Lavapalooza

Even though I was in Lava dealing with family crisis, there were some positive aspects of my trip. I reconnected with some family who I've been out of contact with, I got to have an awesome road trip adventure with my boy, and I got to witness 'Lavapalooza'.

What is 'Lavapalooza' you ask? It is when over one thousand motorcycles take over the tiny little town of Lava Hot Springs Idaho. Okay...so nobody actually took over anything, but when you have that many bikes in a town that has a population of about 500, it kind of feels like it's being taken over. What a crappy day for my camera to stop working! But I know you all have great imaginations, so you can all picture it as you will.

When I first started seeing bikes rolling into town on Friday afternoon I asked my aunt what was going on. She owns one of the towns two bars and I knew she would be able to give me the info I was looking for. She told me about the event. Just your run of the mill rally....bikes, bikers, bands, drinks, vendors....wait....no vendors, guess it's even better than your typical run of the mill rally. I immediately got on the phone with Dave and told him that if he and Willy got on the bikes right then they could make it by the next afternoon, but alas, they had just done their Arizona trip and couldn't make it. I started having major withdrawals for my bike. And my silly dad told anyone who would listen about how "his little girl rides a Harley", I was getting embarrassed, but it was cute to see my dad proud of me for that.

I was excited to see all the goings on, but then I started thinking logically....I was staying at my Grams, in her apartment, above the other bar in town, the big party was going to be on Saturday night, I had to be up at the crack of dawn on Sunday and drive 16 hours to get home. Oh boy, this could be bad.

Saturday night I tried to go to bed around ten, I would much rather have been down at the bar partying with my 1000 new friends, but the safety of my child came first, I needed to make sure I would be in good shape to drive.

And here is the breakdown for the rest of the night.


10:15- Loud, people yelling having a good time, laughing.

10:30- Arguing, escalating, can tell there is going to be a fight.

10:35- Screaming, women hysterical, fight, guys yelling, ends pretty quickly.

11:00- More arguing, different people, look out the window, two feet from my car, 8 guys, two different clubs, pushing, yelling, punching, getting closer to my car, one guy screaming,"I'll kill you if I have to, don't make me kill you", one guy on the ground, almost right on top of my car, guy down on the ground, another guy kicking him in the head, me thinking let them beat the shit out of each other, but what about my car, visions of my car getting a broken window and me running down in my p.j.'s yelling at the guys for breaking my car.

11:10- Cops roll up, guys jump off each other, assure cops they're 'all good', cops yelling at them, "why you guys have to act like a bunch of jackasses", some guy mumbling something I can't understand, cop smacks him up side the head and tells him to "shut the fuck up", guys hug each other, shake hands with the cops, everyone leaves, I get back in bed thinking 'this is the weirdest shit'

11:15- First bit of quiet for the night, interrupted by woman screaming, "oh my God, no! Don't do it", running, punching, again by my car, cops must be waiting around the corner, couple people cuffed, I go back to bed....I have got to get some sleep

After this point I lost track of time, but it went this way until 4 a.m., laughter & fun, fighting & screaming, back and forth.......
I have never experienced such madness in my life. Dave & I are planning on making it for 'Lavapalooza' next year..........anyone wanna go with?

Life is Grand!

Ahhh, life is so good right now. I have not been riding nearly as much as I would like to this summer, some of it is because I'm so busy, some of it is because I have neglected some things that needed to be taken care of, that's a long story and I'll post more on that later.
But.....life is good! Minus not having the kid here, it has been an amazing summer. Dave's kids have spent time with us and that was just awesome! Spending time with Dave's kids has made me realize even more how much I love him...if that was possible.
The wedding is close, and in spite of the changes of some plans, things are great on that front also. I am more excited than stressed, lately the lyrics for the song Anticipation keep popping into my head!
We have mice babies...okay, that may not seem significant to most people, but I just think it's really cool. Watching life start out amazes me, even if most of them will become snake food...it's still pretty amazing.
I tried yoga for the first time today, it kicked my ass.....but I feel awesome right now. I have a ton of energy, I'm typing like 100 words a minute right now, and the funny thing is...I don't know what's moving faster, my brain or my fingers. Okay, so maybe I'm just a little scattered too.
I just wanted to check in with my friends, I hope you are all doing amazingly well.

A Little Story About Plans

Rewind 11 years ago....I was pregnant with the kid. In my childbirth class the instructor told us we should write a birth plan. I am a huge planner, so I was more than happy to do this. I wrote a detailed plan about how my birthing experience would go.....the day came, and we might as well have flushed that plan down the toilet when my water broke. Every single thing that I wrote in my plan happened in exactly the opposite.

Okay, present day...Planning a wedding. First let me say, that to me, the most important part of our wedding day will be the fact that I will be married to the most wonderful man in the world. With that said, I have put a lot of thought, energy and time into planning for things to be the way that we would like them to be for that one day.

