Right now it is Tuesday morning. I feel like I just woke up from a dream that lasted for the past four days. I have to admit, it was a bit jarring going into work this morning, seeing all the regular people, doing all the regular things. Carrying on as if things were just...normal. But they weren't. It wasn't a dream.

It was amazing.

*****

Last Thursday, I got off work a few hours early and my Dad drove Rachel and me to the airport. My parents had driven up the day before and would watch the kids for the next four days. Rach and I, on the other hand, would be off doing "us things." No kids. No work. No worries. Just two best friends hanging out in one of the coolest places ever.

Las Vegas.

But not that Las Vegas. To be honest, we could very well do without all the trashy neon lights, the ample glitz, and and boisterous, unrestrained excesses of the strip. It is kind of a blight, as far as I am concerned, on an otherwise beautiful location. 

No, the Vegas we went for looks more like this:

Red Rocks may be one of my favorite places on earth- especially in the shoulder seasons. The extraordinary beauty of the area is awe-inspiring, and the sunrises will never get old. For four days, this was our view every morning as we approached our various destinations, each one a gem hidden deep within these canyons. The time we spent here was sacred to us. I was often overcome with emotion just to be in a place like this, with my favorite person in the world, doing my favorite things.

In keeping with our established pattern for trips like this, our days were full of activity and our nights were full of leisure. It is difficult, at this time, to go back and give a play-by-play account of things, and I think doing so would actually subtract from the description of the experiences we had. Rather than remembering individual events, my thoughts of this trip are more like those I have after finishing a really good book. I mean, things happened, and we could break it down into it's small little scenes. There was excitement, fear, intense conversations, surprising plot twists, laughter, tears, and complete unbridled joy. But really, at the end, after arriving back at home, it isn't like those individual moments matter so much as the entirety of it all just washing over me, again and again and again. This was the kind of trip that makes me feel like I need to take the next several weeks just to...process. You know?

*****

Anyone who has known me for longer than about ten seconds knows that I am completely and unapologetically passionate about rock climbing. And I have tried many times, unsuccessfully of course, to articulate to myself why the pursuit holds such power over me. It is completely irrational- that much I understand. 

The closest I have come is to say that it strikes a perfect balance between athleticism, artistry, and stoicism, with undertones of laughter, fun, recklessness, friends around the campfire, adventure, story telling, early mornings, and clear starry nights. Moreover, each of these aspects combine in different ways on every climb, like colors in a kaleidoscope, making it impossible to ever do the same route twice. It is always a unique and memorable experience. 

Sometimes though, these colors blend in such a  distinctive and surprising way that I am just knocked completely on my heels and words become nonsensical as a means of expression. It would be like trying to describe Beethoven's 5th to a deaf person. It doesn't work. It can only be experienced. And that- that desire to store an experience in a little bottle made up of words and pictures, is what I feel this blog entry is about. But it won't work. It can just be remembered.

Well, it's certainly a memory worth holding onto.

*****

On top of Crimson Chrysalis- one of the coolest routes I have done

Rachel has become an excellent climbing partner, and I climb more efficiently with her than with any partner I have ever had. She led some great pitches, cleaned gear quickly, and made our transitions last less than two minutes apiece. It is fun to see the ground just drop away beneath us as we make time up the rock.

Another one on Crimson Chrysalis

This is the third pitch of a climb called Dark Shadows, and was probably my favorite pitch of the trip. Look closely and you can see Rachel jamming her way up the perfect corner. I just have to add here that Rachel has really taken climbing and made it her own. This is especially evident on climbs like this one, where careful technique beats strength on most days. Even after a lifetime of climbing, it is neat for me to watch her finesse her way up a crack in areas where I would just go into thug mode and grab tiny face holds. 

So good!

A little inside joke here. Rach wanted me to protect the traverse well. It turned out to be like 5.3 (very easy) but I sewed it up anyway with no fewer than 6 pieces in about 15 feet. She wasn't going anywhere!

Here's me on the rappel of Birdland. This little finger crack was really cool.

I had to laugh at this picture. People have pointed out to us that it would seem Rachel and I live in different seasons. It's true. Here's me with three layers on while Rachel is skipping along like we're in the middle of the desert or something. Wait...

