Reaching New Heights

We’re back! We are coming up on our first year anniversary and we are finally starting to settle into a routine that we can all handle. We are figuring out what our schedule can handle and how far we can stretch ourselves and trying not to ignore friends and family while still getting in the things we want to do each week.

One of the things that slipped out of the rotation was our climbing. Around the beginning of the year we both decided that we would get back into it; first for fun and as a means of staying in shape as well. From the moment we started hitting the gym again we both realized how much we missed it. The first week it was practically all we could talk to each other about… and it hasn’t stopped! Four weeks later and we still can’t stop talking about it. The other day Gigi came home with a bubble jacket she got from a friend. She pulled it out of the bag, held it up, and said, “for our next trip to Bishop.” She knows the way to my heart, doesn’t she?

I got bit by the climbing bug the day I went to Joshua Tree with an old friend (Kevin Ranck – if you are out there, I miss ya, man!). I always knew the sport would be a big part of my life after that day and told myself, “I’m gonna marry a woman who climbs one day.” Guess what? I did!! Not only did I marry a woman who climbs, I married a climber! Granted, she didn’t know she was a climber at the beginning, but she knows it now! It is so much fun to share the sport I love with the woman I love!

It’s so fun to watch her light up when she reaches a new level of climbing. It’s awesome to watch her figuring out the problem she is working on. And it’s exciting hear her voice get louder and more excited when she talks about it with me and others. The other day we almost went to the gym twice in the same day because she wanted to go back! Now that’s a climber!

I have always contended that climbing is a great metaphor for relationships. With or without a rope there are two people looking out for each other. When a person falls, the other is there to catch or help protect the other person from injury. When one person struggles, the other is there to take up the slack or give guidance to help the other person through the tough spot. And like with any sport, the more you do it, the better you become at doing it. The same thing goes for a healthy relationship.

Coming up on our first anniversary of marriage, we can definitely attest to it having been a lot like climbing. We have each had our times of struggle when we were reliant upon the other to get through. We have also each had times of pure success that we have been able to share in together. We are getting ready to reach new heights both in climbing and in marriage. It’s an exciting time for us and we couldn’t be happier about it!

P.S. - We are always looking to introduce people to the sport we love so much. If you are interested, let us know! We’d love to take you climbing!