Why is Santa so Jolly?

Because he has a list and he knows where all the naughty girls live.

Sorry, it is one of the few jokes that I have heard and I can remember. So far the seasonal stress have been kept pretty low. I have been trying to do as much as possible to help Sara as she is gearing up for meeting the billing requirements. Starting next year it all counts and I can feel her stress already.

But the presents are in the mail, and this is the big weekend of running around. Hey, if you want to give the U.S. a present this holiday season you can sign this petition to censure and impeach President Bush. If you are a supporter of Bush -- I'm sure he would love to hear from you.

To Mom -- We miss you, Merry Christmas and Happy New Years.

To the Painter's, the Lingafelter's, and the Prince's -- Merry Christmas and Happy New Years.

To Dad -- Merry Xmas, we'll see you on the 24th.

To all our friends and family -- Thank you so much for helping us through the last three years. It has been a long road, and one that we've managed thanks to you all. Sara is proving to be an outstanding legal advocate, and I'm learning to cook -- when I can keep Sara out of the kitchen.

Happy Holidays.

Clearning the mind.

I need to go climbing. My brain is full. I have been reading a book called "Don't think of an Elephant!" by George Lakoff and it has really helped me connect the dots. I have often wondered how so many people can support the corruption of the Republican party? I mean when a Democrat is corrupt few rally around that party representitive, but with Republicans they can have money laundering, election fraud, mob relations, and these people will have the support of their party to the bitter end.

Yeah, my brain is full. The deciet of the GOP party is almost too overwhelming. That must be why so many people continue to support them. If they actually thought about the party they follow they'd be shamed, embarrassed. I mean think about this -- the GOP says we need "tax relief" so they cut taxes, and they spend billions each week causing the government to be so straped that they have to cut social programs. Now some would say that is great, we should support the causes we believe in, but the reality is that these people secretly don't want to be responible for anyone but themselves. They don't want to be kind to their neighbors. Pretty soon, medicare will be gone, Social Security gone, how about unemployment?

I often wonder if my mom had kicked me out at 18 where would I be? If not for my mom's "social" program I'd probably gone from minimum wage job to minimum wage job. But she gave me room and board for three years of junior college, and then she paid my rent for five more years as I went to university. Yeah, I had to work for it, but we are talking eight years my family supported me to give me a chance at a better life. And without my mom's taxes paid to the government, I probably wouldn't have even gotten to the university.

Yeah -- clearly I need to go climbing.

This I believe

There is this interesting "This I Believe" written by Penn Jillette, of Penn and Teller. I really enjoyed the essay, as it has a few profound points (to me.) He writes, "I don't travel in circles where people say, "I have faith, I believe this in my heart and nothing you can say or do can shake my faith." That's just a long-winded religious way to say, "shut up," ..." I found that to be true, and sad. Especially since so many people who, despite truth and fact and faith, stick their heads in the sand and ignore the very foundations of morals, freedom, peace, etc.

Anyway, I liked the article. I like that someone can just accept that maybe what we know as truth can actually change. That truth has a perspective and we can impact that truth. In physics it was believed that Newton's laws were absolute. Then along comes Einstein and he sees the laws as guidelines and ends up appending the laws, changing the laws, providing new truths.

Being wrong is not really new to me as I have for years professed that I try to keep my opinions flexible and I am male. Who am I to say my opinion is better than yours? Of course, we should all do everything we can to support and understand our own opinions. Too often do we hear someone elses words and claim them as our own without doing the research. How hard is it to listening to the opposition and then either accept an verify the information, or disagree and disprove the information?

Okay, it is difficult. Some of the crap that comes out of the talking heads is so offensive, so hateful ... Yet, you have to spend the time or you wake up one day and you've lost sight of what is important in your own life. Whether that includes a faith in God or not.

This I believe...for now.

Any other day.

The last month and a half have been long, and we are getting into a routine. We had one of our first weekends without a million things to do, and as usual one of us got sick. Sara, the dog, and the cats are pig piled on the couch with a nice warm blanket, and I sit typing while I download 33MB iTunes over my 44k modem. So that gives me lots of time to figure out something good to write about...I read a funny comic the other day. Okay, I'm won't tell you about the comic, but I did recently get over to a comic book store, and was in heaven. I don't really know why I like comics, but I find the reading and artwork to be where my imagination can be most inspired. T.V. just doesn't seem to do much for me. Most tele just irritates me, and has me wanting to open a book or comic to read instead. If I were a better writer I would try to create something interesting but I have enough trouble in my efforts to come up with dinner ideas.

I made my mom's Kung Pao Chicken last weekend. It turned out pretty good and instead of using chicken I used quorn as a substitute. It had been a number of years since I made that recipe and it turned out delicious. I have also gotten some other cooking done the last few weeks. I made a completely vegitarian lasagna which lasted half the week, and palenta with veggies for a quick dinner last week. I enjoy the cooking. I just need some more experience. And some additional recipes that I can cook when I don't have much time in the evenings.

