independence day at the enchanted tower

happy belated 4th of july!

ray and i were tucked away in the remote camping area of the enchanted tower in southern new mexico. a yearly camping/climbing trip with my aunt and uncle, the rauch's, is becoming a tradition that we truly enjoy. here's the pics!

gotta love a pop-up!

my cousins, addie and mason geared up for the 4th!
the men, also geared up for the 4th..

too cute.

mason scratched himself while climbing a tree..

the enchanted tower

some scenery pics courtesy of ray..

this field was gorgeous! and the weather beautiful!

great perspective ray!

uncle dave let us take a trip on his quad.. it's amazing to be surrounded by only nature :c)

i love this face (don't mind the poor white balance..)

firework time! dont' worry smoky the bear, there were no forest fires from us, we planned our fireworks precisely before the rain storm.

sparklers and kids :c)

this is the sky right before the rain storm.. amazing.

beautiful sky, a fountain of fireworks, and a campfire.. stunning

ray's surprise (yes, another one) bday party!

as ray blew out the candles, it started pouring, so everyone piled into the 'taj mapop' for a birthday party, it was perfect! here's the kids having whipped cream fun!

and yes, we did actually climb! even though i'm still not very good, i felt like i've gotten a little better, and i definitely trust the rope more now (although i still came back with banged up knees). here's my aunt and uncle workin' the wall. they have been so great and patient with us as we learn to climb!

here's my cousin on her hardest climb ever, a 5-12! she's an inspiration of determination!

lookin' like a pro

now here is a pro, carolyn. she was awesome to watch

here's ray on the 5-12 (his most difficult yet).

this wall was kickin' everyone's butt! but i'm really proud of my husbands climbing ability, esp. for how little we're able to go!

the trip was amazing, and encouraging for me. i just spent a weekend with some of the hardest women i've ever met. they bike, run, ride, and climb like crazy. they all have sculpted, strong, and lean bodies. i'm amazed by their attitudes, and determination. so, after saying all that, i'm off to run...