Simply Read

New Years Reflection

2012-01-29T09:13:00.001-08:00

http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/12478-new-year-jen-vennon

Upcycling prAna Shipping Bags

2012-01-29T09:11:00.000-08:00

Upcycling prAna Shipping Bags (video)

With winter comes short days and long, dark evenings. My first few winters as a climber in Colorado were filled with anxiety. When would I get to climb again? Would it ever stop snowing? How can it be SO cold?

It took some time, and some patience, but I’ve finally found my peace with winter. I’ve finally realized that I don’t have to climb every weekend. In fact, it turns out that there are a whole slew of other things that I also love to do. Like skiing, swimming in the hot springs pool, watching football, and hanging out with my non-climbing friends. Most of all I enjoy finding creative ways to use all of the pretty things I save throughout the year.

This past weekend I pulled out some of the prAna shipping bags I’ve been saving for a snowy day and got to work foldingorigami boxes. I love these boxes. They make perfect treasure chests for all of the little knick-knacks I have lying around my bedroom.

Here’s a quick tutorial on how to up-cycle your own prAna shipping bags into fun little boxes.

~Jen Vennon, prAna Ambassador

prAna Blog; Shop Handmade, Shop Local

2011-11-06T09:11:00.000-08:00

Jen Vennon: Shop Handmade, Shop Local

With the holiday season upon us it’s time to start thinking about gifts for all the special people in your life. This year, I’m challenging myself to do all of my shopping at either locally owned shops or from handmade merchants.

Here are a few of my favorites for the people on my list:

Mountain Love

Mountain Love is owned by my dear friend, and fellow teacher, Kelly Philbin. Kelly makes beautiful interchangeable magnetic necklaces. Each necklace comes with an engraved pendant and three magnetic pieces for you to switch and change on a whim. You can find Mountain Love at craft fairs all over the Western Slope and the Front Range of Colorado, or on her website at http://www.mymountainlove.com/

ash & ore

“ash & ore is a one woman venture founded in 2009, specializing in handmade leather goods that combines simple functional designs with re-purposed materials.

Nestled at the base of the Rockies, Amee happily dwells and creates in a 100 year old bungalow with her boyfriend and their fuzzy, four legged friend, Roobix.”

Amee Hinklee is an ultra creative artist and a member of the climbing community. She can be found at craft shows and fairs around Colorado. Keep up with her at http://ashandoregoods.blogspot.com/ or on ash & ore’s Facebook page!

MuKee

“MuKee products are handmade from reclaimed skateboards” by Derek Keenan. Products include necklaces, earrings, and belt buckles; all for a reasonable price. Check out Mukee’s shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/mukee or follow him on Facebook at facebook.com/mukeedesign

Two+Two

Two+Two, handmade in Carbondale CO, makes reusable, washable, bags in a variety of sizes and designs. They are the perfect gift for that practical eco-minded loved one. I use and reuse these bags daily for my lunch and snack. They are also perfect for children! The website is coming soon at http://www.twoplustwoshop.com/ or you can follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/TwoTwo/159365727469098?sk=wall

Child’s Own Studio

This is the perfect gift for the little artist in your life. This talented woman can turn your child’s drawings into a unique stuffed animal!

“Child’s Own Studio started with a simple project, to make a recognizable comfort toy for a 4 year old boy based on his drawing. It was an idea that launched a home-based craft business. Since then, Child’s Own Studio has custom made over 200 personal softies, each one as unique as the child who drew it.”

Check out http://www.childsown.com/index.html for great pictures and more information on this unique product.

Unfortunately Child’s Own Studio is not taking any more orders for the Holiday season, but she’ll start up again in January.

Those are five of my favorite handmade merchants. Let’s hear about your favorites?

Stockboy's Revenge

2011-09-20T17:07:00.000-07:00

Saturday was one of those days I can only describe asun-motivating. It was raining andcold as we packed the car. It dumped for the entire 1 hour drive to RifleMountain Park. At one point I began laughing and questioned Andrew about why wewere still driving. I’d suggestedthrowing in the towel before we even made it to the highway. A day at theGlenwood Hot Springs was sounding perfect to me. But we kept driving.

The canyon was pretty much empty when we arrived. Everythinglooked a little darker than it should and the black rock was glistening as thewater poured down the walls. I had no hope of actually climbing and was justhoping I could convince everyone that a diving board session at the pool wouldbe much more fun.

The car thermometer read 48 degrees as we parked the car. Inthe back of my mind I couldn’t help but think about a day last year when thethermometer read the exact same thing. It was damp and gross then too. That wasthe day I sent the 7 PM Show. Maybe, just maybe, I could pull it off again.Maybe. . . but probably not!

Three bolts into my third warm-up I saw a flash and heardthe crash of thunder. I believe I even let out a loud whoop! This was justridiculous, but I was kind of having fun. That was until Andrew screamed up atme. “I’m getting soaked down here, you gotta come down!” I looked down to seehim huddled as far under the wall as possible and getting nailed by sidewayshail that was penetrating deep into the caves. I came down and finding myjackets soaked decided to give up for the day. I had one good go on my projectfor the weekend; I didn’t want to waste it on such a crappy day. I’d fallen atthe crux countless times and even punted once above there. I just needed to doit right one time and Sunday’s forecast looked really good.

Once again I attempted to get the boys to pack it up andcall it a day. This was just dumb, and now my coats were wet!

They wouldn’t leave. I was stuck in the canyon. I couldeither climb or just sit around pouting all day. Honestly the latter soundedfine to me. Adam Avery was with us and he had a cooler filled with beer, notclimbing wouldn’t be too bad. But the thought of last years send kept creepinginto my mind.

I decided to walk down to the Bauhaus and check to conditionof Stockboy’s Revenge. If it was wet the decision would be made and I’d call ita day. To my great surprise it was dry and actually looked kind of bright.Several of my friends were in there trying to stay warm and get some pitchesin. Chris Kalous called me over, saying he had a present for me, and handed mea roll of zebra striped duck tape. I love colored duck tape, maybe this wouldbe just the luck I needed to send my route!

I decided to try warming up again and hoped my hands wouldfeel warm. Going numb on this project wasn’t going to work, it was just toolong and there was nowhere to get the warmth back in my hands.

After two more warm ups my hands were warm and I was readyto give it a go. So it was back down to the Bauhaus to face my fate. I’d eithersucceed or fail and I was willing to give my all to find out which it would be.

There’s a routine or pattern to getting ready to climb on aproject. For me, it’s knee pads, duck tape, tie in, shoes on, and go.

My first attempt was a nightmare. I fell low on the firstset of hard moves after knee-barring my finger and getting stuck. ARG!

I came down, pulled the rope, and tied back in. Andrew saidI had fire in my eyes. I’ll say that I was mad. Really mad.

Back up I headed, squeaking through the bottom, but onlyjust barely. I rested as long as I could bear before heading out the roof. Aseries of easier moves and various knee bars led me into the crux of the route.

