Valentine's Week, yes it's a whole week not just one day, was spectacular. We had a lot of time to spend together and the weather outside was beautiful.
On Thursday we spent the whole day climbing up in Logan Canyon. Whenever we climb Chris has always "led" and I have always "followed." When he "lead climbs" he is placing protection in the wall as he goes (there are bolts in the rock every 6-10 feet to clip your rope into with carabiners), so when he climbs above his last bolt before he clips the next one, there is potential to fall 10-15 feet before the rope catches him. When I "follow" (also called "top-roping") the climb, the rope is already attached to the anchors at the top of the climb (hence the name top-roping), so if I fall I only drop a foot or two before the rope catches me.
Sum-up: lead climbing = scary. Top roping = not that scary.
Anyways...... that's all just a round about way to get you all really impressed with my bravery when I tell you that I lead climbed for the first time!
The route that I led wasn't as hard as the ones that Chris normally has us climb, but it was a really good one to lead for my first time considering how petrified I was at the thought of a real fall. All in all we were both thrilled with how it went and it was an awesome day climbing! (Primarily because I didn't actually end up falling). Oh! And Chris gave me my valentines gift that day - a chalk bag and new carabiner - for climbing of course. You know, sometimes I wonder if his "gifts" to me are really gifts to himself.....
Friday we decided to celebrate Valentine's Day because Chris had class all day Saturday morning and I had to work Saturday night, plus, if we want to get romantic Friday also happened to be our 2 month anniversary (or as Chris keeps track, two months since he's shaved). We started the morning off with a run in the canyon and then scarfed down some waffles covered in strawberries, whip cream, and bacon. What a perfect morning.
That evening we went out for Sushi.
We went to the Banff Mountain film fest - it made even us feel like we weren't at all outdoorsy.
And we went to Zeppes to get frozen gelata - it's frozen Italian soda and custard. Yum.
On Saturday Chris surprised me between class and work with some cupcakes from Temptation Cupcake. Honesty moment - I'm obsessed with cupcakes. They might be one of my favorite indulgences. They're even better than flowers because not only do they smell good and look pretty but they taste delicious! That's a whole lot of win in one little package! Second honesty moment - I'm pretty sure the real reason Chris got me cupcakes was to prove that he could surprise me because I guessed all his other surprises before he could give them to me (down to the color of the chalk bag and what we were ordering for dinner). He even told me he got the cupcakes because I was expecting flowers (which he originally had planned), so surprise, no flowers! I also gave him his valentines gift - two new carabiners for climbing and a total of 8 beard oil samples from 2 different suppliers. He's been trying them all out to figure out which one is his favorite.
Wow, writing out what we gave each other as gifts makes me realize how we're a really strange couple. Good thing we found each other: not that many people would get as excited as we do over things like carabiners, chalk bags, cupcakes, and beard oils.
Saturday night was when the plague hit Chris, I lasted until Monday morning. But there's not much to write about since then....
Remember to pray and remember to play,
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew
