ToddlingAroundTheWorld

I walk just about as fast as I run, so this is a wash. :) Completed the ‘Run The Year’ goal today and ran the numbers through a calculator to find the average miles I have walked per day this year is 7.45. This is the third year in a row I have completed the Run The Year Program, so they sent me a special medal with the ‘3 years’ spinner in it.  Since starting the #walktobahiablanca when Austin left on his mission on 6/18, I have averaged right at 10 miles per day. Goes to show what a difference a concrete goal with deadlines can do for you. Another 2.5 miles a day has made a big difference. It’s another 40 minutes or so of walking each day, but I love being out there in this beautiful world and seeing the glories of nature and having some great interactions with the people that I meet along the way.  Hit another milestone in the #seattletobahiablanca journey, as I passed by the 1,000 miles complete mark towards Argentina. This has actually ‘virtually’ put me just ri...

Had Jaylin drop me off at Weyerhaeuser and then walked over to Celebration Park and then the BPA trail up to 320th. LeAnn picked me up there on her way from work to go to her parents house. We went to be witnesses for the signing of their living will. Then went over to Dash Point State park and around the lake by their house. Hit the ten miles for the day. 

Went downtown for a Tech conference. Walked the neighborhood where I had worked a couple of previous jobs. I was at Photoworks on Columbia in 2006 andthen atStarbucks on King street in 2008 prior to moving down to SODO and the SSC. So cool to see the waterfront now with the Viaduct down. 

Went to pick up LeAnns parents from the airport earlythis morning. We had their car that I picked them up in and then when I drove back, I got off on 348th and then let myself out in the Taco Bell parking lot. Then they could drive themselves back the rest of the way from there without having to take me back to our house.From there, I planned on walking home since I needed to get my morning route done. Walked over to the Crossings and stopped by Chopped Leaf to take a picture to send to the Dueck’s, who are in our ward andown the restaurant. I took a sad-faced selfie and sent the Dueck’s a text saying ‘so sad to find out that yourplace wasn’t open for breakfast!’ :) I knew this of course, but thought it would be funny to send them a shotof that. They enjoyed it too.  It was about 5 miles back home, so had a good walk.Then finished a few more miles around the neighborhood in the evening. 

Decided to do a long loop out through Edgewood today. It is a bit more rural, where there are swans and farms and horses and no sidewalks. I captured a few shots of its rural glory. I like that there is not as uch traffic out there and the weather was beautiful. Ended up going over 7 miles and then came back home through Milton. In the afternoon, went with Jaylin to the mall to look for shoes for a homecoming dance she is going to this weekend. Hit a few stores there and picked up another couple of miles. Then she drove me over to grandma and grandpas house to pick up their car. They are in Utah for Jess' missionary farewell (He is going to Uganda) and will be flying home tomorrow morning. I will be picking them up in their car and then drop myself off home before sending them off. On the way back home, I stopped by the Hylebos Wetlands and did 3 miles there. Got some good mileage done today!

Love Mondays! Got to see Austin on our weekly video chat. I was actually out walking when he called, so he got wo walk with me a bit while we talked. I was out at Surprise Lake and walked down through some apartments to get to the waterfront. He had a couple of young kids come into the church where he was on the computer that were planning on going out to play futbol with the missionaries a little bit later. It was fun to see his little friends as they greeted him and then they said hello to our family. I said hi and then told Austin to tell the boy (I think he was about 10) that he was a silly monkey. :) Austin translated that for him and the boy looked shocked and then looked in the camera at me and told Austin to tell me I was a 'smelly gorilla'! It was hilarious! I started making gorilla noises and scratching myself and could hear the boy laughing. It was fun to be able to interact with Austin and his friends. What a marvelous gift these video chats are! it helps us to conn...

Today was hard. I went to my Sunday morning meetings and made it through Sacrament meeting. The GI pain was intense though, and I ended up heading home during the second hour of church. I hopped in the bath to help alleviate some of the pain, that help a bit, but then ended up in bed to sleep it off. Came back to life at about 3:00 and was feeling semi-decent at that time. So I hadnt had much time to walk and felt like I could get some laps around the neighborhood in. I ended up taking about four laps and coming in at 5.1 miles for the day. Even though the day started out rough, it ended well and was happy that I could go as far as I did. All things considered, still on track with my goals and coming in at 955 miles total

This morning, did my zoo walk around and then went down to Owen beach for a half hour after doing the shark food prep and then before going back to help with the shark feed at 11.  I took Jaylin to work at Papa Murphys and then headed down to the Hylebos Creek Trailhead. Walked four miles there and enjoyed the peace and solitude of that trail.  Mowed the lawn and then went out in the evening for acouple more miles around the neighborhood. I was shooting for 12.4 miles and was able to reach that goalfor the day. 

