A Few Things About Motorcycle Riding, Part II

An upside to driving into massive amounts of really gross gnats: forcing you to wash your motorcycle thoroughly right away, even though it's been on your to-do list for a while.

Sorry, but I have to brag a little...we replaced the air filter (and therefore had to rejet the carb) and gave her a good bath. Isn't she beautiful?

A Few Things About Motorcycle Riding

There's just something about riding a motorcycle. What can I say to describe it? As a passenger, it's relaxing. As a driver, it's both relaxing (usually when there's not any cars around) and invigorating. There's just something about watching the stars and moon chase the colors of the sunset over the treetops. You feel closer to space and the earth at the same time. Not so much that you can reach out and touch it (probably because you're going 65 mph), but more like they're friends you haven't seen in a long time or a favorite song or movie. I can definitely see how some people relate it to the spiritual realm. Personally, I usually pray a lot when I'm riding it (now, whether it's for the sanity of the driver of the car next to or beside me or if it's just talking to God depends on the situation!). It just seems natural somehow. And oh-so-lovely.

Until....

Until this:
Let me see if I can shed some light on that for you:
Still not seeing it? How about a close-up?
Yup, that's right. It's awesome alright - right up to the point you drive through a huge (and I mean HUGE) swarm of gnats at 60 mph. Nasty!!!!! And there's no getting them off your face shield. They just smear their little guts - even after their death they're annoying! Needless to say, it was a longer trip home than out. And an immediate load of laundry was started just minutes after walking through the door. Call me crazy, but I just love the sound of the washing machine. It's soothing somehow...

Easter, Family, & Sports

Sorry there hasn't been any blog updates lately, but life keeps on chugging along!

Easter was a blast. We celebrated with two other couples that we met through Summit Small Groups. I didn't get any pics of us, but of course I got a few of the important stuff - the food!! :)Seriously though, Easter (or as my family likes to call it - Resurrection Day) is a very important day. It's the day Jesus was raised from the dead!! What a day to celebrate, indeed!

The day after Easter, some of my family came to visit. Brent, me, my aunt, my grandmother, my mom, and my cousin went to see some sights of RDU and of course had to visit the Duke Gardens.
And of course we had to have some down time. And what's down time without a little Wii? :)My mom and me watching my aunt and cousin play Wii:The day after my family left, we went to a hockey game. Carolina Hurricanes vs Canadians:Staal (a Carolina player) was able to snag a hat trick at the game!! It was the last Hurricanes home game and they gave out free Hurricanes baseball caps to everyone walking in, so when Staal got a hat trick:
Yup, those are Hurricane baseball caps all over the ice!

The crew that went to the game:
This pic is mostly for my nephews:On Sunday afternoon we went to a baseball game at UNC. It was University of North Carolina vs North Carolina State. It was a beautifully sunny and hot day. I left with a very un-fun sun burn, but the game was a good game...the lead changed a few times and it was a close score the first 7 innings.

My Kind of Weekend

Last weekend was the kind of weekend I love. If I could repeat last weekend every weekend, I would seriously consider it! :)

Let's take it play-by-play, shall we?

We rented a movie on Friday night. I'm always up for some relaxing and cuddling on the couch!

On Saturday, I woke up at 7:30am, made and ate pancakes for breakfast, and went back to bed. Now that's the way to do mornings!!

Finally!!!! It went from
to finally going to
in less than two and a half weeks. So I FINALLY got to ride my motorcycle on Saturday!!! YAY!!!! I feel like I've been waiting for so long! So of course this is a big reason why it was a good weekend!

Got a workout in on Saturday.

We went out to eat out at El Rodeo (a Mexican restaurant) and hang out with friends. I ordered the special - it was basically a pre-assembled fajita with shrimp, chicken, and steak with red & green peppers, onions, and cheese. Three days later and Brent said yet again how much he wished he had ordered what I did. :)

I was also able to get in the kitchen (always a good thing!) and with the awesome help of KAM, got two loafs of Oatmeal Honey Wheat bread baked. Brent loves it! And I thought it was pretty darn tasty myself!
So as you can see, it was a pretty good weekend indeed!

I'm Thankful For...

