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Hiking with the Family

Hiking is the newest adventure we at the Miller house like to do each weekend. Often times it is Kevin and I and every other weekend we bring Trenton along with us. Most of this month has been busy and I have spent every weekend out in Graham visiting with family from out of town. Last weekend, my sister and her family, my mom and dad, and Brian and Andrada all came out to our house in Woodinville for dinner and a slumber party. My parents, Christi and the kids all left early on Sunday morning to go watch Dave in his Iron Man competition. Brian and Andrada decided to hang out with us and go on a short hike.


We decided to hike Twin Falls and show them the waterfalls. There is one part of the hike where you can go down by the water and climb on the rocks to get a really close view of the waterfall. The hike is only 2 miles and is a relatively short hike, compared to a few we have been on before. There are only a few areas that make you lose your breath up the hills, but it’s a great hike for kids and if you like waterfalls.



It is always fun to get out of the house and get a bit of a workout. We have gone on many hikes around the area and enjoy trying out new areas. A few weeks ago we went out to Cougar Mountain, the Licorice Fern trail. This was an interesting hike because the entrance is right next to someone’s house. There were barely any people on the hike because it is tricky to find. There are a few large hills, but nothing really difficult. Somewhere along the trail is a waterfall, but we failed to find it.


This weekend we have Trenton and who knows where we will end up?

Gone, but Never Forgotten

Saturday was my Grandpa’s birthday and although he passed away in January, the family wanted to honor him one last time. He was cremated and my grandmother wanted his ashes spread up in the mountains at his favorite hunting spot. His four sons, including my father, and most of the cousins got together early on Saturday morning and made the long trek up to Mount Rainier. The road up to the hunting spot was gravel and bumpy with many pot holes, we took four large trucks and no small cars would have made it. The road was one way and very narrow with huge drop-offs on one side. I’m glad I wasn’t driving, I would have freaked out.

Anyway, we all made it safely up to the hunting spot and no one really knew what to do next. The uncles talked about the old days when grandpa and grandpa great would take them all and hike up this mountain to hunt for a few hours. Back then, the road wasn’t there and the hike up took about 6 hours. My Uncle Gary, the eldest son, decided on a spot to spread the ashes and he dumped Grandpa out after saying a few words. The ceremony was poorly planned and I would have liked to have said a few words myself, but Grandpa still would have liked it.



Saying good-bye has not been easy and I miss him with each passing day. I find it hard to visit Grandma sometimes knowing Grandpa isn’t going to be sitting in his chair, pretending to ignore everyone. He wasn’t the most social man I’ve ever known, and ever since his stroke in 2003 he spoke even less. I thought for sure he would outlive everyone in the family and it is strange that he is gone. Sometimes, I think he is just at the hospital or somewhere else and I just keep missing him. Other times, I remember he is gone and it hurts my heart.



I can remember when I was younger; we would always avoid Grandpa. He seemed to be so gruff all the time. He would come home from work and we would run to play upstairs or outside. Even if we had been playing in the living room all day, when Grandpa came home, we vacated his chair and left the room. He wanted to eat his dinner and watch the news. As I grew older, I grew less and less afraid of him. Grandpa never hurt anyone or yelled at us, he was just a rougher type of man who never quite knew how to express emotions.



I guess it was when my family moved in with Grandma and Grandpa that things changed. I was a sophomore in high school and we were having a house built. The house we lived in sold faster than expected and we were left with no choice but to move in with the grandparents. Things were awkward at first, but it was the best experience of my life. I developed a bond with both my grandparents that I didn’t have before. I started talking to Grandpa and asking him questions and always greeting him.



That relationship lasted through the rest of his years. I never stopped saying “hi” when I saw Grandpa. I would hug him, whether he wanted me to or not. I would say “good-bye” when I left. Though, I am no longer 16 years old. The years have passed far too quickly and now I can no longer say “hello” or “good-bye” to him or force hugs upon him. I miss him, but his memory will forever live on. Rest in Peace Grandpa, until we meet again.

Losing My Faith

I have recently lost faith in the justice and legal system of the State of Washington, and I’m sure it is no better anywhere else. In the past year, I have watched a father fight for his child’s happiness only to be defeated by the system put in place to protect his rights. I have watched as the light in a 13 year-old boy’s eyes has slowly grown dim. I have cried for the pain both father and son have felt, because a mother can do whatever she wants without a second thought to her child. I have watched as the love of a father is pitted against a mother who fights simply for control and wins.



Being a parent can’t always be easy, what do I know I don’t have kids. However, I have watched many amazing dads out there spend hours with their children and sacrifice their own happiness for their child. I have also heard the stories and seen the affects of fathers who could care less, who have a number of kids out there who don’t even know what he looks like. I have seen mothers who give love unconditionally to their children and I have seen mothers who look at each kid as a paycheck. Whether it’s a child support check or a welfare check, that child is nothing more to them then a way to get money. I have also seen mothers and fathers use their children as pawns in their game of revenge and hate for each other.



Enter the court system. They claim to do “what is in the best interest of the child”, yet they never ask the child anything. A 13-year-old can get an abortion without the consent of his or her parent; however, they are not responsible enough to say what they want or who they want to live with.