Made my first holiday purchase for my nephews. I certainly hope they enjoy the gifts. These boys are really neat kids, very much a boat load of trouble, I hope they enjoy the gifts since I'm not the most reliable as an uncle. Now on to more seasonal depression. I need to write down my ideas more often. I keep thinking up things and then forgetting them...I need to find a way to have a better memory.

Your word is your bond

Nothing new has really happened. Mostly we have shifted to a mode of "work, work, work." I had really hoped to organize a party for the family and friends so we can just celebrate seeing each other again after so much time has passed. It has been over three years since we have seen some of our friends, and those that we stay in touch with the most have fallen to about once a year at best. I guess I will have to work on something for the spring.

Last week I went and watched Sara be sworn-in to the Bar. It was a bit entertaining, especially the part about abstaining from offensive personalities. That part had many family members snickering. We followed up the ceremony with a quick breakfast and heading back to work. Woooo, so exciting. Actually, we did go and watch a bouldering competition in Redmond, and that was pretty cool. These kids are simply the most amazing.

Oh and today is my oldest nephew's eight birthday...Happy Birthday Justin.

Mmmm, Cheese!

In return for helping David get a job with me, he gave me his secret recipe for lasagna sauce. Mmmmm. It was yummy. It was also a lot of work. I made it all vegetarian, and Sara even made it completely vegan. We've been having lots of pasta this week. David was a bit disturbed that we had put it in the crock pot and let it stew. However, since it was vegetarian it didn't need the same attention, but it was given plenty of attention. I mean it smelled so wonderful how could I not pay attention to it.

I made good lasagna.

I hate stupid people.

We have these two initiatives. One is 330. It is an initiative that will limit individuals rights to sue. It would "require disputes concerning malpractice to be sumitted to arbitrate," and will limit the amount that a person could be entitled. So you go in for a heart transplant, you get a new kidney, and die because your heart explodes. Your family cannot sue, and you are limited to a max of 350K. Got love that, your life in Washington could be limited to 350 thousand dollars.

The best part of all this is the pro-330 group. They say "Our opponents' arguments are a collection of smokescreens, half-truths and misleading sound bites ..." However, if you read the opponents arguments against 330 you will see direct references to the 330 initiative. It points to all the bad things that this initiative does to keep the insurance companies rich. I personally always thought insurance was suppose to be there to protect us incase of a bad incidence.

The other initiative is 336. This initiative is written by lawyers and is aimed to punish bad doctors. Basically, it makes it so that doctors that commit several bad mistakes that have been found to be malpractice will not be allowed to be insured and licensed in this state. What does this do for us? Well, if bad doctors are not insured then the rates do not have to be raised to protect bad doctors. Is this a great solution? I don't know. The law is written better and protects the individuals as oppossed to the corporations.

Now the opponents have a chance to point to all the bad things in initiative 336, but what do they say? "Just when voters are being asked to enact meaningful reform to lower malpractice costs, greedy personal injury lawyers have responded with a cynical attempt to punish good doctors and make even more money from lawsuits." Of course not a single, not one, reference that would suggest this comment or any other is true or based in the real world is given. Of course who is supporting the anti-336 movement? None other than the pro-330's with there "meaningful reform."

Everyone blames the lawyers...until they need one.

I wonder what percentage of stupid people in Washington will vote for I-330.

Hip-Hip Hoorey!

It is official. Sara, Esq. has successfully passed the Washington State Bar Exam. Yeah!

It has been a long three years. The stress, the sleepless nights, the testing. All done. She keeps saying "I can't believe I'm a lawyer." Of course, we all knew it was just a matter of hoops to jump through.

Now on to being a kept man. Wahoo! Not really. For now, I'm looking forward to a year of being DINK's and to saving and investing.

Help...help...help...she's watching "The Apprentice" I think my brain is going to ooze out.

Oh, that reminds me. So the word "faith" literally means to believe in something that cannot be proven to exist. So I saw this sign on a local church road sign. It read "God has faith in us." Basically, they are saying god believes in us, he just cannot prove that we exist. That just cracks me up.

I, Blog

So many things going on. I found a bump on my personals. Turns out a bug crawled up my shorts and bit me on the hohos. Freaked me out at first, but fortunately nothing bad.

Sara is having her last weekend of vacation. Monday is the big day. It's sorta funny watching her fret about what to wear. I'm excited for her, but she seems more nervous about the cliks and other social pressures of working in a big swanky law firm.

I'm trying to figure out how to get a party organized so we have an excuse to visit our friends. Unfortunately, it may be too late in the season. I'll still try to find someplace indoors though.

I'm enjoying the climbing -- still. Though I hurt my wrist the last time I was out climbing. I heard something pop, and the wrist is a bit bruised. I guess I'm a bit of a mess too.

Besides the hurt wrist, I've had an eye stye that returned and is now gone. And now I'm having some sort of stomach flu type problems. Lots of gas. Sara doesn't believe it was the dog anymore.

I better take another tums.

A bump in the road.

I need to get some sleep.

This week has been a very long. I'm suffering from active brain overload. If it were focused and clear I might be okay but I just have this buzz that runs constantly.

