's pull" were successful. They were, to help the young men gain a greater appreciation for the young women and vise versa, and to help us realize that we can do hard things. After the women's pull, we trekked to "Zion" and set up camp. 
Darren and I slept in the middle of the tent with the boys to the right of Darren and the girls to the left of me. No funny business!
That night we cooked dinner, had a fireside and went to bed. It was a very nice, tiring day. The next day was Friday and we had pioneer activities planned for the whole day. We ate our peach cobbler (dessert from the night before) for our breakfast and then headed to the activities. Our daughters were feeling better, except Michelle couldn't use her leg very well so she got a ride to the field. My favorite activity of the day was being able to wash my hair! I think all the girls would agree. That afternoon it started to rain. I should mention here that the whole time we had been there it had been threatening to rain but we had only gotten a little sprinkle here and there. The clouds, though, were a blessing because it made it so much cooler to trek. On Friday afternoon it really started to rain. It rained cats and dogs for about an hour. We stayed in the field at first because we thought it would just blow over. But after a while, we decided to run to our camp. Everyone was soaked. We assessed our shelter and made some fortifications but pretty much all of our equipment and belongings were dry (thanks to the excellent tent building skills of our "son" James). 
We were soaked but our stuff was dry. Thank goodness! 
Our boys changed out of their wet clothes and then climbed in their sleeping bags to get warm!
When the rain stopped and we were all changed and dry, we went out to find that most of the other camps were completely soaked. We helped where we could and then proceeded to make dinner. That evening there was the most brilliant double rainbow right over the valley we were all camped in. At the fireside that night our stake presidency member told us that in the old testament the rainbow was a sign from God that He had not forgotten his people. That really touched me.
The next morning we packed up our campsite and prepared to pull out. Our daughter Michelle still couldn't walk very far on her leg, so the kids made a seat for her on the handcart and prepared to pull her all the way. The route we took on the trek took two days to get to "Zion" but only about two hours to pull out. We pulled to another field where the buses were going to meet us and disassembled our handcart.
Our family L to R: James, Nathan, Eric, Brady, Stefanie, Madison, Kati, Michelle, Corbin, Jake, Ma, Pa
We got home about seven p.m. on Saturday. 
This is the "after" shot. We are a little sunburned, completely tired, filthy dirty, and extremely happy.One of my "sons" made the comment: "I don't know what it is about pulling a handcart that makes you love each other, but it does." I couldn't agree more. I love you family 14!
A couple random thoughts and pictures: My Madison was not in our family. She had our bishop and his wife as her ma and pa. She had a great time and learned some great lessons. But if you were to ask her if she would go again, she would smile and politely decline.
James was always finding creatures. I don't even know what this is, but he found a snake on the first day we got there. Just keep them away from me!
Pulling out, ready to go home.
Our kids decided they didn't want to make the peach cobbler on the last night. They just wanted to eat the peaches, drink the sprite and eat the cake mix dry. Mmmmmmm!
Linc's monkey cake. 
Darren and mini-Darren. 
