10 Best Moments in Life So Far ...

This post was written because WasatchGirl pondered the question on her way to Arkansas.

In no particular order ...

*) 1973 -- I was born... I don't remember it at all, but I am certain it qualifies as one of the best moments in my life.

*) 5 years ago, approximately, I had dislocated my patella after my dog, Hana, had dived at a ball near my foot. Now this wasn't a great moment, but during the recovery my doctor said that I should get out and hike and climb over uneven terrain. I was staying at a friends in West Seattle while my wife was in her first year of law school. I had picked up Climbing magazine and it had Steph Davis on the cover. I read her article and the next thing I knew I was signing up to take the intro to climbing at REI. Afterwards I was hooked. I bought shoes, harness, and started climbing at the local gym. This changed my life more than I could have ever imagined. My doctor asked me what I was doing for exercises, and when I told him I started rock climbing his jaw just about hit the floor... uneven terrain, not vertical terrain!

*) In 2005 (I think) my mom decided to move to Denver to be near the grandchildren. I had two weeks off from work. After dropping Mom off we continued to Santa Fe, the Grand Canyon, Moab, SLC, Spokane. Camped and climbed. I saw many places I had never seen. My favorite was Moab and the Arches... Experiencing this in person was too amazing. It was a defining moment in my life... I realized that I wanted more out of life than simply working. As if climbing hadn't already convinced me of that, seeing all the National Parks solidified it for me.

*) Joshua Tree 2006 -- A group of friends did a winter trip just before Christmas. We drove all night and when we arrived early in the morning I could barely drive because of the beauty of this place. This was my first real trad experience climbing. I had bought some gear but I didn't know how to use it. I had read the books and had much to learn. I didn't lead even once. I wanted to lead but didn't have courage back then, or the skill. It was a moment though that I realized I could do more and it reaffirmed my desire to work on living for the now.

*) Road Trip 2008 -- Spent two weeks at the beginning of September in City of Rocks, Denver, and Yosemite. It was a difficult time in my life, as my father had passed away, my wife had left me, and I couldn't even cope with my job. I was learning a lot about myself, I was doing my first solo trip ever at 35 years of age. The most interesting part for me was that I realized I'm a really good person. I like who I am, I'm happy with my life despite the hard times. I found my way and realized I wasn't ever lost. I just wasn't looking ahead... I was looking behind me.

*) Maui -- the second and last time I visited Hawaii. I had just been fired for insubordination. I had reported my superior to HR and the next day I was let go. The best part was my wife at the time had just finished finals. We decided to just take off. We lounged on the beached, and I swam with the turtles. We did a luau and enjoyed the sun and sands. Does life get any better than when you drop everything to enjoy life?

*) Kauai -- the first time I ever visited Hawaii. Washington was having one of the greyest years I could ever remember, and everyone was suffering from depression. A decision was made to visit Hawaii. We stayed at a wonderful resort in Poipu and lived resort life for a week. It was really our Honeymoon but by this time we'd been married almost 5 years. Still -- it was memorable and definitely a best moment.

*) 1987 I was ranked in the top ten in the nation as a swimmer. I was 14 years old and one of the best swimmers in the nation. I had coaches struggling to get me to become an Olympic super star. My Freshman and Sophomore years I was set to be a State Champ. In the years that followed my national rankings I learned that I swam because it was fun, not because I was good. I had a situation that required me to make a decision. It was a choice to continue swimming and performing or quit. I quit. My sophomore year I was set to break records, and I quit. I didn't swim my Junior year. I returned later after a coach came and apologized to me... I said I would return but on my conditions. I was a Senior and had made the team in the spirit of fun. We had two relay teams that made state, I stood on the Podium for our 1st place relay. We broke records, and when all was said and done... so was I. Swimming was a very long moment in my life, but definitely one of the best.

*) I graduated from college with a degree in computer science. At the age of 7 I knew I wanted to work with computers. I remember my friends father bringing home an Osborne "portable" computer. This set me in motion to find anyway to make sure I would work with computers. I wasn't a good student. In fact I was a poor student, but I wasn't dumb... I just didn't fit in the education system. I managed to graduate and now work with computers every day, and probably more than I should... but I love them... computers entertain my brain and I enjoy watching the evolution of technology.

*) September 27, 1998 was probably the best moment in my life. I married my girlfriend of two and a half years. Unfortunately it wasn't meant to last, but it is something I look back on fondly. We'd just bought our house -- my girl wanted to be married in her own home -- we had our parents and grandparents and siblings over to the house and we were married in our living room. Our house didn't have furniture or a table, I think we still had my old waterbed and barely enough of anything to fit in a single room. We had a party at a community center that held 99 people. We invited 120 of our closest friends and family, and only about 65 people RSVP'd. All the rules said that expect 60% of those who RSVP. We had to stop counting because more people showed up than expected. We ran out of food and cake, but we had plenty of Champagne!