Cheers to trying new, fun things.

Lately, I have been trying new things. Many of these new things need to be credited to Austin, the B-F. Lol. First, is my expansion of food interests. For example, we went to the grocery store tonight to get some food. We spent quite a bit of time in the produce section. We walked away with baby bok choy, horned melon (kuwano?), starfruit, pineapple, asparagus, green bell peppers, green onions, rainbow chard, and brocoflower. Our goal is to find something new and exotic to cook every week, whether it's a crazy vegetable or a new recipe. Starfruit is DELICIOUS. But maybe it's just delicious to me because it's new.

The next new thing was a task that neither of us were prepared for. This past weekend we were driving up to Snowbird to ski and we were trying to pass a tourist car on the way up. Austin thought he was going to the speed limit, but right as we were passing them a cop clocked us at 50 miles an hour in a 40 mile per hour zone. The cop waves us over and asks Austin for his license and registration and asks a bunch of questions. I'm shaking because my typical response to being pulled over (which has only happened twice) is to start crying and apologize profusely. But Austin kept his cool and the cop comes back after running his license. "Sir, can you step out of the car?" Oh crap oh crap. The cop said Austin's licensed had been revoked, but Austin explained that last summer his wallet was stolen, someone stole his ID and used it to buy alcohol for some minors in southern Utah. He had already gone to court about it and the court dropped charges because of the proof that it wasn't him, but I guess the paperwork hadn't gone through. I was kind of impressed with Austin and his ability to gain a great rapport with the cop. The cop said he believed him and wouldn't take him to the station, but he couldn't allow him to drive. "Does she have a valid license? She's going to have to drive." Me: "But I can't drive stick." Cop: "Well little lady, you are going to have to learn." I'm going to have to learn how to drive stick in the middle of a canyon going uphill?? Are you kidding me?? So after Austin explained how stick shifts worked, I resentfully attempted to drive a manual. There was a bit of yelling on my end out of fear, but Austin calmly coached me and believe it or not, I got us up the mountain without stalling the car. I don't know how I did it. I had attempted to drive one years back but kept stalling the car and ended up crying. I definitely need more practice, but yay for learning!!

The next thing I've learned to do is have independence. I have a season pass to Snowbird now, but was too afraid to go alone. But I have a lot of free days/mornings where I could go but no one else can. So Monday, I put on my big girl shoes and loaded up my car with the ski gear and drove up the mountain. I parked a little further away than everyone else who was strapping up their gear near the lodge, mostly because I was afraid that they would be able to tell I was a beginner and mock, "What a newb." and point and laugh? I don't know. But I felt insecure. Once I had all my gear, I lugged my skis to the lifts. IT WAS SO FUN. It was pretty invigorating going by myself. I don't complain a ton, but sometimes when Austin and I go he encourages/sternly pushes me to go down a hard hill and I do complain that I can't do it sometimes. But when I was alone, there was no one to complain to. My thought process was pretty much, "Well...there's only one way down, and worse comes to worse I hike down, ski down, or accidentally fall down the mountain." It was a very peaceful, fun solo experience and I look forward to future adventures on my own.

So yay for trying new foods, learning how to drive a manual, and going on solo adventures. Let the new experiences of 2010 continue.