Jackson- Part 3

Our actual trip to Jackson was a lot of fun. On the first day we went up with my family and everybody did Alpine Canyon. It was fun to do the river with Rachel. It is also crazy to me that now, after we have known each other for over seven years, this is still the only river we have been on together. It really goes to show how much my life has changed.

This is the only river so far that I have been on, but we have many plans to do family rivers together in the future.  Running rivers will definitely be a part of the Hazard family.  I think that we will all have many river memories together.

After the river my family went home and we went to a campground near the Gros Ventre river. Unfortunately, like so many other things, my memories of this trip are sort of fragmented. Here are some things I remember:

·         Rachel fell out of the raft during Lunch Counter (But I did not let go of my paddle!)

·         At some point after the swim she agreed to jump in an inner tube for a few of the rapids. I was glad she was not scared of the water after swimming in a rapid for the first time. Many people are.  (I was not afraid of the rapids, but maybe I should have been afraid of the shallow water and the rocky river bottom).

·         Pitching the tent was a big deal. I don’t think Rachel or her sisters had ever pitched a tent by themselves before this moment. I got mine up quickly and then went to help. (We have been camping many times at Lake Powell, but we struggled to get this tent up).

·         Rachel and I were in the middle of reading The Da Vinci Code out loud to one another. Every morning we would get up before anybody else and go down to the river to read. This is really what started our tradition of reading books together. We have since read over 50 titles.

·         We went rock climbing at the Hoback Shield. By this point Rachel was very into climbing. I set up an easy climb, but was a little bit disappointed at her sisters. Shannon was deathly afraid of heights and Marissa was more interested in playing acrobat on the rope than in climbing the rock. I guess these things are okay, but it made me glad that Rachel was able to take rock climbing a little bit more seriously since it was one of the things that I truly enjoyed doing.

·         After rock climbing we went down to the Hoback River to cool off.

·         One of the nights Rachel and I left her sisters at camp and went into Jackson Hole for a date. We saw a play called “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.”

Jackson- Part 2

There was a certain weekend that Donnie and Leslie (and their kids) were going to be in Rexburg to see my family. This weekend presented the ideal opportunity to plan our rafting/climbing/camping trip since we wouldn’t have to worry about getting enough people to go. So I made a phone call to my mom and invited ourselves up. I explained all of our plans to her. The only part that I forgot to mention? That Rachel was a girl.

Okay, let’s take a step back for a moment. According to my family, I didn’t talk to girls. Ever since high school I had been very private about my relationships. I couldn’t really tell you why, other than to say that it was easier that way. I didn’t have to answer any probing questions. I didn’t have to explain myself. I didn’t have to endure the teasing and awkward conversations that I was sure would come if I had let them in on this part of my life. Also, the fact that a simple date in our family was treated as a major life event made me feel like it was not a normal thing. But it was normal and I knew this, so I just maintained appearances that I was this shy little boy who wasn’t even interested in the opposite sex. In retrospect I feel guilty about this, but that is just how it was.

On a side note, I think this is interesting since Rachel has often referred to me as a “player.” I think this was also inaccurate though. I enjoyed going on dates because they were fun. I just wasn’t always interested in a long-term commitment.

I joke about Logan being a player because before he dated me he had already dated two other girls in our dance class!  As third choice I ended up being his lucky wife, so I guess it isn’t all bad.  But still!

Anyway, the point is that I didn’t really know how to say “Hey mom, I’ve met this girl and we sort of like each other and we are planning a camping trip together and we want to use your house as a jumping-off point.” In my mind this news would have been received with the same grace as if I had just announced that I was going to move to Greece to join a monastery. It just wasn’t part of who I was (to them). And so, like always, I conveniently forgot to mention the fact that my “friend” was a girl.

The major problem, of course, is that we were planning on interacting quite a bit with my family, and I also conveniently forgot to think about the fact that it would be very difficult to conceal Rachel’s girlyness once we were in Rexburg. This set the stage for some very awkward moments.

I didn’t know any of this.  Looking back, I am glad I didn’t know this background.  I would have felt a lot more awkward and out of place meeting his family.

