Checked off

Jim doesn't have a bucket list that I know of, but I do, which is why we end up doing so many things that I want to do. Jim does like to do things, but most of them involve dishwashing liquid, baseball, music, or hot sauce (usually not all together). He seems to be fine with my constant cries of "WE HAVE TO DO THAT SOMEDAY!!!" and the detours in life that these goals create.

Detours that cost an hour or so in a cross country road trip to pick up a college freshman for summer break. I've walked around Independence Rock in Wyoming half a dozen times (every time we drive past it) and I've always wanted to climb up it. What kept me from doing it? My weight and inability to handle climbing several flights of stairs without getting inordinately out of breath.

But this time:

Jim and I made the climb! It looks scary at first, there's always that nagging fear that I'm going to slip and roll down the rock face and kill myself. I made sure I wore my extra grippy tennis shoes. I had to stop twice to catch my breath, but I don't think it took more than 5 minutes to get to the top. It's nice and flat up top, enabling us to walk around a lot and pretend to be successful, physically capable mountain climbers.

Climb to the top of Independence Rock: CHECK!