So my first thought when I got the itch to ice skate was "Is that going to be safe??"...so I did some research and came to the conclusion that with my skating past and how confident I felt that I wouldn't fall, I was ok to go :) I haven't skated in a few years (but it's like riding a bike I guess...you just don't forget), and watching Skating with the Stars the other night made me wanna go so bad, haha. And it's that time of year!

I spent every weekend for a good 2-3 winters skating at the Polar Dome Ice Arena in Santa's Village in Dundee, IL...back in high school, as well as plenty of other times since then. Hockey is a pretty big deal where i'm from, so skating rinks were a huge hit. We would all go there to hang out and flirt with each other and meet kids from other schools. On Friday and Saturday nights for open skate, they would turn the lights down and turn on disco balls and spotlights with different colors and play "cool" music. The rink happened to have a bar/restaurant at it, kind of like a lodge with a fireplace, and big windows to look out onto the skating rink. So parents would go hangout in the lodge, drink and watch their kids ice-skate. The daughter of the Rink Manager (or something along those lines) was a friend of ours, and one time- not sure how- we ended up with the big key ring filled with keys to every locker room, the zamboni, pretty much to everything. So we would go in places we weren't supposed to...eventually we got caught and yelled at, haha, but good times were had at that ice rink, that's for sure! Sadly, the rink closed in 2006 so there's no going back to reminisce, but I will never forget that place :) Or the mini tacos or the red icees at the concession stand that I got every time I was there. SOOO GOOOOD.

I ended up going tonight to a rink here in Littleton (Edge Ice Arena) and it was so much fun! Nothing like the Polar Dome, but still worthy :) I brought my headphones and listened to some good tunes and skated around. Nothing crazy, just skated in circles around the rink, skated backwards a little bit...and that's all. But I didn't fall even once (which I knew I wouldn't or I wouldn't have gone). I lasted for about an hour and was DONE. Haha. I forgot how much skates hurt your feet when you're not used to them, and my legs are going to KILL tomorrow. And i'm exhausted, but a good exhausted. Maybe i'll actually sleep in tomorrow for once! :)