running errands

have i mentioned i love living in the city?
i do.
and i love riding my bicycle to and fro.

yesterday was such a gray day here in northern ut, this seems to be happening more often than not. so, unable to climb, and with little interest in anything, we ran errands.
bank,
lunch,
and the gym.
mundane tasks.


but, following this guy around can brighten any dreary day.


isn't he the cutest thing you've ever seen?
i agree.

then, the rains came, and i've left my bicyclette parked in the gym.

ogden is under water

literally.

the desert is not designed to hold as much water as is currently falling from the sky. even the gym is leaking.

there are a variety of reasons the rain is problematic.
-i cannot climb.
-i cannot ride my bicycle.
-i generally cannot go outside without returning home in a drowned state.
-and, i cannot climb.

in a completely undramatic, and logical state i say: we will be washed to the ocean.
one drop at a time.

i think i need to start a new blog reel

called: things i see whilst riding my bike.

it's going to be an interesting one.

i never realized there were such unique and interesting characters in ogden. people should ride bikes more often , it really connects you with the world

for instance yesterday,

while crossing the road,

i saw a man.

in a gas mask.

giving me the finger.

i rode by him very quickly....sometimes it's just better to look at the ground and keep peddling.

today i road the river parkway on my way to work. then, i fell off my bike in front of a car. very embarrassing.

sometimes you see the crazy person...sometimes you are the crazy person.

also yesterday, we took this little bear climbing for the first time.

she'll be the next lynn hill. i just know it.

things are getting wild

today is april 8th. it is snowing.

not moderate, kind-of-snowing, will melt in moments, snow.
actual flakes, unending, stick to the ground, hide out in the house, type of snow.

it's kinda depressing.

normally i like the snow, but now it is april, and i hate the snow. i want warm weather, and my face turned toward sunshine.

ranting about the weather will surely change it. .

also, i bought a house.
ok, townhouse. but not a condo, let's just get that straight (renee). and have been cleaning and scrubbing, and readying it to move it.
moving will not happen until the snow stops.

snow. stop.

in other random and interesting thoughts: we are throwing a climbing competition at my gym -The Front- because, again, the snow. we were notified of this on tuesday, and in three days we are putting together a comp, an after-party, and a fun filled gear demo. the pressure is on. however, ogden is the greatest, and we are amazing, and things are happening.

so, you, my faithful fourteen followers (i like the alliteration) come visit me on saturday, meet beth rodden (a real and actual climber) and watch people compete. or, come to the after-party. just get in your cars and drive down.
it's snowing, what else will you be doing?


this is beth rodden. not me. but, i can see the mix up.

note: these images have been stolen from various websites in order to make my blog have images. i did not take the picture of beth rodden

my favorite city

we went back to idaho.
love.
i've decided, officially, that almo is the most beautiful little valley.
also, the almo inn, very romantic. i am a sucker for a jetted tub, every time.




then we climbed.
the city of rocks is a wild place. the rocks are all perfect and they are scattered haphazardly in the bottom of a valley. like a child forgot to put away his toys.


then, i led colombian crack, and chim-chim-chimney-ed my way up the first part.



placed six or seven bad pieces in a row, the first one fell out when i was mere inches above it. not at all invoking confidence in the rest of my pieces.
then i ran out.
so, i ran it out.
it turns out my panic placements are more secure than my thoughtful ones.


it was glorious, and sunny, and completely void of people. except the germans, but they were nice.

we wore flip-flops all day, and decided that we will not put our toes in shoes again until fall.


later it snowed in northern utah.
i stick by my decision.

hygienically unequivalent

i discovered that i shower exactly 4 times less than my girlfriends.
this is not to say one way is better, simply that i am not as clean. it is something i grew use to on my trip, and it has continued into my daily life. i haven't realized it before now. i work at a climbing gym, everyone there is a hippie, i am the most hygienic.
i am the least when it come to my friends.
different spaces i guess.







we went to zion.
it rained.
awesome anyway.







i love this trip, every year all of my friends get together for an entire weekend. it is laughter and happiness, and it rejuvenates our relationships.
it is becoming harder and harder to reconnect with my friends, we lead very different lives. all of us with our own ideas, and priorities. but, this trip, zion, brings us back together, and the year apart doesn't seem so long.
so, even with the freezing rain, and our suitcases full of shorts, we still managed to hike, play card games, giggle, laugh and smile the weekend away.









then, the sun peeked out, and we ran to the cracks. climbing, basking in the sun, and wearing flip-flops, there are few things that make me happier.
the weather drove home three quarters of the group, and all that remained were adrienne, andrew, and us.
sorry friends, you really missed the best part.
adri and andrew really have become quite the crack connoisseurs. moving with ease and beauty up overhanging fist cracks. k, as usual, was amazing. and my love of climbing has once again been restored. i am ready to pack the trailer, and begin again.
when our house closes, i think that is exactly what i am going to do.

2 a.m wake-ups

my wonderful and darling elder sister is here. and she brought her 3 children.

they don't like me.

normally i'm pretty good with kids, i teach a climbing class to kids, i have other nieces that think i'm the greatest (they think kaleb is greater, but that's another story).

these particular children, however, just scream when i come near. a task that happens oft as we are all staying in the same abode. and with the logistics of this housing situation, we are very close. let me give you an idea.

i live in the basement. the babes room is also in the basement. the other room (in which my sister sleeps) is upstairs. the babes like to wake-up, in the throughs of a fit, at 2 a.m. i am the nearest adult. i pick them up. they scream louder. i take them up to my sisters room, and drop them like hot potatoes on her bed.

fun filled nights for auntie bonnie.

then, it happens again. (remember 3)

so, as a person without children, and one who is use to getting an uninterrupted 10 hours of sleep, these middle of the night wake-up calls are rough. very rough. and when i come up for coffee, i am in zombie state until the pot is empty. unfortunately the little kiddies wake up full of zest and energy, and little hooves are stomping the floor above my head.

how this happens after a scream filled night is a mystery. how they are not completely horse is another mystery. but the biggest mystery of all is how my sister manages to remain sane. i would be on a cocktail of drugs, doused in a cocktail.

so, for now, i think this will remain my only child. he likes sleeping in.