It will be interesting if I sleep tonight. Sara moved our bed into the guest room, since we are expecting a new bed -- super sized -- on Saturday. Bed shopping sucks, but Sara did all the work. All I had to do was lay on the beds and try them out for a bit.

Of course, I'm not going to be here on Saturday when the bed comes. I'll be out car camping and bouldering with some friends. Its exciting to go climbing with the boys. I have to say it will be interesting. Sara has been hanging out with the girls alot lately and while she is excelling in her climbs, I'm looking pretty lame up on the wall. So some guy time and testosterone will be good for me. Hopefully I'll have some good moments I can share with Sara.

Sara, even though she initially encouraged me to go climbing, now is trying to get me to back out. I would back out but sometimes you just need some playground time, and I don't know when the next time I'll get an opportunity where I can take a weekend and play.

Hopefully some outdoor time will help clear my head.

You should call your mother.

I called my mom for the first time since she moved to Denver. Actually, she called first, but I had been saying to Sara for several days that I needed to call. It always seems that I would remember when it was late and so would say to myself that I'd call "tomorrow."

It is weird to call my mom now. I have always had my mom close so our phone calls were usually short, knowing that we'd be doing dinner or lunch. Now, I guess, it will be chit-chat and smalltalk. Its not like much has changed for Sara and I. We mostly go through our daily rig-a-ma-roll -- let hana outside, feed her, start my shower, give hana a full body pat, send her back to bed with Sara, shower, dress, shave, brush teeth, put dishes away, turn on news, eat a bite, wake sara, goto work, come home from work...

It was nice having my mom close. At least when I missed her I could just stop by, or call and set up a night for dinner.

Today we took a friend to the gym with us, and we had a nice visit. I was pretty tired from the day before (Sara and I did a hard work out and my legs are sore from it.) Sara has joined a ladies climbing class on Sunday evenings and she teaches me from those experiences. Some of it seems really simple but when you do it for several hours on end it is real hard and takes lots of concentration.

Yeah, to me that is just what we've been doing. Seem pretty uninteresting to share with others. Oh well.

Trust the "process"

Clueless. You have got to be stupid, or of such diminished mental capacity to be supporting Bush. The man should be impeached. He's lied about the reason for invading Iraq, he's supported people in his cabinet who have commited treason, he has given the rich tax cuts, he cut spending for homeland security, and now left people to die of exposure after this hurricane and flooding. And he says to trust the process, like he says whenever the truth proves he lied.

Bush is a disgrace. He shames every person in this country. Has he ever told the truth?

And don't get me going on Hannity. Every time I listen to him he is either saying something stupid, or supporting the opinion of someone stupid. The latest is that the federal government should not provide "one dime" of assistance to the hurricane/flood victims in the south. I guess I'll take being a radical left-wing liberal who thinks that we should be helping, instead of a "compasionate" conservative who thinks its okay for people to die in the streets because they are poor and black. Such hate. It amazes me that he is a voice for anyone in this country.

I wish people would impeach, boycott, whatever it takes to remove these hateful, shameful voices. They -- the Pat Robertsons, Sean Hannitys, and George W. Bushs -- all disgrace this country.

That bear just ate my cat!

It was only a dream, but it left me awake wondering how I could have prevented it from happening.

My dream was very simple, I don't recall it being connected to another dream, and it was not long. It felt like just a few minutes. I dreamt that I was running from a bear. It was very mad, and it was chasing me down. I somehow got out of the way -- I climbed a tree, I think. As I looked down I saw this bear scoop up my cat and just zip out of view.

That was the whole dream. I was pretty horrified by it. I mean, my dear sweet kitty had just been eaten by a bear. A bear that wanted me, and I didn't even know she was there to be eaten. As I lay awake, I tried to dive back into my dream and somehow do something different to protect my cat. I couldn't get back into my dream. I was locked out.

I tried to find some information about dream interpretation, as that was a very strange dream for me, and very vivid too. There is some information on the symbolism of a bear, and a cat. But nothing on a bear eating a cat. Its probably means nothing, but it wasn't like a nightmare where the night before I watched a scary movie, or anything like that. It seems to be a completely disconnected dream.

"To dream that you are being pursued or attacked by a bear, denotes aggression, overwhelming obstacles and competition."

"To see a black cat in your dream, indicates that you are experiencing some fear in using your psychic abilities and believing in your intuition."

Wow, I didn't even know I had psychic abilities, but maybe I had them for a second and a bear ate them? Of course there are other beliefs of what those symbols mean. For me, it meant a bear ate my cat. Bad bear, bad.

Radical Left-Wing Liberals

So, while on our two week tour of the western states, I had very little radio. But one moment in time has stuck with me. It was while crossing Idaho, going through the Lava Hot Springs, when I was surrounded by Hannity, Fox Sports News, and Hannity.

What in particular would make me listen to someone who clearly hates America, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and everything else that is great in the country? Clearly, a brief moment of insanity. Although, apparently half the country is insane. You'd have to be to listen to someone who would say the ACLU is a radical left-wing libral group, simply because they want to protect people from unlawful search and siezure. As Hannity said "What gives this radical left-wing libral group the power..." Apparently, he has never heard of the Constitution, nor does he care about it.

There you have it...the most comprehensive talk news.

And now, we have Pat Robertson, who suggests that we assassinate Venezuela's president. Such great christian voices. Seems like these so called christians should spend a bit of time reading their bibles. And those that listen to these so called christians should remember 2 Peter chapter 2 (I think). The lies and decite these people spread, the lies of their politics are simply and without doubt to deceive using the spiritual teachings and mislead those of faith.

It amazes me how easily this country is so quickly mislead. I guess that is how you identify those who are true to their faith and those that just follow because its easier than thinking for themselves.

I'm with the shut-the-f***-up posse

Well I finally wrestled the blog back from Sara.

Where were we? Oh, yeah, on our way to Post Falls. We got to Post Falls, and Idaho wasn't the place to stay. The camp sites were basically gravel truck stops on the highway. We ended up in Riverview (Riverside?) state park, Spokane. We stayed for two very nice days, and met some wonderful people from B.C. (Donna and Dave) who had a funny little dog that just had to show everyone she was boss. We also got a wonderful water color painting which is basically the only souveinor from our trip besides our pictures.

Our first day at Riverview started traveling around to several climbing locations. The first crag was beautiful -- Deep Creek. It had two problems. Neither of us had lead climbed in a while and the routes were pretty difficult overall. That and the abandoned vehicle, high centered with lights wearing down and a gun in the drivers seat. This made Sara pretty uncomfortable so we headed on to the next crag, Minnehaha. Unfortunately, like so many crags, the locals don't take care of the park. Lots of grafitti, dog poop, broken glass, and left over porn were around the park. We decided to move on, but at this point we were both kind of frustrated.

We finally headed to Post Falls again, and the park was great. We set a top rope and repeated the climb a couple of times. It was nice to be back on the rock. Friday, we leasuirely packed our camp and headed for Vantage. What we didn't know was "The Dave Matthew's Band" was performing at the Amphitheater. We let the sun set a bit, and did some evening climbing. This was pure genius.

As we settled down to sleep, the local youth and concert goers started to arrive at the Feathers camp ground. This isn't a state camp ground so there are no quiet hours, and the only care comes from those in the climbing community that want a safe place to climb. The feathers plays host to many non-climbers that use the grounds for there own personal party zone. Unfortunately, like many public crags often the partiers break bottles and leave crap all over the place.

We tried to get to sleep but the noise just grew. I wanted to walk over with a big baseball bat and say "I'm with the shut-the-f***-up posse." Had I actually done that, I probably would not be providing a blog update. Sara and I decided instead of staying awake until two AM, that we'd might as well just head home. So we wouldn't get to climb in the morning, but we'd get to sleep in our own bed. We scrambled to pack up the car, and started the three hour drive home at 10:00 PM. Sara was so tired, but I apparently was refreshed from the climbing earlier and got us in the house and to bed by two AM. I only sped a little. No really, I never went more than five over. And I only swerved off the road because when we packed up we brought along a few bugs -- I had to swat at them.

The road trip is over. We lounged around the house, went to the movies (saw 40 year old virgin -- hilarious) and overall just rested our bodies. This trip was amazing. I have lots of pictures and I'm planning on getting them up somewhere to share. I cannot wait until our next road trip.

On the road again...

We made it into Dillon Montana last night, and camped at the KOA. It made for a nice, clean, quiet night, and we weren't in Utah. Despite my lamentations about camping, we've decided we have more fun overall when we camp, as long as I get a shower occasionally. Being in hotels is kind of just like home... the TV is sometimes on, one or the other of us is usually on the computer, Hana plays a bit of ball and lounges around like she's the queen of the house. Camping we're at least outside, reading books, and chatting a bit more.

The morning got off to a great start when we found an espresso stand in Dillon. I pulled up and ordered a double tall soy latte and then realized I may not be in frequent-soy country so amended it to an americano. The coffee guy looked at me and said, "So how many shots do you want?" At that point, I remembered I'm not in Seattle anymore, Toto, and translated into non-Seattle coffee language... the guy was offended by my Starbucks mug, and very excited about his "Italian" coffee, which must be a big deal out here, but let me tell you... that is the best cup of coffee I've had on this trip so far. I'm a happy camper. Literally.

Today's aim is Post Falls, Idaho. We're hoping to stay two nights in or near Post Falls, Coeur D'Alene, or Spokane, and get in a bit of climbing and camping, then head for Vantage on Friday morning to climb and camp and home on Saturday.

We're presently at a gas stop near Missoula pirating internet access (woo hoo for wi fi) in the trucker lanes because that's the only place to get diesel. In our little wagon we get some funny looks from the truckers... not to mention the auto shut off didn't shut off with our little car, so Chris is now covered in diesel fuel. Smells almost as good as when we went by that roadkill skunk a few miles back... at least wet wipes can help with the diesel smell.

All right, all right. I get it. Don't mess with religion.