There are many fathers out there who are “dead-beats”, but for each one of those, I have met an amazing dad. My father, my cousins, and my friends are all amazing fathers. I have also witnessed the ugliest custody battle I have ever seen and I hope to God above I never see one again. I see a child who is stuck in the middle, hopeless, helpless, and slowly losing the joy in his life. More and more time is being taken away from him and his father and it breaks my heart. Now a threat looms of no visitation or communication for six months. Really? What is this going to accomplish, besides a devastated, heartbroken child? Is this really what is “in the best interest of the child”? Cause I don’t see it.

This is a mother who hates the child’s father so much she is willing to destroy her own child to get back at his father. She doesn’t care what her child wants or needs; she cares about control and getting back at a man where hurts him the most. I have one last ounce of hope the judicial system will do the right thing and see through the lies and hate and into the eyes of a child who simply wishes for time with his dad.

Busy As A Bee!

It has been quite some time since I last blogged, but in my defense I have been a very busy girl. As previously noted, I quit my job at Alternative Counseling to concentrate on my writing. I have been extremely busy with writing projects for most of the month. I feel like I am really getting the hang of this writing thing and it’s great for the confidence.

Besides writing projects, I have a huge list of things to do around the house. Being that it is summer, most of my home improvement projects consist of yard work. The yard has been neglected for a little over a year, so I am working to make it look pretty. I started the process around the end of May and realized I started a little late in the season, at least with the planting process. These past few days I have been out in the yard every day trying to make it look good. We are having a big bonfire/BBQ/B-day shindig for Kevin, Michael, Martin, and Phil this weekend. Since the party will mostly be outside, I have been motivated to clean up the yard so it looks really great.

Here are some before and after pictures of all the work I have been doing this week. I’m still amazed when I look at the pictures, the changes that some simple weeding will do.





















And finally....if you weed it and prune it.....





Things will grow...

Rattlesnake Ridge Hike

It’s getting nice outside and the urge to be one with nature is strong. I’m not one of those girls who likes to lay out in the sun doing nothing. I’m becoming more and more adventurous and looking to get out and be more active. If nothing else a good hike feels good, whether you feel beat up at the end or not.

Last weekend, May 9th, Kevin, Phil (our newest roommate), and I went on a day hike to Rattlesnake Ridge. We got off to a late start due to other work conflicts and stuff in the morning. I packed us up some lunch, sandwiches, apples, carrots, and almonds. Then we took off, arriving at the trail about 1pm.



The hike was pretty nice, the first half hour or so is relatively easy, just a slight incline with plenty of flat ground to recharge. As we got closer to the top, the incline increased rapidly and I found myself huffing and puffing a bit. Keep in mind that I am out of shape, which is part of the reason for hiking in the first place.



After struggling for the second half of the hike, we made it to the top. I might have been the only one really struggling, but I powered through it and made it to the top.



The view was absolutely gorgeous from the top. I got as close to the edge as I could without freaking out, I have a small fear of heights.





The hike was good for me. Once we got to the top, I had such a great feeling of accomplishment and it felt really good.

Lunch with Grandma

I quit my job for a number of reasons:
1) I was getting bored
2) I wanted to become a writer
3) I wanted to devote more time to projects around the house
Most Importantly
4) I wanted to spend more time with my family.


In November, I packed up my life in Puyallup and moved to Woodinville. My family is in Puyallup and my new life is in Woodinville. They are about a 90 minute drive from one another. Why is this important? My family is important and taking the time to drive 90 minutes is a time consuming process. Add in a full time job, chores around the house, and spending time with your boyfriend and there is little to no time to make that drive.

In January, my grandfather passed away and I knew that I needed to make my grandmother a priory. She is my last living grandparent and I want to cherish the time I have with her. My grandma is a pretty amazing woman. She just turned 83, but doesn’t seem a day past 60. She is healthy, for the most part, and doesn’t need a cane, walker, or wheelchair. She doesn’t walk as fast as she used to, and has always had issues with her feet. She is still pretty active and seems to always be on the go.

She wants to come up to Woodinville to see where I live and visit. I think that would be a blast. Spending a few days with grandma, who could ask for more? She is one of my biggest inspirations. She used to read to me all the time when I was younger, and loved to sit next to her and listen to the stories over and over again. I have always loved books and reading, and thank her for that. She introduced me to my favorite author Mary Higgins Clark by lending me “All Around the Town” and, my personal favorite, “Weep No More My Lady.”


Once I read those two books, I set aside my Judy Blume books and the “Babysitter’s Club” series and turned to mystery and suspense. Now, I am in the process of writing my own mystery novel…all thanks to my wonderful grandmother.


She is also a great inspiration because she is a breast cancer survivor. Through all she has been through, I have never heard her complain. She takes the twists and turns life throws at her and overcomes them. Not only that, she still has many more things she wants to do. Travel and the love for the ocean are two more things I have inherited from my grandma.

As my first steps in spending more time with my family, I took grandma out for Chinese for her birthday. We had a great time. She was really busy that week, her sister was in town from the East Coast, so we didn’t get to spend as much time together as I would have liked. However, I plan on going out there next week and spending some good quality time with her.

I look forward to the time I will spend with my grandmother and the rest of my amazing family.


Grandma and her 11 grandchildren