Training Trek

Well, we are back! And I learned that I am going to LOVE trekking!! I thought I would but some people seemed apprehensive and so part of me was thinking that when I actually got there I might learn I wasn't going to enjoy it so much. But I did learn a few things: (1) The Women's Pull was MUCH harder than I had anticipated and (2) I can kill, clean, and dress a live chicken (never thought I would need to know that--or ever actually do it) (3) That I am NOT as prepared as I thought I would be! First of all the Women's Pull--I consider myself to be pretty strong and I seriously thought I was going to be sick! This is the only part of the trek that is making me a bit nervous. I am hoping that the hill the girls will pull will not be as steep as ours. Or that there will be just one of them. Yes, our hill was PRETTY STEEP and there were TWO of them! That was one of the hardest parts--we reached the top, which we thought was the end and then had to keep going! I also learned that when I pull a handcart uphill I sound like a donkey. But seriously, I was surprised at how the absence of the priesthood affected me. We were all in our pioneer clothes and watching them all leave is hard to explain. I thought back to all the times when I felt alone while Vince was serving in the Bishopric and working long hours at work and realized I felt much the same. And when I was struggling with the other women to pull that cart up the hill I felt the same desperation and inadequacies that I used to feel. The only choice I had those years and during this pull and that I will have in the future was to keep pulling with all my might no matter what. Otherwise the cart was going to slip downhill. We just had to fight (literally) to keep it going and that's how life is sometimes. It will be difficult for our young women but what a great lesson. The fight makes us stronger. It is also true that just when you conquer one challenge another is lurking ahead--we never know. But we are stronger than we realize and we can do more than we thought we could do if we will just focus on the Lord and have faith.

Yes, we learned how to kill a chicken and it was not as bad as I thought it would be. Also we learned how to skin it and clean it and cut it all up and that wasn't too bad either. Although if I had a choice I probably wouldn't do it. But since my choice is to be either negative or positive about it and my "family" of youth will be watching I decided to suck it up and really learn and it turns out that I think I'll manage just fine. But I will need a knife much sharper than what's in my kitchen now. YAY! The pioneers were lucky to have sharp knives!!

OK--I am totally unprepared and am asking for any help and/or advice. We will be walking with our family (approximately 10 boys and girls from our stake that we don't know) for a LONG time. We will be with them for 4 entire days and 3 nights and we were advised that when we were walking these MANY MILES (the first day will be very long and the second kind of long) that it would be a good idea to have some kind of games and/or riddles to do with them. They gave us one example, but we will be walking LOTS and I know I will need more. Any ideas? When I go on trips with my kids we like the alphabet game, but there will be NO WAY we can play that so any help is WELCOME! Also, we were told that we could do some kind of craft with the kids during down time. Things that would be kind of neat would be like matching bandanas, bracelets, a bead on a necklace string,... Things like that. Of course, these are all things that they told us about and what would be really cool is something unique to our "family" so I'm taking suggestions. Please keep in mind that I'm not too crafty so it can't be too difficult. Also--any ideas for skits? Any great pioneer stories? Any advice about anything? Related to the trek, of course. Suggestions and comments are welcome from ANYONE, even if I don't know you!