Chances are -if you don't blink- you might see our family in a movie that came out this weekend.
At the theater. (In Utah, but hey)
I know, right? The What Why and HOW: Well it all started with us having pioneer ancestry that crossed in the Martin Handcart Company. Mary Murray Murdock to be exact, although she died along the way. Fast forward 150 years and my parents' home teacher is a producer of this movie, 17 Miracles, depicting the story of that ill fated journey. We were invited to be extras, because we were descendants and it was totally a life stopping experience.
Watch the movie trailer:
We were dressed, hair and makeup, the WORKS at LDS motion picture studio. The scenery, the costumes... it felt very real and I could imagine had we all been born into that circumstance what WE would have looked and acted like. So SURREAL!
But just in case you blink- we were in three scenes:
1) When Levi Savage makes his famous speech to the saints of the dangers they would be facing. We were in the background AND the foreground. Tricky.
2) a handcart breaks down in the rain and some men are arguing... we are pulling handcarts in the background. They had a rain maker from a crane so we didn't get wet until we walked under the rain maker.
3) a night scene where the men are talking around the campfire. We are in the background doing what women do best... pretend to make food and talking.
Our 3 scenes were filmed in one day, but it was 13 hours of takes! I hung out with Levi Savage for lunch and learned all about his acting career, pretty interesting. A few months later, my sister came to be in a winter scene, so I was on the banks watching them film the river crossing while they had a fake snow maker blow in front of the camera. It was all so fascinating how everything works. Did you know the actors in the water had waders on under their clothes? They also built an underwater platform out in the river for the camera to get close up shots with the director, T.C. Christensen.
Here we are, our pioneer selves:
Michael getting fitted for costume.
Benson and Josh on break.
Jessica, left, Aubrey, right riding on a handcart.
My dad. Yee HAW.
Jackson sitting with grandma.
Michael, Aubrey and I. This is what we would have looked like if we were pioneers!!
My sister Cynthia and her four kidlets.
They rubbed dirt on our faces.
Josh was always up to something that day.
I was way too happy to be a pioneer.
Alex was as cute as any pioneer boy ever was.
My Jessie.
Listening to Levi Savage's speech. Aubrey and I plus my niece Gracie in the foreground. He did his speech like 50 times, no joke. How he did it so emotionally every time I'll never know.
Jessie and Grandma (my mom) waiting to walk through the rain.
Josh, really? That's just wrong.
Pioneer Me.
Aubrey getting "taken for a ride" on the handcart. She went all the way around!
What an honor it was to represent those amazing pioneers. It was hard not to get emotional as I looked at my parents, my husband, my children, my sister, my nieces and nephews and to know that this could really have been us had we been there 150 years ago.
Chalk up another memory we'll never forget.
And I love that it's a true story. Our family's story.
Inspired by the recent YW general broadcast story of the YW group who walked from Draper to Salt Lake, Michael and I concocted a family trek that actually sounded exciting. Bountiful Temple to Salt Lake Temple.
Estimate: roughly 10 miles. 3-4 hours.
Equipment: a bike to pull the trailer- housing Alex and supplies (could be pushed like a handcart as well), scooters to help with the smaller people's feet, food, water, and sunscreen.
Actual: 6 1/2 hours. Finished off all food and water. And forgot to apply sunscreen.
But you know what? It was awesome. Our own family trek and adventure. I felt like waving to people and telling them, "HEY! We are walking to the Salt Lake Temple!" A little more than half was on surface streets, and the middle section -4.5 miles- we took a trail over and around the mountain.
We saw a huge snake on the trail. 10 minutes later we saw a coyote. The big boys went off trail and got lost (and I feared they had walked off a cliff) and eventually found us. I even mooned the Salt Lake Valley when nature called. (Which I think might be where I lost my phone. Boo.)
But this was an amazing experience.
Starting the trek. All 9 of us.
Jessica brought along a family friend, Caitlyn.
Alex buckled into the trailer.
Scooters helped keep down the misery levels.
Stopped at the park for lunch
Good thing Alex was still wearing his helmet when Michael walked him into a tree.
Josh. Dramatic effect.
Look how far we've walked!! That little white dot in the middle is the Bountiful Temple and we are only half way!
Handcarts with bikes. The way to travel.
Lots of awesome views of the valley along the way.
Snake and coyote zone.
The older kids scouting out the way.
Benson found sea shells. In the mountains? Oh, yeah, this whole valley used to be underwater. How old are those shells??
Coming downhill toward SLC. We can see the temple!!
Coasting past the Capitol.
ACROSS THE STREET!! WE MADE IT!!
Weary but happy travelers.
We arrived at the temple 20 minutes before a fierce rainstorm. Phew!! We got dinner downtown and then took FrontRunner back home.
Long day.
Jackson was wearing out at one point and I told him he might be the very first 6 year old to walk from the Bountiful Temple to the Salt Lake Temple. No more complaining, just talk of how famous he was going to be. He was a trooper! I was proud of everyone for finishing what we started.
So many great lessons were learned along the way, simply being with each other and talking. Making memories. Remembering pioneer ancestors. Laughing. A LOT.
Step by step getting where we set out to go. That's life. We LIVED life that day.
