Let it SNOW!!!!

I'm hoping for...

LOTS of SNOW

to go along with this cold weather!

True Story

We got snow last night.

Enough to stick.

Cold enough to still be on my car at 10am.

(PS: aren't my new tires great? And my new starter and Clutch Byspass wiring? haha)

Torchlight 5k - Downtown Minneapolis

On July 22, some coworkers and I ran the "Torchlight 5k" race in Downtown Minneapolis. It was a lot of fun, and like the first 5k I did, I finished in 35 minutes. Although this time, I think it was actually faster than 35 minutes and here is why:

There were thousands of people running this race through the streets of Minneapolis. I was somewhere in this extremely huge group of people and when the race began, it was a good minute or two before I even crossed the starting line. (You can imagine my disappointment when I realized that my first few blocks of running didn't count towards the 5 kilometers I was planning on running)! So either a) I ran more than 5 kilometers in 35 minutes, or b) we subtract the time it took me to cross the official starting line and I ran the 5k in less than 35 minutes.

Really, though, for me it's not about the time. I don't aim for running long distances. I prefer running intervals and have found a few effective running routines that provide the interval training I need to keep me healthy and conditioned for hockey. And I hear intervals are better for you anyway (although everyone has a theory on that). The cool part about this race was just being with so many people and hanging out with friends.

Speaking of my friends, here are a few pics of the friends I came with:

(L to R) John, me and Angelene (my roommate)

(L to R) John, Kris (who got me into Broomball! yay!!), me, and Angelene

Change

“Growth means change and change involves risk, stepping from the known to the unknown.”

(Author unknown)

Just over a year ago. I made the move to Minnesota from California. It wasn't a simple decision... on the contrary. Do you remember reading this blog post? Before I came to my decision to move, I really faced a lot of internal and external struggles. I was comfortable where I was at. I had great friends, a great job, lived in a great state, and had great family close by. I was just graduating college, so things would change a little but for the most part, life was hunky-dory and I was content.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, I decided to apply for a job in Minnesota and ended up getting the position. This, I knew, was going to change me. I didn't know how, but I knew it would. And I was okay with that because I like change. I've made 4 cross-country moves in my short 27 years of life and loved each of them for different reasons. I honestly thing this has been my favorite move though.

To reference the quote above, I truly agree that growth happens with change... and to get this you have to take risks. This move (risk... change...) has caused growth in my life. I feel as though I can be free to let people see my true personality (even if it's not always what some people like). I feel more confident in who I am as a person. I have had to face challenges and risks in my job, too, which has also promoted growth and change.

“Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.” (Arnold Bennett)

Change wasn't easy though. I actually didn't like it here when I first got here. I missed my friends, my old job and even the comfort of knowing my way around town. I honestly think that most of the time, when you want to make a change (like moving across the country), you really need to stick it out and wait for enough time to pass before you make a snap judgement to jump ship. It takes time to get used to a new job and it takes time to learn where you will like to grocery shop, where Target is, and what bank you should now bank at. And it takes courage to put yourself out there and meet people. You will probably meet lots of people before you finally meet those people who you will call friends. And it will take even more time to make close friends.

A year later, those things have finally come for me. Well, they happened several months ago, but honestly, every day gets better and every day I love the area, my friends, and my job more and more! And I love being close to my family! I am 100% certain that moving to Minnesota was the best decision for me. The one that took the most risk, had the most change, and was the biggest challenge. But it was the best.

“Life can either be accepted or changed. If it is not accepted, it must be changed. If it cannot be changed, then it must be accepted.” (Author Unknown)

I just saw this quote and liked it. I think something we all fall into at one time or another (some of us more than others) is complaining about various situations in life. And really, what it comes down to is we need to either a) accept it or b) work to change it.