We are 42 days away from the wedding and in the last few weeks, my maid of honor has backed out, along with taking the flower girl (her daughter) with her, honeymoon plans have changed (due to the fact that the kid starts school earlier than usual this year), and now the cool porcelain flowers that I wanted for my bouquet are no longer available.
Now, like I said before, the day will be perfect as long as Dave and I are married at the end of it. It's just frustrating that I spent all the time planning for all the icing on the cake just to have it melt before I could enjoy it. Yes, I am disappointed, yes I broke down and cried today, yes it sucks. But I am also keeping my perspective, and I know what matters. And seriously when I think about it, more is working out as planned than not.
I look forward to marrying the man of my dreams and spending the day with people who I love and who love me back. It's going to be an amazing day, no matter what. But my new plan........no more planning!

Hi

Hi everyone! I am still here, I'm still breathing, and yes, I'm still planning on marrying the man of my dreams. All is well, well almost well! I'm busy, busy, busy. And I'm dealing with drama in my life right now, but nobody is going to steal my joy....you hear that you control freak, want everyone to live their lives for you, stupid jerks!? I'm happy and I don't give a shit if you aren't. When I go to sleep in 58 days, I am going to be married to a wonderful man who shows me more love each day than you will ever know in a lifetime! So thanks for making me appreciate what I have even more than I already did! Go ahead and continue living your lives of lies!
And to all of you who try to add to my joy rather than subtract from it....Thank you! You may not agree with everything that I do, or don't do, but I appreciate the unconditional love and forgiveness that you show me, I know a few people who could learn a lesson or two from you right now!

Dave....I am so thankful you are the man you are. I am so blessed to have you. I wouldn't want to be on this crazy adventure with anyone else. You are sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo loved! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for letting me be myself and for loving me no matter what, and for letting me use my own brain, and not treating me like a child who needs to be told when to wipe their own ass!

Okay, whoa...I guess I needed to vent more than I thought that I did! Thanks for letting me! :)

Oh, yeah, and in case you missed it..................58 DAYS AND COUNTING!

Greetings From Tennessee

Hi everyone! I just arrived in Tennessee tonight. I'm spending the next few days here to see my favorite niece, Nastassia, graduate from high school. If you only knew the week I had, and all the obstacles that tried to stand in my way of getting on that plane.....big sigh of relief, I made it!
Anyways, I will have stories and pics of my trip when I get home to share with all my friends.

Dave- Thanks so much for helping me get through the past week and helping me stay (somewhat) sane. Thanks for being such a great man that I can leave my son with you and know that he will be well taken care of! Miss you guys, but I promise to be a happy camper when I get home!

Nats- I'm so proud of you. You are an amazing young lady and I'm blessed to have you in my life!
CONGRATULATIONS!

Happy Mother's Day

A very happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers I know.

Thank you to my kid for making being a mother such an amazing experience. You make being a mom the best thing in the world.

Thank you Dave for supporting and loving us, and for helping me get through the tough times of motherhood.

Thank you also to my ex for recognizing that even though I wasn't a good wife to you, that I'm a good mother to our son.

Thank you mom, as I've gotten older I realize that you did the best that you knew how. I realize now how hard it can be sometimes, and I forgive you for any hurt you may have caused. Thank you for teaching me to be forgiving, and for forgiving me as well for the hurt that I may have caused you. I really do love you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY LOVE

Just a quick Happy Birthday to the love of my life. I hope you have a great day. I look forward to spending many more birthdays with you!

Generation Beer Pong

A bunch of my co-workers were trying to plan a social outing where we could all relax and enjoy ourselves and get to know each other outside of work. I put a lot of thought into whether or not I would go.
First of all, I'm their boss, and I've learned from experience that when you're the boss it's best not to get too chummy with the employees. Second of all, I work with mostly twenty somethings, and I haven't been twenty-something for awhile now. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with my age or my ability to have a good time, I just get annoyed sometimes with people who have not had enough experience to know when to say enough. Not to say that you always get that with age.
Well, in the end I decided that I should go. They planned it for Monday night since we're closed on Monday nights and nobody would be excluded because of work. I figured a Monday night outing would be pretty mellow.
I arranged for the kid to stay with friends, and told Dave to clear his schedule, we're going out. We don't go out a lot just for the sake of going out. We go out for our rides, and occasional social obligations with friends, but just to go out to a bar...not so much anymore. We like sitting at home snuggling on the couch and watching T.V. Does that make us old? I don't think so, I just think that means we enjoy each others company and we love the time that we have when we don't have to share each other with anyone else.
Okay, I digress. As we were getting ready I told Dave not to be surprised because we would be the oldest people there. He just kind of laughed. Then he informed me that if we were supposed to be there at 8, we shouldn't show up until 8:30. That made me laugh, because my sweetie has no concept of time anyway.
We had a surprisingly good time. We played pool, talked, drank, all the usual. Then somebody mentioned Beer Pong. I've never played so I thought I'd give it a try. Dave was my partner and since he was driving I had to drink the majority of our losses. We did pretty good for being the old folks who had never played before. We won our first game and then took on the winners of the table next to us, we lost that one.
At one point one of the girls was saying how she couldn't believe that we had never played before. I told her that we didn't have Beer Pong when we were in our twenties. We played quarters and Up The River and made beer bongs. The look on her face reminded me of my kids' face when I told him that I didn't own a computer until I was twenty.
In the end I had a good time and I think it was good that I got to show my co-workers that I am more than an ogre who tells them what to do everyday.
I'm sorry if this is long and pointless.....a few mixed drinks, two rounds of Beer Pong, and only a few hours of sleep....It's not as easy as it used to be.