So we arrived in Rexburg on the appointed day and we all piled out of the car and walked into the house. I can only imagine the conversations that were taking place inside at this time as they watched us unload:

“Logan has a girl with him! Wait, no, he has three girls with him! And where is this friend he was talking about? There is no friend- just these three girls!”

“Wait a minute….I think he’s holding her hand. What happened to Logan? Who is this imposter?”

“Oh my gosh, they’re coming in the house. Quick, everybody act normal, ACT NORMAL!!!”

We actually picked up Haley in Utah and she drove with us into Rexburg.  She was quiet and didn’t say much.  Last year she confessed to me that she was totally freaked out that Logan was bringing a girl home, and the moment we arrived in Rexburg she jumped out of the car and ran inside to announce to the world that Logan was here and that he brought a GIRL!  Now that we are good friends she told me that she took a while to warm up to me because I freaked her out so much.

Also, I think the whole ‘act normal’ thing before we entered was an actual quote. 

I have to give it to them- they did a pretty good job of acting normal despite the awkward glances that were often cast in our direction. My dad even managed to call Shannon “sweet thing” without thinking. I know that sounds weird but this is actually very normal of him. Of course I knew that they were probably all freaking out behind our backs, and later conversations have confirmed these suspicions, but everybody did a pretty good job of pretending and going about their usual routine.

Our First Kiss

Sometime between the planning stage for the Jackson Hole trip and the actual execution of the plan we had our “first kiss.” It’s not a long, drawn out story, but it is kind-of funny.

During the summer term at BYU I was staying at Grandma Hill’s house. That was interesting, but that is another story. Anyway, Rachel and I were sitting on the couch watching a movie when Grandma walked into the room. I had my arm around Rachel’s shoulders (that’s all, I promise), but Grandma must have seen something entirely different because she just about passed out when she saw us.

She was seriously near the verge of hyperventilation as she shooed us out of the house for reasons of improper conduct. “Not even married people sit like that!” is the classic quote that I can still hear in my mind as I think back on this moment. And since I love and respect my Grandma, and since we didn’t want her to die right there on the spot of a heart attack, we complied with her requests to leave her home and decided to go on a walk around the neighborhood instead.

We walked to a nearby school and were just holding hands and talking when it started raining. We were far enough away from home by this point that there was no hope of staying dry and so we just ignored the rain and kept walking and talking. And then at one point we stopped and we kissed. It sort of just…happened.

And there you are.  We were kicked out for me having my arm around her shoulders and so we went outside and kissed instead. Take that, Grandma!

Jackson

By this time Rachel and I were pretty much officially dating. Like I mentioned before, we were both hesitant to let things go too far because at the end of the Summer I was going to go back to Rexburg. However, we found that we did have a lot of fun together and that we enjoyed spending time together.

Also, for me, one of the things that I really liked about Rachel was her “get-up-and-go.” When we said

“Let’s ________(fill in the blank),” it really happened. I can’t tell you how many people I have known where this was not the case. They have great plans that sound like they would be a lot of fun, but there is always a reason to keep putting them off to the point that they never actually come to fruition. Anyway, this great attitude of hers meant that we did a lot together, because we were always saying “Lets ________.”

We had a pretty interesting relationship.  We had been dancing and hanging out for a few months and we developed a really strong friendship.  Then, we started becoming a little bit more serious but there was no pressure because Logan was moving back to Rexburg at the end of the summer. In a way the depth of this relationship kind of snuck up on us. 

Most of what we did involved exploration around the beautiful mountains near Provo. We would frequently go on Sunday afternoon picnics at different parks, and Aspen Grove (near Sundance resort) became one of our favorite places to hike around. Rock climbing was pretty much out for a while because of Rachel’s ankle (and so was dancing), but she could still do a lot while wearing her giant boot. Once it came off, however, opportunities were endless and I could always count on her to be ready for a new adventure.

I am glad that Logan stuck around with me while I was a gimp.  We were a lot less active for a few weeks, but once that boot came off we were actively busy again.  Rock Canyon is such a fun place to visit now because I have vivid memories about every fifty feet all the way up the mountain!  We spent a lot of time there. 

One day we were at Bridal Veil Falls Park in Provo Canyon, sitting on a bridge and looking at the river. I, being a Hazard, couldn’t restrain myself any longer. I started talking about kayaking. This led to a discussion about the different features of whitewater, how to read a rapid, and how to plan a line of attack on that rapid. And then Rachel had a great idea: “Let’s go rafting!”

