The Happiest Place on Earth

For a while now, Gigi and I have been trying to figure out how to get away. Every weekend we think about turning off cell phones, piling into the car and driving away for a couple of days. We talk about it every week it seems, then the weekend comes and goes and we haven’t gone farther than Irvine. When Thanksgiving came and we had an extra day we decided that we weren’t going to go anywhere. We would just stay home, but we would do something fun to make it an a-typical weekend. We decided we would go to Disneyland! Lately Gigi had been telling me how “magical” Disneyland had sounded so it was a perfect thing to do. A good friend of ours (Hi Jim!) works for the park and graciously took time on his day off to lend a hand with the admission costs and warned us that the day after the holiday would likely be CROWDED. We were up to the challenge though and braved our way into California Adventure.

Gigi and I have always had different thoughts about Disneyland. She goes for the roller coasters (of which Disneyland has few of), and I go for the experience the park has to offer. This trip I was determined to show her the experience side of things. Especially since she is pregnant and there really aren’t too many rides we could even go on. We had about an hour before our dinner reservations so we took a little stroll through the Bugs Life area of California Adventure. I mentioned to Gigi that I loved the details like that the building that housed the restrooms was made to look like an upside down box of tissues and the signs for the rides were discarded plastic spoons. She gave me a weird look and said, “I don’t get it.” I gave her a weird look back and said, “Honey we are bugs in a bug world.” She looked around a bit and as she did her eyes got bigger and bigger, then her smile got bigger and bigger. “OH MY GOSH! You’re right!” Her eyes had been opened and from that point in the night she started realizing that Disneyland wasn’t all about the rides.

Thanks to our friend Jim, I know my way around the parks pretty well, and I dragged Gigi all over the park that night. Much to our surprise the park was EMPTY. The longest wait we had was for the Toy Story ride and that was only about 45 min. The rest of the rides we went on, we practically walked right to the front of the line. One of our favorite areas was in California Adventure. It had a netted suspension bridge, a rock-climbing wall, tire swing races (we didn’t do that, but it looked like a TON of fun), and a nature trail. We will definitely have to go back there when we are a bit more free to behave a little more recklessly.

As the night progressed, we realized exactly why the parks were empty; it was about 40 degrees out! Luckily, we dressed warm, but we never imagined it would get that cold. By 11 pm we were cold to the bone and ready to head home. As we walked back to the car we talked about how much fun the whole night was and how much we want to go back… soon! I had so much fun showing Gigi all the little things that make Disneyland fun for me and she had a ton of fun enjoying the park in a whole new way. Together we just enjoyed a night of goofing off together getting away from the same old thing. It was a much needed and much loved night out.

Freedom: A Short Story

It’s dark out. Without even opening my eyes I can tell that much. Any other day the darkness would be unwelcome. Not today. Today it means freedom. I slowly crawl from the dark and narrow space I’ve been confined to for the last 8 or so hours and begin preparing myself for what lies ahead. I know today won’t be easy. I managed to sleep most of the night despite the cold air and the lack of proper sleeping arrangements. I rub my eyes and try to take in my surroundings. As far as I can see, in all directions: dirt, cacti, mountains and a seemingly endless sky. The thought runs through my mind briefly, “I wonder if anyone could hear me scream right now?” I tell myself not to think about such things and begin to prepare for the day. The sun will be up shortly; I need to get going. I clean up my temporary home and begin walking. “Keep moving,” I tell myself. “It won’t be long now. Just keep walking.”

This is my third day out here and I’m tired. For the first two days it was pretty easy to keep going. Now, after two cooler than normal nights and warmer than normal days, my body is bruised, my hands and feet hurt, I long for shower and an indoor place to sleep and am getting wicked hungry. I keep telling myself I can endure another day of this; another week if I had to. I was quick to leave where I came from and didn’t bring much with me. I knew I would meet up with someone in a day or two. I was sure of it. I was able to grab a few things before I left. My inventory consists of an extra pair of shoes that are too small (but have been a Godsend many times), a large piece of covered foam I’ve been able to wear as a backpack while I walk and sleep on at night, a small bag with a drawstring that carries a toothbrush, a bottle of water, a few strips of beef jerky, a light jacket to protect me from the wind during the day and to use as a small blanket to keep me covered at night. I knew when I left I would need to travel lightly or I would never make it.

