The Hazard Chronicles

My fingers are stiff and the tips still hurt a little bit as I type this blog post out on my computer. It's been a while since I felt this way, and I miss it. Climbing season for me is full on right now, and I made some serious progress yesterday on a climb that I've had in mind for years. It is a full two grades harder than anything I have ever done, and the first time I looked at it I couldn't see how it would be possible, even in theory. Well, I went down with a friend yesterday and came away not only having done all the moves, but having done the entire route in three separate "links" which each overlap the next. For the non-climbers out there, just know that this is huge. It means that I am pretty sure that I can do it, and that it is going to happen sooner rather than later.

There isn't much to say about climbing that I haven't already said. Every route is unique, and every day on the rock brings with it a different mix of experiences. It's almost always good. But it has been a couple years maybe, since I approached a route that required me to dig so deep to find my own potential. I love it.

*****

Evelyn took center stage again this week with the band. This event had several different groups, and they got the chance to perform two songs. They did the same one as last time (Zombie, by the Cranberries), as well as a new one they have been working on (Creep, by Radiohead). They still have some polishing to do, but it is fun to watch them, and the stage experience is hard to beat.

Here are some photos from the show:

So, this is totally a "dad" photo. They called the name of the band. The crowd went wild (for real). And then Evelyn, my daughter, who is better known to her friends as "Moth," leads the band onto stage with a stride that demonstrates so much confidence that it was hard not to feel just a little bit of dad pride. I mean, seriously- why couldn't I be this cool?

Evelyn gets two photos because she is in our family and this is my blog and I can do what I want :)

Guitars are cool too though, so I guess we'll get some close-ups of those as well.

The band has a stage presence that is very intentional, and they pull it off well. For a group of middle-schoolers, they seem very comfortable in front of an audience.  

*****

Here's a few more random photos from the week.

A park we went to. Can you spot all five kids?

Rachel playing around on Evelyn's skateboard

Maren is a sweetie. Jackson's friend came for a sleepover. Maren made a nice breakfast for everyone.

Also, I don't have a picture of it, but we got a large package in the mail this week addressed to Addy. Nobody was expecting it. When it was opened, Addy saw a scooter just like one she had been looking at (coveting) that our neighbor has. It turns out that Maren saw Addy's excitement over the scooter and decided to use her own money to order a "just because" present.

Maren is just one of the most thoughtful people ever. I love that girl!

Our family won a bunch of stuff this week. We never win anything, so it was sort of a big deal. First of all, we took the biggest prize at the school raffle, which includes lots of sweets for the kids, and lots of date nights/family outings for us.

Also, at the concert they had a quick trivia event during intermission. The winningest question: Where is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame located? Well, it turns out that Addy happened to know that she was born just a few miles away from it. Cleveland, Ohio. She went home that night with a lot of swag, along a week of summer music camp.

It's kinda fun to win :)

Finding turtles down at the pond.

Alright- that's all I have. 

Have a good week!