Vacation rocks (part 4)

Last year, along with Jameson and Sarah, we developed a bouldering area near San Simeon, CA. There are about 6 routes on the feature ranging from V0-V2. the boulder is about 15 feet high. We call the rock, Honeycomb Rock because of its interesting features.

We love bouldering. It's hard and simple. All you need is some shoes and something to fall on, in this case, a sandy sea shore). We had a great time playing around on something as cool as Honeycomb Rock.

Bouldering - Squamish

A couple days ago....we went bouldering in Squamish with some friends.

Def: Bouldering - climbing rocks not attached to rock walls, "boulders", with your only form of protection as a mattress type pad known as a bouldering pad. The goal: Get to the top of the boulder via your chosen route (which is based on a scale of difficulty).

OK...enough rockclimbing jargon...you probably don't care to know all that. Most of all, we had fun!!!!!....which is the most important part. Here is some pics :)

Heidi super focused

E, watching mom and dad climb

on the way back to the car

These are good days....

Life with a baby

Almost a year ago, we found out that Heidi was pregnant. We were ecstatic. At the time we didn't know how it would change our lives...except for the fact that we knew it would, somehow.

But we were wrong. Our lives didn't change.

Ministry, adventures, date nights, sabbath, exercise, and friendships all continued on.

What our lives did do, however was become enhanced.

Ministry got infused with new perspective and passion

We have begun to experience God in a new way...as a good father

Adventures became more challenging

Rock climbing while pregnant, canoeing trips, and traveling with a young one brings out our creativity for sure!

Date nights became more meaningful

Saturday night...after Elizabeth goes to sleep...order pizza for delivery...hang out...and talk. These baby-less moments are sweet.

Sabbath became more important

Thank God we are allowed to cease from work to enjoy creation and each other and rest. New parents like us...really really need this.

Exercise got harder
Rockclimbing and running while pregnant = hard. Pushing Elizabeth's stroller while running up big hills = hard!

Friendships became stronger

When we're over our heads, frustrated, at our wits end with Elizabeth...encouragement/help is only one phone call away from so many of our wonderful friends.

So today...we did what we always do....we try to honor God by being fully alive in the most beautiful places on earth....and it doesn't take much. A day in Squamish, rockclimbing and hiking is all it takes. Here are some pictures from the day.

a family adventure

lots of love between these two

good times...

Hey all....so today we had great fun climbing boulders. Squamish is FULL of every kind of climbing: Aid, Trad, Alpine....and also, bouldering. There are SO many great things to climb there. As you are aware...for us, climbing is just as much about where we go/ what we do as is who we are with. So today, we went with our buddy Jer...he's a really smart dude: a published PHD in neuro science....and a lead researcher at a prominent Canadian university.

Here are some pics of the day:

the weather was perfect...cool and crisp but not cold

We did a cool v3 named "titanic". Here, Jer is trying the sit down start to titanic which goes at V5

Heidi's psyched and havin fun on a V0+

Jer on Easy and an Easy Chair, V4

Me on a cool V2

All in all....we are havin' fun and we're healthy. Heidi is doing REALLY well in this pregnancy thing. It's pretty fun feeling the baby kick regularly. We pray every day for this child and try to talk to him or her often. Reading kids books to baby white in the evening has been a fun routine and I try to sing to the kid in falsetto on a regular basis (mostly cause I stinkoth and Heidi laughs). This kid has had SO many adventures in Heidi's womb already....we are really excited to see how that changes/ morphs/ continues when it's out of the womb.

And...as always...to top off our trip...we did our NECESSARY squamish tradition: Taco Bell for dinner

...where the food makes our stomachs hurt and the service sucks....but we love it....

The day is done: We are now ready and amped for ministry tomorrow.

Cya!

Siked...

Ahh yeah. tomorrow is Sabbath Rest! Ye-ah!

and you know what that means......climbing! We're headin' to squamish for a day of bouldering with our friend Jeremy. Should be super fun....

Here's a pick we took 4 years ago...on a climbing trip in Squamish. We were so siked to climb...that after doing a day of trad climbing....the sun set...and it was time to dawn the petzl tikkas and boulder by headlamp. So fun...


We'll post some pics tomorrow.

Sabbath Rest

AHH YEAH. Monday's are the day we have sabbath. What's a "sabbath"? Sabbath is a day which is set aside for rest and reflection. We do it because we trust that God's instructions laid out in the Bible are worth obeying. It's a day which moves away from the normal routine in favor for a different rhythm... for us....that means a slower one. It's a chance to be together, to have a date night, and cease from work (creating). We LOVE Monday's. We have really come to believe that God uses Sabbath rest to help us reorient our lives to Him. Even though we are "in ministry"...it's so easy for us to just make what we do "a task to be accomplished". God reminds us that when we wake up on Mondays we "wake into a world we did not make, into a salvation we didn’t earn" (Working the Angles, Eugene Peterson).

So today, as most Monday's go...we did something like this:

- wake up late
- go for a walk
- have an extended devotion
- go for some java
- eat a simple lunch
- go do something fun
- go out for a date night during the evening
- go to bed early(ish)

Here are some pics from our sabbath day:

After our morning routine, we went to Cypress Park for a little bouldering session

cool eh?

Did a cool traverse at Cypress Park...V2 on slopers. Here's a lame video for ya

Heidi was bummed she didn't complete the problem but we had to remind ourselves....its not like shes operating at the "hard core" level, ya know

left....to go back to the car...and found...

A movie set. It's so crazy how you try to "get away"....and entertainment is never to far away

We still had fun!

then...like after all good bouldering sessions...we went for coffee and book time. We're readin' this new book called "Chasing Waves". It's really good, so far.

just in time for the rain to start...ahh yeah

San Simeon, California

Sorry it has been a couple of days since I posted.  We did not have internet access because we were in San Simeon, California for three days with our brother and sister-in-law and our parents.  It was AMAZING!:  Perfect weather, laughter, relaxation, games, food, and friendship. Here are some pictures from the past couple days.   

...romance in San Simeon