Accidental Adventure

                So I promised adventures and fun and without even trying I found myself in a situation worthy to write about. It all starts off as fun and games and then out of no where I find myself in less desirable situations. Like any other great adventure this started with a normal day. I got up and went to work and had a super boring work day. I went home and did some ab workouts (My new fitness plan in action) and then got ready to go to my cousin’s house. As soon as I got into the car I put on some good music to keep me pumped and put on my sunglasses. I was feeling pretty good and ready to go. Well as I was driving down the road about three minutes from my house I ended up behind this car, an older green Honda civic. He had kinda pulled out in front of me and so I was pleasantly surprised when instead of pulling out and slowing down he kept the pace up and we were good. As we are coming up to a light it turns yellow and he is not slowing down…at all so I am thinking yes! Let’s team work this and make it through this yellow light to keep going. I totally thought we were on the same page. I was dead wrong and actually almost dead by the time I realized it. He hits his brakes at the last second and I hit mine but mine are not new…at all. My tires literally did the squealing, smoking, skidding thing that you always see in movies and still even with my foot pushed all the way down I was not slowing down nearly enough. The only thing I could think of was ‘I am going to smash into this car.’ I am ashamed to say that Jesus was not the first thing I screamed. I will actually not repeat for all of my polite company what I screamed. Lets just say that afterwards I was thinking ‘yeah girl you better get prayed up cause you cant even testify that you called on the name of Jesus and he saved you, you cant even repeat what you just said within a ten mile radius of the church.’ I am not proud at all but hey! I was protected anyway cause here I am still alive and not in a neck brace. Somehow and I am not sure why but that stupid green Honda kinda moved up just as I was coming up to it. Obviously as my foot was smashing the brake down and I was screaming obscenities I was still slowing down and coming to a stop, I just knew that stop wouldn’t quite happen before my car and his car got all intimate. I would like to blame my car for this one, it sees Hondas and wants to be all close to them just because it was used to being in close proximity with my husbands car (also a Honda). I guess my car is all lonely and likes the look of Hondas cause it was going at that one like they were besties that needed to hug. Uggh! My hussy of a car is gonna have to learn that we cant chase all boys in Hondas and force ourselves on them. I guess this was a lesson learned for both of us ;) Well like I said somehow that Honda moved up a little bit. I am not sure if it was cause the guy heard my tires squealing or, if he kinda let up on the brake and just moved that few inches or, if he saw my wild crazy eyes in his rear view mirror. I guess I don’t care what the reason was I am just thankful because that saved me from injury, insurance problems, rental cars, telling my dad…all of those things that I hate dealing with. Well the light turns green and I realize that I am shaking so bad I can barely get my foot off of the brake enough to start going again. The music is still blasting but I realize that my phone had flown forward and hit me in the ankle and my hands are shaking and I am just like OMG go back home. I did not go back home. I pulled myself together and gave my car the worth the wait talk (you know its worth to wait at a red light rather than run a yellow light hehe) and continued on to my cousins house. Well I got there and it was smooth sailing. I had a good time and some yummy, healthy food, and we walked, and I got to see two super cute babies and it was just a nice night. I was over my near accident and thinking going home would be easy peesy. I knew where I was, knew how to get home and I figured less traffic would mean less hazard. Why am I always so wrong about everything??? I am heading home and realize I missed my ramp onto 590 and I am still driving on 490, no biggie I got this. I can continue on 490 to get to 390 and still get home. Yeah well maybe my music was blaring and maybe my window was down and maybe I was lost in my thoughts but whatever it was I got distracted again. I was not over far enough and as I realized the lane I am in is going towards some exit for downtown and not continuing on 490 it was too late and I was in the heart of downtown…in the dark. I can’t see that good in the dark but I was not worried yet. I know downtown a little and I figured I can get to a familiar place and still get home. Plus they are taping spider-man downtown! I thought maybe I would see something fun and so instead of scared I was pretty excited. I should not have been excited. I did not see anything remotely spider-man movie making. Nothing really seems super familiar to me in the dark and the people walking around downtown at night kinda blend in with the darkness if you know what I mean. I am driving slowly to try and see where I am and also so I don’t have vehicular manslaughter on my record. Then I realize I am driving slowly downtown with my music loud and my window down and my door unlocked, alone. I was not panicked yet, I mean I grew up in the city I can rock this better than any super girly white chick I know! Yeah, not so much. I could not seem to find a familiar place at all and so like any smart person I decided to just keep going straight. I headed out of the downtown area and into the city and I started getting a little nervous. I mean I totally knew that I could have pulled over and turned around at any point but that felt scary. I didn’t want to pull over anywhere! So I just kept going and I was looking at all the street signs hoping to God that my memory would be triggered and I would be like oh ok I can get home from here. Well the first street sign that I saw that sparked my memory was AVE D. It didn’t spark my memory like ‘oh I know this place’ it was more like ‘oh God I have heard of this place and now I am going to be gang raped and die’!!! Now to be fair I am not sure how bad this neighborhood actually is, I have only heard people say the street name in a very negative tone. This is when I got petrified! I had no one to call, who am I going to call and say “hey so don’t worry cause im fine but how do I get home from Avenue D”? Everyone I know would have asked a million questions or have been shocked or wondered if I was losing my mind and even though I was a little scared (or a lot ) I had to get myself home. I turned my music waaay down, rolled up the window and locked the door. I hit that lock button like seven times so I was definitely locked in. I just kept going straight for a while and then the area started to look a little more familiar. Then I realized why and I was feeling a little nervous for a whole different reason. The things is I saw some sign for 104 and I was psyched and so I kept going that way but from the way I came I was definitely headed that way in the area where my husband had moved to. I did not see his house or even look for it and I don’t think I was on his street at any point but uh…I was definitely in that area. It was almost ten at night and I had no reason on earth to be in that neighborhood and I knew if he or anyone who knows me had seen my car driving through that area I would have some explaining to do! I mean I was already scared and trying to get home and now without even knowing it I could have become a stalker. Please believe I never ever do that. I hate the thought of driving by the house he moved into to get away from me. I am the opposite of a stalker in that regard. I purposely stay away from that whole area. The only reason I even know remotely where he lives is because one time I had to take him home and even then I tried to erase the sight of that from my brain. So at that point I sped. I freaking hit the gas and sped towards 104. I finally got there and got to ridge road and then I was golden. Sure I had gone an hour out of my way to get home but I was finally going home. After that the adventure pretty much ended. I got home and showered and collapsed into bed. When I woke up this morning I made a conscious decision to have a low key day. I am staying in my area and I will take a nice relaxing walk in a nature park and then go home and get ready for church. I have to keep the adventures at a minimum for a few days because neither my heart nor my car can handle that kind of excitement every single day. Adventure #1 was a success! I made it out alive and I am still pretty and that’s good enough for me ♥♥♥