There's so much I could tell you about. I could tell you about what a wonderful, awesome Thanksgiving we had. Spending time with family in the kitchen, hiking, riding motorcycles, reading, watching movies, playing games, and wrestling with my nephews. I could tell you about how much fun we had making a mess of the kitchen while making homemade oatmeal creme pies, multiple batches of biscuit dough, crushing indestructible peppermints for the peppermint cookies, making meat pies, having my nephew in the kitchen with us, telling him to eat some of the raw dough (which he did!), going to the movies with my husband and mother-in-law, going to the movies with my sisters and two handsome cousins, and laughing the time away with family at my grandmother's table that I grew up eating at. I could tell you about how proud I was that I drove halfway and that my husband didn't murder me on the way to GA after I stayed up almost all night the night before just to watch a movie. I could tell you about how bittersweet this Christmas will be - the first Christmas we'll be spending by ourselves. I could tell you about how excited I am about going to see the Nutcracker next weekend with my awesome husband. Or I could tell you about how tired I get just by looking at our December calendar full of plans. I could tell you about how much I really can't stand being sick. Or being sick while trying to take care of the other sick person in the house. I could tell you about how thankful I am for my Lord, my family, my friends, how fortunate we are, and how much I want to spread the love of Jesus to others. Yeah, I think I'll go with that one.

Randomness

Since this here blog is all about yours truly, here are some random thoughts that keep running through my head this morning that I thought I'd share with you.

-I love Listerine mouthwash. If I don't use it after I brush, I feel like I haven't brushed at all.
-I haven't had a carbonated beverage in years.
-I secretly want to live on a farm in the mountains really, really badly. With cows, goats, and of course a horse or two (or four or five). And some fruits and veggies. You know, to live off the land. I'd need to learn how to farm. And how to take care of animals. And how to can foods for later use. And when to plant/harvest. Do I have any idea how to do any of that? Nope.
-Or, maybe becoming Amish would work.
-I'm not a big fan of corn. Or tomatoes. Or peppers (sweet or otherwise). Or grits. Or sweet tea.
-Yes, I still want to live and work on a farm and grow all of that stuff. Yes, I was born and raised in GA. Yes, I know it's not right.
-The soundtrack to Disney's Pocahontas is in my car CD player right now.
-Of all the many, many DVDs we have, Pocahontas is not one of them.
-I'm secretly excited to have kids just for the sheer fact that I'll then have a valid excuse to watch lots of Disney movies and loads of cartoons.
-The furthest West I've been is Texas...for four days. The next furthest West I've been is Tennessee. The next would be Georgia. I need to get out more.
-I love being outdoors. It's the best part of the day for me. Well, that and when I first lay down to go to sleep at night. There's just something about snuggling under the covers!
-My favorite season is summer. Brent keeps telling me my favorite season is fall.
-It's weird, but I love being sore following a workout.
-When I think about my future, I either want to be a farmer, professional baker/cook, or a personal trainer. I love how they're all on opposite ends of the (three-sided) spectrum.
-I'm way too excited about the corn maze we're going to tonight. I hope it's as good as I'm imagining.
-Brent has an awesome directional sense. He'll probably get us out of there in 30 minutes. If I lead us around, we'll be lucky to be home by dawn.
-I have the best husband in the world!! This morning he heard the sadness in my voice as I told him I was unable to ride my motorcycle today because it was 48 degrees when I left for work, but is supposed to be beautiful (72) this afternoon. So he surprised me by showing up during my lunch hour to bring my motorcycle to me and take my car home!! What a man!!
-Happy (a little early) Halloween!

These are a Few of my Favorite Things

Wow...I hope the title to this post doesn't get that song stuck in your head for the rest of the day. I think I'm already lost to the cause...