The sun starts spilling over the mountain to my left. As desolate as this place is, and as tired as I am, I can’t help but notice its beauty. I have never seen such colors before. The light dances across the desert and all at once this barren field comes alive with beauty. Each of the last two mornings has amazed me with the spectacular spectacle of the sunrise. Its beauty has made this trek a little more bearable. I stop and stare at the ever changing landscape as the morning light hits my face. The warmth is welcomed for the moment. It won’t be long before I will want to escape from it.

“Just keep walking. It can’t be much farther.” I have to keep motivated or I’ll never make it. I just need to reach that large rock on the horizon and I can rest for a while. It seems like a million miles away. I take a sip of the water I have left. It feels like silk against my dry lips. I’ve rationed what I have left to get me as far as I can go. It would be deadly to drink it all now. I’ll save what’s left of the jerky until I can rest. I tuck the water between my foam pad backpack and my neck. It’s still cold from last night and acts as a great cooling system for my body. I daydream of sitting on the beach with an ice cold beer for a moment. I can almost taste it. “The rock is getting closer, don’t lose your pace now.” I come back to reality and concentrate on my walking. The rock that seemed so large from so far away is becoming more monstrous the closer I get. It looks as if God was playing Jenga and didn’t clean up after it toppled. The rocks seemed precariously perched, yet incredibly stable. I’ve seen others like it on my two day trek, but this one seems particularly terrific. There is a large middle section that is perfectly stacked; one on top of the other. All around are piles of rocks that lean against and support this enormous tower. I hope I can find a small place to sit and rest for a while.

The sun has been up for an hour or so now; the warmth I once welcomed, I now wish would go away. The rock I’ve been admiring is now about 100 steps away. I can’t wait to find a nice cold rock to lie on and get out of this sun for a bit. I walk around the base of the tower and find a small alcove where the sun hasn’t yet touched. As I crawl down into it I find an empty beer bottle. “At least someone else has been here before.” Yesterday I found a Wheat Thins box; it has been a great motivator. I lay as far down into the alcove as I can and lay the foam pad along the ledge above me to keep the sun out as it moves across the sky. “I’ve made it.” I take a bite of the jerky and take another sip of water and close my eyes to rest.

I awake sometime later to the sound of footsteps on the loose gravel outside. I don’t want to make a noise. They sound like they are getting closer, or maybe it’s just my imagination. I see a shadow from around the edges of the pad, but the sun is still pretty low and I can’t make out what it is, but it IS getting closer. Two days across this desert without seeing anything else alive so I am just hoping it’s friendly… and scared to death it’s not. The footsteps stop right on the other side of my foam shield. Then… a knock, and a voice, “Dude, are you in there?” I throw the pad to the side and crawl out. “Holy shit, dude! You scared the crap outta me! Thank God you made it. I was worried I was going to be out here forever on my own!” My climbing partner showed up right on time. We arranged to meet here three days ago but without a watch I didn’t know what time to expect him. We walk together to his truck and I suck down what feels like a gallon of water. He had been there for a while already. “I saw you sleeping about 30 minutes ago and by the dirt on your face I could tell you needed a good nap, so I let you sleep. I’ve got the ropes and gear ready to go. Drink up and grab a donut on the front seat. Just let me know when you are ready to climb this beast.” He knows exactly what I want after two days hiking through the desert. I devour the donut and drink a ton of water he brought for me and I feel like a hundred bucks all over again. He tosses me a hat and a pair of sunglasses; I give him a brief nod, slip on my climbing shoes and my chalk bag and let him know I’m ready. We walk together to the base of the large rock that had been my destination during my trip, rope connected between us and protective gear strewn about. I watch as he starts climbing up this amazing rock formation and can’t help but smile and think to myself, “There is no place I would rather be than right here, in the middle of nowhere.”

