Thursday Thirteen #7

(This image provided by Samulli.)

It's Thursday again already! For this week's Thursday 13, I decided to make a list of some of my favorite things that Shawn and I have done together over the last four years.

1. Play Pool: On our first date, after eating dinner, Shawn and I played pool together for a couple of hours. We had a really fun time that night, and we still like to go play pool on special occasions as a reminder of that night.

2. Climbing 14ers: There are 54 mountains in Colorado that are more than 14,000 feet high. The first summer we were dating, Shawn and I left my apartment at 2:15am so that we could reach the summit of Gray's Peak by sunrise. In 2007, Shawn took me up Mt. Bierstadt.

3. Rock Climbing: I was really excited when I met Shawn to learn that he likes rock climbing. It was something I'd always wanted to do. Our first climb was at the Flat Irons in Boulder. My favorite place that we climb is the cliffs on North Table Mesa in Golden. I like the fact that these climbs are shorter, so that I can challenge myself on a harder route, but I don't have far to get to the top.

4. Climb Dunns River Falls: This is a waterfall in Jamaica. The riverbed makes natural steps, so you can literally climb up the waterfall...and that's in the river, not next to it. We did this on Christmas Day in 2007, on our honeymoon.

5. Snorkeling: Before we went to Jamaica for our honeymoon, I would've admitted that I'm kinda afraid of the ocean. My problem is that I get a bit freaked out when I'm in the water and can't see what might be swimming with me. So I was thrilled to find how clear the water was in Jamaica, and I was able to overcome my fear to the point that we went snorkeling! The boat took us to a reef off shore, and it was beautiful!

6. Game at Yankee Stadium: I'm the baseball fan, of course, but I think Shawn had a good time at Yankee Stadium last year, too. As much as I hate the Yankees, I can appreciate the history in New York, and the game was actually really fun.

7. Game at Fenway Park: I couldn't put one and not the other. :) We did both parks in one vacation. We couldn't say this to our friend Jarid (who is a huge Yankee fan), but we both agreed that Fenway was a nicer stadium, and that game was also really fun.

8. Sea Kayaking: This is one perk to living on the west coast. We were able to go sea kayaking in the San Juan Islands a couple years ago, and it was a great experience! We're actually planning on going again next weekend, and I'm excited to do it again.

9. Whale Watching: We did this last fall, when I came out to Seattle to visit Shawn before we'd officially moved. It was so awesome to see the Orca whales breaching out of the water. It was pretty surreal.

10. Tidepooling: I'm not sure that's really a word :), but we did this near San Francisco the day after Christmas this past year. We went to this particular beach at low tide, and it was really interesting to see all the little creatures who have made their homes in the pools that get left when the tide goes out.

11. July 4th Hike: The first year Shawn and I were dating, we decided to go for a hike on the 4th of July. Of all the places Shawn has taken me hiking, this particular trail is hands down my favorite. So we went back to hike the same trail the next 4th of July. And the next one. And the one after that. We've gone 4 years in a row now to hike the same trail, and we have tentative plans to be in Colorado for July 4th this year, too, just so we can go back to the same trail.

12. Snowshoeing: This is one of my favorite activities to do with Shawn. If I get too hot, I can usually just unzip my coat. And if I fall, I just tumble into the powder and don't get hurt. It's great. :) I also love that the snowshoes let us get to places during the winter that most hikers can't get to.

13. Napping in Central Park: The actual activity wasn't necessarily my favorite thing, but I like the memory. :) The first time we were in New York City together, we walked quite a ways from our hotel to Central Park. It was a warm, sunny fall day, so we found a rock and sat down. Eventually, we ended up sprawled out on the rock, and we accidentally both fell asleep for about an hour. We were like lizards. :)