Evenings were fun too. Each day we were done with our long climb around lunchtime. We did a little sport climbing most afternoons, and then partied at night. This is at an upscale little "speakeasy" that mimics the many Vegas establishments during the prohibition era. From the period décor to the live music on stage, it was a great experience.

Don't Tell Mama is a piano bar we came to love in New York a few years ago. The Vegas location was almost (but not quite) as good!

The Calico Hills- where we spent many afternoons. This is where we tried hard, took falls, and left plenty of blood, sweat, and tears behind on the rock. Climbing hard is its own sort of fun.

Jelly beans for power! Again, a little bit of an inside joke. I always carry Swedish Fish in my bouldering pack, and "Fish for Power" has become a thing of mine before most sessions. Well, I ran out of fish, but Rach came through with these. They didn't work as well, but they got the job done.

Scoping out the route

Working the route. This is what 80 percent of hard sport climbing looks like- sitting around recovering before the next attempt. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

Also, I should add here that I had one "mini project" that I came back to several times during the trip. In the end, I came very close but didn't send (I had to hang on the rope for about 5 seconds before pulling back on). It was a little disappointing, but only a little. To me, the process of working a route is far more fun than actually clipping chains. I mean, it's always nice when the hard work pays off in the end, but I don't feel like I lost that much in walking away and leaving something to come back for.

Alright- that's about all I have to write. Again, I don't know how to put it into words, but it really was a wonderful extended weekend. Rachel sure is a cool wife.

Have a good week!

In our family, we really like hanging out with friends. Especially if there is an activity involved. It seems that having other people around to share an experience gives it that much more depth, in the moment as well as in our memories. 

This past weekend was one of those times, and even though it was a short break for us (two instead of the usual three days) it felt more refreshing than normal. So here's a shout out to good friends and fun times.

We started the weekend by spending a day at Vantage. Climbing, exploring, and hitting rocks together (I don't know...) were the activities, and I'm pretty sure everyone was able to have a great afternoon in their own ways. Jack finally did a clean lead on a climb with a committing move he has bailed on in the past, and Addy worked on a new project that is at her limit. The kids were self-sufficient enough to allow the adults time to do their thing. Lindsey found new ways to get stuck on top of cliffs (only climb up what you can climb down!), kids all enjoyed raiding our stash of fruit and granola bars, and nobody got bitten by snakes or had to call an ambulance. All in all, a good day.

Keeping it light while trying hard. Big holds, but this girl has to do a series of all-points-off jumps to reach them. I've no doubt she'll lead it in the near future.

That evening we drove to a hotel in Wenatchee where we got adjoining hotel rooms. After the highlight of swimming in the little puddle the hotel had to offer (I still don't get it), we all ordered pizza and watched a movie before finding our places to sleep for the night. The night was mostly uneventful, except for the part where Jackson rolled off the bed and landed on Addy, and the part where Maren got up and locked herself in the bathroom because she didn't want to listen to Lindsey breathing. So, yeah...one of our better hotel stays.

The next morning, the Misners took off early to secure a good parking spot at Mission Ridge ski resort. Meanwhile, our family had a leisurely breakfast and arrived just after the chairs opened. It was a gorgeous day and the views were stunning. Except for a wonderful tailgate-style lunch, we were on the mountain until it closed, and in that time we were able to switch partners/groups several times. 

The views were incredible! We could see many of the major peaks in the Cascade range, the trees were heavy with windblown snow, and the sun was shining. You couldn't have asked for a nicer day. Pictured are Jack, John, and Anders scoping out their line.

Part of an airplane. Hit it on your way down for good luck!

It is so great that our kids are finally all old enough and skilled enough to be on their own. It's been a quick minute since Rach and I were able to take some laps together- just us.

Looks like everyone had a good day. Tired kids make for a quiet drive home. It was nice :)

Also, I want to include a memory here for my grandpa, just in case he happens to be reading this (Hi Grandpa!). When I was a kid, he and my dad took me to ski at Dodge Ridge, a small resort in California. We stayed the night in an homey little cabin, and for dinner we had split pea soup at the only open restaurant we could find. It was warm and cozy, and the whole experience came back to me as I sat with my own kids at a different resort, chatting among friends and eating Phil's homemade split-pea soup. 

