She walked and walked and walked and walked and... walked...

So I totally admit- I am SO GLAD Valerie and Alexis (and all our youth) are DONE with the hand-cart trek.  I was a mess worrying about them.  They got here while Alexis's mom and I were both at work.  One of the ma and pa teams lives two streets over, so they dropped the girls off and I got home at 6. 

When they came in, I had a welcome sign on the door and "YOU DID IT!" gifts on Valerie's bed.  I had asked what snacks they would miss most and I knew Valerie wanted a pillow pet.  I thought she was kidding when she asked for one for Christmas.  Lucky for me, Alexis wanted a pillow pet too ;-)

When I gave them dinner (I let them sit in the comfy places), they were both so happy that I almost cried! They told me they had tiny meals and "gruel" for breakfast.  I was happy that they were happy.

This is Valerie's bucket- everything she got to have for trek was packed in this bucket.

Asher was (IS) SO HAPPY to see his sisters. 

And the stuff they wore and slept in is gross.  I gagged putting it in the washer.

I am so grateful the girls got to participate in this trek. They really sacrificed to be an active part of the group and thought a lot about the ordeal the pioneers of the 1840's and so faced in order to live the Gospel. What makes me emotional is knowing that so many families walked from the east coast states to Utah and did this day after day after day. Parents did what they could to feed their children and clothe them, but many children died. The mommy in me positively aches every time I think about that. I am so grateful I was not born during that time of history, as it affects my soul deeply. I am, however, VERY grateful our youth are able to think about those valiant pioneers who came before them that they might live the Gospel the way they they believed to be true.

Here is a great clip about this time of mormon history.