The Hazard Chronicles

It's been a few weeks, and I need to get something out of the way before I update- a confession, if you will. The lack of recent updates on this blog is in no way indicative that we haven't been as busy as ever. In fact, we have probably been even more busy than average with the beautiful weather and everything. So, what does the relative silence indicate on this blog?

Laziness. Yep, I admit it. I think about it from time to time, and the further behind I get the more it forces its way to the front of my mind, but so far I have been able to force those nagging thoughts to the side and just not do the work that is required. So, for anyone who will believe it, believe this- I am a lazy bum.

I feel bad too, because there are literally dozens of people who read this blog, and I am sure they are all feeling very let down right about now by my complete lack of attention to their needs. To them, let me just say...

The weather has been beautiful and I have better things to do with my time. Deal with it.

Oh, and I'm sorry. :)

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To start, let's revisit Spring Break where we went to Rexburg and had a mini-family reunion. We did Easter egg hunts and took family pictures and played games and talked a lot. In the past our family has been so spread out that informal gatherings like this have been nearly impossible (Ohio, Texas, Oklahoma, Utah, Idaho). Many of us still aren't super close (in a geographic sense), but we are a lot closer now than we have been in the last 10 years or so, and it is nice that people are willing to go out of their way to get together like this. I'm already looking forward to next time.

I wish I had more pics, but this is all I took with my camera...

Never one to go easy on the kids, Griffin tries his best to get Bennet out in our family "softball" game.

BFFs

More Besties

On one night, all the ladies went to a church thing and the guys cooked ribs and ate junk food and played with fire.

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Spring is one of my favorite times of the year because it means that we get to start climbing a lot more outdoors. Now, I climb for a lot of reasons. I love the intellectual problem-solving aspect of a difficult sequence. I love the physicality of the movement. I love the emotional challenge of embracing the risk of failure and trusting yourself during a difficult lead in spite of sometimes-overwhelming fear and fatigue. I love the social aspect- standing around with other climbers and working routes while talking shop- or just talking about nothing at all. I love getting outside in beautiful areas and enjoying views and positions that are only rewarded to those who put the work in to deserve them. I love it all. Climbing is, to me, a perfect sport, but it's also so much more. I also see it as a poetic metaphor of life that takes place in the give and take between a climber and the unforgiving rock. It's beautiful.

Lately, I have also began to enjoy climbing for another reason, and that is in sharing this pastime with my kids. Of all of them, Jackson is by far the most enthusiastic and he will often initiate the planning process for a climbing trip. He's also pretty good, for a six-year-old. I don't want to put too much pressure on him, but secretly I hope he stays with it for the long haul. I think he has a lot of natural talent and it would be a commonality between us that could last for a long time. 

On one of our many trips, Jackson practices placing quickdraws on a 5.6 route in Q'emiln Park

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Here are a few more pictures of things we have done recently:

Every month, The Home Depot does a craft day that we like going to. Here, the kids are building butterfly houses and then painting them. Very fun.

We are constantly finding new places to go. This is a new trail system we discovered last Sunday and the kids and I had a great time starting with a picnic and then a lot of exploration both on and off the beaten path.

Our first camping trip of the year (in the backyard). Many, many more to follow. I think we'll even try a few backpacking trips this year so the kids can develop a taste for "real" camping.

On Monday when I got home from my normal run, Rachel arranged for a babysitter to watch Maren and Lindsey while we enjoyed a great breakfast date and hike together.

I'm sure people are tired of hearing it, but I'm going to keep saying it over and over again- I LOVE WHERE WE LIVE!

Have a good week!