The WIND.....now that's something else.....

When the weather report comes up, it doesn't usually make a big, if any deal about the wind. But, I can tell you, living here, this is a BIG factor in our day to day outings. And, living in the clouds, with no balcony can make it hard to plan properly. About two weeks ago, I went for a bike ride heading north on the lake front path. When my bike and I finally got down to street level, it was colder than I expected....kinda thought about going back up for a jacket.....but decided once I got riding I'd be fine. Lovely ride, practically flew up past Fullerton (several miles) and then realized I needed to get back. Coming home however was another story! Either the wind just started up or the wind was the reason I practically flew all the way up to Fullerton! I discovered why bikes have gears....mine has seven and I'd never used anything other than #6 and #7. Well I quickly downshifted to #1 and my legs were going round and round and round and I was hardly moving! My eyes were tearing so much I was having trouble seeing and I was freezing. I started mentally working thru my options.....and there weren't any....other than just keep on plowing into the wind. I really wondered for a bit what I was going to do! Walking the bike home was NOT what I wanted to do......I coulda used a bench and a rest but I was so cold! I did keep going....I didn't give up (that's for you Sarah!) and I made it home. Actually, I felt really good! The good kind of exhaustion.....don't get me wrong....I was really tired....but I hadn't worked that hard physically in a while and it was great!

Then last week, the night before Thanksgiving, my mom and all five of us (the big kids flew in from ATL) decided to walk down to Giordano's for pizza for dinner. We knew it was cold and a little rainy, but that night we all experienced WIND like never before. At one point, I was crossing the street and a gust hit me so hard I almost fell over and my glasses nearly went flying. I AM NOT EXAGERATING! I'm not a tiny girl...duh...and the wind nearly sent me sprawling! We all were laughing, crying and just plain thrilled to finally make it to the restaurant. We assigned kevin to my mom to make sure the night did not include broken bones or emergency room visits. The walk home was about as bad....so bad it was funny.....we arrived soaked, Sarah had been crying, saying that she couldn't breathe....the rest of us laughing til our sides ached...and no emergency room visits.....and we were Thankful.....