ToddlingAroundTheWorld

I had Jaylin drop me off at Great Clips for a haircut on her way up to Highline College. I planned on walking home from there. Got a good haircut and started walking south at about 9 am. This was in the FW and worked my way down to Legendary Doughnuts. Needed something to sustain me through the next 8 miles. The Apple Fritter did the trick! Then headed over toward Celebration park and then to Hylebos wetlands from there. It was a round-about way, but I always prefer to walk on trails rather than the busy streets like highway 99. It took me about 2 1/2 hours, and my knees were super achy after about 6 miles. The temperature was at freezing for a majority of the way, so maybe that affected my legs and such. I havent been that tired on a walk for a LONG time. When I finally made it back, checked the distance on my watch and it had come in at 8.97 miles.  After getting some work done, I will head out again in the afternoon. Ill shoot for 12-13 miles today.

Did the big loop down through Milton and home. Actually stopped at the retro diner, Dave's of Milton and tried the chicken fried steak for lunch. It was awesome. Was surprised they still offered it with eggs and hash browns at lunchtime though. Ran across this abandoned wagon out in the sticks. Im sure its been there for over 150 years. ;) or not?  This evening, went with LeAnn to the ward chili cook off and trunk or treat. We dressed up as Salt and Pepper. It was a bit strange as we NEVER dress up on Halloween, but LeAnn wanted to try it this year. :)  Though it was dark after we finished dinner at the church, I had decided to walk home to hit my 10 miles for the day. I have a route I follow when walking home from church. I had no idea HOW dark it would actually be. There werent really any street lights, so I kept my phone flashlight on to be more visible to any cars that came by. Made it home safely and then watched the Sounders beat LAFC for the Western Conference champion...

Got to chat with this awesome missionary today whilewalking around trout lake. He is such an amazing guytotally brightens my day each Monday when we get to talk to him.  It was super cold today, so just made one evening laparound the neighborhood and then came inside to finish two more miles on the treadmill. 11 miles for the day. 

As my mom and sister Brooke, and her daughter Olivia are still in town, we decided to go to Leavenworth for a half day together. Brooke hadnt been there for a long time, so it was fun. Olivia had stayed overnight with us since she and I had gotten back late from the Snoopy train ride on Saturday. We then took her to church with us and after sacrament meeting, Jaylin and I drove her back up to Kelly's house. LeAnn couldnt go since she had a bunch of meetings for Girls Camp and Youth Conference. It was fun to see all of the Christmas decorating they had completed, (the main reason Kelly flew up Brooke and Mom) and then we headed out at around noon. It was a beautiful drive as many of the trees will still showing their autumnal foilage. I forgot how pretty that drive is down Highway 2 through Monroe to Leavenworth. It was about a two hour drive and then we were in town having lunch and going through the shops for a few hours. Headed back at 5:00 as we planned on meeting LeAnn for dinn...

Started the day at the zoo, prepped the shark food and then headed up to pick up my niece, Olivia, to take her with me on a train ride around Mt Rainier. Our book club had planned an outing on the Great Pumpkin Express. It was so fun taking my niece and she loved seeing Snoopy.  On the way up to Bothell to pick her up, I stopped by the North Creek Trail and had a nice walk there. 

Had an appointment in Redmond in the afternoon, sostopped by Gene Coulon on the way back to walk and let the traffic dissipate. I know full well the nastinessthat is 405 south on a Friday. Caught sight of this cool crew scuttling along Lake Washington.  That, in itself, made it worth the detour. 

The weather was nice, so that was nice. Headed up and around Edgewood then back through Meridian Avenue. Did see some strange wildlife outside one of the homes on the way back.   Made a pit stop at Walgreens to grab a box of chocolates since my mom was coming into town. Kellyflew in mom, Brooke and Olivia to come help her withsetting up Christmas decorations. Yep. Christmas. Reminded me of this: LeAnn picked them up at the airport and brought them back to our house for a bit. Then we all went to Thai bistro for dinner. Yummilicious! 8.6 miles for the day. 

