Pioneer Trek #3 (written at 12)

August 24th 1846,

(Rachel Levi Taylor but thou can call me Levi)

Today's a boring day just like any other. My leg healed up all right full last week so now I ain't in pain no more an' I can help out bit more. I'm at least glad that I survived an' in full health the whole time, too. Now I can actually get up in the morning and work instead of bein' a butt head to my family. I especially like the rolling green, yellow and tan-white pinched land that has followed us ever since we got off the mucky beginning of the trail. It kind of brings that sense of peace that one would get if they knew they were always safe or if you've had a good memory or a vision portraying the Heavenly Father. Here, I've slept better than any where else an' I have noticed that my sisters aren't so riled up as they've usually been. Maybe I could be a merchant/ tailor when I'm older. The glistening water we passed earlier was breathtaking. Too bad we aren't going to stay here and live 'till we die an' have our descendants live here, too.

Now for some reason I feel like I should tell you how us Mormon travelers live daily on this long journey to a new home that's permanent. Okey, so at sun rise we all get up an' get dressed. After that, we all gather 'round an' would pray 'till our voices froze over. Then we would pack camp 'an gather up our wondering oxen an' then place our stuff in the wagon while we 'tached the lean, strong, buff, or just plain out giantly big oxen to the reins so they could pull the heavy load. As long as it wasn't the Holy Sabbath day, we would break our fast with a cooked meal. The driver then would gently lift himself up to the wooden rock hard bench. He then would get those lazy butts on those oxen a good whip to get them halling. As we walked, the children would sing and play along the way. Some days we would eat on the go so we could make up time, an' others, we would stop when the sun was high an' eat. If one person needed something, they would get out of line an' do it then they would get in back an' continue on. Every now an' then we would stop to give the beasts a rest before we continued on. We walked an' walked 'till thy bright light started to descend upon the land to disappear behind the land. We would then make camp, read, eat an' do other stuff 'till an hour after sunset to onley repeat it again the next day.

Hope you enjoyed this little thing. (: Now I'll see ya later!