Good ol' 26

Sitting at the red light, I glanced over at the car next to me and smiled at the child in the seat, the DRIVERS seat! I could have sworn the kid was 10! That's when it hit me that I am getting old! It was a decade ago that I was sitting in the drivers seat for the first time, trying to see over the steering wheel. 10 years later and my driving skills are still just as bad, if not WORSE then they were when I first got my license and I still can't see over the wheel. AWESOME!(I blame it on being Asian but whatever)

Birthdays used to consist of planning what to do and who to invite. Now its just another day. However, its a very special day because I get to share it with my best friend, my husband! At least I'll never forget his birthday! This year I had a lot on my mind. We drove up to Joes Valley to climb for the day. Half way there we realized we left our climbing shoes! Biggest mistake! Emily let me use her baby shoes but they were still pretty small and painful! Made me feel like I was in China practicing the old custom of Asian foot binding! The disappointment didn't last long. Not having shoes to distract me allowed my mind to wander. I was overwhelmed by all the beauty that surrounded me. I sat in the middle of the desert and pondered on the 26 years of life I have been given. Crazy how time flies. Feels like yesterday I was playing barbies with my sister and pretending to be a vampire in the gully with my little brother. So much has happened in 26 years. I've made a few good choices and MANY MANY MANY bad choices since then! haha But good or bad they lead me to where I am now and I can honestly say I am the happiest I have ever been. Without those bad times, I truly wonder if I would sincerely appreciate just how good my life is now, how lucky I am to be alive, and have such positive people surrounding me.  Every morning when I open my eyes, I wonder how I got so lucky. How did I get blessed with a family that never stopped loving and supporting me, even after all I put them through? When I was in the worst spots in my life, how did I meet such great friends and a wonderful husband that pulled me out of darkness? I will never understand but I will thank god every day for them. Not many years ago I wondered how much longer I could go on. How much more pain and suffering I could put myself and loved ones though. I wanted it to end. Now I have so much drive and passion for life! I can't wait to wake up and live another day! I ate dinner with my family and wandered the desert with my husband & friends for my birthday. Out of 26 birthdays, this one was the best! I can't wait to share the rest of them with everyone I love! What a beautiful weekend!

Now that I am done rambling on and on, let me share something exciting! Even though we usually don't buy each other birthday gifts, my sweet husband let me buy something I have always wanted, a camera! I have no idea what any of the buttons do but I still am so excited! I feel like I'm playing that game operation . Any time I touch it, I worry I did something wrong and or am going to break it! Haha hopefully I'll figure it out soon. Gives me something new to learn and explore!

Here are some pictures we took in Joes over the weekend.

Em and I got on Kill by Numbers but kept falling of the last move. Trent flashed it! He leaves all summer, doesn't climb and then comes home and kills it! Ugh. Gingers must have super powers!

One thing I love about climbing is that it's not only a physical challenge for me, but it is also a mental challenge! I have to learn to overcome the fear and doubt in my mind. I have to think of how MY BODY can make these problems work. What beta works for some people, may not work for me. (Because I'm a midget) I love trying to figure it out. Its like a puzzle! The feeling of solving it is unlike anything I've ever experienced.

 Went and worked a cool tufa problem . For short people, you have to pretty much dino to the last move. I kept pussing out on the last move and finally I was like "Okay, I'm just going to go for it!" Ready....Set....GOOOOO!!!!! Grabbed the lip, my hand cheese grated off the top, flipped me back and I fell to my death! Okay, maybe I exaggerated but that's seriously how I felt! Had a headache and my back hurt the rest of the day. At least I tried right? The picture is hilarious to me

Leaving his shoes didn't stop Bryce from climbing. He just sent all our projects in his Chacos. No big deal...

Got to work Minute Man V6 for a little bit until the rain came POURING down on us and made us call it a day.

I may say it a lot and I will keep saying it, I LOVE MY FRIENDS! They have forever changed me for the better. They bring out the good in me. Em is my rock. Together we encourage each other. We challenge ourselves to be the best we can be. I am grateful for her inspiration to me. Trent and Farmer bring so much laughter to anyone around them. You can count on them to bring smiles to your face while you climb. Bryce and I have really good people in our lives that we owe a lot to. Never once have I felt judged by these people. We all have the same thing in common, to live a happy healthy life to the fullest of our capabilities. There are MANY other people who we share this same vision with and we love them all!