Speed Racer

In the midst of the Blizzard of '10, Brad and I decided to brave the weather for a little bit of fun. How could we possibly let this wonderful snow pass us by, without taking advantage of the opportunity to go sledding!?!

Even after we bundled up in multiple layers of clothing (and I do mean multiple layers) Brad still had to get my hair dryer out with an extension cord to thaw out the frozen doors of the truck (that we're borrowing from a friend until we replace our wrecked car). Then, we hauled pitcher after pitcher of hot water through the house to the driveway, where he poured it over the windows to melt the thick sheet of ice that had built up overnight.

After all that, we were smooth sailing! Well, not really. We were completely irresponsible for getting on the dangerous roads. They were completely covered with snow and ice, and we were in a little, rear-wheel drive pick-up truck. Honestly, what were we thinking? The things we'll go through to act like kids again... He drove super slow, and we only slid around a little bit. There were a few hills that required multiple attempts to get up, but we made it to our friends', The McAlister's, neighborhood safe and sound. Thankfully, however, our other friend, Kris, met us at the bottom of their lane, because our truck was officially unsuccessful in it's attempt to reach his house.

We knew when we made it to their house, because we saw a sledder zoom across the lane at lightening speed. Once we climbed out of the car and made our way up their driveway on foot, we were totally anxious to be our own Speed Racers. Thankfully, the kids were busy making a fort and storing up snowballs, that they didn't mind if we stole their sleds for a while.

It has definitely been quite a while since Brad and I have had the privilege to ride some snow, and we were out of practice. Poor Kris, who grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, had never sledded before in his life. We were quite a sight to see. We had our fair share of blowouts and screams. And we had a great time! Pat had purposefully left a fallen tree limb in the way and covered it with snow. It became our personal ramp. Surprisingly, we really did get a lot of air.

After a while, when our rears were bruised from the limb jumping, we ventured over to their next-door neighbor's driveway, which was just an exceptionally long, fairly steep hill. I was only brave enough to approach the mountain once, after witnessing others' survivals. But, when I bailed from the sled, I rolled off and continued to slide down the hill on my belly, feet first. Which meant that I got snow all up my shirt. That was enough for me.

Seriously, we got so much speed, that our eyes were watering. After a few trips, they decided to put a portable GPS in their pocket to track their speed. Literally, They were reaching speeds between 25 and 30 miles per hour. Thankfully, there happened to be a giant pile of wood chips covered with snow located right at the base of the driveway on the other side of the lane. It was the perfect, soft landing.

We finally went inside when our fingers and toes started going numb. Niki's hot chocolate with extra marshmallows was the perfect ending to a really great day of sledding adventures. It was nice to enjoy the chance to get out and play in the snow. I didn't realize how much I missed that aspect of the winter months. For a weekend, it was like we were back up in Indiana.

Did you play in the snow? Have you ever sledded so fast that your cheeks get thrown back? It's scary and fun!