For those of you who know me well, one of my biggest pet peeves is when people have a problem or a situation that they dislike and there is a totally viable solution to fix it or at least make it a little better, and rather than doing the work to make the change, they continue to complain about it. Now, I realize we all need to vent and get things off our chest... that is not the problem I have with the above scenario. We all need to vent and that is what friends are for! But if the venting continues day after day and there hasn't been a change, then it's time to man up, accept it, and drop it. Because "not changing it" is actually the decision being made. But if you want to make a change, I will be the first person who offers to help you figure out what steps to take to make that change.

"Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine.”

(Robert C. Gallagher)

haha!!!

This blog really had no direction when I began writing it other than I wanted to address "change" since it seems to be so prevelant in my life. I realize it's not a profound read or an exciting post... and I am certainly not perfect at handling, pursuing, or dealing with change.

Just for fun... what is your perception of change (unexpected, expected, and/or intentional change)? Is is something that is easy for you to handle? hard for you? Have a story? A quote you love? Do share!

I'm In Love...

...but it's not what you think...

I am in love with my nieces! I can't believe how much I love them... it's truely overwhelming! The past few times I have gone to my parents, I have Taylor stay the night for a slumber party. Last slumber party, she kept asking me for the slumber party.... She doesn't quite get that it's a "situation" and not a game or toy! haha She's so cute!

The first slumber party we had we played well into the night and watched Kung Fu Panda, which is pretty much her favorite movie. She tells you what is going to happen before it happens! Love it... anyway, we went to bed late, reading books before we fell asleep. Taylor woke up once in the middle of the night asking me if we could read books. haha. Obviously I told her no and to go back to sleep, which she did. I was very lucky as Taylor slept until 9am! Tiff was jealous btw! hehe

The second slumber party was much like the first. Games, Kung Fu Panda, reading books, waking up in the middle of the night and asking me if I could read books. The difference this time: Taylor woke up 6:45am!!! (Tiff was giggling this time). So we got up and found my mom downstairs just snuggled up on the couch. Taylor crawled in with her. I asked my mom if I could go back to bed and if she could watch Taylor... she said no. haha - It was worth it though!

And of course, Hannah is a joy as well! We play with toys and I especially like the ones with music because she dances and smiles really big! And bathtime is always fun with both girls!

Here are a few pics of the girls from recent trips home... (some of the pics there is some red eye... couldn't remove it before I posted)...

Hannah's happy smile and her cute little tongue sticking out!

This was at the first slumber party and Taylor saw me wearing

my hair band and washing my face and she wanted to do the

same so we put the hair band in and washed her face, too!

Hannah having a great time!

Taylor hanging out!

Video of Hannah having fun with the Jelly the Cat!

Cermanics... Glazing Phase

Tonight was my last, official ceramics class. Or actually, "Wheel throwing pottery" class. hehe - We can still go back to finish up our loose ends and pick up our masterpieces!

Anyway, I glazed 3 of my 4 pieces... the colors will change a little once these pieces are re-fired but you can still get the idea...

The blue, polka dotted one is going to my dad (and mom) for popcorn... it's kind of small so they will need to get a few refills probably, but at least they'll think of me, right?

The other two are for me! Yay!! And the 4th one I made is a little flower pot... tonight I cut a hole in the bottom of it for water drainage... I will post a pic of that one once I make some more progress on it....

Hockey

Seriously, hockey is the most amazing sport on earth. I am not even willing to entertain rebuttals because they would be wrong (and I can say that because this is my blog).

I played again tonight and it was so much fun! Everyone is so nice and out there to just have a good time! And it never hurts when you score a goal (or 3 - hat trick!!! woot woot)!

Minnesota is the state for me!!! I have no doubts left that this move to MN from CA was the right one!

Oh and "Thanks Dad" for introducing hockey to me! =)

Updates on Life

Just thought I'd post a blog on "what's new in Jessica's World" - nothing crazy or super interesting... just life =)

I'll start by saying that the more time I spend in Minnesota, the more convinced I am that moving back here was absolutely the right decision for me. I love being close to my family, I love the 4 seasons, I love the twin cities area (especially being on the St. Paul side... Minneapolis is okay, but not as amazing as St. Paul), I love my SF office, and I love all the new friends I've made!