Big move to a pinch. Throw the right foot above my head andput in the shallow knee bar. Grad the seam and sink the knee bar in deeper.This one has to be perfect, too shallow and it’ll slide, too deep and I’ll betoo low on the next hold. Stand up and clip. Sink down and re-position thefoot. Stand tall, all at once, and grad the gastone. Generate in the arms,stand tall, and switch the knee bar. Foot to knee and knee to foot. Suck up,stay tight, and grab the side pull. Get it high, get it wide.

Now go, go, go, get the feet up as quickly as possible.

For me getting the feet up was the crux of this route. Oncethey’re up it’s just a quick move to a sloppy gastone and then roll up to theundercligs. Get into the double knee bar rest and calm down.

I’d climbed to this point once before and then punted.Literally falling out of a knee bar. I couldn’t believe it!

On Saturday I stayed in that rest for what seemed likeforever. I wasn’t going until I was sure. All that ran through my mind in therest was “one move at a time, each move perfect”. Again and again I thoughtthat. Stay in the present, finish this route.

The rest of the climb was a blur. I climbed it well, but wasmore tired than I’d ever been. I’d always skipped the third to last bolt andhad played around with skipping the one above that as well. After an awful fallearlier in the summer I’d decided that skipping both was a bad idea, even if clippingthe the second was hard. On the send my feet cut when I hit the clip hold. Ithrew them back on, but knew that there was no way I could clip and pull offthe next moves. Without hesitation I threw for the jug on the lip and quicklymoved through the next few moves to the next clipping stance. It wasn’t until Ihad it clipped that I let myself remember the last time I’d tried to skip thatdraw and nearly broke my ankle after a 60 foot whipper sent me crashing intothe wall. None of that matter by then, I was done. Just a few more moves on bigholds and I’d clip the chains!

I have to say that I’m very psyched to have sent this route.It’s uniquely amazing and exemplifies everything I love about Rifle. Strange,cryptic, specific, and above all fun.

Big thanks to Andy Raether for bolting this route and all ofmy patient friends who had to deal with my various and often-unpredictable emotionsthroughout the process.

photo by Andrew Bisharat
setting up the big crux knee bar

photo by Andrew Bisharat
moving through the crux

Huge

2011-09-05T08:46:00.000-07:00

Earlier this summer I sent the route Huge, 5.13d. It's a long route in the Bauhaus, Rifle, CO. Characterized by two distinct cruxes and beautiful limestone, Huge is a great route.

I'd tried the route a few times in the past but was never able to figure out how to do this one REALLY big (for me) move early on the route. This summer however I found a way to stick the move. . . at least inconsistently. Luckily the actual crux didn't feel so bad and the higher crux had a massive rest just before it, so I knew that if I got there I'd be able to pull it off.

Finally one day I stuck the opening hard move and climbed to the top! There was no doubt in my mind that I could finish the route. I just had to stay in the moment and focus on one move at a time, and it worked!

As I write this, I'm trying to conjure up the feeling of calmness and absolute confidence I had the day I stuck that opening hard move and sent Huge. I'll need that confidence and calmness today as I head back to Rifle, to face my current project.

Here are some photos from a working session on Huge, taken by Dave Clifford.

photo (c) Dave Clifford
www.davidcliffordphotography.com

photo (c) Dave Clifford

www.davidcliffordphotography.com

photo (c) Dave Clifford
www.davidcliffordphotography.com

Composting How To

2011-08-21T08:38:00.000-07:00

One of my personal goals this year is to get a compost started for my classroom and my home. Here's a handy "How To" that I found on the prAna blog.

Chicks and Ducklings

2011-08-17T18:09:00.000-07:00

I was just looking over my past blog entries and realized that I never posted pics of this year's flock.

This was the third year that I attempted to hatch chick with my Kindergarten class. After last year's dreaded half chicken incident, I was a bit nervous, especially since I would be adding duck eggs into the mix.

Luckily this year's hatch was a success. Only full chickens and ducks! When all was said and done we had 4 chicks (Batman, Robin, Lila, and something else) and 5 ducklings (Mario, Mac, Vincent, Uncle Quaker, Katilina).

I can't express how wonderful of an experience this is for the children. Something they'll remember for the rest of their lives.

The night before hatching day.
I was a bit excited to test out my costume, which I wore most of the week.

Our first two chicks

Chicken hatching video!

Lila

We put this photo in the chicken trough to keep them company.

Duck eggs!

We had given up hope on this one and turned off the incubator.
3 hours later, he made a go at it.

Duckling breaking through the shell.

Mac

The ducklings first swim.

Rock and Ice issue 197

2011-08-11T08:26:00.000-07:00

Rock and Ice issue 197 will be coming your way shortly.

Check out the new cover.

Dumpster BBQ, Rifle, CO
photo by Duane Raleigh

"The Show"

2011-08-08T13:33:00.000-07:00

I've been going to the Outdoor Retailer Summer Trade Show for a few years now. The idea is for outdoor companies to get together and showoff all of their new products. But for me, OR is a time to chat with old and new friends, check-in with my companies, and otherwise have a blast.

The highlights this year included the premier of "The Scene", a movie by Chuck Fryberger, dinner with a prestigious crew of climbers, lunch with my dear friends Big H (Greg Houston) and Dario Ventura, peddling around the city on a borrowed cruiser bike, attempting to win a paddle board, dancing at the battle of the bands, and catching up with Chris Sharma and Daila Ojeda.

Saturday night dinner

Amy Pickering signing with the BD band.
These guys rocked!

Daila Ojeda and myself
photo by Andrew Bisharat

Mobbing Salt Lake City
Photo copyright of Keith Ladzinski

Home Sweet Home

2011-08-05T08:17:00.000-07:00

Carbondale, CO
photo by Andrew Bisharat

Carbondale Mountain Fair

2011-08-01T08:30:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the Carbondale Mountain Fair. Think booths filled with hand made crafts and art, New Belgium beer, copious amounts of tie-dye and flowing skirts, live music, fair food, and tons of people.

I've always attended Mountain Fair as an observer, but this year I let my friend Kelly Philbin of Mountain Love talk me into bringing my journals and origami earrings to the fair to sell.

Needless to say it was a fun, if hot, weekend in the park.

I swear I was jumping just before this picture was taken.
I don't actually this this is a "cool" pose!
photo by Mountain Love

I've plenty of journals and earrings left over. Let me know if you'd like me to send them your way!

No Spain, No Gain

2011-07-15T07:11:00.000-07:00

The newest Rock and Ice, issue 196, is on new stands now! In it you will find Andrew Bisharat's story of our trip to Spain this spring break, along with beautiful photos by Keith Ladzinski.

It's pretty amazing to have a trip captured forever by two of the most talented people I know in their respective crafts.

Enjoy!

Daila Ojeda
photo by Keith Ladzinski

photo copyright of Keith Ladzinski

Dumpster BBQ

2011-07-08T08:39:00.000-07:00

A few years back I managed to send Dumpster BBQ, 5.13c, Rifle, CO. Dumpster is a notoriously sandbagged route, even at 13c. This is to say it's very hard. It's the kind of climb where you count yourself lucky to squeak out a send and then never get on again, thus never having to face that fact that the send may have been a fluke.

I was reminded of the difficulty of this climb when Duane Raleigh, good friend and publisher of Rock and Ice Magazine, decided that Dumpster BBQ got good light and would shoot well. "Jen's done this before right?" he says to Andrew, my boyfriend. "Let's shoot it this week."

So, last week I found myself back on Dumpster BBQ. But this time without my shield of well worked beta and a lack of outside pressure to do well. What resulted was a very good and unexpected workout for me, one which I'm already grateful for, and a cool little video.

Click here to watch

Climber's note: It's always strange to watch yourself in a video. I think I look pretty bad in this one. I blame it entirely on the pollen! I suffer from intense seasonal allergies.

prAna Blog. . .Spain

2011-07-04T08:39:00.001-07:00

Check out my post on the prAna blog!

Enjoy

Beach Vacation

2011-06-30T13:25:00.000-07:00

No summer vacation is complete without a visit to the beach!

The week after wrapping up the school year and packing up the classroom I headed to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida with my dear friend Kelly Philbin. Kelly teaches 1st grade at my school and seems to get my sense of humor. She's kind, endearing, and a ton of fun. She didn't even mind when I invited myself along on her summer trip to visit her father.

We spent a long weekend riding around in Kelly's dad's blue mustang convertible, plucking Jimmy Choo sunglasses out of the Atlantic, drinking a variety of vodka drinks, laying in the sun, swimming in the sea, and riding stand up paddle boards.

It was a glorious week and a perfect start to the summer.

Mary Shedd!

Kelly paddle boarding in the Atlantic

I love paddle boards. If anyone hears of a cheap one, please let me know!

Recycled Goods Journal made from prAna Bags and Tags

2011-06-20T10:48:00.000-07:00

This is a blog post I wrote for prAna a few weeks back. Thought I'd share it here as well. Enjoy. . .

My boyfriend lives in fear that I’m going to become a hoarder, this coming from the man who has no less than 12 backpacks in our basement. Maybe it’s a true that I have a hard time throwing away perfectly useful things like gift bags, clothing tags, and pretty catalogs. Especially when these types of items hold so much potential if I can just find the time.

With school out for the summer, and my local climbing crag closed due to flooding, I’ve finally found an afternoon to put my collection of prAna clothing tags and shipping bags to use. What resulted was a one-of-a-kind journal, made entirely from stuff lying around my bedroom.

These recycled goods journals are easy to put together and can be made out of just about any recycled paper product. Check out this quick video to see how…

http://vimeo.com/24848859

Supplies

« cover paper (I used the prAna shipping bag that arrived in the mail yesterday)

« insert paper (anything will do, a favorite page from a catalog or an old paper gift bag. I used some scrap scrapbook paper I had lying around)

« cover board (the backs of old notebooks work great)

« pages (I ripped some extra sheets out of an old notebook, but any recycled computer paper would do as well!)

« something for the band (I used the pretty prAna tags that were attached to my new clothes)

« magnets

« string

« needle

« glue

« scissors

« drill with a small drill bit

Assembly

1. Decide the size of you completed book and write it down on a sheet of paper.

2. Cut

« 2 covers that are 1 inch taller and 1 inch wider than the completed book size.

« 2 pieces of cover board that are the same height but ¼ inch less wide as your completed book size

« cut off a 1 inch strip of each piece of cover board and save both pieces.

« 2 inserts that are ½ inch less tall and wide as completed size of book.

« Inside pages that are the same size as competed book size, cut as many as you’d like/

3. Glue

« Cover board to the back of both covers so that it is centered and there is a ¼ inch gap between 1 inch strip and larger piece.

« Flip over and smooth wrinkles with the edge of a plastic ruler or chopstick

« Glue a 1 inch strip of regular paper into the ¼ inch gap so that it overlaps coverboard on either side. This will reinforce the books hinge.

4. Fold and Glue

« corners of cover onto cover board and smooth with ruler or chopstick

« edges of cover onto cover board and smooth with ruler or chopstick

5. Position and Glue

« magnet onto the back of the front cover on the opposite side as the hinge. Cover with a small square of regular paper glued into place

« glue the second magnet between the two pieces of your band

« attach the band to the front cover with the magnets

« turn the front cover over and set it beside the back cover so that the band is overlapping the back cover

« measure about 2 inches of space between the two cover and mark the bands position on the back cover with a pencil

« remove band from the front cover and glue into place.

6. Glue insert onto back the backside of both covers so that it is centered and completely hides cover board. There should be about a ¼ inch boarder of your cover paper.

7. Insert book pages between covers and secure with clamps.

8. Drill 5 equally spaced holes along the edge of the paper ½ inch from the edge of the book.

9. Sew the book together with needle and string in desired pattern.

~Jen Vennon, prAna Ambasador

A Vacation Remembered

2011-04-23T09:57:00.000-07:00

I've been home from Spain for two weeks now. I'm not sure why I haven't written this blog post yet. It might be because of the mountain of stress I immediately felt upon returning to work. It's like all of the stress I shed in Spain was just sitting on my desk, waiting for me. Budget cuts and the fallout of that have caused immense speculation and worry over who will lose their jobs, and what we will and will not be able to purchase for next year. The unknown is stressful.

Or, this post may have taken me so long to write because, well. . . I've been down since returning from Spain. I know that I should appreciate that I had the opportunity to travel and climb in one of my favorite places in the world. I know that I'm lucky, and fortunate, and all of that. But the truth is, leaving vacation and returning to the "real world" is a bit of a shock to the system.

But as I type this, I know that the real reason I haven't written this post yet is because I'm still processing the trip. I haven't quite been ready to let it go. To release it into the world. I've been selfishly keeping it all to myself.

As I sit here, watching it snow on the day that was going to be my first day back in the canyon. I've decided it's time to let it go and remember my trip fondly.

I hope this picture essay will do. I've stolen many of these photos from Andrew Bisharat!

Denver International Airport security line

Denver to Atlanta, Atlanta to Barcelona

Keith Ladzinski, probably playing chess!

Oh course the TV at my seat didn't work. Lucky for me I brought a headphone splitter. Unlucky for Andrew who had to tolerate me learning into his space all the way to Barcelona to watch movies.

Barcelona Airport, off the plane at last

Here's Keith hoping we get a car big enough to fit all of our gear. This is just his stuff!

After our overnight flight we headed strait to Barcelona to see the sights.
Cafe con Leche, yum

La Segrada Familia by Gaudi

We headed down to the harbor for lunch and a quick photo shoot.

We found this stair case in an ally. It was just a stair case, there was nothing at the top.

Grocery stores are not open on Sundays in Spain.
It took us two days to finally get some food, but at least we were not disappointed.

Terredets, one of my favorite crags in the world!
I spent 10 days at this crag several years ago and was thrilled to return.

Andrew and Clay standing at the base of Terredets.
The amount of rock in this region of Spain is unbelievable.

Terredets is like a giant ocean wave, getting steeper and steeper
as you move toward the right until it eventually curls over.