100 Days and Counting

Some things have really gone by the wayside here lately. I haven't done a riding post for awhile, I haven't ranted about the restaurant, crap, what have I been doing?
Well, a lot of wedding planning is what I've been doing. We don't have Internet at the house right now, so I have to do everything at the coffee shop when I have time.
The planning is going really well. Most everything is in place and I'm just really happy. I've been talking to a lot of other people who are also planning their weddings, and they all keep talking about how stressful it is. I'm not stressed. Maybe it's because this time around I'm doing things that way I want them to be done.
Of course I want everyone who is at my wedding to have a good time, but in the end it's about what Dave and I want and that's the way it's going to be. And if anything goes wrong....who cares? In 100 days I will be marrying the man of my dreams, who also thankfully is the man of my reality.
Dave keeps asking, "What are you going to have to look forward to after the wedding?"
My response, "The rest of my life with you my love!"

To The Jack Ass Who Hit My Car

I found out that you hit my car when my man went to pick my son up from school. I really wish you would have left a note, I would have liked to thank you in person for the cute red pinstripe that I now have...oh yeah and the nice dent in the door.
I'm sure considering where my car was parked that it would have been really difficult for you to figure out where I was working and come in to give me a heads up. But hey, who doesn't love a surprise right.
And I'm sure that you must not have had a pen or paper handy to leave a note on my windshield, but maybe you should consider carrying one from now on so the next time you hit a car you will be prepared.
Or maybe you just didn't know what to say, in that case here are some examples you could use next time:

"Sorry I hit your car, I'm a drunk and after I hit it I couldn't stumble out of the car to do anything"

"I was on my way to take my wife to the hospital to deliver triplets, I was afraid I didn't have enough time to make it. I intended on coming back after the delivery, but hey, I have triplets now, I'm really busy."

"I'm illegal, I have no license or insurance, in fact the car I'm driving is stolen, I hope you understand."

"I'm an inconsiderate asshole who doesn't know how to drive, or read or write. Besides, why would I care about the fact that I hit someones car who I don't even know. My car is a piece of shit anyway, you can't tell one dent from the other. Deal with it!"

Recharging the Battery

I have been extremely busy lately. Wedding planning, working, taking care of my child, taking care of my man. When I had time to ride, it was pouring down rain. When the weather was good...no time. So no surprise when I went to start my bike the other day to ride to work and the battery was dead.
I was really looking forward to that little ride to work, it would've only been a five minute ride, but hey, five minutes is more than no minutes, right?
So Dave got home that night and promptly hooked my baby up to the charger. She was getting a good charge, so thankfully I would be able to ride on Saturday. I had a day with time, and beautiful weather.
After putting 140 miles on my girl Saturday her battery is good and charged, and you know what? So is mine.

P.S. 128 days and counting.....

Restaurant Rant of the Week

I love kids, I love it when people bring their kids into my restaurant to eat. What I don't love is when people let their kids run around like it's their own personal playground.
Please, please, please, don't let your kids run around in restaurants. First of all, it is really rude to other people who are out trying to have a good time, and don't necessarily think it's cute when 'little Susie' is running into their chair and making them spill their drink in their lap.
But mostly, it's dangerous. Your children could be seriously hurt by spilt soup, hot food, or just being run over by a server on their way to a table. I would really hate to see your child with a scalded face because you couldn't keep them at the table.
If you want to go somewhere where you can eat and the kids can run....go on a picnic at a local park, or to a McDonald's that has a play yard.

Do Something Big - with Shaq

Okay, Seriously...What Next?

Sunday night we picked the kid up from his dad. He gets out of his dad's truck with a huge grin on his face and holding an empty sprite case...well, almost empty.

"Mom, I caught a new pet!"

For those of you who don't know, we already have a snake named Rex, and two mice, named Pardon and Ralph 2.0.

I look into the box, and there he is, or she, who knows. A huge toad! My first thought was how cool his/her eyes are. My second thought....he wants to keep this thing.