This wasn’t one of those days. All of the physical problems I have had over the past 16 years since the knee surgery in 2003 and the rectopexy In 2015 came back to haunt me. My knees were super-sore and I was hobbling and limping around in the morning. My intestinal issues were also bringing on the pain. I didn’t want to go anywhere or do anything. But, just like Rocky, you gotta get up after getting knocked down and keep on fighting. I pushed myself out the door for my morning 5 miles and hobbled the first mile until I didn’t notice the pain anymore. There is so much to the saying ‘walk it off’. Just the action of action seemed to help and it stopped bothering me so much.  When we focus on the end goal and don’t let the molehills become mountains blocking our way, we can accomplish great things. 

Was in the FW today and it wasnt rainy! It’s the little things. Walked by to see if the Hylebos Wetlands boardwalk trail extension had been finished. The last time I was out there a few weeks ago, they had ‘do not cross’ tape out on this new segment they were installing down at the end of the trail by Brook Lake. I made it down there and saw that it was open! It was neat to see the new section and it comes out by the Blueberry farm and S 356th street. Very cool. Finished walking home from there.  11.3 miles for the day. 

Went with Jaylin to Costco in the morning for gas andthen did the walk home from there. Happily, got the Monday call from Austin right as I was crossing the I-5 overpass. It was too noisy there to hear him, so had to go on mute. Luckily, got to talk to him for the whole walk home, which was about 4 miles. As I got back toour neighborhood and showed him our house on the video, he reminisced on how nice the house was and how much he missed carpet! He said most of the homes have tile or cement floors down in Argentina. Love talking to Austin while on the walk to meet him again! This is a photo of us together at the Bean in Chicago exactly 7 years ago today. We had gone over there forthe BYU Notre Dame football game back in 2012. Took Austin for his birthday. 

We got a surprise call from Austin today! At first, when we saw the call come through Hangouts, we thought something must be wrong. LeAnn and I both answered to see Austin's smiling face and he shouted out 'Happy Mothers Day!'  LeAnn thought he was joking until he said that today was Argentina's Mothers day, so he got to call us! How awesome is that? I told LeAnn to put it on her calendar so that she can be prepared for next year! Austin got a new companion. I cant remember his name right now, will have to wait until Austin's letter tomorrow to get it down. He is from Peru and it seems they like each other. He mentioned that he has already grown a lot with the language as there is a big difference when you have a native spanish speaking companion. I tried to walk a bit this afternoon around the neighborhood. Halfway around, it started to rain, so I came back in. I was able to get out around 7:00 pm as it had stopped raining and got a few more miles in. 5 miles comp...

Will start with a haiku! Rain is drizzling Looking outside keeps me in Treadmill here I come It’s nice to occasionally watch a show while walking, but I sure miss being outside. It seems to take twice as long and go much slower when walking on the treadmill.  In the evening, went to a baptism with LeAnn for a YW in the Dash Point Ward. There were about 50 people there. That’s a whole lotta love. Went down to the Supermall afterwards. Shared a burger and fries from Johnny Rockets with LeAnn, and then walked the mall for a few laps. We had picked up tickets for Maleficent 2 and then enjoyed the movie.  #walktobahia journey update: 7,020 miles total  1,220 miles complete (around Flagstaff, Arizona now) 5,800 miles to go

Rain is putting a damper on things. 3 miles on the treadmill in the morning. Had an appointment to take the Honda to get new tires at Costco. Got there at 10 and they said it would take an hour and a half. So I walked. Went down towards the Hylebos wetlands and up past the St Francis Hospital. Circled back to PAC Highway and then the rain started coming down. I needto get a better rain jacket. The one I have been using is somewhat water resistant, but it will start soaking through after 10 minutes of steady rain. So I got quite damp before making it back to Costco. Did get in another 5 miles though. 