It's also covered in tufas!!
This is the only picture Andrew or I had of anyone climbing, which I find interesting.
We say we're going on a climbing trip, but come back with pictures of everything but!

Elly doing her internship with Keith.

Here's Oliana, the hardest crag in the world. We spent many days at this crag trying the warm-ups!
I never got sick of this view.

Headed to dinner after a great day of climbing.
Keith, Elly, Chris, and Christian in the back of the Mercedes van!

Dinner with our friend in Spain.
This place had the most amazing fried potatoes.
They were soaking in some sort of oil and absolutely delicious. Chris ordered a ton!

This picture, more than any other, shows our rest days in Spain.
Drinking coffee, reading a book, and combating the winter paleness.

The trip wasn't just for climbing. We had some photo shoots to do as well.
Here's Andrew checking out the monastery above Sant Lloranc de Montgai.

Driving, driving, driving. We did a lot of driving each day to get to the climbs.
I loved cruising through these Spanish villages.
With tons of open land all around, the people still tend to live on top of each other.

There were lots of road bikers on the road.
It made me wish I'd brought my bike.

Clay and Rosie, our friends from the states that have been in Spain for nearly a year.
It was great to climb with these two!

It's cheaper to buy wine than water in Spain.
Which works for me!

Dinner with Clay and Rosie in a random village at a restaurant named Cal Jesus.

While we were there the weather was in the 80s and the flowers were blooming.
Spring in Spain is lovely.

We stayed at Chris and Daila's house during our trip.
They were wonderful to us. Here's the sign that greeted us daily.

While Chris and Daila were away I made friend with their cat, Calissa.
I love cats and was happy to have a buddy.

The village we stayed in is called Sant Lloranc de Montgai.
It's situated on a reservoir and has climbing on the cliffs you see to the left.

Chris and Andrew talking about home repairs.

Chris and Daila's pool.
A morning chat about the plans for the day.

Chris getting the pool ready for summer.
He began filling the pool while we were there although I had to leave before it was ready to go.

Keith shooting pictures of Chris getting cleaning the pool.

Daila
One of the strongest, friendliest, and most beautiful female climbers in the world.

Toward the end of the trip I insisted on a shopping day.
I couldn't return to the states without trinket and gift for all of my friends and students.
We found this church in the town of Balaguer.

This photo was taken as a group of older men got up from breakfast at 9:30am.
Apparently drinking wine, beer, and whiskey with breakfast is common practice in Spain.
We saw this quite often.

The gang preparing for a BBQ!
Colette, Emily, Sam, myself, and Keith

Joey Kinder. Very Hungry.

Sam and Emily at dinner on my last night in Spain.
I think he's mad because Emily kissed him and Andrew got a picture of it!

Last night in Spain!

The walk home from dinner.

This picture got a bit out of order. This is the reservoir in that we walked past many times on the way to the internet. Andrew took this photo after I left.

Back on the plane, all too soon.
Barcelona to NYC, NYC to Denver

Sunset over JFK airport.
Observed during my 6.5 hour layover there.

Spain and back again. That felt good to relive.

Spain

2011-04-03T04:03:00.000-07:00

Sant Lloranc de Montgai

I've been in Spain for a week now and couldn't be happier!

More stories and photos to come (once we find some faster internet!)

Calm Before the Storm

2011-03-20T20:52:00.000-07:00

Today was the vernal equinox. The first day of Spring!

I celebrated the end of winter by skiing at Snowmass with some awesome girls. The season ended with a few runs in the miniature terrain park! I'm slowly getting more comfortable on my skis and have joined the hundreds of young children in the mini- half pipe and the jumps!

Here are a few shots from the end of Winter.

I couldn't be more excited about the coming of spring. . . my favorite season.

After several days of sun and warmth, I woke up to this on Friday morning.

The snow melted away by lunch.

Making ice cream with the kiddos.

Constructing 3-D shapes out of toothpicks and clay.
Children are pretty amazing!

Busy Busy

2011-03-16T19:45:00.000-07:00

With Spring Break rapidly approaching my to-do list is growing by the day. Hence no post yesterday.

My week thus far has been jam packed with meetings, meetings, and more meetings.

BUT, it's been absolutely beautiful outside. One might say Spring like! There's nothing that gets me more motivated than perfect spring weather!

The warm weather inspired me to take the class on a shape hunt around the neighborhood. The children were overjoyed to be outside and were eager to point our every shape we passed!

Here they are posing in a bus stop.
They REALLY wanted to ride that bus somewhere.

Journals!

This was a gift from Keith Ladzinski.
Very classy!

Identity Thieves are not my Friends

2011-03-14T21:21:00.000-07:00

Having your debit card declined is always embarrassing. You just stand there blabbering about how you know you have money in that account and you can't believe this is happening to you. Also having you credit card declined within the same week is REALLY embarrassing. Now you have to explain that no you don't have another card they can use. Then you start pulling cash out of your wallet. Cash that amounts to roughly $17 and some change. Here you go convenient store clerk, I hope this is enough to get me where I'm going and back. Guess I won't get that car wash after all.

Both my checking account and my credit card have been compromised in the last week. I have no idea what happened, all I know is that I'll be dealing in cash until further notice. Whoever has my information is really into online shopping and has attempted to buy a large number of domain names. This person is not my friend. In fact, I feel a bit of hatred towards them right now.

I just hope this all gets sorted out before I leave for Spain on the 26th!

Good bye!

Sunday. . . Climbing Day

2011-03-13T20:59:00.000-07:00

It officially feels like spring in the Roaring Fork Valley. Warm sun, blue skies, mild temps. A girl can't complain about that.

It's amazing how much my energy level goes up when it's beautiful and warm outside. Today I climbed at the Puoux. It was a "get back in shape" day, that consisted of 8 pitches and soaking up the sun. I don't think I've gotten in that many pitches since Rifle season ended in early November.

Just one more weekend of getting in shape before I head to Spain for Spring Break!

I-70, Colorado River, sport climbing!

Day Eighteen. . . Saturday = Ski Day

2011-03-12T19:40:00.000-08:00

Today was a beautiful "blue bird" day in Colorado. I took advantage of the perfect conditions at Snowmass Mountain. It was a perfect day.

The parking lot at Snowmass.
Kind of strange to see it without snow on the ground.

Taking the bus to the slopes.

Lauren showed up dressed as my opposite.

Day Seventeen. . . Friday

2011-03-11T19:17:00.000-08:00

My alarm went off at 4:40 am this morning. The first mission of the day was to drop Andrew off at the Aspen Airport in time for him to catch his 7:00 am flight. He missed his flight, but it wasn't my fault. I got him there on time.

Those of you who know me will know that I am not a morning person. That is not an exaggeration, I truly despise the morning. I often say the the single hardest part of my day is physically getting myself out of my bed. And that's something, considering the rest of my day consists of convincing 19 kindergartners that they should, in fact, listen to me and maybe learn something in the process. I can only compare that to nailing jello to a wall!

Anyway, it turns out there are some perks to waking up before the sunrise and driving for an hour and some odd minuted up to Aspen and then back to Glenwood before work. Watching the sun rise over this valley is an amazing thing to witness.

