RUMSPRINGA!

Last semester m.cass and I watched this like four hour long show on the Amish tradition called "Rumspringa." (m.cass and I like to shriek the word and fist pump) If you're not familiar it is the time in a young Amish person's life when they get to experience the "English" (or typical American teenage life by our standards) ways of the world. You know, let their hair down, wear "English" clothes, roller skate. Or, as we learned, get arrested, do meth and have unprotected sex. This was only the case for a few on the show and of course the show decided to showcase the teens who were being a little more risque with their adventures. Anyways, Rumspringa lasts as long as the person so chooses, but eventually they have to decide whether they want to stay Amish, or if they want to go wayward. If they do choose to leave they are permanently banished from the Amish community and can have no contact with their family. Obviously, since said original viewing, I've watched a few other documentary style tv programs about Amish lifestyle. It's pretty interesting.
So anyways, onto the fun part.
I drove out to Stout today. So yes, the semester will begin soon and I'm back living on my own in the classiest apartment in town. Anyways, on the way here, I pass through Amish country, and see these lovely signs:

Actually, the ones I see don't have the additional "share the road," but I liked this one better.
So I ALWAYS get excited and hope that I'll see a nice ole buggy prancin across the road. I'd say 7 out of 10 times I drive home I see one. Today I didn't see a buggy, but I DID see a quality picture.
I was driving and of course my eyes were DARTING around looking for signs of my Amish folk. I see someone on a bike, a sure sign that we're gonna have an encounter. As I get closer, I see it's a boy and he has some conservative wear on and is wearing a hat, good news! Then I realize he has these boxes strapped to the back of his bike. They looked like two Heineken cases. I immediately busted out laughing and yelled "RUMSPRINGA!" in the correct fashion.
Which brings me to another memory. On another fateful trip to school, I can see this figure of sorts coming down the on-ramp. I get closer and realize it is a girl in traditional Amish dress, CAREENING down the on-ramp on a bicycle. What makes it even better? CAN it get any better? YES. SHE IS RIDING NO HANDS. I literally almost crashed. So. Awesome.