Anyway, Labor Day was yesterday. Did I use the day off from work to clean up the apartment? Finish folding the 5 loads of laundry that had piled up? Unload the dishwasher? Reload the dishwasher? Sanitize the counter tops with Clorox wipes? Clean the bathroom? Make our whole apartment smell like bleach from cleaning every available surface? No, I did none of those things. Instead, Brent and I went with a couple from church to Hanging Rock, a state park in the mountains about two hours drive away. I love being outdoors, and hiking up in the mountains is right up my alley. Little did I know I'd find a new passion in life!! Bouldering!!!! I've always been a bit of a daredevil (hello motorcycle!), and although some might say it errs on being a little off my rocker, I love it nonetheless! (Which reminds me...I still want to go skydiving...) I see it more as conquering my fears. And also as super fun. My goals from yesterday were to 1) have a lot of fun (check!), 2) do something challenging (double check!), and 3) not leave until I get at least 3 souvenirs...of which I mean - scrapes or bruises (check!!). Yes, that was seriously a goal, and yes, I fulfilled it! (I guess it helps I bruise easily.) What an awesome, fun, exciting day!! :) This seriously competes with the top 5 of my "Best Days Off...EVER" list. Here are a few pics:

First, we hiked to a waterfall:

Brent had to hike up the waterfall, and of course I couldn't be outdone:Then came the bouldering:
Yeah, it was pretty much straight up:
Or straight down, depending on if you went up first or last:
Here's our friend Amy showing us how to get it done:
And finally, the top! I loved the climb up, although some took the path around instead... :) Awesome, gorgeous view!



Also, on a completely different subject, I might be the last person in the world to find/use it, but RedBox has become one of my favorite new things! I love, love, LOVE movies, and the fact that it's $1.07 to rent it for one night, and that there are two RedBoxes right across the street from our apartment, is pretty awesome. Who said living right by a busy intersection is a bad thing? Especially when you have not 1 but 2 RedBoxes side-by-side in the Harris Teeter. Love it!

A little braggin's in order

Okay, so I think a little braggin' is in order. I changed out my motorcycle's battery all.by.myself last night. I'm so proud! :) Brent was still at work when I decided I wanted the battery to be changed right then. What makes me even more proud? It actually started last night on the first try! It really wasn't that complicated...all it took was taking off the pipes, removing the side panels and fuse cover, disconnecting the battery and starter, disconnecting the negative and then the positive side, taking the battery out, replacing it with the new one, working within a 1 inch space that you can barely touch and screw in the screw on the negative side, making sure the pigtails are right (no, not pigtails like what you do with your hair), reconnecting the fuse and starter, recovering it with the fuse cover and side panels, and replacing the pipes. All in all it took me about 45 minutes. Boo-yeah! (Can you tell I'm still pretty psyched about it??)

I felt a little too much like a greaser when I finished (must've been due to the fact that there was black grease all over my hands and a smudge or two on my face - hey, it was hot outside), so to make myself feel more girly, I washed my hands thoroughly and painted my nails with a clear coat. Yup, that'll show the rest of the world how girly I am.

Before & After

Okay, promised pictures are here! :)

The "before" pictures:
Note the curved (stock) handlebars and dark neck (behind the headlight but in front of the gas tank).
Note the dirty back tire and chain drive.
Note the side view of the chain drive and again, the dirty back tire.
Note the back of the motorycle, the way the license plate hangs and where the taillights are.

And now, the "after":
New belt drive!!!! New tires!!!! And look at that clean, shiny bike tire! (And to think I used to believe my mom teaching me how to scrub things clean with a toothbrush was useless...)
Note the T-bar and iso grips Brent got me for my birthday last year:
Check out the chrome neck plate Brent also got me for my birthday last year. I really think it lightens up the front part of the bike:
Here's the updated pic of the back of the bike. The license plate has 6 LED lights that illuminate the plate and we removed the spacer between the taillight and license plate. And yes, you can actually see the tread on the tires! (Not so much on the last ones...)
And, just because:

Cake Class #1

Last night was my first cake decorating class. As it was the first class, we didn't do much. The teacher introduced herself (Jill Leckey, with twin sister Courtney, has her own business in RDU - check out their website), went over the syllabus & supply list (what's used for what), watched a demo of Jill crumb coating a cake, and asked any questions we could think of. Yep, that took two hours.