I've moved a lot in my past. Maybe not as much as some people, but for being 27, I've moved (states) more times than many other people have by the time they were my age... When I was 19, I moved to Montana; when I was 20, I moved back to Minnesota; when I was 21, I moved to California, and when I was 26, I moved back to Minnesota (again). Each time I moved, I left a comfortable situation... I had friends, a job, stability. But each time, I knew there was an adventure waiting for me. I don't think any of these decisions to move was an easy one (a few were pretty spontaneous, but not easy).

Knowing how important friends are to me, my mom always gave me the same advice each time I was hesitant to move; hesitant to take that leap into my next adventure... she's say, "God already has your new best friend(s) picked out for you... you just haven't met them yet." And wouldn't you know it, every single time she was right. I have some "new" best friends here in Minnesota who I can't even begin to imagine my life without. It's incredible. (And by "new" best friends I mean "additional" - not to be confused with "replacing" old BFFs hehe).

So what's been happening in my life?

I am in a Wheel Throwing Pottery class on Tuesday nights with my friend Rebecca. It's a 6 week class and we get to make up to 4 projects and tonight was week #4. It's been tons of fun!!!
By request, as opposed to wanting to "show off" my masterpieces, I am posting a few pictures of the stuff I've been working on in my pottery class. One thing I have learned about pottery is "be flexible" - until you are a master potter, you can't really have a finished product in mind when you sit down to "throw" your clay. You simply have to follow the steps of the wheel (center the clay, cone, center, cone, center, cone, center, poke hole in center, bring walls out, and bring walls up). The wheel will show you what you are destined to make. See Exhibit A:

Exhibit A:

This is a bowl that I made tonight.

No joke, when I started to throw this,

my goal was to make tall, slender vase...

and this is what it turned out like.

Moral of the story: be flexible.

Exhibit B:

There is no moral lesson for these. Just showing you...

the mug in front is my first project

and the "vase" behind it and slightly

to the right is my second project.

Tomorrow night I am playing hockey. There is this "Just my speed" league for adults that is basically "pick up hockey" but more organized and indoors. You sign up according to your skill level and then pay $15 for 1.5 hours of indoor ice time. You play with a total of 20 skaters (10 on each team) and each team gets a goalie. Teams are picked by throwing your sticks in the center and then they get divided up. Whichever side your stick is on, that is the team you are on (so you bring a light and dark jersey). I am really excited to play! The nice thing is that you don't have to commit to an entire "season" (although I would hehe) nor do you have to commit to practice and/or games on certain weeknights. You just sign up on nights that work for you and go have fun! I will be playing with a friend from work and some of his friends that I played pond hockey with this winter, so it should be fun!

I am also in a Bible study on Monday nights which has been really fun. I've met great friends through it and it has really helped me feel more connected here in Minnesota.

I love my job... I enjoy what I do, but more than that, I love the people I work with. And I work with two of the new BFFs I was talking about in an earlier paragraph. A while ago they encouraged me to work out with them at the mini gym in our building and so we do that on our lunch break. It's a lot of fun and feels good to be moving around part way through the work day. And recently, we've been doing work out videos... it's a good work out and extremely amusing! Two words: wacky jacks! lol

And it's about time I post a picture or two of my incredibly cute and amazing nieces!

I can't write a post about my life and not mention that I watch Grey's Anatomy on Thursday nights with my roommate and a few of our friends. It's a great time and there are always tears (on their end of the couch... I don't cry)... this week, it's Merideth Grey and Derick Shephard's wedding and we are going to celebrate with pizza and we might even make a wedding cake!

I guess that is it for now... hopefully I'm not forgetting anything major!