every 6 weeks

this past weekend, josh, june, and i met our friends craig and zsa up in bishop, ca for some classic bouldering. it was nice to see bishop only 6 weeks after the last time we saw it! if we had a bishop trip every 6 weeks, i may be okay with that!! as a matter of fact, i think we're headed up there again on memorial day weekend. how about that's 6 weeks from now!!

check out that landscape!

josh is stoked to be outside climbing again! and if you sneak a peek behind him, a little set of lovebirds are cuddling............ ;-)

craig and zsa hanging out :-)

june was so excited to be outside. she'd go explore by herself for 10 minutes or so, then check back in like a good little puppy. we thought we lost her at one point--that was scary. but nope, she was right around the corner! phew!

uhm, hello, cows. i wanted to touch one, but thought i might die.

craig working on mandala (i think that's what this was called)... this sucker's "heinous" (a word i've noticed climbers use ALL THE TIME...!)

josh on a traverse on the headbanger boulder. this boulder was SHARP.

josh working on soulslinger at the buttermilks. this is also the boulder where june got bit by a red ant. i wanted to cry watching her in so much pain, but i sucked it up. barely.

zsa working on soulslinger. this chick is a kickass climber, btw. and she's fun :-)

don't know what this route was called. i just know i worked on it for a while...

...and it finally went!!

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!

the ultimate

my husband has a *PASSION* and a *DEEP LOVE* for climbing.

his face literally *LIGHTS UP* when he begins to talk about it.

a new route is the most *EXCITING* puzzle he could ever be faced with.

his thought process becomes entirely *LOGICAL*.

his ultimate goal is to *SUCCEED*.

his eyes scream *DETERMINATION* as they survey the routes.

he becomes *FOCUSED*, and nothing can get in his way.

he *DANCES* his way to the top, seemingly light as a feather.

and i simply *RELISH* in getting to watch him do what he loves.

Climbing lessons

I stumbled across this video today from a recent TED conference.  It’s a talk given by Matthew Childs, an avid rock climber, guide, and marketing professional.  He lays out nine life lessons he learned from rock climbing.  As a climber myself I first watched the video to see what climbing taught him about climbing.  Then I watched it again; this time watching to see what climbing taught him about life. It’s nothing brilliant or new; it’s actually quite simple, but it really does say a lot about climbing and about life in general.

 

My climbing career has gone through high’s (ranking first in the U.S. and Canada for my age group; even if it was only for one week) and low’s (two separate occasions of injuring opposite ankles to the point the Dr.’s have recommended, “Next time, break it. It’ll heal faster.”), but through it all the sport has taught me a lot about myself, life situations, and relationships. 

 

Climbing, to me, is about solving problems.  In fact, that’s what we call bouldering routes; problems.  Everything you need to solve the problem is right in front of you, but it doesn’t mean that you are ready to solve it.  Along with the tools that the climb provides, there are certain aspects of yourself that need to be ready in order to utilize the tools effectively.

 

As a newlywed, I have a whole new set of problems in front of me; to keep on with the climbing analogy.  Watching Matthew’s presentation, it reminded me just how fitting the methods I use to get better at climbing are also applicable to how I get better at my marriage.  Here is how I look at Matt's nine lessons in the way they apply to me:

 

Lesson # 1 – Don’t let go

Childs says, “You think about giving up way before your body does.” When Gigi and I were dating there were plenty of times it would have been easier to “let go” of the relationship rather than endure through whatever problem was.  I have learned from climbing that the exhilaration of solving a problem I thought was bigger than I was is always much better than saying I tried, but just had to let it go. 

 

Lesson # 2 – Hesitation is bad

I might re-phrase this to what he says later in the point, “…momentum is good.”  In relationships, just like in climbing, momentum is good.  Keep striving to do things that push the relationship forward.  Get passionate about showing the other person how much you love them and push yourself to constantly get better at it.