I was able to get out and take Flash on our morning walk around the Neighborhood. As we got closer to home, the rain started coming down. Though it’s hard totell how intense the PNW rain will get at any given time, I opted for heading inside and then did 3.5 miles onthe treadmill. I had the window open and a towel ready. I find that walking inside on a treadmill I will get at least twice as hot as walking about the same pace outside.  Tonight, our Scurvy Dogs book club guys got together. We went to a Vietnamese restaurant and then to theRambo: Last Blood movie as we read the book Rambo this past month. After the movie I walked a few more miles in the Mall as it was about 10 o’clock at night. 

Saw this guy inching along the Jovita Trail today. Sometimes I fell that that is about how fast I am walking. As long as I keep walking, it doesn’t matter how fast Igo. Each day, each mile, each step brings me closer to my goal. 

In missionary lingo, there are a number of milestones that a missionary has during his two years of service timeline: 6 months out = Bump, 12 months out = Hump, 18 months out = Slump and 24 months = Dump. These correlate to how you might be feeling around those periods of time served. The 3 month mark doesnt have a moniker, so Im just gonna call it the 'Gump'. 'Like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get.' Austin has had some highs and lows, and the highs are outweighing the lows. So that is fantastic. He is making great progress with the language, loves the people and is enjoying the food and culture. Win, Win, Win! In the WalkToBahiaBlanca, I have been blessed to stay healthy and meet the goals I have set for total distance of 10 miles per day. On this day 92, I pushed through to the end to get up to the 920 miles that I was shooting for. Here is a snapshot of my tracking spreadsheet that shows the miles each day, average distance per week a...

Was heading into Seattle early in the morning, and it was raining, so I stopped at Southcenter mall to walk inside for a bit. I stopped by where Austin used to wok at Jamba Juice for one summer. He learned how to make a few good ‘off menu’ items - my favorite beingthe Pink Star. It’s nice and empty in the morning, so not much traffic there.  Then walked to the other side of the mall where Autumn had worked at a clothing store called Charlotte Russe. That store is no more..

Today is definitely feeling like autumn. Wore sweat pants for the first time in a long time while on my morning walk. Didn’t feel too hot while out there, so just got four miles in instead of the six I was planning on. Wasable to make up a few miles in the afternoon when I felt better and the rain cleared up.  Got to talk with Austin on Hangouts. This was awesome, as usual. He looks good, though he was concerned he has gained a couple of pounds. :) Then went with LeAnn to the Puyallup Fair and got a few more miles in there while checking out the great animals and even taking in a dog show. 

This is why I walk. I walk to let my son know I will always be with him and always be thinking of him while he is serving as a missionary in Argentina. I walk to show him that we can accomplish great things when we set incredible goals and are determined to meet them. This is something that I need to dedicate myself to do every. single. day. If I miss a day, that is a huge amount of miles that will need to be made up to get back on track. I told my daughter Autumn this when she was in the Czech Republic and I was walking there, and I have told Austin the same thing: I see this virtual mission as having many similarities to the missions they have and are serving on - you have to strive each day to do your best and never give up. You have to work hard even when you might not want to. You will have many obstacles to overcome and need to persevere and endure to the end. When you do this, how great will be your joy. Austin, I will meet you there in person, after walking there virtually, wh...

Walked Flash in the morning before going to the Aquarium. Promptly stepped in a big pile of another dogs poop. Finished the walk, came back and washed it off. I’ll be dealing with much grosser stuff with the fish heads and guts while prepping the shark food, so just brushed it off. Got to the zoo and did my lap around the grounds. So nice having the whole place to myself. Was checking out the wolf pups that were checking out me. I plan on doing the interpreter training for the wolves in a couple of weeks, so should be able to help out with that exhibit too. Finished prepping the food an hour early, so took a walk down to Owen beach to get some more miles in. Saw another seal down there, got back to help with the shark feed and helped with the Jacks and Golden fish. They would take chopped up chunks off herring, sardines. Walked a bit more around the neighborhood in the early evening and hit my 70 mile goal for the week. 