Well, apparantly I've angered the gods (Sara again). The weather in Salt Lake City sucks. We planned two days of bouldering here, and got up this morning to head to Little Cottonwood Canyon, which, much to our surprise because of no mention in the guidebooks is a watershed where dogs aren't allowed. We thought we'd head up to Ogden but a closer review of the guidebook showed that even if dogs are allowed, it's not the kind of place we want Hana sniffing around... plus, the further north we got, the crappier the weather looked.

So, we're checking out early for destination unknown. We've decided we would rather be anywhere, on the road, than in a hotel room in Salt Lake City. We'll try to keep you all posted, once we decide where we're headed next. It may be toward southern Idaho, may be toward northwest Colorado, may be toward Oregon, and may be toward home, to do some climbing in Eastern Washington.

Sorry, this time it's me.

Mostly on here you'll hear from Chris, but I guess with him doing all the talking I feel a little bit left out, so Sara here. Tonight we're in Salt Lake City. Thank god last night there were no camping sites at Arches National Park so we had to get a room and Chris suggested the La Quinta he saw coming into town... they've been promoting themselves as dog friendly, and boy howdy. The one in Moab had a doggy potty play area, and even a doggy trail with trees and lots of room to stretch road-weary legs. It was lovely. Since it was such a lovely place to stay, we decided to make La Quinta our home on the road when the temperature is too high for Hana to camp, or, more likely, when there's thunder and lightning and rainstorms predicted (why did we come to the southwest during lightning season? Not my finest planning ever).

So, reflections on Utah. This place is really... um... different. The land is spectacular. Even when we're on the beaten path, in the middle of a city, the views are lovely. Beyond lovely. But oh my gosh. The billboards are whacked. Creepy whacked. I love Mormons. I have a surprising number of Mormons in my life. But these people have some really nutty billboards. The highlights were the advertisements for "missionary kits" featuring smiling blonde people in the telltale suits.

I think Chris mentioned we bouldered today -- but I want to show you just how studly he is, hence the picture above. He sent this "V0" that I couldn't, and made it look easy. Unfortunately I had to spot for him, so I couldn't get pics while climbing, you have to settle for the "after." If you can see, he has a grin from ear to ear on.

Otherwise, we're here tonight and tomorrow climbing at Ogden and Little Cottonwood, we hope, weather permitting. They're calling for (surprise surprise!) thunder and lightning and rain for the next couple of days, so we're crossing our fingers for at least a few good hours in the morning then wacky billboard spotting the rest of the day and then nice, soft, warm bedtimes at our new favorite home... whichever La Quinta is closest to the crag.

Worlds smallest RV

We got ourselves a campsite in the Grand Canyon park for two nights. Such lovely nights they were. Our neighbors cat, yes cat, ran off. Big surprise huh? It was to them. Apparently, this cat has gone sailing off the western coast from Alaska to Mexico, and has been camping with them for years. The cats name was Muffy (actually -- I think it was "Lucky," which is even more ironic. -Sara). I use it in the past tense because during the two days we were there we had huge thunderstorms. The first night was a breeze relatively. The second we spent hiking around until about 2pm. Then a storm came through. I have this great picture of Sara and Hana in the trunk of the wagon (oh my lord, I can't believe he posted that. My ass is the size of Texas. -Sara), while I stood in the rain to take the picture :) The funny thing was that you can see the tent. It was a much more comfortable and dry place. Some how though, the metal poles and lightening just don't mix.

That night was fun too. The last comment from Sara I remember was "My God! Your asleep?" around about 2:30am. Sara has some difficulty sleeping through a thunder/lightening storm. Hana and I had no problem at all. Sara was a bit tired in the morning. She said we should have gone back to the our RV. I knew we'd both be tired for our drive the next morning if we'd done that. (Actually, the couple who lost their cat had a van... the wife was in the van, the stubborn husband in the tent. Had I known, I would have snuggled into their van with the wife. -Sara).

We left the campground at the Grand Canyon and headed to the east exit, the cat had not returned by the time we headed out. And then north to Moab, Utah. You know how Utah is associated with Mormons, and all that? Well, let me tell you about driving through south eastern Utah on a Sunday Morning. Everything, and I mean nearly everything, was closed. Even the visting center was closed. You could use the public bathrooms but that was about it. Some of the gas stations were open. But most of the quickstop stores at gas stations...were closed.

Fortunately, the car was not in need of fuel. The drive from Arizona to Utah was amazing though. We went through Monument Valley, and the views were amazing. The drive to Moab was only about 5.5 hours, so even with all the stops and pictures we had plenty of time to visit the Arches National Monument. We have tons of pictures, and Sara even showed me how to take a panarama picture. Our camera is so cool.

Now it is Monday morning and we are leaving Moab already. We have decided Moab is an oasis in Utah. It doesn't have as much of the "religious" feel that we experienced on the way in. Yet, we are off to Salt Lake City. We did some fun bouldering at the Big Bend, and now are planning a couple days of climbing and bouldering near the SLC area. (Chris is being modest. He sent two challenging V0s that I couldn't top, and made them look easy. He did super. -Sara)

Okay, gotta jet. Check out is at noon, and it is 11:29AM.

