She told me not to step on the cracks-I told her not to fuss and relax

Sunday I did something shocking: I went mountain biking.

Of course when I say "Mountain biking" I mean the most gentle hills ever, but it was an actual mountain bike park and there were TONS of sharp turns, bridges and trees.

BREAKFAST WITH SULLY

SOMETHING TO DO WITH ALL THE HAIR THAT COMES OUT IN THE SHOWER... ROMANTIC.

 I don't know why I do it to myself, but I tend to make friends with very fit and adventurous girls. I spend my time with them feeling like I am going to pop a lung while trying to keep up with them. One of the girls I worked with at the pub found out I liked running. She's a personal trainer- and we met weekly to run the stairs (she ran, I focused on surviving and used any spare oxygen to cursed her). Then she convinced me to sign up for a couple races. She even tried to convince me to run a half marathon in San Francisco this past fall (only the hilliest place ever).

SCOTTY'S MO NOW LIVES IN OUR WASTE BASKET

WHEN YOU LET AN ASIAN NEAR YOUR WHITE BOARD

House tutor Liz is also a personal trainer. She asked me if I wanted to go for a "bike ride", and I hesitantly said yes (the hills here are nuts). When she greeted me at her door in actual padded bike shorts, I knew I was in trouble. I climbed on her bike and put her helmet on as she gave me a quick lesson on gears.

ST CLAIR 

SAND ARCHITECTURE 

The next thing I knew we were peddling up the side of a flipping mountain (think riding up Oxford hill in white rock).

I SAID: "DO A MODEL FACE"- SHE IMMEDIATELY DID THIS- NO COACHING NEEDED. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT BRIAN.

My lungs have never burned that bad. Oxygen- couldn't get enough of it.

Somehow I actually made it to the top. I turned my bike to ride down the sidewalk and noticed she was watching me from the middle of the road and hand-signalling a right turn (remember we drive on the left side of the road) to the cars.

Right. This isn't grade 5 anymore. We ride with the cars, not down the sidewalks. *Embarasssssed*.

SOMETIME BRIAN LETS US STEAL HIS GI-JOE VAN

THERE ARE NO SUV'S HERE, JUST SPORTY VANS- LIKE YOU WOULD EXPECT TO SEE IN SOUTH AFRICA

She led me out of the city to the mountain bike park. Ha Ha.

Huh?

She asked if I knew the brakes. I confidently replied, "Yes. I'll just use this one."

"No... don't do that. If you only use your front brake while going downhill- you'll fly over your handle bars."

THE MARTENS' CRIB- WE GET A LOT OF SUN IN OUR PLACE.

And then we were off. My first cornering round a tree was incredibly wobbly. Probably because I was going the slowest ever. I know that speed makes it easier to round the corners, but I was so bloody focused on the brakes that I forgot to pedal.

WHERE SCOTTY WATCHES THE FEW NFL GAMES WE GET DOWN HERE. I WATCHED THE KARDASHIAN WEDDING IN HERE ALL ALONE. FELT AWESOME AND AWKWARD ALL AT ONCE.

Liz only had to stop about five times to let me catch up, but by the end, she was cheering me on as I rounded the turns with very little wobble (still very slowly). Once we arrived back at the hostel, I raised both arms victoriously above my head and exclaimed, "I DIDN'T GET INJURED!"

Total victory.

HIS LIFE GOT A WHOLE LOT BETTER WHEN WE ARRIVED

SUMMER NIGHT OUT MY WINDOW