Roots

I grew up around plants. Lots of them. I don't know as much as my parents do but I know a little bit. I know that they all start growing somewhere. And most of the time, that somewhere is not at my parents garden center. The plants have been growing somewhere else, then, when my parents buy them, someone uproots them, ships them to the garden center and my parents sell them. Then, the plant gets put in someone's yard, their new home, to be enjoyed. It takes time before that plant has fully set it's roots in it's new home. As it grows, gets watered, and enjoys the sun, it's root grow more and more each day. Until finally one day, the plant is fully rooted in it's new home.

In June, I uprooted myself from California. And then I transplanted myself here in Minnesota. While I wouldn't consider myself to be fully "rooted" in my new home, I am well on my way to being there. I think I just need a little more time to grow and to reach my roots down a little further. But I am definitely rooted enough that if someone tried to move me again, I might not make it. My new home has certainly grown on me (no pun intended) and I am confident that this decision to move to Minnesota was the right one.

Broomball Video

I have a video of broomball thanks to my friend Ryan. He is one of my friends who I met in Montana (we worked at a large, retail store together). Ryan is an engineer and frequently travels for work and since he was in the twin cities, he gave me a call and we've been hanging out. Ryan came to my broomball game tonight and graciously offered to record a video of the game.

It's kind of hard to tell who I am because my whole team is wearing blue, but he kind of followed me around so I'm the person who wearing a black helmet and I am pretty consistently in the video.

Anyway, watch if you want, but if you aren't interested, no big deal. I wanted to post it though because some people have been asking me to. The video does not fully capture how amazing broomball is but it gives you an idea of how it works anyway.

Life in Minnesota & What I've Learned

I can hardly believe that I have lived in Minnesota for 7 months now! In some ways, it seems I have been here so much longer than 7 months, and in other ways, I feel like I just arrived! One thing I know for sure, it has been both challenging and also an amazing journey. As I suspected, I have been challenged in far more ways than I could have imagined! And looking back, I feel like I have come a long way, yet still have a ways to go.

I would say the hardest thing about moving back to Minnesota is being willing to put myself in uncomfortable social situations in order to meet new people and make friends. About a month after I moved here, I was complaining about how I felt I had no friends or anything to do besides work. I think deep down I figured it would change, but I just didn't feel like waiting around to see what happened. I wanted to re-pack (well, I probably wasn't totally unpacked) and move right back to CA.

In an effort to help me see the light at the end of the tunnel and put an end to my pity party, my dad gave me some good advise (which, if you know him, that is no surprise; he is full of good advise and wisdom); he told me to not wait around for things to happen but to make it happen for myself. When I want to hang out, call someone I had just met. If I get invited somewhere, go! even if I knew I'd feel out of place. If someone invited me for coffee, ask if I could bring another new friend along.

As hard as it was, I tried to do just that. I failed at times but I tried. And I still try. And I still fail at times. Sometimes, it is so hard to make myself go to a place to hang out when I don't know many people. But I have gotten to meet some really cool people through being involved in different things. My heart still aches to see all my CA friends, yet I am overwhelmed at how awesome my new friends are!

I guess what I am trying to say is that I have learned that you kind of have to make life happen and be intentional about it. That means going out and socializing (with your closest friends or fun aquaintences), finding a new hobby, take a weekend trip to see friends/family in another state, joining a sports team, running errands, or even intentionally taking an evening for yourself to sit on the couch and watch the new season of 24 (which has been amazing so far) with a little Ceasars Pizza ($5 woohoo)!!!

Through this journey, I feel like I have learned a little more about who I am. And not only that, but to be more comfortable with who I am, too. This is me. Some people may like it and others won't and that is ok. Realistically, you can't be BFFs with everyone; that would be too overwhelming (and can you imagine the bridal parties?!). Seriously!

So that is just a little bit of what I've reflected on recently.

I feel like I can't publish this post without mentioning that it is -31 (negative 31) degrees here in the twin cities tonight - And, up north where my parents live is even colder!!

Visitors!

Charlie and Greg are down for the weekend and here are a few pics I've taken.

Friday night, we went to the Minnesota Wild vs. NY Islanders game (we won 4-1!!)