Had an appointment in Redmond this morning, so went via Gene Coulon beach to break up the morning traffic. Got there around 7:30 and walked a couple of miles along Lake Washington. The leaves are turning and look this awesome... It wasnt raining, so that was also awesome... Finished up on the East Side and then came back down I-5 and hit Des Moines Creek Trail.  Thats where I got hit with the rains from Africa. I luckily had a semi-water-resistant jacket, but it came down enough that it still soaked through. I had to run for cover toward the end since I was getting a bit too soggy. There is a Pavilion near the beach that has some picnic tables where I took a respite for 5 minutes while it really came down. What they say is true: 'If you dont like the weather here, just wait five minutes." I waited, and it stopped. Good thing was, I was smart enough to have brought my new waterproof Columbia shoes. They kept my feet totally dry, even if the rest of me wasnt. However, I di g...

Got in a 5K between the storm clouds today. It was otherwise drizzly all. Day. Long. Didn’t want to deal withthat tonight, so hit the supermall and got in 6 miles there. It was nice and dry though. Bonus of grabbing some Auntie Anne’s pretzels on the way out. Jaylin was stoked when I brought one home for her.  Also saw this strangely named kiosk at the mall. 

I received this sweet note from a high school friend today. It was wonderful to see that this journey I am taking to walk from Seattle to Bahia Blanca Argentina was having an impact on someone else. Thanks to Heather for sharing this thoughtful note. She is changing the world in a beautiful way. I hope that each of us can start a ripple that will turn into a tide of change that can make the world a better place.

As the Halloweenie holiday comes upon us, I am seeing more fun decorations out and about in the various neighborhoods that I am walking through. This was a fun one: After getting back from the morning walk, got to spend some time talking with this amazing missionary. They have transfers coming up and his companion will beheading out and he will get a new companion this week as he is staying in Tandil, which he is excited about.  Tonight, after walking a few miles around the nearby neighborhoods and then coming back home, we had this visitor who was just cruising around our porch. Seems like he couldn’t quite reach the doorbell. 

I was out walking the Jovita trail today and I came up behind this elderly Chinese man. He was walking slowly while looking around in front of him and seems to be searching for someone. I pass him and look off to his left to see this tiny old lady, probably in her 70s, crouching down behind the fence. As I look at her, she catches my eye and smiles and winks, while motioning not to give her position away. I smile in response and keep walking by nonchalantly. The old man saunters by... he finally turns around in his confusion and she pops up and starts laughing hysterically. He then joins in her laughter. That is how you keep the fire burning into your elderly years. 😊 It is sweet moments like these that I never would have experienced otherwise, that make the journey so delightful.

Fun to be at the zoo this morning and see some of the Jack-o-lanterns and decor that they had out for the holiday. Walked the zoo before the aquarium and loved this shot of the Artic Fox. Just the perfect little stuffed animal. After taking care of the shark food prep, I was asked if I could carve a couple of pumpkins that they would drop in the shark tank and the lagoon for the fish to nibble on. They then stuffed fish in the holes and added some weight to the pumpkin so they would drop to where the fish and sharks could enjoy their pumpkin/fish pies. The sunrise was stunning this morning and helps me better appreciate the beauty of this world. You can see Mt. Rainier off to the right side of this shot. We also got a call from Austin in Argentina as it is his birthday. He said it was unlike any other birthday he has had. This time, it’s not all about him as he is serving others and he is focusing on bring them happiness and joy. Its so great to see the maturity he is gain...

Started the day by going with Jaylin to Costco to get gas before she headed off for school. Then walked home from there. It was about 4 miles. This afternoon, went with LeAnn to Tacoma and went to the Botanical Conservatory next to Wright park. Was a beautiful greenhouse with some spectacular foliage. Then walked around the park and enjoyed the nature of the setting. After that, went and tried the McMenamins Elk lodge for dinner. The setting was really cool, though the cheesesteak I had was just so-so. Then we drove through Old Town and saw some amazinghouses along the waterfront, many of them over 100 years old. Finished up at Point a Ruston and the Nee Dune Peninsula Park. Was nice to spend that time with LeAnn and get some walking in along the way. 

Dropped LeAnn at work and then headed up toward Redmond. Stopped at Gene Coulon to get a few miles in. It was sooooo cold. Had to alternate putting my hands in my pocket to keep my digits from breaking off like icicles.  As I rounded about this little island that hits out into Lake Washington, I caught some movement under the bridge I was crossing. Looked down to see this guy balancing along a log and then working toward a couple of smaller raccoons. You can see oneof them under the bank.  Continued up along the waterfront and back for about3.5 miles. 