Slight Chance of Thunder Showers

We started the morning in Santa Fe. Maybe jumping into red and green chili on the first night was a bit too hasty. Oh, but so delicious. In the morning we took our time and had a nice visit with our friend Susan, and her children Emmy and Ben. For lunch we went to the Plaza and ate in the park. It was wonderful...and enjoyed more of the red and green chili.

We headed out around two-ish for Gallup, stopped in Albuquerque to get gas, shoes, and water. That was a great idea, though neither of us thought about the rush hour traffic. Once out of the traffic we had a fantastic drive west on I-40. And the 50+ miles of thunder showers was spectacular. Every direction you looked, including the rear view mirror, was lightening bolts.

Sara and I were quick to call and get a hotel reservation, which was smart as the rain was going to make camping pretty miserable. Apparently, the thunder showers have been going on for several days now. When we told people we were going to the Grand Canyon, they seemed to think we are a bit nuts. Lots of smirks and chuckles. Fortunately, it looks like things may be clearing up and we might actually have some nice weather.

So, we have not yet camped and it looks like our first two nights may be done in the worlds smallest VW RV. I'm looking foward to seeing the Grand Canyon. From what I have heard, there is really no way to describe its spectacular views and size.

We'll take lots of pictures...I'm sure that will help.

Six Days

Day One

We began the day by driving me to work. I fulfilled my required time and then we left for Pendelton, OR. The drive was pretty uneventful. The scenic views were as pleasent as always in Washington.

Day Two

This was a long haul. Our goal was Rock Springs, WY. We made our goal. The highlights were the cat pee'd in her crate (I guess 12 hours is a long day for a cat), Surfing for radio and only getting Hannity, Fox Sports, and Hannity. And my personal favorite -- Sara stopping, I pulled up next to her in my mom's car and ask her what's up. She said "Just wanted to look at the map and get my bearings." I pointed to a sign ten feet ahead. It read "Welcome to Wyoming."

Day Three

We slept in and made the last six hours to Denver. The pass to Fort Collins was amazing, and truely one of the more interesting sights. Once we hit I-25 we saw how people in Denver drive. This just reaffirmed my belief that people should be re-educated every five years on how to drive.

Day Four

We explored some outdoor climbing. This lead to Hana laying down on the trail, and pretty much insisting on heading down the mountain. It was 90+ degrees, and so we rushed her down the mountain. We got to the bottom and my nephew, Justin, as not doing well. Maybe Hana was trying to tell us something?

Day Five

Had we been moving quicker we might have been able to get outdoor climbing, but with two boys and six of us all trying to get out the door that wasn't likely to happen. Instead we visited the Red Rocks Amplitheater which is an amazing place. We followed this up climbing in a lock gym. The gym was very different than those in Washington. In Denver they had auto-belay systems so you can climb without a partner, and they don't anchor the manual belay. The boys had fun, and we ended the day with a wonderful dinner out.

Day Six

Sara and I head for Santa Fe, NM. The drive was amazing. We decided to travel to Toas, and visit the Rio Grande first. The drive was ... amazing. I'll get the pictures posted soon. Sara will download them to the computer first though.
Now, we are in Santa Fe. It's good to be home...er...well, I'd like it to be our home. But after eight ravens, two guys peeing, too many mountains falling on cars, along with too many trees falling on picnic tables, and one dairy queen, we now rest, and review what we have missed in the last several days.

T minus zero

We begin our road trip today. Its starting off great. We bought this roof soft top carrier. When we bought it we understood it to be perfect to connect to our existing rails. It turns out that it needs front and back crossbars as well. So our first stop is REI. That will be another $18 for our dividen.

So hopefully once on the road we will have better luck. A quick stop at REI and installation of the rack and then on our way. Its going to be a long day.

Sara and I are planning to try and keep the blog current, and we'll definitely have some pictures to share.

Camp and climb

Had a lovely weekend. Friday night we headed out to Fort Ebey for a night. In the morning, we casually headed up to Mt. Erie to check out the climbing. For a first experience, it was terrible. The guide was poorly done, the trails are tretcherous, and the other climbers were very unhelpful. The view on the other hand ... amazing. We hiked around trying to find a way down so we could climb but finally decided that the approach just wasn't worth the effort.

Instead, we decided to head south to Exit 38, where we went to Deception crag. This was nice. We got there around two in the afternoon, and walked up to a nice "easy" 5.6 climb. I quote easy because at the third bolt there is nothing to hold, and the rock is slick as snot. It was next to impossible to get a good smear to make the move.

Sara had some "climbers constipation" and strugged. It was kinda weird. Sara usually powers through problems like there is nothing to it. I finished the 5.6 lead, and then continued onto the 5.7 right next to the first on top rope.

We went and stayed with Sara's aunt and uncle who only live 25 minutes away. That was nice. We don't usually drink but we got all toasted and had a wonderful meal of salmon and corn.

The next morning we did some toproping in the shade, and had a nice crack climb using the man-made structure. In the afternoon, we meandered onto other climbs. I did my first rappel which is just fantastic. I love to rappel.