I also remember a discussion that we had about how much each of us enjoyed camping.  This is the discussion that I remember planning our trip to Jackson Hole.  In the middle of the discussion one of us brought up the idea for us to go camping.  We sat and figured out the details (like who would go with us so that it wasn’t just the two of us). 

Of course I was up for this. The question was where to go, who to bring, and how to get the gear for as little money as possible. The details soon worked themselves out and we soon had a plan: We would go to Rexburg where we could use my Dad’s stuff. We could do the Snake River down Alpine Canyon, a fun but relatively easy section of river. We would bring Rachel’s two sisters, Shannon and Marissa. After the river, we could stay and camp for a while in the nearby Teton Mountains to more fully take advantage of the area (Jackson Hole, Hiking, Climbing, etc.).

I love how everything we did and everything we talked about seemed so natural.  Of course we would go camping.  Of course we would go rock climbing in Jackson, and of course we would go rafting.  That is just how it was. And it was comfortable.

Before I met Logan I always considered myself an outdoorsy kind of girl.  I think many people do because that is the cool thing to be. This was before I met the Hazard family.  Getting to know Logan and becoming more and more of an ‘outdoorsy’ girl I came to realize that I really LOVE all things outdoor related.  This has become a large part of who I am. 

Logan’s adventurous outgoing ‘life is meant to be lived’ personality is one of my favorite things about him.  When he sets his sights on something it is done.  There are no questions asked. 

It was a good plan. By the time we left the park that day it was set in stone. The only question now was when to do it and how to get my family in on it.

Climbing

After being postponed due to our Lagoon trip I was finally able to take Rachel rock climbing. Honestly, Rachel probably remembers this better than I do. I know that we went to the Red Slab in Rock Canyon and I set up a top-rope on a 5.6 climb. At one point Rachel was struggling and so I hoisted myself up and pointed out holds to her while doing a hanging belay.

I was excited and a little bit nervous about this date.  I knew that Logan was an excellent climber and I didn’t want to look like too much of an idiot. 

The first climb we did was a 5.6.  I got stuck about half way up and to my surprise Logan climbed up right beside me to help me out.  I felt safe because I knew he had me on belay, but I remember being really impressed that he could do that. I remember the wonderful feeling of accomplishment that I felt when I reached the top.  Who would have known that rock climbing would become such a big part of my life.  I still love that feeling I get when I reach the top of a difficult climb.

That was our first time climbing and was more-or-less uneventful. The second time I took her climbing, however, was a different story.

Yeah, you broke my ankle.

I didn’t break your ankle. You fell, therefore YOU broke your ankle. Good work. I was only there to help.

What happened to, “Don’t worry, I’ll catch you if you fall?”

Let’s just tell the story.

We went with Jordan, Kate, Jon, and Ashley to The Kitchen (also in Rock Canyon). Next to the area where we were climbing were a few harder routes with fun starts and those of us who weren’t climbing were playing around on these areas. And I decided that this would be a great time to introduce Rachel to the joy of bouldering.

Rachel, at first, was hesitant. I reassured her over and over again though that I would spot her and make sure nothing happened. Finally she stepped up to the rock and placed her hands on the first holds. Then she slowly placed her feet on the opening foot holds, about 4” off the ground.

And then she fell. I have to admit that I was totally unprepared for this. SHE WAS 4” OFF THE GROUND.

Wait, wait, wait.  I was bouldering around for a while before I fell.  I was at a foot or more off of the ground.  Give me at least that much.

Maybe 6”

Long story short: she broke her ankle. The End.

That’s not the end. After I fell I laid against Logan with my leg up while Jordan and Kate finished their climbing.  By this point my ankle was swollen to the size of a grapefruit.

Oh yeah. It was huge!

 I had to be carried down the mountain by Jordan and Logan.  Not the most glamorous way to finish a date.

Lagoon

One day Rachel called me up on the phone and invited me to go to Lagoon with her and a group of friends. This was our second date.

My friends invited me to come even though we already had a date planned for that day. Logan was going to take me rock climbing for my first time in Rock Canyon. This was to become our third date.