Walked Flash. Picked up his poop. Dropped him backhome and then headed out toward Edgewood. Walked through the farmlands for a few miles and then came back to Meridian Avenue. Grabbed a soft taco at Taco Time and then back home. Came in at just under seven miles. Hit 12.2 for the day

Took a big loop through Milton this morning. Down to Triangle Park and then up and around Surprise Lake and home again. It is definitely getting colder, and as I found later in the day, wetter. We had an HOA meeting at Discovery Primary School this evening, to which I decided to walk. It is over by Surprise Lake Middle School, so close to a two mile walk. I left early enough to get over there by 7:00. Luckily, I had swapped out my fleece hoodie for a waterproof one. Even though I hadnt expected rain as I left, about 5 minutes in, it started coming down. Just a sprinkling, but enough to start soaking through the shoes. It held solid like that until I got to the school - at that point, it promptly stopped. Such is life. Odd thing was, on my way out of the neighborhood, and before it even started raining, I saw this rainbow to the North of us. The walk back from the meeting was quite dark, but the Milton neighborhoods I was walking through were not highly trafficked, so it wasnt too ba...

5 miles around the trail and up to Trout lake. Saw Melanie and Keri from the next neighborhood over who had just dropped their kids at for the bus stop. Had a nice chat with them.  Got to talk to Austin today on video chat. He is excited for his birthday coming up and got a present of Nerds from his mission president during a zone conference that they had today. The presidents wife even posted a picture on Instagram of the occasion, which I grabbed a screenshot of here. :) Dropped Jaylin off at TJHS for LeAnn to take her to the doctor  Then went down to Redondo and did four miles there. It was windy and misty. Here is a video ofsome of the waves that were lapping over the beach wall.  As it started coming down a bit harder, the boardwalkwas deserted of other walkers and I had the whole thing all to myself! Finished with 12 miles for the day

Today was General Conference. It was awesome. We had the delicious breakfast casserole, and Grandma and Grandpa Thorne came over, as well as Jaylins friend Maria. It was a great day. Took Flash out around the neighborhood and walked Jovita Trail. The. Walked a couple of laps with LeAnn tonight and did a couple more for 7.5 for the day. 

Day at the aquarium. Walked the zoo before taking care of the shark food prep. Had one of the mackerel squirt blood all over my shirt and pants when I chopped off it’s head. It was icky. Finished up in good time, so had a bit of a break to walk a couple of miles before I needed to be back to help with the shark feed. I helped with the nurse sharks and fed some mackerel and sardines.  Later in the day, while Jaylin was at work, I walked out that way to the pizza place and grabbed a few treatsfor her. Dropped them by in a bag and told her that they were from her ‘secret admirer’. When she asked who that was, I told her it was me!  It was dark on the way back home, but made it back around 7:30 and cleared 9.2 miles for the day.

Dropped LeAnn off at work and went down to Redondo Beach for the morning walk. Sheer perfection. A bit cold at first, but soon felt just right. One of the things I miss the most about the old neighborhood is how close it was to this bit of walking perfection. A mile-long boardwalk with pristine views of the Puget Sound is right up there with bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens. Walked three loops and came out at about 6.5 miles.  10.4 for the day

Had to really kick myself in the butt to get out today. Was feeling sick this morning, so didn’t get out til around 10 for my morning five miler. Did the reverse troutlake loop and finished up by Walgreens so I could grab some milk and bring it home the last half mile. Thentwo miles in the afternoon around the neighborhood and finished up tonight with another 3 to come in at close to 11 miles for the day.  Made this nice message from our yakisoba dinner in honor of Austin

Had an early morning dentist appointment up by FWHS and decided I would walk home from there. LeAnn dropped me off on her way to work, I went through the torture session and then took my numb tongue and lips on my walk about through the FW. Took backroads down through Celebration park, over to Weyerhaeuser and down past the stake center. It was a good 9 mile jaunt.  This is the street heading down 36th Avenue.  12.2 miles for the day