The first picture is the boys at the game and the second one is from when we went and played hockey on Saturday; it's Charlie chillaxin' after a long, hard shift!

We got several inches of snow today and had to shovel the ice about every 30 minutes b/c it would accumulate lots of snow very quickly... this is Charlie shoveling...

And Greg Shoveling...

Cold Temps and Lots of Snow! (That is a statement; not a complaint)

If you watch the news, you are fully aware that it is very cold in Minnesota right now and very snowy. Over the past week or so, we've seen -20 to -30 windchills (don't overlook the negative signs) and we've seen inches (some places "feet") of snow.

I'm not gonna lie, I had forgotten what sub zero temperatures felt like. And I had forgotten what frozen nose hairs felt like. I am certainly not complaining though. Besides one particular moment of trying to repeatedly get my rear, driver side door to close (it sticks sometimes) in negative temps + wind/windchill, I have enjoyed every moment of the cold.

So far, I have played broomball and hockey in these sub zero temps and as the snow accumulates. It doesn't stop the fun - for me or any of my broomball/hockey loving friends - it just makes the games more interesting. Here are a few examples...

We'll start with hockey. I have played pond hockey 3 times now: once while it was snowing (the kind of snow where it's accumulating in inches) and then tonight, I played and the temperature was exactly zero (I think I have a mild case of frost bite, too, because my right, big toe feels like a rock. But like I told my mom, it's all good as long as it doesn't fall off...). The ice was really bad tonight because in between the snowy night and tonight, we had this random 38 degree day where the ice kind of melted a little bit and the sides of the rink had about 2 inches of water sitting on it. It re-froze, but it was soft in some spots and chiped easily in other areas so there were many moments of random falling on your face. Speaking of the warm hockey day though, there were a few times where we fell in the water so we were pretty wet, but pressed on.

Temperature is all relative, though. I mean, in California, 38 degrees in December is super cold and no one knows what to do. Everyone, if they dare to go outside their warm house, is in layers of clothes, wearing hats, mittens, boots, and carrying a cup of Starbucks to keep them warm. In Minnesota, however, 38 degrees in December is a warm day! No one has a hat or mittens on, you might have a sweatshirt on over your long-sleeved t-shirt, but it's really not necessary, and everyone is outside enjoying the day! Which is what we were doing on that warm, December day when the ice was melting. Wet shirts and pants and water in our skates, sloshing around (literally) was almost equivelent to wearing wet shorts after you've spent the day at the beach... no big deal.

Now for Broomball. Last night we had our second game... and we won... and I got two goals... It was about 3 degrees and it was snowing - but not the thick, heavy snow - it was light, fluffy and slippery. Even with the amazing Broomball shoes, it was still very hard to run on the ice so you relied on your passing game and taking a few dives every now and then to get to the ball before the opponent did! It's so much fun... I wish I was in a league for every night of the week! I suspect that tomorrow, I may end up with the Broomball cough (last time, I got it the 2nd day). We'll see though. Last time, I was in worse physical shape than I am in now - not that I am "in shape" - but I have been playing Broomball or hockey a few times a week so I can definitely handle physical activity a little better now!

I forgot my point - let me go read what my first paragraph said... Oh yeah, it's cold here... So anyway, while most of my fellow Minnesotans (if you didn't read that last phrase with the Minnesotan accent, you should go back and do that - It'll be fun)... anyway, while most of my fellow Minnesotans are not happy about the cold weather or the snow fall that is causing some of my coworkers 2.5 hour long commutes - one way (not exaggerating), I am loving every minute of it! But then again, I love winter sports and I have a 1 mile commute that takes about 3 minutes, IF I hit the stop light.

Check back in March to see if I'm still loving the cold and snow! But if broomball and/or hockey are still going, I suspect I will be just as content with the cold as I am now!

Ugly Christmas Sweater Party

Last night, I went to an Ugly Christmas Sweater party with my roommate Angelene and friend/old roommate, Jenny. The picture basically speaks for itself...

