Tag Archives: climbing

the sky it was gold, it was rose

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I spent this past weekend hiking and climbing with my longest bff, and then of course got home and busy and back into the swing of work and barely have though about it again.

Except, I should, because I had a great time in Red Rocks Canyon and that deserves to be mulled and thought about and acknowledged.

Lauren is one of those friends that knows me deeply, and supports me even when I am unsure of myself. There were a couple moments this weekend of “I cannot do this” when Lauren said, “You can.” (Spoiler: turns out I absolutely could.) It was nice to have someone that supports me more than I support myself, and understands who I am and who I want to be without saying any of that.

I loved being in nature and having no service and no responsibilities other than sitting and walking and eating and sucking in the sunshine and living. Laughing, and smiling, and doing things that terrified me a little that weren’t even that hard. I loved being windswept and having no mirror and just loving life without thinking about everything before and after, but just being in the moment. I loved earning my dinner by climbing up and over terrains that look as alien as Mars.

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It was a great return to the wild. It was an adventure meeting new friends, trying something I haven’t done a lot, and being still. It recharged my batteries as I rush into another week and weekend and month of being so busy I can’t see straight, crashing to bed after a full day and waking up with a list to attend to. It was necessary. It was right.

Thanks, L, for keeping me on track. Thanks for pushing me when I needed to be pushed and letting me open my arms to the sun and just be. Love you. xo

5 perfect days

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Summer is here. And to celebrate, I spent some time yesterday day dreaming about perfect days of my life, ones that have mostly happened and ones yet to come, that hopefully will happen this summer…

Perfect day 1: To start, you’re there. Of course. We’re at the beach. We have books, a volleyball, a magical supply of iced coffees, a bathroom so close by we could throw a stone at it, an umbrella, and crossword puzzles.

Perfect day 2: You and I decide to see Third Eye Blind (or insert your favorite band.) In New York City, of course. So we spend the day wandering around the city, iced coffees in hand, walk Central Park, maybe go to a museum, and then head to our concert, where we are in the front row in seats, none the less, and there are Sam Summers to be had by all.

Perfect day 3: We’re at the winery. In Malibu. All of our friends are there, east coast, west coast, middle america, southern, everyone. And our families, if you’d like it that way. Private party, winery to ourselves. Have a set list of Mat Kearney, Jason Mraz, and a DJ. Celebrate all afternoon, into the night when the twinkle lights turn on and we dance under the stars, white wine in bulk, spinning under the clear sky until we’re tired and simply must sit down and eat some birthday cupcakes.

Perfect day 4: Farmer’s market. Then yoga. Then we head home, to our sprawling backyard where we can barbecue on our outdoor built-in grill. Burgers, corn, whip up a quick potato, macaroni salad. We swing in the hammock until our friends arrive, serve sparkling lemonade and pitchers of sangria, sit at our over sized picnic table and laugh while music plays in the background. Later, we all jump in the pool, then enjoy a bonfire in our fire pit, nestled in the backyard surrounded by old couches, and our friends jam for a bit, old 90s songs everyone knows the words to.

Perfect day 5: We get a huge group of friends together, and we hike into a national park that has climbing. We climb routes we can complete for hours, and hours, music blasting on someone’s boom box, shaded from the sun but enjoying the heat, stopping only for bagged sandwich lunches, and iced tea from our water bottles. We don’t hike out, but rather find a lake to camp next to for the night, and take a long swim before cooking dinner over a camp fire and then heading to bed. The next morning we hike out slowly, taking pictures of the flora and fauna on the way.

Don’t those sound delightful? What sounds great to you?

So stop being a wuss.

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My sister text messaged me the other day.

We should run a race.

She says this a lot. She was ill. I chalked it up to fever.

Then she switched to other topics. Hometown gossip, mainly. I let it go.

Next day, I get an email about her birthday. Snuck into the bottom is,

Also, Jennie, Mikie, and Jon, here is the race I have decided upon…

A 5k. In May.

It included this: So stop being pansy babies and start running.

So I did the only logical thing one can do with older sisters: I started running. She sent me a training schedule that I knew I could not start, because Step 1 was run a mile and a half. Doubt it. So I found a website on “How to Run a Mile” which was exactly what I needed. I am not following it exactly – I am basically running until I can’t run anymore (which is not very far, don’t worry.)

Here’s what it comes down to. I started on Friday. I ran a mile on the treadmill. It took me 15.5 minutes. I took Saturday off, rock climbing instead, and ran again yesterday. I ran outside, and it took me 17 minutes. I chock that up to weather, shoes, and terrain. And because my arms were so sore I could barely lift them. And because I am bad at running, mainly.

Today’s an off day, and since my arms are still sore, I took it as a completely “off” day, but I did get this yesterday at REI, so I won’t be having many “off” days from now on, since I am going to want to run this sucker up.

Tomorrow, I have to face the treadmill again. Not looking forward to it, but I’m determined. Or maybe I am just scared of my sister…

Sunday is…

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Sunday is…sleeping in past the time you think you’re going to sleep to. Up to rain, knowing that North = sunshine (maybe.) Picked up by a best friend. Wandering around Target for 30 minutes looking for a non-highfructosecornsyrupy snack. Peanut butter and bread. New stickers. Little Miss Sunshine. The best Yoda shirt in existence. A knife somewhere in the car. Driving, Third Eye Blind, DMB, The Script….driving. Arriving to a less cloudy sky. No draws in the car — meeting up with a friend, borrowing hers. Two climbs, in two hours or less. Getting to the top. Twice. Even when I wasn’t expected to. Scrapes, scratches, success. “Why can’t we have a boom-box in the woods??” Driving. Driving driving, Third Eye Blind, Tonic. A gallon of water shared between the two. Picking up my fave Hayford boy. Driving. Massachusetts. Salem. Engine House and Drew. Watching the Celtics game, enjoying company, and Sam Summer. Eggplant parm, and salads made especially for the veggie-hungry girls covered in dirt in the booth. Learning how to drive stick shift. Driving all the way home. Pissing boys off at a stop sign because I was too nervous to shift into first. Getting yelled at by Jeff and Lauren, encouraging me that I can do it, and then I did. Scrabble. Muddier. 50 point bonus. Coming in second anyways, because checking in at home = more important that winning Scrabble. Shower, cleaning the dirt and the reminder of the success of the climbs. Sleep at midnight. Another LAP-JLP perfect day.