And a few others from the day.

I believe in lucky things. Currently these are my lucky shoes.
I even made some fish earring to match them!

Day Sixteen. . . Thursday

2011-03-10T20:10:00.000-08:00

A beautiful day in Colorado

Super Happy Fun Time, Happy Fun Time

My teaching mentor and friend, Shannon!

Day Fifteen. . . Wednesday

2011-03-09T19:36:00.000-08:00

A walk about town

Keith Ladzinski explaining a photography concept that I simply do NOT understand!

Carbondale recently got a brewpub. They serve beers and hot dogs in a relaxing and comfortable environment. Who could ask for more.

Tie-Dye shirts in the making.

Day Fourteen. . . TNB

2011-03-08T21:09:00.000-08:00

This teddy bear was given to me last year by a student. He likes to hang out in our classroom library.

Tomorrow we tie-dye these shirts. They will be out costumes for our Kindergarten Program. The children did all of the rubber banding. You'd be amazed at how difficult it is to explain how to use a rubber band to an entire class of 5 year olds.

Love Wendy's eyes in the picture.

And check out the extra mustache these shadows have added!
Awesome!

This little guy is mesmerized by the giant television!

Day Thirteen. . . Monday

2011-03-07T19:32:00.000-08:00

Thirteen is suppose to be an unlucky number. Today however, was actually a very good day. Very productive with some small victories!

With a morning like this, how could a day be bad?

Sunrise over the Rio Grande Trail

Monday evening at the grocery store

Limes, an ingredient in one of my favorite foods. . . guacamole!

Day Twelve. . . Sunday

2011-03-06T19:54:00.000-08:00

Danny and Wendy got a new dog, Cali. She's excellent.

Fish earrings

I'm making massive amount of these origami earrings to sell at Mountian Fair.

And Journals too.

Day Eleven. . . A Video for Saturday

2011-03-05T13:58:00.000-08:00

Yesterday a box of prAna clothes arrived on my doorstep. I love getting boxes! Especially ones filled with beautiful clothing.

I was so excited about my new clothes that I decided to make this little video.

Click here to watch with MUCH better picture quality!

Day Ten. . . First Friday

2011-03-04T21:59:00.000-08:00

Lined up and waiting

At Sopris Elementary, Frebruary is I Love to Read Month. Our school is challenged to read 500,000 minutes. For their success each child receives a root-beer float and a free book. That's about 600 root-beer floats!

With February out of the way it's on to March and a First Friday celebration.

Day Nine. . . Thursday

2011-03-03T20:05:00.000-08:00

I often worry that today's children are over pressured, over scheduled, and under socialized. When I was a child we played outside all day with our friends and figured out how to use our imaginations and get along with each other. Kids today don't get to do that. It's not safe to run freely through the neighborhoods and they have tons of other obligations. Not enough time to just be kids. I know plenty of adults who are over pressured, over scheduled and under socialized. They don't tend to be the greatest people to be around. While I can't take away the academic and athletic pressures, or the burdensome schedules, I can at least help them learn pro-social skills.

Here I am attempting to provide an environment in which the children have to work together to accomplish a goal. In this case, paint a collaborative picture using only three colors.

From the outside looking in.

Children at work learning to compromise and listen to one another's ideas.

Super Happy Fun Time!
A chance to unwind with some great friends.

Day Eight. . . Wednesday

2011-03-02T20:48:00.000-08:00

My children have been having a hard time getting along lately. Therefore, I've been focusing on team building activities that require them to work together. Here they are attempting to draw a picture by sharing a crayon. They were not allowed to talk.

Elinor Fish, my former roommate and current neighbor.

Tonight was Joe and Colette's last night in the valley. We bid them farewell over gyros and wine.

After dinner Colette gave me a quick bathroom bang trim.

She got after the eyebrows as well.

Day Seven. . . Tuesday

2011-03-01T20:21:00.000-08:00

It's safe to say that some days are more interesting and exciting than others.

This is our laminator. You cannot run the laminator and the copy machine on the left wall at the same time or you'll blow a fuse. Therefore if you turn the laminator on you will receive many dirty looks for every other teacher that has work to do.

Sharpening pencils is one of my least favorite things in the world. But every once and a while you get a perfect sharpen. It's a strangely awesome thing when that happens.

The amount of paper that these machines go through each day is unbelievable.

Ah, the paper cutter!

We have a popcorn machine in our lounge. It's wonderful!

TNB
With just four weeks to go until Spain, it's time to get my train on.

Wendy!

AB getting down to business.

Day Six. . . Monday

2011-02-28T20:08:00.000-08:00

My morning ritual

Today my children spent their entire recess building these rock mountains.

Peppino's Pizza after a long day

After a long day at work, there's nothing like a soak in the Hot Springs pool

Day Five. . . Sunday

2011-02-27T19:51:00.000-08:00

This weekend was spent in Boulder with the objective of training in the gym and hanging out with good friends.

Urban road trips to Boulder always consist of a few very important staples.

1. Friends!

2. Brunch

3. Climbing gyms

4. Whole Foods

Day Four. . . Saturday

2011-02-26T16:51:00.000-08:00

Jesse Matner telling it like it is.

I've been seeing this cat in our neighborhood for weeks.
Today we became friends!

Urban road trip to Movement climbing gym. Time to get in shape.

Dave Roy

Sam Elias at Movement

I really want one of these!

Training time!

Day Three. . . Friday

2011-02-25T16:28:00.000-08:00

Antibiotics = Jen feeling much better!

My good friend Kelly makes these interchangeable necklaces that I LOVE!
Check her out on Etsy
http://www.etsy.com/shop/mountainlove

My bed

When I was 3 I swallowed a penny. It got stuck in my throat and required a visit to the hospital. I still remember when they put the mask over my face to make me fall asleep. I'm told that they removed the penny with a very small vacuum machine. My parents used the penny to buy my this bear. His name is Boo Boo Bear. I still sleep with him.

This is the view from my bedroom window. When it's not cloudy you can see Sopris Mountain.

Journals
I'm in the process of making over 100 journals for Mountain Fair this summer. Mountain Fair is a three day festival complete with loads of handmade stuff to buy, live music, Indian food burritos, and hippies. These are 3 journals from the "atlas series".

The ants go marching one by one. . . or something like that.

Day Two. . . Thursday

2011-02-24T16:14:00.000-08:00

Rock and Ice's annual Christmas party always includes a White Elephant gift exchange. One year I managed to steal these gems. If it's not obvious, that is Bill and Hillary Clinton as a wine opener and nutcracker respectively.

Here are Bill and Hillary again. I often find these two in compromising position after have company stay the night.

This little happy face pen thingy sits on my desk at work. "Attitude is Everything" it says.

Working in what I affectionately refer to as the "germ factory" has it's ups and downs. My immune system is typically very good. But for the last two weeks I've been fighting what I believed to be an annoying cold. Today I finally went to the doctor and was told I have a sinus infection. Having to wear this mask in the waiting room was just adding insult to injury.

