La Gran Aventura Day 65: A New Hero

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

This morning we slept in a bit. I’m hoping to get out on a walk today. I guess we will see.

In the morning, we did some errands and shopping. The bishop in the London ward where the temple is let us know we can stay with him and his family when we are out there. It’s such a relief. We are so grateful.

In the afternoon, Tom Billings came over to offer his services in helping sell the granola. He and Betty and I ended up having beautiful conversation about a bunch of things. When we told him that we were going to Germany, he lit up, and told us that his father, a man I knew growing up as Grandpa Billings, had served as one of the church’s first missionaries in Germany after WWII. He was originally called to California, but the call was then changed to Germany because his father was a leader in the US army in Germany. He went to stay with his father and became one of the first post-war missionaries in Germany. He worked with Elder Ezra Taft Benson to distribute food to those who needed it. It’s an amazing story.

I only knew Grandpa Billings as a quiet old man who helped fix our bike chains when they came off. Now no know he is one of the heroes of church history.

In the evening we had dinner with Kim and Andrew Ning. I’ve known Kim since high school, and they were our dear friends when we were at Stanford. They have a beautiful family. It was awesome to spend time with them. After dinner, there was a massive amount of dishes to do, and our kids stepped up to the plate

Betty is now in full-on packing mode. She really wants out of here.

Tonight BYU squeaked by UCF in the Marriott Center. It wasn’t pretty, but any win in the Big 12 is a good one.

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La Gran Aventura Day 64: Super Bowl Monday

Monday, February 12, 2024

This morning we woke up right around 4am to watch the Super Bowl. The game did not disappoint. Before the game, I wasn’t totally sure who I wanted to win. I like Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, and my daughters are big Taylor Swift fans, but I also really love how Christian Mcaffrey plays, and he is a Stanford guy. The Niners also have Fred Warner, who is a BYU guy. So right as the game was starting I found myself pulling for San Francisco.

In the end the the Chiefs won, but it was just so much fun to be together enjoying the game. And I’m super happy for Andy Reid, my girls, and all the BYU fans who I know were also cheering for them.

When we got back from the Andreason’s house, we went up to Lehi to do some shopping, and then to REI. I think we should have some kind of platinum membership to that store. We have spent a lot of time there in the past six months. We keep going back because of their return policy.

Everyone was totally exhausted in the afternoon. We were up late and then up very very early for the game. The challenge is that when we get tired, we tend to get grumpy. And that worries me a bit because we are going to be really tired in Europe. So today was a good opportunity to practice being cheerful when we are tired.

Tonight as I was helping River prep for bed, I told her it was time to go potty. I can’t believe we are doing this whole trip and also potty training, but that’s where we are. If she is going to stay dry through the night, she’s got to go right before she goes to bed. So I said: “River, let’s get you to the potty.”

To which she replied: “No. I don’t need to go.”

“That’s Ok,” I told her. “Just go in and try.”

To which she replied: “No. I don’t need to go.”

The battle of wills had begun. We were like Wesley and Vizini, if one of them had been a 40 year old dad and the other had been a 3 year old girl.

I tried every piece of persuasion I could, but she just would not budge. She just cried and said she wouldn’t go. Eventually, I said: “River, are you having fun? Because I’m not having fun.” To which she replied, with big tears and a steely look in her eyes: “Yes.”

Finally, I told her that I would try and then Mommy would try and then she would try. Worn down, she agreed, sitting for about one second on the potty and declaring for the hundredth time that she didn’t need to go.

Exhausted, I took her back to the bedroom and she said her prayers and laid down in bed. And after about three minutes there, I heard her say: “Daddy, I need to go potty.”

Well played, River ... Well played.

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La Gran Aventura Day 63: Grandma’s 93rd Birthday

Sunday, February 11, 2024

This morning I finally was able to sit down and write a letter to the bishops in Paris and London, explaining our project and looking for a place to stay while we are visiting their temples. I’ve already tried temple housing, but I’m afraid those options will not be available to us. So we will try to make this work.

After that, Alicia let me know that she and Anahi were ready to come home from the Smith’s house. She woke up in the middle of the night with a strong desire to attend church again in the Spanish ward. Those sisters have done such a masterful job of helping the girls especially to feel welcome.

So I went and got them, and we had a good visit in the car. And then we went to church in the Spanish ward.

River did better with the primary, and I got to play the piano in there because their regular pianist was out. I can’t think of a better way to spend a second hour than playing the piano for the primary.

In the evening we had dinner with Spence and Jeanine and Andy and Marybeth. Oh how I love spending time with my siblings. The #1 toughest thing for me about Michigan is just being so far from family, and the thing I love lost about Utah is being able to spend time with them.

After that, we went to Nan’s house to celebrate Grandma Neubert’s 93rd birthday. She is an amazing lady, and assures me she will live to 100. I believe her.

