Desperate Times Call for Acts of Stupidity

We have had some wicked and wild weather down here in Texas these past few days. Its been so cold. There has been lots of ice and sleet on the road, something that none of us are used to down here. This storm has literally shut down Dallas. Everyone left work early on Thursday, no one worked on Friday, and about 1/2 of the city went back to work on Monday. You Northerners may call this "a light dusting" but to us Southerners, its been ARCTIC BLAST 2013.

Now that you know the scene, lets talk about the crime, and what my dumb butt self did.
I normally park my car in the driveway rather than the garage because the garage is detached and behind the house. It is a tight fit to get the car through the gate, and so I rarely park back there. Thursday, because of the weather, I backed my car up the driveway and into the garage. It took me nearly 15 minutes. (I am not the worlds best driver, and I fear hitting the house or the garage with the car).

Because I am the cheapest person alive, my goal was to keep the heater off as long as I could. I took a hot shower, was dressed in about 6 layers and shivering. I looked at the thermostat and the house was down to 54 degrees inside.

I started craving hot chocolate in a bad way. We didn't have any, but the gas station about 1/2 a mile down the road has really good hot chocolate. In my mind, I had 2 options--go to the gas station or don't. The problem was, it was already dark, P was at his work Christmas party, and I was not going to take my car out of the garage as it was already sleeting, ice was forming quickly on the streets, and it was pitch black. Frustrated, I piddled around the house but literally could not stop thinking about hot chocolate. Suddenly, the insane portion of my brain formulated a plan--I said to myself "self, you can ride your bike to the gas station, and that way you don't have to take the car out of the garage." I really tried to tap into my uncrazy side, but the need for ho cho won.

So I tucked my pajama bottoms into my socks, slipped on my sperrys, grabbed by bike and hit the very slick, and newly iced roads. Don't be jealous of my sexyness.

Sleet was coming down, and hail was hitting me in the eye, but I was determined to get my ho cho. I rode as fast as I could through the Buddhist Temple parking lot, past the Indywood Grocery and CD Store, across from Pashmina Imports, and in front of Karishan's Sari Shoppe (Have I mentioned that we live in an ethnically diverse area?) and arrived at the gas station. I didn't want to leave my very expensive bike outside in the dark, so I just wheeled her into the station and grabbed the 1st cup I could find and filled it to the brim with that dark, hot, and delicious liquid gold.

I should probably mention at this point that in a rush to leave I neglected to wear gloves and nothing on my body was dry fit, so I was pretty much soaked to the bone.

I also kind of forgot about riding home.
In the sleet.
Holding hot chocolate.
With one hand.

By the time I got home, my ho cho was only luke warm. But, I didn't care. I rushed inside turned on hot water and held my hands under the faucet to un-numb them. I drank my 1/2 drink in about 2 gulps, turned toward the bike and actually thought about going back.

Fortunately, my uncrazy side kicked in and I didn't, but I sure thought about it.

Would you have ridden to the store? Please tell me yes.
Whats the weather like where you are? Are you experiencing this arctic blast?

Embracing Summer

The days are long, the air is hot, and things have become more laid back. Is it just me, or do you find that everyone chill’s out a little bit more in the summer time?

Work is busy, like always, but everyone seems to be in a little less of a hurry. Fewer people are in the office, we have been shutting down early on Friday’s, and the restaurants are always full when I drive by.

I have always loved summer. I don’t care if 105 every day for 3 months straight, there is something magical about those long, slow, hot nights. I still get a thrill out of seeing lightning bugs in the yard. I still get giddy when the sun starts to rise at 5:45AM, and does not set until almost 9:00. Growing up, I always felt like summer was my gift; a present of hot long days that are meant to be cherished. I was always terrified of the dark, and so the long days when the sun stayed up made me feel comforted and safe. The blanket of heat meant never having to go outside in anything more than shorts and a t-shirt.

Some of the best times of my life happened in the summer of years past. I met P in the summer. We took vacations in the summer. No school in the summer. Lots of swimming in the summer. Summer time is magic, its special, and its to be embraced.

A few weeks ago, I told P, “I really want to embrace this summer. I don’t want to hole up inside watching t.v. I want to get out, explore, and have fun.” His response “Yea, lets do it.”

We have one very short trip planned this summer. I am just piggy backing on a business trip with him for a weekend, and other than that we are stuck in the big D. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a place nearly as beautiful as this. Yes, Denise, I stalk your blog for hiking photos daily. But, we do have our share of parks and trails, so P and I have decided to hit them all up. The last few weeks, we have managed to hit up 3 local parks. We either ride bikes on the trails or run. Its been fun to get out of the house, explore some new hidden areas, and get really sweaty.

This past weekend, P and I were going to have date night. It was hot. And sweaty. And we covered about 11 miles on our bikes. On Sunday, we ended up hitting the trails again, and covered nearly 20 miles. I feel as if we have discovered a hidden gem in Dallas. This huge city is actually connected by a major trail system. Our goal for the summer is to cover every square inch of the trail system on our bikes or on our feet. The great thing about this is, its all free. We don’t have to spend any money to go anywhere.

I want to find the gift of summer again. I want to get dirty and explore. I want to have skinned knees, and horrific tan lines, and let go of responsibility, even if its just for an hour, and rediscover the wide eyed young girl I used to be. The girl who was outside so much her hair was dyed by the sun. The girl who only came inside when the street lights turned on. The little girl who was the eternal optimist. Full of hope, laugher, and innocence.

 

How are you going to embrace summer this year?