A Picture A Day

2011-02-23T17:56:00.000-08:00

I've challenged myself to update this blog with at least one picture and one caption each day. With my new phone/camera/Angry Bird machine this should be fun!

A box of 5.10 shoes, jeans, and t-shirts arrived in the mail last week! I've been practically living in five ten, head to toe, ever since.

Freerider Blue Zebra

WinterFest in Redstone is an annual winter festival complete with ice climbing, pull-up contests, snow sculptures, dog races, and lots and lots of good friends.

Dinner at Hestia in Carbondale, on the eve of WinterFest, with 13 of our dearest friends.

Colette prepared for the cold.

Randall Lavelle

Photographer Extraordinaire
Dave Clifford

Victoria beside her first ice climb

Hillary striking an "old time" pose

Andrew and I have been busy learning the ins and outs of our new phones. The camera apps are lots of fun.

After a fun weekend with friends it's back to work.

A pinata that hangs in my classroom.

Sorpis Mountain on the drive home from school. With views like this it's hard to imagine living anywhere else.

Nothing like a nice hot bath after a long day!

Sun, sun, sun. . . makes everything beautiful.

Hello Smart Phone

2011-02-17T17:18:00.000-08:00

I purchased my first iPhone this week and couldn't be happier. Over Christmas vacation my lack of a smart phone bordered on embarrassing. Friends were appalled that simply giving me an address would not get me to the desired destination. I actually needed them to give me directions. I was also unable to choose a highly rated restaurant that was both moderately inexpensive and within walking distance of our current location. At one point two friends offered to loan Andrew and I one of their phones for our drive from Alabama to Georgia. They simply couldn't understand how we would make it with only our dumb phones to guide us.

Like I said, borderline embarrassing.

But not anymore. I'm pretty sure buying my iPhone will be the last decision I ever have to make. Twice today I utilized the magic 8 ball app to answer a tough question. I've also been streaming Pandora in my car nonstop! It's simply amazing!

If only there was an app to help me decide which haircut to get tomorrow and which iPhone case to order. But then there probably is, and I just haven't looked hard enough yet.

My favorite feature of the new phone is the camera! Check out my life since the arrival of my new phone.

The Michael Jackson Experience

2011-01-29T08:31:00.000-08:00

A few weeks back Andrew and I had the pleasure of hosting Keith Ladzinski once again. This time Sam, Grubb, and Andy Mann were also in attendance.

The night started at the 5Points Film Festivals' 5Stories, 5Courses, 5Brews event at the restaurant six89. 5 different story tellers told their stories as we enjoyed a delicious 5 course meal, accompanied by 5 New Beligium beers. Andrew was one of the story tellers!

After that it was back to the house to play some Michael Jackson on the Wii. Andrew and I had the opportunity to play this game in Atlanta over Christmas and ordered it immediately upon arriving home.

I'll let this video, made by Keith, tell the story of the evening.

click here to play

Ushering in 2011

2011-01-11T17:23:00.000-08:00

Today is 1-11-11. The perfect day to reflect on the past and resolve to be better in the future.

So here it goes, the top 10 of 2010.

1. Finally broke the 5.14 barrier

2. Graduated from "beginner" skier to "intermediate" skier by catching some air!

3. Visited Bishop for the first time

4. Successfully hatched chickens (mostly)

5. Spent Christmas at an indoor water park with the family

6. Spent lots of time with old and new friends

7. Read the Twilight series in 4 days

8. Bought a new road bike

9. Witnessed the slaughtering of a calf

10. Visited the biggest aquarium and the biggest climbing gym in the country, both in Atlanta.

And the 11 resolutions of 2011. I plan to check these next year, so hold me to them!

1. European climbing trip, a must

2. Another 5.14

3. Break my bouldering plateau

4. Train (at least occasionally) for climbing

5. Take vitamins every day

6. Make quality time with friends a priority

7. Learn some new dance moves

8. Actually try to mixed climb

9. Less multitasking, more focus on each task at hand

10. Have fun

11. More FUN

Lastly, here are some pics from my recent trip to the Southeast for bouldering and some family fun.

James Pullman with his BBQ Pork Sundae

Stone Summit Climbing Gym, Atlanta

AB hard at work

Kate Reese McGinnis with daughter Annie

Blake Cash

Christmas Morning

Fort Rapids, Columbus, OH

adorable nephew

niece on Christmas Day

Hot Tub in Ouray, CO

When I Think of All the Good Times That I've Wasted. . .

2010-12-11T12:04:00.000-08:00

. . . having good times!

Andrew and I had the pleasure of hosting Keith Ladzinski early this week. Keith is a hilarious dude who will have you in stitches the whole time you're around him. In his honor we invited some great friends to the house and Andrew prepared one of my favorite meals, paella!

Photo by Joe Kinder

Great fun was had by all.

Here's a little video that Keith put together of the evening.

Play Video

A Life Without Climbing; AKA Winter

2010-11-30T18:26:00.000-08:00

If official. Winter has arrived on the Western Slope of Colorado. The snow tires are on the car and I've excepted the inevitable, a life without climbing. Or, at least a life without consistently perfect climbing conditions that are readily accessible and at my beacon call. You can climb here in the winter, it's just a lot less perfect.

I've decided to make a list of 8 things that keep me psyched in the winter.

1. The Glenwood Hot Springs
After a long day of work or a cold day out climbing nothing beats a soak in the Hot Springs Pool. It doesn't matter if there's a complete blizzard, you can always swim laps in the hot springs (the lap lanes are always a lovely 90 degrees). I love this place!


I borrowed this picture from http://www.hotspringspool.com/

2. The Puoux
The Puoux is a little limestone band in the Glenwood Canyon, just on the edge of I-70. This petite crag gets direct sun for most of the day and hosts several stellar lines. The best part, if the clouds roll in, you can be at the BrewPub in less then 5 minutes.

Photo by Sam Elias


Wendy Williams photo by Andrew Bisharat

Danny Robertson photo by Andrew Bisharat

3. Super Happy Fun Time
There's a restaurant called Zheng's Bistro in Glenwood that has the best happy hour in town. For $7 you can get a drink and an appetizer! Several of my favorite teacher friends and I are regulars here!

photo by Andrew Bisharat

4. Skiing
I learned to ski on Christmas Day a few years ago. While I've improved dramatically since then, I'd still call myself a 5.7 skier. Basically, I'm terrible. But, being terrible at skiing is a lot of fun. I love the fact that I can actually feel myself getting better each time I go out.

5. Football
I secretly LOVE football. Bad weather gives me the perfect excuse to watch!!

Super Bowl Party 2009

6. Urban Road Trips
When it gets too bleak, I like to head to Boulder/Denver for an Urban Roadtrip. Going to Movement is almost the same as going to Rifle. Well, maybe not exactly the same, but at least all of the same people are there. A weekend in the city is also a perfect time to go shopping in real stores and at Whole Foods!

photo borrowed from Movement's Facebook page

7. Ice Climbing
Haha, that one was a joke! I always try to go, but I never manage to enjoy it.

8. Quality Time to Relax
The winter months are a great time to catch up on relaxing and spend some time with my friends. A time to let my muscles and tendons rest and recuperate.

