To all my ladies...

It's been a while....which is how most of our blogposts start, well, because it has.

It's hard to write about something when you feel as if you have nothing to talk about.

Here is a little summary of what's happened since we last posted:

I went on a trip to Bishop with the Bend Endurance Academy.

The kids.

I went on a trip to Vegas with Julie and Brescia.

Brescia, Julie, and I on top of Lotta Balls in Red Rocks Canyon.

Grant went to South Dakota with his friend Geoff.

I went on a semi-solo trip to Wyoming.

Kate and I in Wyoming.

I came home and had the best summer of my life with Kat, a few horses, and a lot of wine.

Kat and I this summer!

Grant and I went on a trip to Vegas, then I went back a month later to climb with Kat.

Kat in Vegas, photo by Rick Scharf

I moved to Portland, started school, and now we are here...

But of course, this is not what I want to talk about.

Here in Portland, I have had a lot of time to reflect since Grant is still in Bend and I don't currently have a job or a lot of things going on.  I have been thinking about the relationships that I have developed over the past few years and all the inspiring women that I have had the pleasure of being around, laughing, crying, baking, singing, pouring my heart out to.  

Natalie, Crystal, and I after the first night we all hung out together. Ryan Palo photo

Everywhere I move to (and I move a lot), I feel like I can at least find one woman to connect to but never have I felt the overwhelming support from so many at once.  I always have a hard time connecting with women for some reason or another.  Maybe, in the past few years something finally clicked.  I have always heard about the importance of having girlfriends and blah, blah, blah but I have never understood that importance until now.  

Andi, Cristina, (Drew), and I on ladies day!

There is something about having a friend just look at you and you instantly start spilling your guts to them without them saying a word.

There is something about starting a friendship over Facebook that involves mostly baking recipes, deciding who is going to bring the wine, whose house you are going to destroy with flour, finding out that you will be baking with mostly camping gear, that we didn't buy enough marshmallow fluff and we'll need to figure out how if we can make it ourselves, or not reading the recipe and finding out we will need to hang out together for 6 hours in order for it all to get done.

Jess, my BPIC (baking partner in crime), being a bad ass as always!! Mark Postle photo.

Making marshmallow fluff.

There is something about being too afraid to call your friend, right after they move to Portland, because you're afraid you are going to suffocate them with your girl-love right away....Ellie. :)

I'm truly inspired by all the ladies in my life.  Whether it be them going to school, buying a house and getting married, facing difficult life decisions, dealing or being in relationships, climbing, or whatever they are doing!

Christina and I.

I just want to let all my ladies know that I love you, I miss you, I'm there for you, and I'm sorry that it took me so long to figure it out!!