Snow, Birthdays, and Sidewalk Monsters ... oh my!

Is it just me, or does it seem like February has flown by to anyone else?

Birthday!

Saturday, we celebrated my 26th birthday. Fun times with great friends that we've made during our short time living in Charleston. Bonus birthday present: Beautiful sunny weather and high 70 temps. Jett and I spent the afternoon with the pups at the park then at the outlets for a little birthday shopping. We had dinner at an ah-mazing Thai restaurant downtown, and then proceeded across the bridge for a little friendly midnight bowling competition. I was just starting to find my "bowling stride" (2 or 3 games later!) when our time came to an end. Sunday Jett took me to the driving range for a little golf lesson. Typically, my ADHD would prevent me from anything that requires intense concentration, but I really enjoyed it.

Pro golfer or bowler in my future? Doubt it ... but don't count me out just yet!



Snow day!

Backtrack with me here for just a moment, to 2 weekends ago when we had a miracle in Charleston, SC ... SNOW. We don't get snow in Charleston. Ever. I think it's been something like 16 years since there's been any accumulation of snow in this area. So the 3 inches we got living just 4 miles from the coast was quite the sight to see. Of course, it was all gone by 10 the next morning, but oh-so-fun while it lasted!



Sidewalk Monsters!

Last night when I got home from work, the weather was in it's last day of perfect for a while and I wanted to go for a run at the county park. Apparently the park closes at 5 during the winter, so that was a no go. I ended up parking about a mile from our apartment and running through the neighborhood behind where we live.

Usually, I try to avoid running by myself after dark. We don't live in an unsafe area, but definitely not the safest by any means (a few weeks back a police officer was shot right beside our complex). Charleston is a city with the richest of the rich and the poorest of the poor living right along side of one another, so there aren't a lot of horribly unsafe or safe areas.

When I started out on my 3-mile run, I didn't realize it would be the sidewalk monsters, not the kidnappers, who would try to ruin my night. With about a 3/4 mile left to go back to my car, my foot was grabbed by one of the little sneaky monsters (or more likely an uneven break in the sidewalk), and (bad news bears, folks), down I went. Pitch black by this point, I really am not sure what I tripped over. But in an effort to not break my brand new Garmin, I went down mainly on my left forearm and right knee, and promptly skidded to a stop. The sidewalk now owns much of my upper forearm, a little skin of both hands, and a bit of my pride. If it weren't for the car driving past that surely must have been rolling in laughter at the sight of my spectacle, I would probably have lied there until Jett came to find me.

Since I wasn't sure he would in fact come to find me, I limped for a minute or 2, and then decided if I didn't get back quick, I wasn't getting back. So I ran that last 1/2 mile or so faster than the rest of my run. Part of that "speed" may or may not have been due to my paranoia of the sketchy guy walking past me and then picking up his cell phone. I was confident that he was calling his accomplice, who would jump out of the woods at any moment and get me. My suspicions were heightened when another odd fella crossed my path on his beach cruiser whistling a sneaky little tune as he pedaled past (the accomplice perhaps?). I booked it back, certain there were going to offer me candy or ask me to help find their lost puppy at any minute.

Either way, one thing's for certain: I should not be allowed to run in the dark by myself, ever again. (But I was quite proud of my finish, with decent run overall).

And the Garmin definitely suffered a bit of an injury, but didn't break. Crisis averted.