I'm missing the 4th class...that's the week we're doing a "Happy Birthday" theme. I'm kinda bummed about missing it, but where I'll be makes it much easier! :) (I'll be at the beach with my fam!) Plus, I asked Jill about the material I'll miss that week, and she said in the past she usually just catches up the student in class the following week, so on week 5 the class will be learning about flowers, but I'll be learning how to make a birthday flowered cake. :)

Next week, the fun begins! Our homework for next week is to seperately bring in buttercream icing (Jill's recipe makes 4 cups!), food coloring, and 3 layers of 6" vanilla cake to practice the assembly and icing. Super excited!!!!!! :)

P.S. No motorcycle today. There's a tornado warning in effect as I type this. Rain forecasted for all of tomorrow, so I won't get to ride then, either. So, I'm more anxious for this weekend than usual...can't wait to ride and play in the kitchen!! :)

A "new" ride

I rode my motorcycle for the first time last night since we took it apart for the new tires and belt conversion. Brent was measuring the tension of the new belt...he checked it not once, not twice, not even three times (it was more like 10). The instructions (or "destructions" if you were around when Brent was little) warned against the belt being too tight, then warned about the belt being too loose. I was nervous after reading those warnings, because, of course, there was only 1/16 of an inch to hit it exactly. So, no pressure. But we got it on, tensioned, and Brent took it for it's first test drive. It went wonderfully! Then it was time for us to ride together...to see how the bike handles/accelerates with two people on it. Then it was time for me to ride by myself! Brent kinda freaked me out since he kept saying things like "The new tires are more rounded than the old ones, so it leans on it's own instead of wanting to pop up straight like the old tires did" and "It handles like a totally different bike!" and right before I took my first ride on it since the conversions he said "Just be really, really careful. Handle it like you've never ridden it before". So I started off very cautious, but the ride was so smooth, the curves so effortless, the night perfect, that I eventually stopped worrying about it and just had a great time! Man, I had forgotten how much I absolutely LOVE riding!! I know it's only been two & a half weeks, but still! I really, really, really wanted to ride it to work today, but alas, as I'm going straight from work this afternoon to my first class, it could not be done (due to the amount of materials I have to bring with me). But I'm super excited about class tonight! And, I'm totally riding my motorcycle everywhere else I'm going for the rest of the week! :)

Back together again!

My motorcycle's finally back together!! (Hey, 2 weeks is a long time!!) I'm SUPER excited!! Right in time for the hottest days of the year (yay heat stroke). Seriously though, I'm so excited to have it back in one piece! Yesterday afternoon I put on the blinkers, back fender, side guards, pipes, and seat all by myself! The integrated tail light still hasn't come in yet, so they'll be another bout of when it's not on the road, but that definitely won't take two weeks - hopefully more like two hours! I'll try to post some pictures of the updated license plate placement, belt drive, and tail light (when it comes in) soon.

Patience...is not my best virtue

Tomorrow's gonna be a beautiful day to go for a motorcycle ride. But alas, my motorcycle is currently undergoing some cosmetic changes and needed to update her style, so she is currently missing both wheels and the back fender. BUT, I'm super excited about the new belt drive conversion! And the new style I'll be sporting with the new license plate set-up and new back light/blinkers. And the tires that Brent and I removed ourselves (and hopefully will put back on!). What's that? You never knew I was a grease monkey? You'd better believe I am! :) Love it! There's just something about working on it yourself that you don't get just by taking it into the shop.

So, after I'll be missing a week* of perfect riding weather, I'll have a better, more efficient belt drive (that's maintenance free!), new tires, and an updated back light/blinkers, I'll be on the road once more!

*A week's the alloted amount of time I gave Brent and myself to have my motorcycle back together. I almost started to tear up when we started taking the tires off just because I knew it wouldn't be ride-able. So patience, you're my new best friend.

The Questionaire

Usually, I never fill these out since I figure everyone I'd send it to either knows it already or has better things to do. But, since this blog is all about me, and for my 3 loyal readers who possibly might enjoy this, I figured I'd post it. So, here it goes...

