New Year

Right! A new Year! And I have a few resolutions, but they will remain my little secret for now, at least on this blog.
Today Mom and Dad dragged us(yeah, i have a brother) out of bed just in time to get to County Park for a walk or run through the trails, courtesy of the Lancaster Road Runners Club. (Walking or running depends on your level of normality. I think these people organized a trail run at noon on New Year's Day just to prove that they can't go 12 hours into 2009 without running/walking.)
So, Dad, Lewis, and I were walking around the various trails, talking sometimes, and it was really cold too. (Mom was running.)
Then we got to this really steep hill. Dad turned to me and said, "Wanna race to the top?"
I told him he was crazy.
So, we started up the hill anyway because Lewis is already halfway up and so are the rest of the walkers.
I went up the really steep hill, using my hands for support because it was covered in mud and dead leaves, making it easy to slip.
Dad started up A ROW OF STEPS right next to the hill.
Well, I was about halfway up when I looked around and nobody's there. I called out, but nobody answered. So I thought, well, I'm not going to reach the top fast enough if I keep going up this hill. I cut across to the steps Dad went up, and it was much easier. Then when I got to the top, all I saw was a low grassy field. No Dad. No Lewis. No rest of the walkers.
I started across the field, because I expected, well, they've made it to the woods on the other side. Halfway across the field, I actually saw people in the woods. They weren't anyone I know, but I could tell they were runners. I crossed the field, but the person I saw was already out of sight. I walked around the forest, still keeping an eye out for Dad or Lewis. Just then I got to the road beyond the woods.
I still couldn't see anybody, but I crossed the road nonetheless, still looking.
When I reached the other side of the road, I could see a little gravel lane with some trees on either side, going up the next hill. As I came closer, I noticed people! Not Dad or Lewis, but Lois and Janey, other walkers we knew.
I ran to catch up with them, and when I did, I explained what had happened, still out of breath.
They said that Dad and Lewis were back at the top of the hill, calling for me. I know I didn't see them, so I guess they didn't see me either.
I asked Lois and Janey if they had their cell phones with them, because I really wanted to call Dad and tell him I was alright. Well, they said they didn't have their phones with them. We decided that we would just head back to the parking lot, which was the start and finish of the race, and see if we could borrow someone else's phone to call them. I liked that plan. I was just so relieved to have found somebody that I knew.
It took about 15 minutes, but we finished the walk and ended up back at the parking lot. I had just borrowed Bill's cell phone, and was punching in Dad's cell phone number, when he appeared at my side.
I was so relieved to see him, but he looked worried still. I looked around for Lewis, but didn't see him anywhere. Dad told me to get in the car, and I did. When he started driving I explained what had happened since we were separated.
Then he explained that Mom and Lewis were still out there looking for me.
Crap.
We drove around, and it wasn't long before we spotted Lewis, making his way back to the parking lot. He jumped in with us and we started looking for Mom because apparently she was still looking for me and Lewis had decided to head back anyway. Great.
We didn't find Mom, so we gave up and went back to the parking lot. And there she was, eating sushi that one of the other runners brought!!! (Usually everybody brings some kind of food to the run.)
So, I explained again what had happened to me, and thanked Lois and Janey for everything, and then I started pigging out on the brownies people brought.

Happy Ending!