 

Lesson # 3 – Have a plan

Before I actually attempt to solve a climbing problem, I always step back and look at the whole problem first.  I look at what kind of holds are there, where my feet need to be, what parts may give me more trouble than others, and where I may land if I fall.  I try to bring this aspect into my marriage as well.  Whether it is a problem that Gigi and I have together, or individually, I try to take a step back and look at the problem itself; what caused it, what is the best way to deal with it now, and what do I/we need to change to prevent it from happening again.

 

Lesson # 4 – The move is the end

When I have taught people how to climb, I notice that everyone wants to solve the whole problem.  Of course the do, that’s the idea!  The problem is that when you are first starting out, it is more important to learn how to use the tools than it is to solve the problem.  Once you have a firm grasp of each of the tools, the solution to the problem becomes a lot easier.  Don’t get caught up in solving the problem the first time.  Look at each step toward solving the problem as a smaller problem solved on the way to solving the larger problem.

 

Lesson # 5 – Know how to rest

A couple of years back one of my standard gym workouts included a 200 foot long traverse. There were some parts of the traverse that were a lot tougher than others, and I would need a rest to keep on going.  I would find a small corner to lean into or a huge hold to pause on to give my hands and feet a small rest, to allow myself to keep going.  With my relationship with Gigi, I have found that rest to be important as well.  There have been times when everything going on in our lives has been overwhelming or stressful.  In those times, we have found that a weekend or a couple of evenings of “our time” helps us rest, regroup, and allows us to keep going.

 

Lesson # 6 – Fear sucks

I remember the problem vividly.  The Elevator Shaft is a problem in Bishop, CA I attempted three years ago.  About 20 feet high, long dynamic moves, and a large boulder directly underneath where I would fall.  I tried that problem about 10-15 times, but the fear of falling on that boulder, well, sucked. I didn’t end up solving it that day.  A year later I went back, pushed through that fear and solved the problem.  In my previous attempts, I was too scared of falling I didn’t realize how big my next hold was.  I didn’t have much to worry about.  That happens a lot in relationships.  Don’t let fear stop you from making the next move.

 

Lesson #7 – Opposites are good

Climbing, and bouldering especially, uses a lot of opposing forces to maintain balance.  Different opinions, interests, habits, aren’t always a bad thing.  Gigi and I certainly have our differences, but we are learning how to use those differences to become better at solving problems that arise.  We are using each others strengths to stay balanced in our relationship.

 

Lesson # 8 – Strength does not equal success

When I was learning about climbing I thought “the stronger you are, the better you are at climbing.”  What I failed to realize is that strength is only part of what makes you a good climber.  Just being strong does not mean you will get to the top.  There are many aspects to climbing, as there are in relationships, in addition to strength that need to be constantly worked on before success can be had.   Getting to the top based on strength alone, is not going to prepare you for reaching the top of the next problem that comes your way. 

 

Lesson # 9 – Know when to let go

About 3 years ago I was working on a problem in the gym.  The problem was harder than I normally climb, but I was doing really well on it.  I was about three moves from finishing it when I heard something in my right ring finger go “SNAP!”  I can actually remember seeing my finger bend just a little bit farther than I had seen it go before. It didn’t really hurt so I thought I might just ignore it and finish.  Then I decided that “SNAP!” isn’t usually a good sound so I should get down and check it out.  Ended up I partially tore a tendon in my finger.  Had I decided to push through it, it was likely I would have torn the tendon completely and needed surgery.  I have learned that there are times in a relationship when you need to let go also.  Compromise is tough, but it’s better than surgery. 

 

So in a very large analogical nutshell, climbing is a lot like relationships.  I am positive that I have volumes more to learn about relationships and climbing, but I also know that I have someone climbing with me who is just as willing to learn how to get to the top as I am.  Together we will make each other stronger, use our strengths to our advantage, help the other get over fears, maintain motivation, figure out the best plan forward, get through each step of the way, and learn how to let go of things that may create bigger problems.

 

Okay, this post REALLY makes me want to get outside and go climbing soon.  Who’s with me?!