ToddlingAroundTheWorld

Austin challenged me to post a #bookofmormonchallenge, so here it is: The past couple of weeks, I have been watching a bunch of LDS Missionary movies while on the treadmill during my #toddlingaroundtheworld journey. Many of these have brought back so many fond memories of my time as a missionary in Japan in the early 1990s. I love seeing the camaraderie, fun experiences, spiritual moments and though it was two of the hardest years of my life, it was definitely two of the best years of my life. Making forever friends, and striving to help others to understand the importance of eternal families and the love of Jesus Christ and His gospel, were experiences that impacted my life  so intensely, both then and to this very day. I was able to watch and walk through 10 movies, 1,047 minutes of viewing, which came out to two Marathons of distance, plus 27 extra minutes. #treadmillmoviemarathons. I have now completed 4,165 miles of the #seattletobahiablanca walk, with 2,854 left. This has bro...

We have had this time planned for a year or so. We were finally going to have a Miller Reunion in Washington! Then Covid. :( The governor put restrictions on gatherings of people in groups of more than 10. Since we would have 30 plus people gathering, and grandpa Miller has some problems with diabetes and his kidneys, we thought it would be safer to cancel this years reunion. It was sad and hard to do, but decided that would be the smart move. We still had our condos at World Mark Long beach reserved, so we still kept that and went down. We asked Jaylin if she wanted to invite a friend, and she invited Kiriauna Bolli. It was good for Jaylin to have a friend there to hang out with. Kelly and Ruth were also down at their beach house, so we were planning on seeing them a few times while down there, since we would still be under the 'group of 10' gathering limitation. We packed up and left around 1:00. Had a good drive down and then went over to Kellys for dinner after unpacking at...

We went out to Beards Hollow on the beach at low tide this morning. It was so cool to be able to drive along the beach on the way out there and then see the fascinating sealife in the tide pools. The girls rode out on the back of the truck and had a blast. Here is a video of their ride: The girls went into town and LeAnn and I walked the Discoery Trail boardwalk along the beach. This is truly a beautiful place!

We went out to Beards hollow again to see the low tide. LeAnn and I walked the beach a bit. Then we went up to the Lighthouse. I even picked up this shark souvenier there! I sent the picture to Cindy from the Aquarium where I volunteer. She asked if it was a Lemon shark. :) I replied that it was a little lemon with a spritz of lime, so I call him 'Sprite'! :) After that, headed back to the condo to get the girls out on their horse ride at the beach. It takes quite a while to get ramped up after checking in. They had to wait around for about 35 minutes after getting the horses assigned and out on their way. Sounds like they had a great time. Here are a few photos. Went back for dinner at Kelly and Ruths and then took the girls back to the condo. After returning to Kelly's, watch the 15:17 to Paris. Good movie.

Saturday morning, July 25th. After rousting the troops with some swedish pancakes and bacon, we drove down to the Ilwaco market. Pretty much everyone was wearing masks, which was good. We wandered around through the booths for a while, but didnt end up getting anything. Then we headed back to the condo to go to our 'pool appointment'. You have to reserve the pool at the condos by unit and then only your family can go down at that specified time #becausecorona. It was fun to get the girls out there and then I had my hot tub time. Pretty peaceful having the whole place to yourself! Then, that evening, we went out to dinner at a burger place in town. You have to place your order, then they bring it out to you. We walked across the street and found a picnic bench to eat at. It was a bit windy, but nice. Didnt get much walking in today. Just out to town and back pretty much.

Had my Sunday morning meetings on Zoom and then we went down to Kelly's to pick her up for a bike ride. Because of her injury from Friday, she still wasnt terribly mobile. We drove down to the town and rented a Surrey for me, LeAnn and Kelly and a tandem bike for Jaylin and Kiri. We were going to get them electric bikes, but they needed ID, which neither of the girls had brought with them. We loaded up the Surrey with Kelly and her cane and headed off into the neighborhoods. Found that the Surry is 300 pounds before passengers, so you are having to work hard to keep that thing going. LeAnn was in the front and helping pedal, while Kelly was in the back like Cleopatra. It was a tough job with the pedaling, especially since I couldnt really extend my legs much. We took it down a mile or so and then turned around. Seems that Jaylin and Kiri were having a fun time on the Tandem bike as they raced past us. On the way back, we switched and the girls drove the surrey for a bit and I took ...