Happy Winter everyone. I hope you have your own ways of staying psyched!

A Video

2010-11-16T17:28:00.000-08:00

Check out this video of me on the 7 P.M. Show

Play

Thanks to Joe Kinder for his hard work!

Buy this Book!!

2010-11-15T17:34:00.000-08:00

I am proud to announce that my boyfriend is now an award winning author! Last week we found out the Andrew Bisharat's book Sport Climbing: From Top Rope to Redpoint, Techniques for Climbing Success has won the 2010 National Outdoor Book Award (NOBA)--Best Instructional.

This is Andrew's first book, so winning an award is HUGE!

Buy it Here

Here's a video promo of the book!

Everyone should buy this book.

Yurts, Arches, and a Wedding

2010-11-03T16:37:00.000-07:00

AB and I took a rare break from the working/climbing routine to attend the wedding of our friends Chris and Eula in Moab.

We had a relaxing weekend hanging out in a yurt, watching our friends get married at a popular base jumping point, and visiting Arches National Park where we enjoyed a picnic with a scenic view of Delicate Arch.

Here are some photos I took, as well as many of Andrew's.

Half Chicken. . . Whole Story

2010-10-25T17:31:00.000-07:00

The first snow fall of the year can only mean one thing. . .Halloween is on it's way. I've never been very good at Halloween. This year however that is all going to change with an eye patch, some makeshift leg splints and a chicken costume.

Each year, in the Spring, my Kindergarteners and I attempt to hatch baby chicks. To date 12 and a half chickens have come into my classroom.

This is the story of the Half Chicken.

After 21 days of anticipation, "hatching day" had finally arrived. I came into school extra early and tiptoed into my classroom, listening carefully for the little chirps of baby chickens. For the record, I'd only every hatched one chicken, and he did not last long in this world. So I'm not sure why I'd decided to try this whole experiment again.

Sure enough, I hear little peep-peeps and hurry to the incubator. Three fluffy black chickens are scurrying about while one more is wet and resting on the floor, after what I can only assume was an exhausting escape from a cramped shell. Throughout that day my classroom of children got to watch an additional 4 black chickens break free of their shells. "This is the BEST day of my life!!!" rang from the the mouths of the children throughout the day.

By the end of the day four more eggs had small holes in them, promising more baby chicks in the morning.

Day two was when it all started to go wrong. Upon arriving at school I found 3 more black fluffy chickens wobbling and chirping about the incubator, bringing the total to 11. It was adorable. . . well nearly adorable.

Also in the incubator was the egg/chick that would come to be known throughout the school as Half Chicken. This little guy had managed to peck a dime sized hole in his shell. Just enough room for all who looked to see that he was the only yellow chicken of the flock AND that something wasn't quite right. His little yellow beak just didn't line up. It was lopsided, misaligned, and utterly useless. We could clearly see and hear this chick as he chirped and squawked and struggled to free himself.

You can only imagine the types of conversations that came of this situation. Is he a chicken or is he an egg? What are we going to do? Can we help him out of the egg?

I'd done lots of internet research and knew that you are not suppose to help a chicken out of it's egg. Breaking out is the prerequisite to becoming a chicken. If they can't get out, they are meant to be a chicken. "But what about c-section babies?" the other teachers ask. You were a c-section baby Ms. Vennon, what if no one had helped you out?

Despite a small, but strong contingent of "Free Half Chick" supporters, I stood by my opinion and refused to help this chicken, or was it still an egg? That night I went home, secretly hoping that in the morning the struggle would be over and we could deal with whatever that meant.

But no, the next day there he was. Still stuck, still fighting. Surely nature will run it's course sometime during the day, or with any luck overnight.

NO, day three arrives and this little chicken/egg is still making noise and struggling to free itself. Only now, it's managed to get one foot out of the egg. Just one foot and a beak.

On a small side note, this was a day when the children were not in school, but were scheduled to come in, one at a time, and take their end of the year assessment. The test that would show everything they'd learned, or rather that I'd taught them, throughout the year. How were they suppose to concentrate with half chicken squawking away in the incubator, with a just a foot and a beak sticking out. This was getting ridiculous. And to make it worse, every time I thought about the situation I visualized those little salt and pepper shakers walking around. You know, the ones that are an egg with legs sticking out. It was awful.

So I gave in. I called the head of the "Free Half Chicken" support group and told him to do whatever he needed to do. Half Chicken had to leave my classroom immediately and I was not to be held responsible for whatever was to come. But, I of course, wanted updates.

A few minutes later I get a call. "Well, we hatched him," the voice said, "and you were right, he kind of is a half chicken." I was informed that Half Chicken had only one eye and that his legs were utterly useless. Not to mention the fact that is beak was all wrong, so the prospect of eating or drinking didn't look good. He was free, but things didn't look good.

After a long day, we all left the school with heavy hearts, knowing that Half Chicken was unlikely to make it through the night.

"You're not going to believe it!!" screams the first voice I hear the next morning. "Half Chicken is alive and he's standing up!"

A plan was quickly made to take Half Chicken 20 miles up valley to the vet. Perhaps they could save him. He'd peeped out of his egg almost 5 days ago at this point. Surely he needed to eat, or drink, or something. So, the incubator was plugged into the car charger and off Half Chicken went.

Throughout the late afternoon we received text message updates from the teacher who had arranged for all of this.

TXT: She put in a feeding tube
TXT: He's on an IV now
TXT: Be back soon
TXT: We're going to need to borrow a chicken as a mentor

$250 later Half Chicken had been put on a strict beak exercise routine, that involved squeezing and releasing his beak for 15 seconds at a time. He was also issued leg braces and prescribed a nutrient rich mash that was to be fed, via a suringe, every hour, on the hour, day and night.

The care of Half Chicken went to a 9 year old girl. She was determined to be the most experienced in these matter, as she had raised duckling the year before (although we do not talk about how that ended).

For a week, Half Chicken was in the school, traveling in his incubator, with his mentor chicken. He was fed during reading, math, and science and was often seen in the cafeteria being admired by the children in the school. That girl carried Half Chicken with here EVERYWHERE.

And then one morning I came to school only to find Half Chicken's caretaker in my classroom sadly returning the mentor chick to his flock.

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry, what happened?" was all I could say.

"Well. . . we were driving home from school last night and he just died and THEN he fell into his water bowl," she replied.

We'll never know if this order of events was exactly correct. But, Half Chicken will live on. . . if only in my Halloween costume.

Hello October!

2010-10-12T16:47:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Fall decided to make an appearance and bring some cool temperature to the Wester Slope of Colorado. We've recently been stuck in a "heat wave," with temps reaching the high 80s in town daily.

I began working on the 7pm Show in mid-August and had anxiously been awaiting cool temps and good health. Both of which managed to elude me in September. Not only was the weather WAY too hot for this particular route, I was also ended up with a case of the Kindergarten crud, which eventually manifested itself in the form of pink eye. YIPEE! This is, of course, an occupational hazard when you spend 7 hours a day in a room with 5-year olds.

