Time flies

So many things going on, I can't believe that it's already February! January flew by so fast. Every weekend seemed to be filled with something exciting and it really reminded me of 4 years ago when Paul and I had first started "really" dating. We were always planning something fun to do on the weekends and always had something to look forward to. I am happy that he has been taking more time to spend with us at home and not so much time at work. It really has been helping.

This past weekend we went to Yuma again to visit with our friends Jason, Erin & their son Taylor. It was a blast. We got there Friday night and met up with them as they were finishing their dinner at Applebee's. When they were done, we stopped at the grocery store, picked up a bottle of wine and headed back to their place to hang out and visit. We knew that we'd be getting up the next day to go riding and had a lot to do before that could happen. Jason was still working on getting Erin's bike running so she could ride with us and he also needed to fix a few things on his bike.

Saturday morning, Erin and I got up and took the kids with us to go to Starbucks while Paul and Jason worked on the bikes. It was fun. I really enjoy hanging out with Erin and the more and more I talk with her and spend time with her, the more I find we have in common. It's always fun to hang out with people you can relate to on so many levels. We had so many great talks about careers and children and the husbands that it really left me with a smile on my face.

After riding all afternoon we decided to get cleaned up and go to dinner at "Ah So Sushi & Steak". Wow. That is definitely my new favorite restaurant. I had some of the best sushi that I have ever had before and the teppanyaki was excellent! So much better than Benihana's! I am really sad that the closest one to our house is about 45 minutes away. It was a great night that was filled with so many new memories. Getting pulled over on our way home, watching the crop duster and getting stopped by the train (that lasted forever). I can definitely say that I slept well that night.

Sunday we woke up and hung around the house for a while, watched the race on tv and then grabbed lunch on our way back out to the Foothills for some more riding. We got out there and set up a nice little camp.

Sunday was a good day of riding. I did crash though and it scared the crap out of me. The good thing is I didn't get hurt. Paul, Joey and I had taken off to do a bit of trail riding back through some little ravines. I was leading, Joey was behind me and Paul was in the back. I was having a blast, picking different routes to take and trying new things that would have scared me in the past. I came up a hill and not knowing what was on the other side had to think quickly and take a path. The one I chose was pretty steep and I wasn't quite ready for it. I thought I had been in 2nd gear but was in 3rd and was going way too fast down the hill for my comfort level. There was a hard right turn at the bottom and I just couldn't make it in time, went up the side of the wall and hit the throttle. Not really a good idea, but it is what it is. I launched my bike and decided that letting go of it would be a smart idea. It flew through the air and landed a few feet from me. I only tumbled a little bit and landed next to my bike. Not really sure what had happened at first, I jumped up and picked up my bike right as Paul was riding up to me asking if I was ok. "I jumped up and yelled "I'm alright! l let go of my bike!". (Something I learned the night before was a good idea after watching Ryan Dungey do the same thing during the supercross race at San Fran). My pants were full of sand, my shirt, my goggles and one of my gloves even came off. It was quite the crash, but I learned a lot from it and thankfully I'm not hurt. My handlebars were pretty bent, but they've already been fixed.

When we got back to our trucks, I wanted to practice jumping again. I had started to earlier in the day and was determined to get it down. I may not be getting too much air or too much distance, but I'm jumping. Now that I have the feel for it, I can conquer bigger jumps!

After riding all day Sunday (and crashing) I was exhausted. I was sore (still am) and hurting all over. It was a great day though and I can't wait to do it again. Not only was the weekend good, but the drive to and from Yuma was great too. Paul and I had some very long talks about life and career choices for me. The first step I'm going to take is to go and see a college advisor at the community college. I am thinking that at least starting on some of my GE classes will help me start into the right direction. I think I've pretty much narrowed it down to three different choices and hopefully once I talk to an advisor it might help me start out in the right direction. I feel good going into February and I'm starting to feel good about turning 30.