So now sara and I have refined our camp and climb experience, we are really looking forward to the next two weeks. This will be an amazing trip east to Montana, South through Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico, then north through Utah, and lower Idaho, back home. We have lots of camping, and climbing planned. And lots of hiking. Hana will be whoopped.

I am really looking forward to no alarms.

The wait begins.

Well, that is that. Sara has finished with school and now the bar exam. Whew. That feels much better. Of course now we wait until October before we hear the results. It is pretty exciting still. She actually has two whole months of free time before she will begin working in Downtown. A quarter of that will be on the road, seeing the west that we have never seen.

I wish I had a digital video camera. I would really love to keep a video diary of this trip. I have never seen so much of the states. In particular I'm looking forward to the Grand Tetons, and Moab. Wow, 90 percent of this trip will be of places I have only seen pictures of or in movies.

Focus, focus, focus...you still have to work.

Warm Fuzzy Exam Stress.

Sara is taking the Bar exam, and I'm sitting at work stressing. I talked to her breifly at lunch, and she thinks things are going well. That is good news. The waiting is killing me. Sara seemed so calm. I cannot keep my thoughts focused. I'm wandering all over the place.

All the while, my core group of friends and I have been sucked into banter because Tricia had to send out a warm fuzzy memory. Scot has two boys and extended it to our summer swim club. And I have a record that stands from like 1980 still at that swim club. Now I need a picture.

I'm hungry. All this anticipation is making me want a burger.

Lets goto the Bar.

Yeah, its that time. Tomorrow at 6:30 in the morning Sara will begin testing for the Washington State Bar exam. I have to say, I have butterflies for her. I know she is more than capable, and after all the studying, and putting off anything fun for the last 8 weeks (not to meantion the last 3 years), she will pass with flying colors. Yet only 80% of testers pass the first time. That is pretty good odds still.

It has been a busy time for us, and I'm really looking forward to our trip around the west. I have lived in Washington all my life, and have not seen that much of the U.S. We will be traveling through a small part of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and then home. We have lots of plans to visit many areas to climb or boulder. And we are looking forward to taking my nephews out to play on the rocks.

After all this, I'm looking forward to the bar being finished and having some time with Sara to play, and get to know her as a lawyer :)

Good Luck dearest.

Put that book down and pay attention to me.

So. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince arrived on time. You'd have thought that I would have sat down and just read. Well, I kinda did that. But really, I have spend as much time sitting next to Sara so she doesn't freak out. She starts the test next Tuesday. So I will have the house and Hana for four full days.

Well in all I have not been held up to much in my reading. While Sara sits and watches TV, I turn my focus to the book. I have also been staying up pretty late recently too. I don't think my head has hit the pillow before 11pm. Kinda late for us, since I'm usually up with Hana at 6am.

On Friday, after the test, I hope to head out to Frenchman's Coulee. My efforts to get us out climbing has just been interrupted at every turn. I had hoped to get out on the 30th, and 31st, but other things have popped up and changed our plans. Que sara sara.

This weekend is going to be busy too. I have to get the lawn mowed, the floors vacuumed, the paper recycled, the blackberry's cut back, the saplings cut, and on and on.

We'll see if I get past the lawn :)

As the world turns.

This has been an emotional weekend for Sara and I. First, we learn that a dear friend has died. Then, this morning, I arrive at work with a message that another friend has had their baby.

These are the things that make our lives interesting. As one life departs the world, another one arrives. I am so excited for Anu and Dave. These two are some of the kindest and most down to earth people I have ever met. They will be wonderful parents.

Welcome to the world Liisa (yep that is two i's). Congratulations Anu and Dave.

Farewell Michael

It is never easy to say good bye. Yet, it always comes to this. I have never been one to cry over death. Life seems like such a waste without it. But the lose of you has brought tears to my eyes all day. Sara and I really wish we could have come listen to you at the Crocodile. Good Bye Michael. Thank you for the peace and happiness you brought to our lives.

Michael Dahlquist died at the age of 39, after a young woman trying to commit suicide drove her car at highspeeds and rammed her vehicle into the car Michael and two friends were in while at a stop light. All three friends where killed.

What goes up, must come down.

Recently, I have been a bit nervous my climbing. In fact, I have been down right cautious. Often I clip in and rest before making the next draw. I don't do that on every clip, but certainly on the last or second to last draw.

Yesterday, I must have been feeling pretty cocky. I was doing a 10a that we have climbed many times, but I have always rested on the last draw before the anchor. I think now I know why I did that. The climb actually finishes to the right of the anchors, and the final hold -- it is a fantastic, sturdy hold. I usually grab both hands to the hold, place my feet very well, and move over to the anchor which has another fantastic hold between the two bolts.

I reached the final hold, and Sara started to feed out rope so I could clip into the anchor. I reached down and started pulling up rope. There was a kink at the second draw, and as I yanked the rope through the quickdraw, my feet came off the wall. "Take!" was all I had time to say before my hand slipped and I was in free fall. Sara didn't even have time to think. Her hand locked down the rope and she was in the air, feet forward. I came to a smooth stop and looked down.