Anyway- now nobody can accuse me for lack of sentimentality. Really, there is nothing like spending time with friends and family, laughing, playing, and just hanging out. I hope my kids have their own great memories of these sorts of weekends.

Have a good week!

 I'm just going to borrow Rachel's post on Facebook for this blogpost, even though it's a little late: 

*****

Something wonderful happened at our house this weekend. We are excited to now have a teenager in our family!

Evelyn is growing into a fantastic young woman who loves anime, drumming, creating art, scary movies, hanging out with friends, baking, and hoodies. She is fun to talk to about life, and I love her witty humor.

Teenage years can be wild, exciting, busy, unpredictable, and fun. I look forward to enjoying the ride.

She has inherited Rachel's apparent immunity to cold weather. She often walks to school in below-freezing temps in nothing but a hoodie and jeans.

I told her to look angsty (after all, she is a teenager now). This is the best she could do.

Just some context to know what's going on here- we took a family walk and Evelyn sort of disappeared for a while. I walked around by myself looking for her, and finally found her down by the river with a set of sidewalk chalk. All of this will be underwater in about a month, but for now, she has created a beautiful mural for those who can hike far enough out of their way to find it.

*****

I have to say that for years I have been looking forward to the teenage years for our kids. It seems like many parents roll their eyes and give me a condescending smile when I say this. "You don't know what you are in for," is what they seem to be expressing. But to me, that prospect is all the more exciting! They are right- I don't. Nobody does. But teenagers and so cool, and are rarely given the credit they deserve. Evelyn acts more and more like a young adult every day, and in doing so becomes so much more relatable. She is definitely her own person and she sometimes surprises me, usually in good ways. I feel lucky to have her in our family, and as cliché as it may sound, I am thrilled to watch her grow into the amazing person that she is.

Here's to many more years, jamming with one of my favorite people. Isn't that what parenting teenagers is about? Jamming? I think so.

 What a weekend we have had! I feel like I need the next four weekdays just to recover so that we can do it all again next weekend! Also, just want to add a little shout-out to Evelyn here. She had her birthday and now we officially have a teenager in the family. I am excited. Teenagers are cool. A little later this week I will do a whole post just on her. As for now, enjoy the photos!

Sledding with all the neighborhood friends at the golf course near our house. It is so nice that our kids are old enough to take care of themselves. They are all awesome and it makes it really fun to do stuff with them. 

Another trip to the petting zoo. Pretty sure this is our kids' new favorite place. This is me with a wallaby.

We met up with some friends as a bouldering gym in Spokane. It was fun to see them, and I think we all felt like we climbed well. This is me and Addy scoping out her big project for the day. She threw herself at this thing maybe 50 times. Her frustration with herself brought her to tears at times, but she refused to quit because she knew she could get it. Eventually, right before we left, she sent the problem to the cheers and applause of every person in the gym. Her own scream of adrenaline and celebration when she finally stuck that last move was the loudest of all. It was a neat moment to share.

I've got to say one thing about Addy. That girl is tenacious. Last week when we were climbing she was trying for an onsight at her limit (which she got). The best moment for me as a belayer though, was when she was doing a very strenuous move and as she pulled through she was grunting to herself "Type....two....FUN!" That made me smile. Addy accomplishes a lot in all areas of her life, and I think it is because somehow she just knows how to put herself out there and try hard. She is not afraid of failure (perhaps because of her easy initial successes?) and that has pushed her to go so far in so many things. It is very cool to watch.

We went skiing as a family. I have to say, Lindsey has really come into her own these last few weeks. I'll be honest, at the beginning of the year she was...kind of a pain to ski with. She complained a lot and needed help on steep sections. I don't know what happened to that girl though, because the last two times we have gone she has been the last person on the mountain when all the rest of us were ready to go. She skis intermediate runs completely on her own, and when she does fall she usually comes up laughing.

On Monday, Rach and I got out for a day of climbing with just us. Vantage had beautiful weather and perfect conditions. We both put in good performances, interspersed with fun easy routes and good conversation. Rachel, by the way, is a crack climbing machine! On the way home we stopped for a nice dinner and then got home to talk with the kids for a while before bedtime. What a wonderful day. What a wonderful weekend!

