Cragmama "Not all who wander are lost…" JRR Tolkien

Yearly Archives: 2013

New River Rendezvous X – A Recap of the Rollercoaster

New River Rendezvous X – A Recap of the Rollercoaster

After skipping a year for the first time in 10 years, the New River Rendezvous was back and better than ever this past weekend!  For those of you not familiar with it, the ‘Vous is a climber’s festival that raises money for the New River Alliance of Climbers (NRAC).  It’s also a great excuse for the climbing community to get together and celebrate living near some of the best stone this country has to offer!   Though it was the 5th Rendezvous for Steve and I (and Cragbaby’s 2nd), it was my first time attending as an athlete for Trango,…Read the rest of this entry →

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Finding Nature (and Ducks!) in Unexpected Places

Finding Nature (and Ducks!) in Unexpected Places

“That Mommy Duck is peeking at me!” C shouted excitedly as he slid over to make room for me and the rest of our food at our table.  It was a Friday night, which of course meant we were at Chick-fila.  Ever since we moved to Charlotte (and actually even before then), our family has had a long-standing tradition of heading to the neighborhood Chick-fila on Friday evenings when we aren’t heading off on a climbing trip for the weekend.  When the weather is nice and the days are long, we walk, usually pulling C in the wagon and waving…Read the rest of this entry →

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Urban Adventures with the Chariot Chinook

Urban Adventures with the Chariot Chinook

Our family has long since been fans of products from Chariot.  Their commitment to family adventure is unprecedented, as for years this company has been providing families with ways to get everyone from here to there in just about any way imaginable – bike, run, walk, ski, etc.  Our first experience with Chariot was with the Cabriolet.  It’s a durable two-seater that has been on many a family escapade over the past 3 years.  I even did a review on it way back when we first got it (found here).  It wasn’t until we rented some bike trailers for C and his cousin…Read the rest of this entry →

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5 Ways to Have Fun With Strawberries This Season!

5 Ways to Have Fun With Strawberries This Season!

Strawberry season is without a doubt one of my favorite times of the year.  A bucket overflowing with plump, juicy red strawberries held triumphantly by a toddler with red-stained hands and face is a joyful image indeed!  And now that the season is upon us, I thought it would be fitting to share a few of our family’s favorite strawberry-related activities… PICK YOUR OWN:  Growing up I can remember every year driving to the local farm with my mom, often several nights per week, all throughout the month of May.  We’d pick 4, eat 2, then drop the rest in…Read the rest of this entry →

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Sending a Family Project: Flash Point (5.11d)

Sending a Family Project: Flash Point (5.11d)

This weekend the hubby and I had the unique opportunity to send a project together, one that was equally meaningful to us both, but for very different reasons.  For Steve, Flash Point was about redemption.  After a pretty successful toprope run this past January, he tied in on the sharp end with no expectations and shocked everyone (but probably himself the most!) by making it through the first two cruxes clean before pumping out one move before a good rest 80 feet up.  After jugging back up he found some better holds that probably would have kept him on had…Read the rest of this entry →

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“Not all who wander are lost.” —JRR TOLKIEN