We packed up at the condo at Long Beach this morning. I made hashbrowns and eggs for breakfast. Needed to run over to the market to grab some ketchup (Catsup?) I was able to go down to the hot tub, which you have to reserve for your own unit separately because of Corona. Jaylin didnt want to go down at 8 during our slot because it was a bit cold out there. I ended up having the whole pool, (which I didnt use) and hot tub to myself. Once we got everything packed, headed over to Kelly and Ruth's beach house to get some extra food that they had for the reunion. (Which we didnt use of course, because Corona cancelled the larger Miller Reunion). Then headed out for the three hour drive home. It is a pretty drive. Had to try and make an emergency bathroom stop, but the gas station line had about 10 people in it and people kept cutting in front of Jaylin, so we drove 5 miles to the next town. There was a grocery store there in Raymond that everyone could use. Then we got a Subway sandwich...

Made some good progress in getting back on track toward the 10 mile daily goal. Walked 5 miles through Auburn while LeAnn was at her Dr. Appointment and at Occupational Therapy. It was pretty hot out there. Found myself seeking the shady side of the street a few times. Wandered by a 7-11 to get a slurpee on the way back. The flavor said cherry, but it seemed a bit off. It was still cool and refreshing. Then mowed the lawn tonight. It is looking good after keeping up on the fertilizing and mowing. It is thick, lush and green! Finished off the day by walking with LeAnn around the neighborhood. We decided that our lawn looked as good as any of the others and better than most. :)

Went out around mid-day, which was not such a great idea. It was 83 degrees or so, but I figured to shade on the trail would save me. Nope. Was sweating up a storm by the time I had walked up to Walgreen’s. The.Went out again in the evening with LeAnn. Was much more comfortable then, even though it was still in the 70s and humid.  8.9 miles today. I have been slowing down the miles in the heat these past couple of weeks, but still aheadof schedule on my #walktobahiablanca

Austin hit 13 months out a couple of days ago. Today,we celebrated by taking one of the rings off of his mission chain. Only 11 months left.  Walked 8.4 miles today. Staying inside more because it’s a bit too hot to be walking outside during the day. 

Hid out inside in the air conditioned house until it cooled off enough to go outside. 

Dropped off Flash for his Corona cut. $70 tip

Dropped off Flash for his Corona cut. $70 tip

Austin called. that is always awesome. 

Took LeAnn to occupational therapy and then did the 3 1/2 mile loop through Downtown Auburn. On the way home, stopped by Chick FilA and got peach shakes. Yummilicious. 

Working on a new list of #treadmillmoviemarathons. This time featuring LDS Missionary Movies. Watched a fascinating one today called Them Fighting Preacher’

Matthew 5

Dentist

Paul and JoAnn Walker,our good friends of over 20 years, invited us over for dinner on Sunday. We took some watermelon and they made some yummy pulled pork tacos. It was nice to get out of the house during the quarantine and have a bit of normalcy with old friends. Jaylin came with us, and Jared was there of course too. It was a nice evening. Earlier in the day, we had our bishopric meeting and then held our in-home sacrament service. Mom then taught a lesson on the importance of sharing kind words, which will create special memories for those that we interact with. One of the ones I shared was, that for a number of years, while I was commuting to Seattle, that when I would leave early in the morning, I would go out the garage door, which opened right beneath Jaylins room. Though she was around 7 years old, she would hear that in themornings and it would wake her up. A few times of this happening, after I was walking up the street to go tothe bus stop, I would hear this cute little voi...

Walked Auburn while LeAnn was at therapy. Went to Fred Meyer to grab a few things and decided to get some plants and a birdhouse as our anniversary gift to each other. 