It was also really great to visit with people like James and Diana and my Uncles Bryce and Reed -- who have both traveled quite extensively in Europe. Reed and Lisa do tandem bike adventures, and they have a great YouTube channel. They gave me some good ideas about how to share video and Reed showed me how to use the Relive app to make 3D video of our hikes and other adventures. I really want to start a little YouTube channel -- mostly just to have a record for myself of this trip.

It was also Super-Bowl Sunday, and another opportunity to share a great tradition with the kids.

When I was in high school, my young men’s leader at church was Mark Andreason, and one year -- I’m sure in an attempt to teach us about keeping the Sabbath Day holy -- he decided to have an early-Monday-morning Super-Bowl party at his house. His wife, Amy, made an awesome breakfast of cinnamon rolls, and all of the young men were invited and promised we would be done with the party before school started. But you could only go to the party if you didn’t know the outcome of the game. We were encouraged to spend the Lord’s day resting and honoring Him.

Mark and Amy have been doing this tradition ever since.

Now they live in Ephraim, not far from Spencer, so after Grandma’s party we drove down there and slept at the Andreason’s house. Tomorrow morning we will watch the big game.

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La Gran Aventura Day 62: Erika’s house

Saturday, February 10, 2024

This morning we all slept in. I got my scriptures read, but everyone is exhausted after yesterday’s hike.

We spent a good part of the day cleaning the house and doing laundry. Then in the afternoon we dropped the girls off at the Smith’s house for a sleepover with Amy, and then the rest of us (Kimball, River, Ian, and Betty) drove up to hang out with Erika in North Salt Lake.

We had a really pleasant visit. Erika made some excellent food, and we mostly just sat and visited. Jorge came home for just a bit, and it was good to see him as well.

On the way home we listened to the BYU vs Kansas State game. We played super well and then almost threw the game away in the last 90 seconds. But we held on. This team is getting better.

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La Gran Aventura Day 61: A tough hike

Friday, February 9, 2024

A new day is here, and I’m feeling optimistic. One thought on my mind this morning is that my biggest question is how many miles can River go in a day. To do the Camino in two months we need to average about 12 miles per day. Our longest hike so far has been 10, and those have been without packs. I’m sure the rest of the family can make it, but I need to know how far I can go with her. And I need to know how I’m going to carry her when she gets tired. She’s just too little to walk more than 5-8 miles in a day.

I also need to get caught up on the blog.

Oh, and Betty has made a bunch of granola and salsa over the past couple of days, and we need to get it sold.l and distributed.

In the afternoon we went for a 10 mile hike. Those who had them used their new waterproof socks, and they worked perfectly. It was a cold a mildly wet day, but everyone had warm dry feet.

One major challenge today was River. Today we hiked with packs, and after Grandma’s I threw her on my shoulders. But she kept slipping between the pack and my neck, putting a ton of strain on my shoulders and back and neck. I carried her that way all the way home, but it was super uncomfortable. Oh, and she fell asleep, which makes everything doubly hard because she gets super floppy. We’ve got to try something else. Maybe she can ride inside my pack? Maybe a MOBY wrap?

In the evening, Elena and Josh Smith and Roxanna and all of their kids came over for dinner. It was so great visiting with them. They are great!

• Distance hiked today: 16 km / 10 mi

• Distance hiked on trip: 111.75 km / 69.63 mi

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La Gran Aventure Day 60: Waterproof Socks and the Aburto’s

Thursday, February 8, 2024

Despite the challenges of yesterday, we woke up at a good hour and got a good start in the day. Betty was working on salsas, and I’ve been working on figuring out how we can stay warmer and dryer on these hikes.

One specific revelation to me was waterproof socks. I didn’t know such a thing existed, but apparently they do. And if Amazon Reviews and YouTube videos are to be believed, they actually work!

The problem is that they are pretty expensive, and we have already spent so much on gear.

After dropping the kids off at seminary, Betty, River, Ian, and I went to run some errands. One of our stops was Runner’s Corner in Orem by Costco. I love that place, and our family has been buying shoes from them for decades. We went there because we were looking for some sandals for Betty -- and because she needed a potty stop ;)

After just poking around for a while, we were just about to leave when I saw a clearance rack, and lo and behold: waterproof socks for 60% off! They had enough pairs to cover River, Betty, Ian, Alicia, and Anahi. That leaves only Kimball and me. It was such a tender mercy and made me feel like God continues to watch out for us.

After that we picked up the kids from seminary, and we all went out to the outlets at Traverse Mountain to grab a few more pieces of gear -- especially some good warm clothes for Betty. If she can stay warm on this trip, we will all be so much happier. While Betty and I looked for clothes for her, the kids goofed around in other stores.

