November Election

I don't care who you are or what you believe (well, actually I do care what you believe), but anyway the point of this post is to get out and go to the forums and find out about the candidates who are running in November, and VOTE!!!!

If you don't vote, you don't get to complain!!! I am voting....are you?

Check this link out...warning....the minister gets graphic!
http://www.eyeblast.tv/public/video.aspx?RsrcID=2036

First Motorcycle Post

Well, we decided to go for a quick ride tonight on the motorcycle. We rushed to get ready because it was about 7:15 or so and we wanted to get out and get back before dark.

We did all the pre-check things (check tires, oil, etc.), and we were off. We had no specific place we wanted to go, we were just going for a ride. We left our house and Preston took a route that he knew had some semi-curvy roads, however, we got stuck behind someone that was doing less than the speed limit, so that was a little bummer.

We turned and cruised on another road for a while and then we pulled off because it was getting late and we needed to turn on the GPS to figure out how to get home from where we were. We pulled off on Tom Burke Lane (I am sorry if you live on that road, but we will not visit you on the motorcycle), and Preston stopped on the side of the road and started to turn on the GPS.

No sooner than he had pushed the power button, this black dog with no tail came running at us barking like crazy and never really got close enough to touch us, but we decided that we needed to get away. So, when the dog got a little behind us, Preston took off, and he says that the front tire lifted off the ground a little, but I never felt anything. It was not an obvious wheelie.

So, the road kept going and I thought it would be cool to keep on going to see where it went. So I told Preston to keep going. He was looking for a place to turn around and check the Garmin...I should have not said anything! We kept on going and then the road ended....so, Preston turned around and no sooner than we got straight this chocolate lab dashed out at us and was barking and even growling. Way scarrier than the first dog. He was not scared of the motorcycle at all and he even came around and bit Preston's pants. The dog was not able to get through to any skin and thank goodness he only got the pants. I thought that Preston had kicked at the dog when I felt the jolt, but it was actually Preston getting bit by this dog. As soon as the dog had bit Preston, three more dogs came out of nowhere and we knew if we did not get out of there fast we would soon be surrounded and it would not be pretty, so we bolted out of there like a "blue" streak of lightening!

We were able to find our way home on better roads, with no other vicious animals. Moral of our story: do not stop on any strange named roads, from now on we stop at parking lots or gas stations or the entrances of really nice looking neighborhoods!

I just wanted to let you all know that Preston and I have finally saved up enough money to purchase our first motorcycle (see the pictures). We have been saving for a while (and waited until we had enough to pay cash for everything...that was difficult, but worth the wait!!! Thanks to the Financial Peace University!), and have purchased riding gear for me (pants, jacket, helmet, boots, gloves), and poor ole Preston just has gloves and a helmet (we share that, since our heads are about the same size)! :o) He will be getting either a jacket and pants or a one piece suit. We really love what Carolina BMW has to offer and the people there are really nice!

I know what you are thinking.....a motorcycle.....What do they want with a motorcycle???? Isn't a motorcycle dangerous???? Well, Preston and I took a course through the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (http://www.msf-usa.org/) called the Basic Rider Course. This course teaches you the basic skills needed to operate a motorcycle. You practice emergency braking, swerving, the use of a turn signal, and a very tight figure 8 pattern to practice U-turns. We both passed with perfect scores on the written test (it wasn't that hard), and Preston got a perfect score for the driving test. If you pass this class then you get to skip the riding test for the DMV (you still have to take the written test for the DMV). We both passed and got our motorcycle endorsements on our licenses' in late August.

The class was a lot of fun and VERY hot! We took it in August and have had the urge to get motorcycles ever since! We decided to start saving for the motorcycle that I wanted first because it was cheap as far as motorcycles go. We finally got a 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250 R (blue of course - that's my favorite color). Preston enjoys riding it, although he can only ride it in the neighborhood until he gets his riding gear. He wants a bike with ABS (he thinks), and they are more expensive.

We picked it up from the dealership Saturday and brought it home on a trailer due to rain. Once it cleared up and the roads dried, we made numerous laps around our neighborhood. It was fun! I am not sure when I will be ready to go out on "real roads," but perfect practice makes perfect.

My jacket (as you will see in the picture) is BRIGHT NEON yellowish-green. Saturday evening as we were riding in the neighborhood, I felt like a glow stick, but I could be seen!

Our New Blog!

We have created our newest blog and hope to keep this one as our main one. We hope you return to see what additions we have. Don't count on a lot, because our lives are pretty calm. We have a dog named Jake and I have a bearded dragon named Roy (he is actually my class pet, but he is my pet on the weekends and summers, and Preston is not too fond of him). Yep, life is pretty good, we are in our house that we purchased in May 2007, and that is about it. We are saving for motorcycles and highly recommend the MSF Courses (Motorcycle Safety Foundation). We tried on helmets last week and are hoping to purchase this spring!

When something new happens, I will post it! Other than that, have a wonderful day!