After some forced rest (I was sent home from school) and lots of vitamins and EmergenC, I was back to feeling human when October came around.

This past weekend everything came together. It was a chilly 47 degrees in the canyon both Saturday and Sunday. After two new high points and two one hangs on Saturday I was excited and expectant Sunday morning. High expectations rarely lead to sending, at least for me. So of course I punted low on the first attempt. Oh well, come down, put on a jacket, wait a few minutes, and go again. Again, no success.

Immediately my mood changed and I became dejected. I knew I had another go in me, but what good would it do. I NEVER send second day on, let alone on my third attempt.

Colette however said something that changed the day for me. She reminded me that it didn't really matter if I sent today. I was going to send the route eventually. If not today, then Thursday (a rare day off work for Fall Break), or Saturday, or Sunday. Or maybe the weekend after that, or the one after that. It's not like I was going to stop trying the route. Worst case scenario, I have to keep working it next spring/summer/fall. . . it woudn't be the first time.

I manged to let go of expectations.

Purposely I got a Lady Gaga song stuck in my head, warmed up my shoes, and danced around the base of the climb (alone of course, I completely denied that this ever happened when Joe and Colette walked up on me).

I started climbing, and this time I didn't fall on the opening hard moves. The next thing I knew I'd climbed through my high point and stuck "the move" that would lead me into my no-fall zone. I can't say it was easy to finish the climb. My legs were shaking out of control and my hands were completely numb. But, I manged to keep it together and clip the chains.

I realize that this is probably the last time in my life I'll break into a new number grade in climbing. Somehow, I like that idea! But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop trying!

Here are some pictures from an early working burn on the 7pm Show (5.14a) taken by Joey Kinder.

Team prAna!

2010-09-30T20:52:00.000-07:00

I am proud to be one of the newest members of Team prAna! It feels great to be an ambassador for a company that makes comfortable, fashionable, environmentally conscious clothing for climbing and life.

I received my first shipment of clothing last night. I was so excited that I immediately tried each piece of clothing on and then hung them all up for pictures!

Check out a selection of the fall line.

Goodbye September

2010-09-28T20:38:00.000-07:00

September is often referred to as "Sendtember" in the climbing community. The temps start to drop and all that summer training starts to pay off. At least that's the idea.

My "Sendtember" did not go exactly as I'd hoped. I've been working on a new project all month and am becoming discouraged as my performace worsens. It's time to take a week to relax and re-up my energy and psych.

Luckily, there's always October!

Check out some Rifle pics from the last month courtesy of Joey Kinder.

Getting ready

Trying hard

FAILING


fixed gear at the Rifle Clean-Up

my awesome Kindergartener class

A Commercial by Andrew Bisharat

2010-09-08T17:48:00.000-07:00

Check out this hilarious commercial that Andrew made to go along with the newest issue of Rock and Ice.

Play

Out to Lunch

2010-09-05T09:53:00.000-07:00

Joe and Andrew have been having fun making videos in Carbondale. Check out "Out to Lunch" by Joe Kinder.

Click here to Play

September. . . The Coming of Fall!

2010-09-03T06:09:00.000-07:00

Here, on the Western Slope of Colorado, September means cooler temps and awesome climbing conditions. As the temperatures drop my psych for climbing soars. I celebrated the 1st day of September with a quick afternoon session in Rifle. I said good bye to all of my kindergartners and rushed out for one good try on the new project. It's not easy to shake off the work crust, but I managed to get in a few pitches and have a good time with friends.

Here are some pictures from another great weekend in Rifle.

Emily on Bite the Bullet

The new car

The Start of a New Year

2010-08-25T19:00:00.000-07:00

Summer is officially over and the school year has begun. Monday started with a whirlwind of ordered chaos as 18 five year olds poured into my classroom. I don't know exactly how to describe the first 30 minutes of Kindergarten. Suffice to say that tears are shed by both children and parents, millions of questions are asked and answered, at least one child always tries to run for it as their parents leave the room, 18 names are instantly memorized and put with faces, and countless bags of supplies must be sorted and organized.

I have now survived three days of Kindergarten and feel confident that it is going to be another great year!

Summer ended with the biggest party of the year. . . the Rifle Clean-Up. The Rifle climbing community came together to improve Rifle Mountain Park and enjoy good food and beer. Danny Robertson and I where in charge of the food. Feeding 100+ climbers is no small task but at Costco $470 goes a long way. We barely fit all the food into my car.

Adam Avery donated 3 kegs of beers and lots of climbing companies pitched in to make the raffle a success. Over $700 was raised to further improve the climbing experience in Rifle.

Big thanks to everyone who replaced unsafe bolts, put in perma-draws, and built bridges, trails, and benches (I especially like the benches with beer holders)!

While the men worked with their drills, saws, and other tools, the ladies greeted participants at the entrance to the park, handed out trash bags, and did some sending. Wendy Williams sent her first 5.13c, Bite the Bullet, and Emily Harrington nabbed the first female ascent of Roadside Prophet, 5.14a.

All around a truly motivational weekend and a great way to end the summer!

Simply Read

2010-08-20T06:37:00.000-07:00

There are a few perks to being a Kindergarten teacher. We have some very funny stories, we are treated as near celebrities when spotted in public by a student, and we get SUMMER VACATION!

As the school year ramps back up I'm left reminiscing on this past summer vacation’s highlights.
1. I took my 9 year old niece rock climbing in the Red River Gorge, KY

2. I went on an 80+ hour road trip to the Midwest/Southeast to visit friends and family.

3. My beloved van was retired and I inherited my mother's Nissan Maxima.

Art Work by Meg Bisharat (the van in all her glory)

5. I took advantage of living in a beautiful valley filled with bike paths and alpine lakes.

6. And most importantly, I got to climb whenever I wanted!

This summer I managed to send a project that I'd been working on for longer than I care to admit. Simply Read is not exactly my style of a route. It's a powerful route with one very big move that sent me flying into my belayer over and over and over again. I honestly lost count of the number of times I fell on that move. If it's below 15 I'd be shocked.

As with all projects, the fateful day finally came when I stuck that one move from the ground! The rest of the climb is no joke, but I managed to get myself to the top. Luckily Joe Kinder was able to get a few shots of the send.

My First Blog Post

2010-08-11T12:52:00.000-07:00

Here it is. . .. my first blog post.

I guess I should start with some basics. My name is Jen Vennon. I am a Kindergarten teacher and an avid rock climber. I currenlty reside in Carbondale, CO and climb in Rifle Mountain Park as much as my schedule will allow. I am 28 years old.

I am currently enjoying my last week of summer vacation. I am expected to return to work on Monday morning, the kids will come a week after that. The beginning of a new school year is always bittersweet. I love teaching Kindergarten and I'm excited to meet a new class of 5 year olds. But I'll be sad to give up lazy mornings, long climbing days, and endless stretches of time to use as I please.

On this blog I'll cronicle my adventures as I try to balance my professioanl life and my climbing life. I hope you enjoy.


Carbondale, CO Photo by Andrew Bisharat