Finally, this good day was topped off with a dinner visit from Carlos and Reyna Aburto and their daughter. They have been our dear friends since we were first married, and it was awesome to just catch up. The kids were especially thrilled because Reyna is a bit of a hero for them. They have seen her general conference talks and her YouTube interviews many times. And the Aburto’s had great stories about their world travels while Reyna was in the general relief society presidency, and the experiences she has had working in the highest councils of the church. But more than any of that, it was just great to be with our friends again. We love them so much, and we’ve been through a lot together.

Oh, and they might know of someone we can stay with in Paris. I told them we’ve had a hard time lining things up, and Reyna encouraged us to just reach out to church leaders to see if they can help us find people to stay with. We will try it out to see.

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La Gran Aventura Day 59: Happy Anniversary

Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Today is our anniversary. 20 years together!

Let’s just say it didn’t go as well as we might have hoped or deserved.

In the morning I did quite a bit of Japanese work. By the time I was done, a bunch of the morning was gone. While I was working on that, Betty was hard at work with granola.

After lunch, I felt like we really should go on a big hike. The weather was terrible, with strong winds and a super slushy snow coming down hard. My thought was: "what a great opportunity to test our cold-weather gear to see if it will work for our trip." Betty wasn’t happy about my idea, but she came along.

Within the first mile, it was clear that our cold-weather gear was not up to snuff. Everyone had wet feet, and Betty, Ian, and River were especially cold. So we called Dad to come to the rescue. After about another mile of hiking, he picked up those three, and Kimball, Anahi, Alicia, and I continued on.

We went down Main Street to 2000 south, then down towards Geneva Road. My plan was to go around by Provo High School and then get on the Provo River Trail at Lakeview Drive, but when we got past the school I realized that Kimball no longer had his rain cover on his pack. So we backtracked to see if we could find it, but when we got back to Geneva, it was nowhere to be seen. So we hopped on the Provo River Trail there, and headed back into Provo.

It was cold and a little miserable, and Kimball’s wet feet started to develop some hot spots, but we actually had a pretty good time. I asked the kids what they knew about WWII, and they actually knew quite a bit. It turned into a really great discussion about the war and some of the things we hope to see when we are in Europe.

At one point a guy stopped us and asked us what we were training for, and if we had any social media. We must be quite a sight -- even without River and Ian and Betty.

At one point, Khyve Peak (which used to be called Squaw Peak) was all that could be seen of the mountains. I'd never seen it like that.

After nearly 10 miles of hiking, we made it to Chic-Fil-A, where we were rewarded with some delicious chicken nuggets.

Then Betty came and got us, and the girls went to a youth activity.

On the way back from dropping them off, I picked up some flowers for Betty, but they didn’t really make up for the freezing, slushy hike I’d taken her on. She was not happy about the way this most important anniversary had gone. And frankly, neither was I.

In the night, I asked her what she wanted to do, and she told me: we are going to clean this house. It wasn’t really dirty, but I think Betty was just not in a very romantic mood after the cold. I deserve that. In the end, I decided to just decide to really celebrate our 20 years when we are in a better position to do it justice.

But having said all of that, I really am so very grateful to have spent the past 20 years with Betty. She is amazing! Our marriage is so important to me. I don’t know where I would be without her. I think we make a perfect team, and I’m so happy to be on this adventure with her.

In fact, I’m feeling so inspired that I just wrote this haiku:

Twenty years married

Where is Kimball’s rain cover?

Kyvhe peak peeks through clouds

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La Gran Aventura Day 58: Dale and Valerie and Erika

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

This morning I went on a walk and took a picture I’ve been dying to get since we got to Orem. It’s a view of the Orem Temple from the hill heading down to Walmart. I know it’s not a perfect photo, but I just love this view.

I also spent time working on our budget. We’re trying to figure out a good financial situation for the kids. They are long overdue for having a bit more autonomy. So in the afternoon I took them all over to Chase to open individual checking accounts for them. They were all in a goofy mood, and the whole experience was pretty hilarious. I love these kids.

Betty finished another juice cleanse today. She had gone 21 days on these super-juices that she makes, and she’s been feeling great, but she’s happy to be eating solid food again.

In the evening, Betty and I went to dinner with Dale and Valerie. They have been our dear friends for so many years, and it’s always great to get back in touch with them. We ate at an Indian place called Tandoor, and I highly recommend it. The Tikka Masala and Coconut Korma were both outstanding. At one point, Dale told me about how much he loved his new shoes, and when he showed them to me, we laughed as we realized mine are practically identical.

The orange Hokas :)

After dinner I turned on the radio only to find that BYU had been beaten on the road by Oklahoma. I’m glad I spent it with friends instead!

And speaking of friends, our dear friend Erika came down from North Salt Lake to hang out with Betty tonight. She introduced me and Betty to each other, so I’ll be forever grateful for her, and I love to see her.