I honestly don’t remember a lot about that date. I do remember that we soon split off from the main group because they weren’t adventurous enough for us. We had made it a goal to go on every ride in the park (my idea) and to scream on all of the scary ones (her contribution). The rest of the day is sort of fragmented. Here’s what I can remember:

· She told me she liked my outfit. That threw me off a little bit because “outfits” were for toddlers.

· Her friends were super weird. I remember one guy justifying why it was okay to check out women’s butts while we were eating lunch. Even weirder, he was making this justification to his date. (He qualified his actions by saying that he was single and I was single and it was perfectly fine).

· We danced in the fountain/splash park and got all wet. It was a silly thing, but I guess we liked each other and that made us do silly things. I think we both had fun.

· On one of the rides they put us both in the same cart with her sort of cuddled in front of me. I took advantage of the situation and gently kissed the top of her head. I guess this could arguably be called our first kiss, but I don’t think it counts since she didn’t even realize it was happening.

Here are the main points that I remember:

· There was music playing near the water fountain and Logan asked me to dance. Yes a little cheesy, but very sweet. It was later that we discovered my ruined sopping wet phone in my pocket.

We were on the lookout for our friends when I decided to make a move and hold Logan’s hand. This seemed natural and he seemed to like it. Not even fifteen seconds later he dropped my hand and jogged over to a concrete wall and jumped on it. I felt like an idiot. I must have read the signs completely wrong.

Okay- I was an idiot. But really, after the sweet dance and kiss on the head and a wonderful day of fun, do we really have to dwell on this? I didn’t drop her hand on purpose or because I didn’t like her. In fact, I wasn’t thinking at all (obviously). I was just climbing a fence.

And that was Lagoon.

Our First Date

After we had been dancing for a while Rachel called me up and invited me to go country dancing with her in Salt Lake City. Even though her sister came as well, we still consider this to be our first “official” date.

Shannon and I enjoy country dancing at Trolley Square. It was Shannon’s birthday and I decided to go with her and to invite Logan to come as well since our history is that of dancing.

Before we went to Trolley Square (the venue for the dance) we had to stop by Rachel’s parent’s house to pick up Shannon. This was also, obviously, the first time I would meet any of her family. I have thought back on how nice it was to meet her family in this way- very low stress. I felt absolutely no anxiety about meeting them because we were just going on a date- a first date even- and there were no judgments being cast. It would have been much different, I think, if Rachel and I had been serious by this point and we were subconsciously (or not) evaluating each other as future in-laws.

So anyway, I met her family. I don’t really remember a whole lot about this meeting other than the fact that her dad was very large and his hand engulfed mine when I shook it. But they were all very friendly and then we were off to the dance.

The dance was…a dance. Nothing real special there.

I enjoy going dancing here because they provide dance instruction prior to the dance.

After the dance we walked around downtown Salt Lake for a while and talked about our different families. It was a little bit weird having Shannon there. I remember we went out to eat at a little restaurant named Dee’s (it was later bulldozed) and then we dropped Shannon off at home and drove back to Provo.

I remember talking for a long time about each of our families. We talked about the different personalities that each one had. This was one of the first times that I realized that not all families are like mine. I had never really given that idea much thought. Since that time It has been fun taking things we like about each of our families to create our little Hazard family.

Although I didn’t know it, the date was not even half over by this point. There’s really not much to write because nothing really “happened.” Instead, we just talked. A very good, very long talk. The conversation started in the car on the way back to Provo, and then moved to a park across the street from Rachel’s apartment (it was also bulldozed a little later). I don’t even remember the topic of conversation, but I do remember thinking that Rachel was very easy to talk with and for some reason I found myself opening up to her about things that I didn’t usually share with people. We talked that night until 4:00 in the morning, but it didn’t seem that long.

This was my favorite part of our date. I remember swinging on the swings and sitting on the dome monkey bars while we talked. No topics of conversation really stand out, but I felt really comfortable talking with Logan and time just flew by. This was the first of many conversations we had outside late into the night.

It is kind of sad that both the restaurant and the park we talked at were both bulldozed to the ground.

At the end of our date I walked Rachel back to her apartment, finalized plans for a second date (rock climbing), and gave her a short hug.

And that was that. Our first date.