(L-R: Me, Jenny, Angelene)

A few updates....

I realized it has been a while since I have posted any picture of nieces.

I ran across this video of Taylor from a few weeks ago:

And I found this picture of Hannah...

And my friend Rachel asked me to post a few pics of my new apartment. The only thing I have pictures of is my room - and I wish it was still this clean...

The view from my door

The view of the door from my bed

And the view down my hall to my bathroom (in my room)

I Get To Vote!!

When I first arrived in Minnesota, the first thing I did was register my new 4Runner. While I was there, I found out that I had to take the Written Test in order to obtain my Minnesota Driver's License. Since that day, I have avoided going to the DMV. But who can blame me? It's not like the DMV is anyone's idea of a good time! Especially when you have to take a test. I figured I would just stay licensed in CA; I mean, it's valid across the US and I don't look half-dead in the picture as some license pictures turn out... I had just one problem (besides the whole, "you have to get a license once you've been in the state "x" number of days..." problem)... I can't vote in Minnesota if I am not registered to vote in Minnesota, and I can't register to vote in Minnesota if I don't have a valid Minnesota I.D. (or utility bill, which I also don't have).

This is when my wheels began to turn... I could always just try and vote "absentee" in CA by sending away for an absentee ballet... I could have it sent to my old apartment where my friend Rachel still lives and then she could forward it to me! I felt a little guilty about this idea since the county sent me a postcard that asked for my permanent address and told me if I gave them an incorrect address (like my old address), they would send me to prison forever. So, I told the truth: I live in MN now.

The second reason my "vote absentee in CA" idea bombed, as if the first wasn't enough, was because in the words of one of my favorite cousins, "McCain (who I will be voting for... no secret there) doesn't stand a snowball's chance in hell in California." Minnesota, on the other hand, is a "swing state" this election so all the votes matter a whole lot!!

I finally dragged myself to the DMV and took the test (I got an 80%... the lowest score you can get before you fail... but good news, the 2nd test would have also been free! A sad consolation). I would have done better but some of the questions were ambiguous! If you talked to any of my professors or job trainers, you'd find that I am notorious for challenging test questions, especially ambiguous questions. As I was sitting there taking my test, answering incorrectly on some of the ambiguous questions, I thought to myself... "If I fail, should I complain about the test questions?" But then I figured I wouldn't... it's not like they wrote the questions or would have done anything about it, even if they had agreed.

The moral of the story... I am voting in November! I could not, in good conscience, fail to find a way to vote when I am clearly passionate about this election.

Disclaimer: If you live in CA and plan on voting for McCain, don't let the "snowball's chance in hell" comment discourage you from voting! If all you McCain-Supports get out and vote, who knows what can happen =)

Driving in MN??? Up your limits!!

So, I have always had a reputation of being a fairly aggressive driver. I prefer to call it "driving with a purpose." I feel like I have gotten to be way better, though; especially since I started working for State Farm. I have read countless "facts of the loss" in claim files that describe all the dumb things people do to cause accidents. I have also seen pictures of mangled cars... some with dead bodies in them... and I have even seen a slide show of an autopsy on a poor lady who was hit as a pedestrian. These types of photos and files are quite sobering.

Let's start with CA drivers. I think everyone can agree that it's just a faster pace out in California. Everyone drives pretty fast and has no reservations about cutting you off. Everyone does it, and you get used to it. Sometimes, it is actually a matter of survival. If you don't keep up, you get run over. If you don't cut someone off, you are stuck in the same lane for miles. No one will just "let you in" when you need to make a lane change. You will most likely be tailgated at some point during your commute, and motorcycles can whiz by between two cars going 65 miles per hour.

Here is my least favorite part of driving in CA: when slow drivers use the carpool lane JUST BECAUSE they have 2 or more people in their car. They clearly do not understand that the "carpool" lane does not cease to be the "fast" lane between the hours of 6-10am and 3-7pm. Just because you have 2 people in your car does not mean you must drive in the carpool lane, especially when the "non-carpool" lanes are going the speed limit - this happened to me all the time on my way to school!!

