climbing owens river gorge

so my physical activity has been limited to things that are not high impact on my ankle, so i've actually been doing rock climbing. weird, i know, because that is so leg intensive, but it's all controlled movement and no high impact, so it's an approved activity. volleyball and basketball are still currently on my off-list though... weird, huh?

at any rate, i've been going with my cousin alot in these past few days, but this last trip probably was the coolest climbs i've ever done. i did a lot of side holds, and a lot of climbs that used more upper body strength than i'm used to. i even did an overhang! and pulled myself up! after i lost my footing! hahha... here are some of the pics:

climbing up, contemplating how to do this
oh, so you do a side hold, and lean back for leverage...
and then i got to the overhang...
trying to get a higher hold, i was reaching as high as i could with my left while keeping my right hand on the lower hold for stability
so i reached my right hand up there too, and then i lost my footing!
but my hands were wedged in so tight i stayed put, and i swung my legs up and got them up onto the ledge
fun stuff, eh? =)

a few weeks ago i got in touch with a good friend who i never get a chance to talk to. the advice this friend had for me was solid - basically, i have my perception of the way things are, but the reality is different. and i need to accept that reality is the way that it is.

looking on that, i think i still want to believe that things are the way that i hoped that they would be, but i think i know better. i've accepted that they are not that way.

where do i go from here? i don't know. but learning to deal with reality is a good first step to get me away from chasing what isn't there.

every day, i wake up and thank God for my friends. and then i pray a blessing over specific people who have asked for it, or have shown a need...

this hasn't been the easiest thing for me to do, but it has kept me talking to God. even when i haven't known what to pray for specifically, it's easy sometimes just to start listing their names and telling Him that He knows what they need, and i just want to lift them up in prayer. it's funny sometimes because i seriously just do the roll call... but i have to say that i've noticed a difference in it now.

i still struggle with some issues of my own, but that doesn't stop me from praying for other people. and when i start thinking dark thoughts, i just turn my attention to God and start asking for blessings on others. at the very least, it's just avoidance. but focusing on the positive instead of the negative has really helped. i'm still struggling with my thoughts, but i keep on turning to Him...

and i'm thankful for all the activities He's filled my life with, and the friends He has blessed me with, but at the same time i don't want to forget about relying on Him, or even dealing with my issues. i'm not trying to hide from anything... i need to remember to keep it real and allow myself to search, and to give myself alone time as well.

rock climbing is low impact

i've been taking a break from all high impact sports, which is basically all sports since i'm not allowed to run either. but the doctor gave me full clearance for the workout gym, so i'll be going back to that soon. i still can't swim because of risk of infection to the hole in my foot (it didn't fully close up with the stitches so i'm still waiting on that)

rock climbing is still pretty fun tho! i am making sure to not extend my ankle in any direction that is still uncomfortable, although this week i would say i'm getting back my full range of motion. i made it halfway up this rock (which was my third climb of the day) before my muscles crapped out on me. i suppose that's a sign that i need to get back to the gym now!

other goals:

to be able to do a pull-up. more than one, actually. just to be able to do pull-ups, i guess.

to learn how to surf (which has to wait until i learn how to swim well)

to enjoy eating mushrooms. this one i'm fairly close on - i like mushrooms in my food, most of the time, it's big button mushrooms or other large and slippery ones that i don't like. i think it's a texture thing that i have to get over. i like cream of mushroom soup, musrooms when they're small and in a sauce over my food, etc. every time i eat food with mushrooms in it i make it a point to put a little bit more on my plate than i would normally, and i'm working on fully integrating it into my meals...

to learn how to make a dress. i'm sewing one right now, but it's not well done. i'll keep on making them till i'm satisfied with the quality =)

to learn to cook ginataang monggo with langka. oh man... that's yummy stuff! i've never dealt with langka before it's been in my food - i've only eaten it 2-3 times too. but i will learn it! thank you, internet!

i would like to have plants. ones that grow and flourish. i would like to have mango, papaya, calamansi, kamote, loquat, cherimoya, and all sortsa tropical fruits. i guess i should grow jackfruit too if i want to start cooking it. mmm.... fruits =)

to learn about the workings of a car (or a motorcycle!) so far i've read up on DOHC engines, and i'm learning about torque vs horsepower. that's still a confusing topic, but i'll get there! i'm also getting better at recognizing bikes on the road =)

balance. it's so hard to achieve.

either i'm super busy and i'm full of energy, or i have nothing to do and i just bum around.

i was telling my roommate yesterday how it's funny that the busier i am, the more projects i pick up... i know that sounds like it's exactly the same thing, but it's not. a few years back when i was taking classes for my M.Ed., it was my first year of teaching, and i was extremely busy. i still had to take classes at ucr from 4-7 or 7-10 sometimes, and on top of that, i found time to go out with my cousins, cook dinner on wednesday nights, and also go to gym night for 4 hours at a time!

the years following that busy schedule, i had absolutely nothing to do after work. in that time, i would come home and nap and then bum around... i don't know what i did in that time.

now that i'm back in school, i'm taking 3 classes (10 units) right now. i'm at cal state 4 hours a day 2x a week, and on the days i don't go there, i feel like i've been gifted an extra 4 hours in my day that my time is free - so i had been working out in that time, but i still had some extra time. so, on top of that, i picked up some personal projects at home as well. and still i have a lot of time that i don't know what to do with! no more napping for me!

the thing is, i talked about balance a few posts ago. there still are times during the day when i feel like i don't have anything to do, and i'll call my friends up and they just want to stay home because they don't have the energy that i do. but i've noticed that there are times i won't go to sleep at night cuz i'm so busy with all that i'm doing. i want to make sure that i keep it balanced - keeping God important in my life, and still have time to develop the talents that He's blessed me with.

happy earth day!

some (not so random) thoughts....

happy birthday, you!

some of my favorite memories of earth day are of getting free ice cream at ben & jerry's while i was in high school.

i also have pictures of one year... and i don't remember what we were doing but somehow i ended up at with a friend at another friend's house looking at his aquarium. weird.

i miss free ice cream.

i miss my friend.

i miss being active. it's only been 5 days since my surgery but i still miss my activities. when can i start volleyballing again? or rock climbing? or swimming? -sigh-

a few months ago, if you had asked me what i would be doing right now, my answer would have been totally different from what really happened today. i actually like how today panned out, even if it is different than anything i would have thought of.

i am wondering how to achieve balance.

in my Bible readings i've been wondering how to take what God gives me and 'invest' in it and use my talents without letting that become a distraction between me and God. i think i want to apply that to all aspects of my life - let Him bless me and help me flourish in my endeavors but not ever lose sight of Him.

so yeah, balance. in all aspects of life.

gnite, y'all, and God bless you!