July 8th. 26 years with my bride LeAnn. She is one amazing lady to put up with me and keep on pushing on for 26 years. Love her more than ever.  LeAnn had therapy for her hand today and I walked around Auburn while waiting.  For dinner, we went out to dinner at Black Angus to celebrate. LeAnn had salmon, I had New York Strip Steak. We had to go in with our masks and they just had every fourth booth open. It was much quieter than it has ever been there, so that was nice. 

Ask me about it sometime. This was one of those days it would be nice to blot out. 

Walked around the neighborhood a couple of times. Then five miles on the treadmill at night. 

Just finished another #treadmillmoviemarathon. Watched and walked 26.4 miles (512 minutes, at 3.1 mph) of Toy Story movies, shorts and documentaries. Amazing coincidence that the first Toy Story came out 26 years ago! It was fun seeing the progression of the storyline and the improvements in animation over the years. #PixarAnimation , ‘You’ve got a friend in me’!  Now have completed 4,036 miles walked on the #walktobahiablanca and 12,712 toward my #toddlingaroundtheworld goal.  Austin invited us today to watch the baptism of two girls that he helped teach in Las Vegas. It was so amazing to be able to ‘be there’ and experience the joy of seeing these sweet girls accept and follow the example of their Savior by being baptized, even in these difficult circumstances.

Four years ago today, Autumn left on her mission to the Czech Republic

Planted a few flowers for LeAnn today. 

Was a mellow holiday around our house. Went to the store to grab a few things for a 4th of July BBQ. Watermelon, cherries, Caesar salad and burgers. Maria came over for dinner with us, then Jaylin and her went out to watch some fireworks. There were a ton of fireworks going off I. The nearby neighborhood through all hours of the night. LeAnn and I watched a bit of Hamilton, which is now on Disney +. The. I hit the treadmill for a couple of hours and started on the Toy Story movies. 

Today was July 3. Got the day off work since the 4th falls on a Saturday. Went to a nursery in Edgewood to pick up a few plants for LeAnn.  Got them planted in the yard and then got ready to go meet some missionaries in Auburn. I found out that Elder Jorgensen, whois the son of Sister Knapp, who I served in Sendai mission with, had been reassigned from Mexico to the Seattle mission. Sister Knapp and I served in Izumi together for the whole time I was there, which was 8 months. I thought I was there forever, but she ended up being there for 11 months! So, set up a meeting with her son and took him and his companions dinner from Jersey Mikes and a gift bag of treats and games for them to enjoy. It was so fun to see her son and the legacy of faith that has continued through the generations.  Here are some shots from Izumi that I sent to sister Knapp while we were corresponding. This was a girl that she taught when I first arrived and I was able to perform the baptism.  Here ...

I used to love watching 'The Wonderful World of Disney' on Sunday nights with my family while growing up in the 70's and 80's. The movies were magical and so much fun to watch. While the nostalgia has been flowing strong, these movies brought back great memories of the innocence of youth. I told my family that we subscribed to Disney + for the kids - (Of course it wasnt for me... 😉 )  Over the past few weeks, during the evenings, I have continued on with the #treadmillmoviemarathons theme and have now watched and walked 20 of these Nostalgic Disney movies - 2,185 minutes = 36.4 hours at 3.1 MPH = 112.9 miles = 4 marathons (+ 8 miles for good measure!) Here is the list of movies I watched. Which one is your favorite? Any that didnt make my list that I should go back and see? The Strongest Man in the World, 1975: 92m The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, 1969: 91m Swiss Family Robinson, 1960: 126m Darby O'Gill and the Little People, 1959: 93m Bedknobs and Broomsticks, 1971...

Walked the Jovita trail. So thankful this is just a couple of blocks away. Here is a picture of my walking bracelet. It has the Argentine flag and now I have added the other family mission charms to it to remind me of all of our missionaries. I have one of Japan for me, CzechRepublic for Autumn, and now Las Vegas for Austin. We will see if they someday get the chance to go back to Argentina once this Corona craziness subsides 

Took LeAnn to Occupational Therapy in Auburn this afternoon. Then I walked through downtown over to the Auburn High School and back. It was about three miles. For to talk to this guy in the afternoon. He alwaysmakes me smile! He is doing great things down in LasVegas.