They See Me Rollin'

Before the real world pulls me in too much, I wanted to write a little post about a fun event that Jordan planned for us over the holiday break.  We decided to take a segway tour to look at Christmas lights!  The weather last week in Dallas was unusually warm; like record temperatures.  Warm temps are not exactly Christmasy weather, but it worked out perfectly for the segway tour.  These little machines can go surprisingly fast so even if the temperature is in the 60's, the wind makes you pretty chilled.  The key is to dress warmer than you think you need.

Jordan found a great deal through McKinney Segway Tours.  We showed up a little early to get some brief instructions and then had a whole hour driving round the homes in the Deerfield HOA in Plano, TX.  Deerfield hosts a competition every year for each house to compete in Christmas lights!  The general public can drive or walk around the neighborhood and vote on their favorite house via text message.  If they choose, the visitors can also donate money towards the HOA's charity.  (I'm not sure if it's the same charity year after year but you can find out more HERE).

Anyway, this year there was a $500 prize to the winner of the Christmas lights competition but it varies each year (once was $10,000 for first place!!)  Our segway guide took us by 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place!

This is a picture of Jordan and I on our Segways.  I was riding "Ruby" and he had "Sally".  I really thought the segway was pretty easy to operate, but occasionally I found myself unsteady if I wasn't paying attention.  And at least twice I did an involuntary pivot.  It feels a little strange to drive one but I felt safe the whole time (especially with a snazzy helmet).  Each machine costs $6500 so you want to be careful for own well-being, but also for the machine itself. 

These are a few pictures that Jordan took while we were driving (he's talented).  

Top Left: This is not my best angle but this picture helps to give you an idea of how our group rode along.  I wore a fleece sweater and then a wind breaker on top of that.  We both decided that we were dressed perfectly for the weather except for shoes.  My feet were toasty warm in boots but the wind went right through Jordan's tennis shoes.  #TipForNextTime

Top Right: This is a view of the street.  I think we had the BEST mode of transportation.  The cars were completely packed so it must have taken them hours to get through the neighborhood.  There were people on foot but you can only move so fast walking.  The segways were perfect to see the details of the house while also keeping a brisk pace.  

Bottom Right and Left: One of my favorite houses was one that featured the Dr. Seuss book How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  Each giant plywood "pages" looked EXACTLY like the book!  I was blown away!  

Top: This is a picture of 2nd place.  This house was amazing and had a blanket of lights!  Jordan and I decided we liked this one better than 1st place.

Bottom Left and Right: These are pictures of the house that won 1st place.  It had a Santa's workshop theme and clearly had a lot of work put into it.  Still...it was a bit random for my taste.  

One interesting by product of taking a segway tour like this is that people took pictures of us!  People had their cameras out to take pictures of the lights but when the saw our little group of 6 on segways, they snapped a few shots.  That felt a little strange but I think the segways are still very novel. 

I'm sure most people are happy to back on a regular schedule but I'm feeling a bit bummed that the holidays are over... I'm already looking forward to next Christmas!