To Marley and Spencer--

There has been a lot on my mind lately. Mainly reflecting on this year 2009. The hardest year of my life.. I had to put my dog down in March due to cancer. I allowed her to have a great life, taking her everywhere she was my baby.. I wasn't able to turn the tables for her, i guess cancer is what it is. There was no fixing her. She let me know she had enough! It was the saddest day of my life when i had to put her down, she laid in my arms and we were outside enjoying our last moments together. I knew that she was happy to go home. I know her spirit is with me everyday as I realize that she was my all.. She has forever changed my life.. Anyone who ran across Marley let me know what a kind and friendly dog she was.. I don't think i was the same though after she was gone. I was down a lot, or depressed, whatever you call it. I had put things on a hold and was just making it by day by day.. I don't tell a lot of people the way i feel cause that's just the way I am.. I appear to be happy, but I'm only human.. I feel emotions .... it hurt..

Another sad thing that happened to me was with my buddy Spencer.. I met him at a climbing competition and we soon became friends. Little did i know he was almost like me. His birthday was jan 18, mine is jan 17.. We saw each other at other comps and climbing events . He was just like me when i was 21.. So i contacted him back in August because my friends and I wanted to kayak the Ocoee river. Spence worked at the Ocoee at Outland Express and was a guide on the river.. Doing what he does best and showing the rafters how fun life is.. Well , my friend and I go up a night early to go chill with him. We make it up there around 1 am. I give Spencer a call to meet up with him at his outpost..He gets there drunk. I was a bit irritated. I don't think I've seen him like that .. We hang out for a bit chatting with others at the outpost..He says he's tired and had not gotten much sleep the night before.. He wakes up around 430 or so and tells me to get in his car because he has to work in the morning.. I tell him no,just stay here and chill til the morning. He gets a little irate with me and drives off.. Well, he ended up falling asleep at the wheel and ran off the road and isn't with us today.. I get woken up in the morning to another emloyee at the outpost where my friend and I passed out and he said, I got some bad news.. I was in shock.. My friend and I packed our stuff and we just got in the car and drove... We have other friends meeting us to kayak so we tell ourselves we must do this for Spencer.. There are so many things i could've done differently that night.. And there are things that I did do that allows me to be here now. I felt that I had done this and was blaming myself for a while.. I know, it's not my fault and yes I am glad i didn't get in the car that night.. I have now been able to chat with his mom karen, who is a very nice and caring lady.. She says that we are very similar as well.. I also get the chance now to hang out a lot more with the friends he had. We now climb together as often as possible and we make it a point to climb for him, cause we know he's there with us when we do get out to the crags..

It has been a hell of a year for me. I'm trying to keep my time occupied starting my business. Hopefully i can get a piece of the Atlanta market. I work with a rescue group and help foster dogs who need help and some attention. I also spend a lot of time volunteering with the climbing coalition to help clean, preserve, and maintain the climbing spots in our area. If it were'nt for the trials and tribulations in life that we go through.. I know I am a better person, I know i can survive anything that is dealt to me. I know i have a network of friends who have helped me survive my 28 years of existance. I know i will find a companion. I know i gotta be patient.
There is a plan for your life and mine. We don't always know but we just gotta wing it sometimes..

Here are some pics of Spencer and Marley.. RIP dear souls... I can finally get on with it.. Here's to you two.. Cheers~~~

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpeIoErc8EI

Why pebble wrestle, when u can crush rock??...

It's just one of those things in life some people may not understand. Why do you rock climb?.. Well, there are a couple reasons.. We as climber's see rock climbing as a way of Us Vs. Nature.. Mother nature gives us what we call "Problems." These are the natural formations that we see a line that we could possibly climb. If u've ever watched the t.v. show Double dare then u would know what a physical challenge is.. We put our abilities to the test, strength, intelligence, and sheer determination to get up a problem.. This is definitely not a sport that has many team members, perhaps your belay man, or your spotters; but more of a personal sport.. Something that every climber has gone through. Of course it sucks being the worse person climbing the first couple of times you go out time climb, if it starts in a indoor gym or outside. There should be no shame in learning the moves, terms, or getting your body into shape. That is probably the hardest thing a newbie has to overcome..

My first time climbing started when i was in Boy scouts as a lad. I learned how to rappel, i thought that was so fun and enjoyed it ,high five.. I didn't really get into rock climbing until i went to The Culinary Institute of America back in 2002. My friend Daniel was about 8 years older than me. He had been climbing for a couple years and invited me to go to the indoor gym in New Paltz. We started to climb there and i was hooked on the sport. Now to climb outside. Daniel was determined to show me why i should learn to love this sport. He gets me on some routes that he thinks I'm capable of doing. I barely know how to climb, yet alone go and clean his gear for trad.. I do my best at these routes we go and do about once a week. Culinary school definitely keeps you occupied so we could only go so much. The Shawangunks "gunks" for short was the closest crag 30 Min's away.
I can remember the first fall i had on rope.. To trust this little piece of woven fabric, dangling 100 feet off the ground was a little nerve racking. This fall was on City Lights 5.8 trad. I had to just muster up , get in my little Happy place and continue at the task at hand, which was to go up and nothing else.. So about 5 mins of resting i finally get back on it and get to the top where Daniel is belaying me from. Wow does it feel good to get to the top and look at the view. We get on rappel and make our descent back down the pitches.
Now to present day climbing I've been bouldering a bunch now and that keeps me a little lower on the ground. A different style of climbing, sort of a free'er range of motion without all the cams, nuts, and pitons involved. We have been going to our local crag Boat Rock in Atlanta to crush the Granite!.. The rock here is pretty blank in most places, lots of crack climbs and hard pebbles and crystals to rip the living $h!T outta your fingers and hands. Here are a couple pics of my climbing adventures. More to come next time...Thanks for the photo Scott Gross.!!

She needs Love and affection- - -

So I'm helping my friend whitney with a boxer from the rescue organization she works with. I got my dog Spanky from the rescue and I'm working with Sadie now to get a lil pent up anciety issues taken care of before she finds a new home. Here are some pics of her, she is the runt of the bunch and weights in about 45lbs. She can sit, laydown, and i will get her to go to her cage.. I'll keep you'll posted on the progress in the next couple days. I know she has about 7 homes that are trying to get her. So here are the pics..

Through the eyes of this yellow fellow- - -

So I have been swamped at work.. orders to do, bills to pay. what fun it is to run the store!.. oh well, a much needed dinner is in order. so I'm taking my boy Charles to Rathbun's Steakhouse.. I took a friend a couple weeks ago and i was very pleased. just gotta order some truffle sauce on the side. and some more sides such as jalapeno creamed corn, mashed potatoes, and garlicky green beans or spinach. gotta eat my veggies..

Bouldering season is in full effect...!!.. Horse Pens 40 in Steele, AL is the next stop. i made it this past weekend for Boulderween. which was Rad!!. to help sponsor and raise money for the SCC... this is me , a bit freakish for Sarah palin..
it was a last minute thing and i ended up going to Kinko's in the AM to get 3 mask printed and laminated.which cost me $9 Sweet!.. Kayne, Sarah Palin,& Glenn Beck.. all of which are super retarded and scary at the same time..

This next weekend is Horse Pens 40 again for the Triple Crown bouldering series, i guess I'm gonna try my best at this one and see where i finish amongst the men in Advanced climbing category .. should be a great time as usual. Lets see how my friends do as well! best of luck. Crush!

that's all folks..