Driving in California is basically a death trap. Skydiving is safer.

BUT, after all of that, I would take the drivers in California ANY DAY over the Minnesota drivers. Here is the difference: CA drivers are predictable. You know that you are going to get cut off, run off, and flipped off on your way to work. If you didn't, you probably forgot to put your car in drive.

I can't tell you how many times I have been driving down the road here in MN and have had someone cut into my lane, but then literally just stop to make a turn. One time I came inches from hitting a lady in a minivan when she literally stopped when entering a highway on the on-ramp. I thought I had missed something (maybe a bunch of cars were coming and I missed it... nope, not a car in sight). People cut me off to come into my lane all the time going about half the speed limit. Usually, I am the only car around and if they just wait, they'd have the whole lane to themself. Like CA drivers, people here drive 10 mph over the speed limit, but unlike CA drivers, people drive 10 mph below the speed limit on freeways JUST as often. It's inconsistent, unpredictable, and annoying.

You have all heard the term, "Minnesota Nice" - I would like to change that too, "Minnesota Oblivious." I was driving down a road the other day (a street with businesses, about a 30-35 mph speed limit) and I was the 3rd car in a line of 4. We were all driving along and suddenly the guy in front slams on his breaks. Again, I was thinking maybe I missed something. No, I missed nothing. He apparently saw a pedestrian on the side of the road and decided to let him cross. There was no crosswalk, stop light or stop sign. Neither was there a sense of urgency in the pedestrian; he appeared totally content waiting for the only 4 cars around to pass before he crossed the road. The oblivious driver had no idea that while he was being "nice" the other 3 cars behind him were about 4 inches away from exchanging insurance information.

It really is scary. I can't really describe how annoying it is to not know if the guy who just cut you off is going to speed off or slam on their breaks. I am on edge when I drive here. It's no wonder that the medical limits on auto policies in Minnesota START at $20,000!

Ugh!

THIS IS MY 3rd BLOG IN 24 HOURS SO KEEP READING! =)

One-Way Streets

So, one thing I am not used to yet here in St. Paul are the one-way streets. Sure, I have driven on them before, but usually it's when I am in a big city that I normally don't visit or spend a lot of time in (like in San Francisco or parts of Sacramento). When I am such cities, I pay a lot of attention to road signs since I usually am trying to find my way to a new place. But when I am in my own town, and know where I am headed, I don't pay as much attention.

I was at the post office yesterday to pick up a package. This post office is about 1/2 mile from my house, so even though I don't fully know my way around St. Paul, I could mindlessly get home from the post office... so I thought.

After I got my package, I exited the parking lot, made a left-hand turn and crossed over the first lane of oncoming traffic. I was very quickly honked at. The first thought that ran through my head was, "yeah, maybe I should have waited for him to drive by before I cut across his lane of traffic. Bad call, Jess." Before I could compete that thought, I instantly realized that he was not honking because I should have waited for him to drive by before pulling out; I had just made a left-hand turn going the wrong way on a one-way street!

Luckily, my life was not in danger. Although there were a few other oncoming cars, it was clear they were moving out of my way. Once they passed by, I turned back into the other entrance of the post office. During this whole fiasco, I was leaving a voicemail for my friend who got a detailed and exciting play-by-play of the event (I realize being on the phone may have contributed to my lack of awareness at the time).

Obviously, I was a little embarrassed. The thing is, this is the 2nd time I have done this (gone the wrong way down a one-way street). The first time, I drove even further before I could correct the problem. Until I can master the one-way street thing, I am thinking I want to put California plates on my vehicle so that people can just shake their head and think, "It figures, CA driver!" I suspect people are already thinking things like, "Figures, a woman driver" and "Figures, a driver on a cell phone."

My new goal for this week: read road signs.