1. What is your occupation? Administrative Assistant
2. What color are your socks right now? White
3. What are you listening to right now? A vacuum cleaner in the Bay...and a bouncing ping pong ball
4. What is the last thing you ate? Sour Patch Kids (yum!)
5. Can you drive a stick shift? Yep - my one and only car I've ever had is a stick
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Depends on the day and my mood...
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Someone asking about their giving statement.
8. What are your guilty pleasure(s)? I have lots! Let's see...reading YA (young adult) novels, eating sugar, peanut butter, and playing outside are just a few
9. How old are you today? 25
10. Favorite drink? Water
11. What is your favorite sport to watch? Any
12. Have you ever dyed your hair? No
13. Do you wear contacts or glasses? Contacts
14. Pets? None
15. Favorite food? I pretty much like all food.
16. What was the last movie you watched? Beauty & The Beast...one of my all-time favorites
17. Favorite day of the year? Not sure I have one...
18. What do you do to vent anger? Go away by myself
19. What was your favorite toy as a child? I remember I had a ballerina Barbie and a hot pink/hot green/hot yellow/purple dog that my friend gave me for my birthday that I LOVED (hey, it was the 80s!)
20. Fall or Spring? Right now, I'm ready for spring
21. Hugs or kisses? Both
22. Cherry or Blueberry? Neither
23. What is your favorite color? Blue's always been one of my favorites, but lately green has been moving up.
24. What's in your CD player right now? A Place in the Sun by Lit
25. Which laundry detergent do you use? Tide (Lavender Scent with Febreze)
26. Living arrangements? Apartment with the hubby
27. When was the last time you cried? I don't remember...
28. What is on the floor of your closet? Shoes, and clothes destined for Goodwill
29. Who is the friend you have had the longest? My family
30. What did you do last night? Read, worked out, watched TV, slept
31. Favorite TV shows? Thanks to Hulu, I have so many! Let's see...The Office, 30 Rock, Chuck, Dollhouse, BSG (Battlestar Galactica...I will miss you), Big Bang Theory, American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance
32. Who inspires you the most? The Lord
33. What are you afraid of? Lots of things, but I try not to dwell on them...and bugs
34. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Cheese
35. Favorite car? Eh...one that runs.
36. Favorite article of clothing? Usually anything my hubby buys me...which would be most of my wardrobe since I hate to shop.
37. Number of keys on your key ring? 5
38. How many years at your current job? Almost 2.5 years
39. Favorite day of the week? Saturday, because I get to sleep in. Although, I usually wake up at 6:30am anyway...but at least I get to go back to sleep! And because of the fact that I have plenty of time to make a big breakfast.
40. How many states have you lived in? 2 - GA & NC
41. Favorite holiday (s)? Christmas & Thanksgiving
42. Ever driven a Motorcycle or heavy machinery? I own a Honda Shadow 600 VLX Deluxe. LOVE it.
43. What's your shoe size? Ladies 6.5 Wide Width (and yes, the wide width is a necessity)
44. Favorite smell? Honeysuckle
45. Don't you hate these stupid things? Eh, I could take 'em or leave 'em. I usually leave 'em...maybe I should have done that for this one, too...

Split Personalities

Whether I'm out for a joyride or commuting to work on my motorcycle, I'm very aware of my surroundings. I'm constantly looking out for dangers (like other cars, or the many potholes and manhole "covers" around here), calculating the many possibilities of distance, brake distance, and time parameters, keeping tabs on all the cars in front, beside, and behind me, patiently waiting on other drivers, and trying to be a step ahead of other people's decisions. Now, when I drive a car, the music's usually pretty loud, I have a minimum of 4 things in the passenger seat, I'm looking for my water bottle/Chapstick/new CD/radio station/audio player/etc, and I'm usually going at least 10 miles over the speed limit (Phil & Todd, please ignore that last statement). It's almost like I'm a completely different person. Although in both cases, any colission, or near-colission for that matter, could be one of the worst things that could happen.

I can see the parallelism in my spiritual life. There are times when I'm fervently digging into the Word, scoping out my surroundings, looking for dangers and traps from Satan, aware of the little distractions that try to pull me away from my Father, and patiently waiting on the Lord. Other times, there seems to be not enough hours in a day. I'll read my Bible, but not meditate on them to let the words hide in my heart. I'll begin to pray, only to wake up 20 minutes later in a very uncomfortable position (talk about some serious neck cramps). However, unlike the transportation analogy, I actually look forward to hardships. Not in a masochist way, but in the fact that if I'm walking with the Lord, I find myself not worrying about the outcome or problem. My Lord is far, far larger than anything on this earth. And when this little lamb has strayed? Yes, it's harder during those times. But during those times I learn (yet again...really, how many times will this take??) that I can't handle it on my own. It's time to get on my knees, repent, and hold on to the only true Hope.