Q on the D 2014

Saturday was the annual Quick on the Draw competition at Adventure Rock, our local climbing gym.  Brian has long been involved with it, either as a participant or a volunteer, and when I got on board with the whole climbing thing, I also became a fan of the ol' Q on the D.  I've only dared to climb in it once, but the comp is always a blast, and I make it a point to break my rule of sleeping in on weekends to get up bright and early and dedicate the day to the gym -- it's a place that has meant a whole lot to Brian and me, after all.  We have some really great friends and have had some wonderful experiences thanks to the gym and climbing.

The competition was also a really big deal this year because Brian was making a return trip to Wisconsin to be there and spent a lot of time and brain power on building a website that handled registration and scoring for the comp.  

Saturday started extra early thanks to this horrible winter weather, but after fueling up on coffee and picking up our friend Craig, who manages the gym, we made our way to Pewaukee and got to work. In the afternoon, Brian halted his web-guy work to chalk up and get some climbing in.  It turns out that I was as nervous as ever watching him climb.  Take the man outside to climb and I'm fine, but make it a competition, even a for-fun and cool trophies one, and I'm a mess....good thing one of us kept it together.  Brian took fourth in his division and qualified for finals.  And like last year, he ended the comp in a higher position than he was in going into finals.  With his 3rd place finish, Brian had his best showing yet.  

Per usual, after the comp, we headed to 'after party' just down the street.  It added hours of laughs and good times to an already great day, and it gave us both the chance to catch up with a few friends we haven't seen in some time.  By the time we made it home that night, both Brian and I were exhausted.  

We can officially put another successful Q on the D in the books.  I'm glad Brian was able to make it home and I'm glad I was there to watch him and so many of our friends do their thing.  

nesting dolls 
Red Square 
Is this year's theme obvious yet? 
my guy doing his thing 

3rd place, not too shabby! 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

AJ Runs Several Ks...and Writes About It

Image
On Saturday, May 6, I returned to half marathon racing. It had been quite a hiatus, and my previous half marathon, was completed with a blown out IT band, so I did have to balance high hopes and realistic expectations. After all, a lot has changed since that last race. They say that age is just a number, and by that logic, a half marathon is just miles. 13.1 long and hilly miles in this case, and now officially in the next decade of my life. Yeah, yeah, just a number. Last year, still in my 30s, I toyed with the idea of returning to racing and with running the Door County Half Marathon. We were in Peninsula State Park for our annual Mother’s Day weekend, and the race was taking place. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to get back to some really good training. Our plan - always - is to be in Door County for our Mother’s Day celebration, so why not sign up?! Well, back to numbers. Two children, one partner, too many hours at work each week, one bike ride/race to each weekend, an
Read more

My Dad, OUR Hero

Image
This past weekend, we celebrated my dad’s 30 years of service to and retirement from the Mukwonago Fire Department. As both a volunteer fire fighter and EMT, he has spent several decades in service of others. During what surely was one of their most trying times, it was my dad who was with people he’d never met and likely wouldn’t see again. To do that on top investing in full-time work, his family, and his other interests is simply remarkable. And that’s my dad: a driven, generous, passionate man. The Mukwonago Fire Department was a part of my youth. The men and women he served with became my dad’s second family, and thus they were there for many of my milestones. My weekends were were filled with various events hosted by MFD, including community events and that one family picnics that ended with Dad getting stitches. Sometimes my weekends - and weeknights - were also filled with quick goodbyes as another call pulled Dad away from our family plans. The sound of his pager and the
Read more

Milestone

Image
I mentioned, not too long ago, interest in a birthday trip to ATL. Michelle Obama would be there for her book tour, the weather is fall-like this time of year and perfect for a long run, and it’s a city I haven’t explored much of. My partner heard me. He showed up, like really showed up!   Just about a week ago, Harper brought me a birthday card and gift she and B had been working on. It was my own copy of  The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times , and a Happy Birthday picture of a plane, a peach, and a pink and purple suitcase (my favorite colors).     I had otherwise been planning a jaunt from home along the Glacial Drumlin Trail and snack day at H’s school. That would have been great. But Brian has been helping me work on prioritizing myself to maintain balance; time away was earned, needed, permissable. To say I was excited for the weekend was an understatement. B attended to all the details (also needed AND appreciated): flights, hotel accommodations, transportation,
Read more