We had the best of intentions.

For Maren's birthday we had reservations for a nice hotel at a ski resort. We had the bags all loaded up in the car. We had prepared plans for a perfect pizza present party at the pool. The next day we would ski. It was all set and it was gonna be great. We drove to our destination.

But it was not meant to be. 

Turns out the hotel messed up our reservations. The weather took a massive turn for the worse with some of the coldest days of the season. And it turns out (surprise!) that Maren doesn't even like pizza.

That's okay. We turned around, drove back home, got Maren a nice chicken pasta (that girl is so weird), and watched a movie while the rest of us pigged out on junk food. The next day, instead of skiing, we all went to the Big Red Barn, which is a petting zoo. Many of us also went rock climbing at the gym. It was a good weekend. Just not what we expected. 

As for skiing- there is always next week.

Maren is so awesome, quirky, unpredictable, and just downright cool. We sure love this girl. 9 looks good on her.

Another zoo picture of Ev with a giant rat-pig-beaver hybrid. Actually, I don't know what it is. Ev is turning 13 tomorrow- a teenager!

This is Addy and me outside of the climbing gym. She has really taken to climbing lately. She'll practice on her own on our home wall, and she loves to go with me whenever she gets the chance. The competitive spirit and "try-hard" are stronger in her than in any of our other kids and it is fun to watch her crushing her goals.

Just a nice little night out at the resort. Everyone else posted Valentine's day stuff on social media, so I just wanted to reassure everyone that Rachel and I still hang out and stuff too. That's all.

Have a good week!

Addy is a pretty cool kid. I mean, we already knew that, but now this opinion is a little more widespread. We mentioned this in a post a few weeks ago, but now we have the rest of the story. So, one day, sort of out of the blue, Addy decided she wanted to start an after school club. This idea led her to talk with some friends, and then to some teachers, and eventually she had a room reserved at the school, a date set, and a teacher who was willing to help out with this experiment. She did some advertising, I think. Or maybe she didn't. The club would be called "School'n" and it was exclusive to 5th graders. She was hoping for at least ten participants.

Well, the day came, and she had somewhere between 30 and 40 kids attend. That is over half of the combined 5th graders at her school! She got up in front of these peers and ran a meeting and planned some stuff. It seems like this thing is sort of taking off. The club now meets regularly and has become a popular hangout, all because of her crazy idea. Sort of cool, right?

A couple weekends ago, Rach and I went out to watch the Seahawks in their miserable last showing against the Rams. Regardless of the outcome, it is always fun getting out with Rachel and relaxing, and when the game was over we both just did not feel much like adulting again. This is where Evelyn's awesomeness comes into play. We gave her a call, set things up and then drove to a nearby hotel where we soaked in the hot tub and spent the night without worrying about whether or not the kids were keeping things clean or going to bed. For the past couple of years Ev has been a terrific babysitter, but this was the first time she has ever gone overnight. It was nice that we were just a phone call and 5 minutes away, and  as we expected, the the house was perfectly clean when we arrived back home the next day. I feel like we've gotten pretty lucky to end up with the kids we have!

This last weekend we had almost all of our kids invite friends over for sleepovers. It was a party night for sure, but unfortunately Maren's friend was unable to come. This meant that we made plans of our own. Instead of staying up past midnight like everyone else, Maren happily went to bed at a reasonable hour so that just her and I could get an early start the next morning on fresh powder up at the resort. We were up there before anyone at home was even awake, and we had a great day!

The next day we skied as well, this time with a couple of other families. Lindsey and I spent most of the day together and she made some major breakthroughs. Honestly, it was probably the best ski day of her life. It was fun to watch her confidence build as she managed run after run with no falls and tighter turns, and she was actually sad when it was time to go at the end of the day. She told me she can't wait until next time and, truth be told, neither can I. Go Lindz!

One more thing this week- Bo, a good climbing friend of mine, just finished converting his basement into a training room. A few of us helped set his spray wall last week and between his place, my own home setup, and the gym, I am anticipating a fabulous season. The weather is starting to get warm enough to tease us, and Rachel and I have a trip planned for Red Rocks in a few weeks. It's gonna be great!

Alright...have a good week!