A Mini-Vacation

I have been working extra shifts for a coworker lately and she offered to take a couple of my shifts in return. The weather forecast said it was going to be a gorgeous weekend, so I asked her to take my Saturday hours.

Friday, after work, instead of going back home, I headed Northwest, straight to the “big city”. My brother lives there and it was time to pay him a visit. Our work schedules are completely opposite meaning that we rarely get a chance to see each other anymore but now, thanks to my coworker, we had a chance to hang out.

The route was a new one for me and fairly flat until the last 12 miles. The sun was beginning to set in front of me and each hill that I crested gave me a new view of the sky. It was beautiful, but my body was achy from working all day and then spending a couple of hours on a bike that it hasn’t quite adjusted back to yet-so I was ready to get my destination.

Just as the sky was at its most brilliantly flaming orange, I climbed up the last hill to find that I had made it. Below me, spread out in the valley was a million city lights. I don’t usually find cities stunning, but paired with the colorful sunset, the beauty of it all left me breathless. I plunged down that monster of a hill, the cold air stealing every particle of warmth from my face, arms and legs.

But it was so worth it to feel the icy fingers of an early spring night because in a few minutes I was swallowed up in the traffic and lights of the city. The adrenaline rush I felt is one of the most powerful I have ever experienced on a bike. As I rode through the city, all of my senses were at full alert and any tiredness that had been nagging at my body moments before had been completely swept away. Before I knew it I was at my brother’s apartment.

He made me supper and not too long after I called it a night and went to bed.

Saturday morning I made him a triple batch of cheeseburger buns to freeze, which should give him lunches to take to work for awhile. Then we did a bit of shopping around town. I bought a new camera, hallelujah! Ironically, I paid less for it than my current (broken) camera and it is much better quality, hooray for good deals.

After that, we went to a state park on the shore of Lake Ontario and wandered around the trails for a couple of hours. The weather was perfect and we even spotted the first robin of spring on our walk. We had a great time, my brother is ridiculously silly and cheesy, so we get along quite well. (Funny how it is easier to get along with siblings once you all move out and have a place to call your own.)

Then I rode back home and before long I set my alarm clock on my phone and went to bed. Why is the alarm clock detail important?

Well, yesterday was daylight savings time so I knew if I set the alarm on my phone for 7:15, it would change the time automatically for me. Except that it didn’t. I woke up Sunday morning and puttered around the house thinking I had plenty of time to get to church. I had completely forgotten about the time change so I wasn’t the slightest bit suspicious.

As I was reassembling my bike (I had cleaned it after my ride the night before), I realized that my cell phone and the bike computer were displaying the same time. The truth hit me, I had been pranked by my cellphone. Just as it was all clicking into place, my Pastor called wondering if I had forgotten the time change. Haha, yup!

I rushed up to church, arriving an hour later than normal. Usually I go to church at 8:00 to finish the power point before Sunday school so I had to find someone to fill in for my Sunday school class while I got it all sorted out. Whew!

Errand 8
 Visiting my brother
Category: Social Call
Distance: 68 Miles
 Cities are stunning when paired with a lovely sunset.

Errand 9
 Church
Category: Non-store Errand
Distance: 2 Miles
 Technology is not always as helpful as it is supposed to be.

Look! I found green grass on the way home from church!