Sara was in a bit of shock. She'd just been lifted ten feet off the ground, and I had just fell twenty. Kari, apparently just got finished saying "It's good you are using the Gri-Gri." I must agree. There is nothing like the assurance of an auto-lock so the rope doesn't let you slip to the ground.

Sara was fantastic and cool headed. All she said was, "Are you okay?" Of course I was. As I meantioned before, when I fall the end of the fall is just like a quick but smooth stop. I better get Sara into the chiropractor -- being yanked up off the ground by your midsection by 175 pounds free falling body mass cannot be too good for the back.

Give me Liberty or ...

So lately Sara and I have been talking about getting a second vehicle. Sara pointed out the Jeep Liberty CRD and ever since I cannot stop thinking about what a nice looking car it is too. We could tow a camper, and it gets pretty good milage (25+ on the highway.) We can run it on Biodiesel, so we would be contributing to the neccessary need to be energy independent. I thought "That is pretty cool."

So I started investigating Jeep because they are part of that whole GM employee discount thingie. What a load of crap that turns out to be. They only provide the discount on, like, five models of the Jeep. All of which are gasoline. Crap, Crap, Crap.

How can you call it a "Liberty," if you are not free to choose the model and features you want with the employee discount? Stupid market demands. Normally, I wouldn't even consider buying a U.S. made car. Truck? Okay, I'd buy a truck, but definitely not a car. The U.S. doesn't know how to make a car.

When Sara and I first started dating, she loaned me her Subaru to drive from Bellingham to Tacoma. She asked me to fill it with fuel, and to check the oil. I appriciatively did just that, and made my trip to Tacoma and back. Two days later, Sara and I head to Port Townsend, and when we reached the Keystone Ferry, her car was smoking. We popped the hood and low and behold, I forgot to put the oil cap back on. The amazing thing, the cap was still sitting on the chasis where I had placed it. So we pour in a quart of oil put the cap on, and continue on. That car was amazing.

I traded in my craptacular Saturn for an Outback, after it had fuel pump problems and the manufactures wouldn't fix it. They kept telling me it was a different thing. I miss my Outback. My dad totalled his Acura, and bought if from me. I would get another, but they don't make it in a diesel, or better -- an electric biodiesel. Now that would rock. But no -- stupid market demands.

Why can't you all just do as I do? Well, no, really, that would just be embarassing.

I thinks she's trying to kill me.

The thing about rock climbing -- it will totally clear your head. The buzzing of thoughts are lost as you focus on the next hold. It is a fantastic feeling to have a "nubbin" under you toe, holding your weight on practically nothing.

With Sara only a week away from taking the Bar Exam, she's needed a bit more climbing. Anything to make it through another two hours of studying. I image she feels much like you might feel when you have your first fall. Your arms are pumped, your hands sweat rivers, a call -- "falling!" Of course, you might think lots of crazy thoughts like, "What if she can't hold the rope?"

When I took my first fall it was a bit different than I had imagined. Sara, being more than 50 pounds lighter then me, was picked up off the ground. So my fall was like the last ten feet of a roller coster. A very controlled smooth stop. And yet, every time I'm on the wall I can hardly wait to clip-in the next draw.

Tomorrow is Friday. We usually climb on Fridays. I'm not sure my arms will take another day this week -- Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and now Friday. She'll probably want to climb this Sunday too.

It wouldn't be so bad, except for the twig arms of mine. Sara is like a ballerina on the wall. She is grace, beauty, and gourgeous. Me, I'm an ape. No, really. You should hear people laugh when I make a move that seems totally beyond the reach of mere mortals. Now if I could lift more than five pounds maybe I could make it to the top without hangdoggin.

Climb on.

I've got nothing ...

Well, actually, I have lots of excuses. If you know Sara & Chris (sorry about the third person thingie,) you know that we have not been around much for the last three years. While Sara has been studying to be the next Supreme Court Justice, I, Chris, have been working to keep our house with semi-comfortable living.

It will be a bit longer before we get ready to throw a party so we can visit all our friends. For the past four weeks, Sara has been studying 8-10 hours a day in preparation for the Washington State BAR. On July 26th thru the 28th, Sara will be entrenched in taking the test. Following that on the August 5th, we will head out for a visit to my sister in Denver.

As for me, I'm just trying to keep the dishes clean, and the house only looking like a partial disaster area. I need to work harder. That and I'm starting my first venture into running my own business. I decided to start a Biodiesel pump. As with most businesses I had my first setback. I had planned to buy the equipment from another distributer that was moving onto other ventures. Well, I took too long and it was sold to someone else. It would have been a great deal. Oh well. Such is life.

For those of you who haven't even been chatting with us over email, you should know that we started climbing. Sara and I did our second trip outdoors to Smith Rocks in Oregon. We both did our first leads and got lots of sun. Hana, our dog, had a blast but needed lots of rest. Feel free to check out the pictures.

Okay, that is all for now. I promise more to come. Especially, as I prepare for a big bash. I will likely aim for the Commons on Bainbridge Island, but I cannot guarantee anything, as I have not even made a call yet :)

More soon ...