http://www.bluemonkeygirl.com/blog I laughed, I cried, I fell down... Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:14:35 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I've put off writing my Joshua Tree Tweetup trip report for a while now because I've been struggling to figure out how to convey just how amazing the trip was for me.  This last weekend, however, I put my down, puffy jacket into the wash, and  the smokey campfire smell ... http://www.bluemonkeygirl.com/blog/climbing-crossroads-and-family-joshua-tree-tweetup-2009/ How Yosemite and The Grotto taught me to love crack A boulderer friend of mine on Twitter recently joked that "Friends don't let friends climb crack." At the time I just laughed, but I'm beginning to see the need for such a warning. Once you start crack climbing, there's just ... http://www.bluemonkeygirl.com/blog/crack-climbing-addiction-within-the-obsession/ I've fallen a little behind on my blog updates so instead of posting each entry separately, I put together this end of summer recap of my adventures.  I had a great summer making new friends, climbing new routes and, yes, there were dinosaurs... [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="576" caption="Dinosaurs on Highway 120"][/caption] Lovers ... http://www.bluemonkeygirl.com/blog/yosemite-dinosaurs-and-new-friends/ Thursday (July 30) started out as an imploding ball of foiled intentions and trampled climbing dreams… My idea to drive up to Donner Summit on Saturday, camp, and climb on Sunday with Jeff and Kelli was being derailed by work conflicts, and it was looking like I would be stuck ... http://www.bluemonkeygirl.com/blog/climbing-with-a-stranger-on-my-1st-trip-to-lovers-leap/ During the winter season, if my husband and I go up to the slopes to ski/board (he skis, I board), it's usually just for a day trip. Although a lot of people seem to think a day trip from the south Bay Area to the Sierras is too hard, we’re ... http://www.bluemonkeygirl.com/blog/daytrips-to-the-sierras/ Smith Rock State Park. July 3, 2009. I had been warned that Smith Rock in midsummer was blazing hot so, on the drive up to Oregon, I kept thinking I’d have to bust out some lawyerly and persuasive argument to convince Jeff and Kelli to wake up disgustingly early.  To my ... http://www.bluemonkeygirl.com/blog/oregon-fourth-of-july-weekend-2009/ Inaugural Seattle Rock n' Roll Marathon, June 27, 2009 I was standing on the sidewalk at five o’clock in the morning on race day waiting for my running partner, Diane, to show up when the reality of “25,000 runners” started to sink in. The line of shuttle buses stretched out ... http://www.bluemonkeygirl.com/blog/26-2-miles-in-seattle/ [caption id="attachment_154" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Luke in Antarctica, Picture from the New York Times"][/caption] Luke came to speak to the public interest law seminar I was attending at Santa Clara Law School during my second year, and he completely changed the course of my legal career. Before meeting him I had thought ... http://www.bluemonkeygirl.com/blog/in-memoriam-luke-cole-1962-2009/ Psyching myself out and the nature of my fear I popped awake on Saturday morning about an hour before the alarm was due to go off at 6. Despite the full day of climbing the day before, I was supercharged and ready to go. Jer and my other regular climbing partner, ... http://www.bluemonkeygirl.com/blog/yosemite-valley-trip-report-may-2009-day-two/ Wherein I learn to love Yosemite even more, and I lead my first multi-pitch trad climb. The idea of waking up at 3:15am on a Friday for a four hour drive after only two and a half hours of sleep would probably seem crazy to most people, and I confess, ... http://www.bluemonkeygirl.com/blog/yosemite-valley-trip-report-may-2009-day-one/