Walked the 6 mile loop down the Jovita Trail, over to the BBC (Bjorn, Blackner, Conger neighborhood), pastTrout Lake and finishing up in our neighborhood, Enchanted Meadows. Later in the day, LeAnn and I went over to Triangle Park in Milton, where they have just erected a monument to 9-11, which is two huge beams from the wreckage of the Twin Towers. It was solemn to see and it will be impressive once they finish landscaping around it. They will do a full dedication next year on 9-11. Then we walked the perimeter of the park and drove around some of the neighborhoods nearby. Finished my ten mile goal for the day with a few more in-the-dark laps around the neighborhood before going to bed.  Current virtual location: somewhere south of Eli, Nevada Seattle to Bahia total miles: 7020 Completed Miles: 872.2 Remaining Miles: 6147.8

I was up in Seattle today for an appointment. My brothers had been texting about the best burger chain and were talking about a Shake Shack that had opened in Utah. There is one on Seattle, and I had been to one a year or two ago, but was craving a burger, so walked down into Amazonia to the Shake Shack. There were about twenty people in line in front of me, but figured I would wait it out. The line moved fast, likely due to the fact that they take orders with a bunch of kiosks and then text you when your order is ready. I got my burger and then walked over to the Speres nearby  Great burger and good day for a walk. Then I took the train up to the UW, walked up to the Salon where Autumn was working her last day for Kelly, and then finished up my 10.4 miles for the day by walking Ravenna Park.

Today I did the Surprise Lake loop, where I go through Milton, around the lake, over to Jovita trail and home. It was cool when I started and then hot when I ended.  Coming up on 850 miles total walked from Seattle to Bahia Blanca

Spent the day in Bellevue and then came back through Lynnwood to Seattle to pick Autumn up from work. She gets off at 6 and I got to Ravenna Park at 4:30. One of my favorite trails to walk on as it is so secluded and has a nice forested trail going through a ravine with a Creek gurgling down the side. There must be a high school nearby as the past couple of times I’ve been there in the afternoon I have been stampeded by both the boys and girls cross country teams. I just try and slide out of their way. Wishing I could run once in a while, but knowing that I am relegated to walking by my bum knees. 

Austin has made it through his first transfer in Argentina. He will be staying in Tandil, which he is loving the city and it’s people. My cousin Seth actually served in this same city over 20 years ago.  Today we got to Video chat with Austin. This is such awonderful thing. To see him real-time and feel his excitement and passion for his experiences is amazing. It brings us so much closer to him as we can share the experiences much more personally when we have this ability to interact. Monday’s are the best days.  Austins Missionary Blog

Pablo is one of Austin’s investigators who he really loves. They have had a bunch of lessons with him and are preparing him for baptism on September 14th! I told Austin I would dedicate all of this weeks miles to Pablo- that he would continue to feel the spirit and be blessed for his efforts to learn more about the  gospelI walked 71.5 miles, or 115 kilometers for Pablo this week. 

After working at the Aquarium I walked down to Owen Beach on Point Defiance. I haven’t seen too many marine mammals while walking along the Puget Sound, but this guy popped up to say Hi while I was doing the beach walk.

Had an appointment in Bellevue today, so stopped bymy favorite beach in Renton, Gene Coulon on Lake Washington on the way home. Then dropped the car off at Thomas Jefferson High School for LeAnn and walked home from there. Passed Lake Dollof, North Lake, and between Killarney and Geneva Lakes, so it was aFive Lake day today. Ended up with 12.6 miles for theday. 

Almost Walked a half marathon today. The weather was perfect. Went with Autumn into the U district. She dropped me off at the Arboretum Waterfront Trail, which is awesome. Walking along Lake Washington and over into the Arboretum on the other side of the 520 bridge. Saw the UW cross country team come through.So I just got out of their way. Then wakes back up through U Village and grabbed some yummy ramen at a place called Hokkaido ramen.  Museum of human stupidity 

The Sunday before Austin left on his mission, we walked as a family down the Jovita trail. We were looking for geocaches that had been hidden along the trail. I had looked for these a few times before, but had neverfound any. We were able to actually find two as a family, it was the magic of family! I have walked past those spots the past couple of months and check to see if one of the caches is in its spot, and there it was still today!

This was a good day. Went to a place I had never been, which makes the walking all the more special. Seeing something new, with amazing scenery and beautiful nature just fills my soul. I was down in Tacoma picking up Jaylins phone that was having the screen fixed. Had an hour before it would be done, so looked on Google maps and found this Lake Wapato Park, which wasn’t too far away. It was stunning and someplace that I would like to return to. Saw something stuck in the concrete. It was a golf ball!