He then tells me that he caught him/her all by himself, he's beaming with pride. I asked him why he didn't keep him at his dad's house since that's where he caught him.

"Well, (step mom) said there is NO WAY this THING is going in her house. And dad said since we practically have a zoo already that you'd probably let me keep him."

Hmmm, thanks (ex)!

So, long story short, we have a new pet...Meet Koopa, our Western Toad. I figured since I was taking pics of him/her, I would share pics of all of our 'zoo' animals. :)

B.B. Has a New Meaning

Over the years my nickname, B.B. has stood for many things. But it stands for something else now.
B.B. stands for Bride to Be.
Yep, that's right folks, Dave and I are going to tie the noose, err....I mean knot. The Saturday after Thanksgiving Dave asked me to marry him , and I've been dying to share the news with all of you, but there were some people who needed to be told first and we wanted to make sure that they were told in person and didn't read about it on the Internet.
We are very excited! Most of you know that I have been waiting for this, and I always knew it was coming, but I can be very impatient at times. Even though I have felt tortured at times waiting, I'm happy that Dave waited until the time was right to ask me.
The details of the proposal will remain private and intimate, but I can tell you that it was perfect.
We will be getting married August 7th and are planning a possible honeymoon trip to Sturgis. I will keep you all posted on the plans, 165 days and counting!

Restuarant Rant of The Week

I approach a table, ask if they are ready to order or if they need more time. One, or sometimes all of the people at the table say. "We're ready to order."
Okay, ten seconds, okay, twenty seconds, "Okay, well let me give you all a little more time to make your decisions."
"No, we're ready now."
Okay, ten seconds, okay, twenty seconds, okay, now I'm starting to stare off into space or looking around at my other tables who might be waiting for me to get them something while you're monopolizing my time while you read the menu.
If you aren't ready, say you aren't ready. I will come back. Not only is it completely uncomfortable for me to stand over you at your table in silence, but it is also rude to all the other guests in the restaurant who are also paying for my time and attention.

Does Riding Your Own Make You a Better Passenger

When I first started riding on the back of Dave's bike he always told me what a good passenger I was. He said he usually forgot I was on the back, which sometimes was apparent by the way he rode. So when I first started learning to ride my own I wondered about how that would affect me as a passenger. At first I thought it was making me a better passenger. I started understanding more why he did some of the things he did. I started to anticipate certain situations, and it especially helped when riding in a group because I became aware of possible hazards that I could point out to riders behind us.
Now I've been riding my own for about a year and a half, and have only ridden on back with Dave a handful of times. Saturday we went out for a short and sweet ride with a couple who we have recently become friends with, thanks to the friendship of our two boys. I wasn't feeling very good, but I still wanted to go out, so I decided I would ride with Dave. I started realizing that maybe riding my own didn't make me such a good passenger. Once you are able to be in control of something, it's kind of hard to give that up. I found myself trying to help Dave control the bike, which I'm sure made things difficult for him. I kept telling myself to relax and go with it, just like I had done for so long all those times I had ridden with him, but it was really hard.
I don't know if anyone else has this problem, or if it's just another area in my life where I'm over thinking things. But in my conclusion, in my case, I feel like riding my own has made me a worse passenger. With that being said, I guess it's just something I'll have to deal with on those rare occasions when I ride on the back, and remember that being in control is one of the things I love about riding my own. If I have to choose between being a good passenger and a good operator, I think the obvious choice is being a good operator.

Restaurant Rant of the Week

Okay, I'm busy as hell so this will be short and sweet......Seems like common sense to me, but I hear it a lot so I guess maybe it isn't.
"I got here before them, why did they get their food first?"
Duh.....things don't always take the same amount of time to cook. If you ordered a 1/2 lb. burger well done, and the other table ordered a salad, what do you think takes longer to prepare?
Told ya...short and sweet.

Hope you all have a great V-Day....hope even more that this isn't the only day of the year that you do nice things for the people you love!

Restaurant Rant of the Week

I have decided to start a weekly series here on my blog. It is not motorcycle related, but it is something that is a huge part of my life, so as far as I'm concerned it's relevant.
I work in a restaurant and I love to go to restaurants, and one thing I've noticed is that we are all very quick to judge and rate service....but have you ever stopped for a minute to judge yourself as a guest? No? Well, then let me help you. Please consider this a Free Public Service.

For my first issue I will discuss seating in a restaurant. When you go into an establishment that is not "seat yourself", there is a reason it isn't. So unless you have an actual physical impairment that prevents you from sitting wherever the hostess/server is trying to seat you.......SHUT UP and SIT DOWN. There are reasons why we seat the restaurant the way that we do. It is not random. We have sections and table numbers and each server is assigned a section. We rotate tables for one to make it fair, but also so none of the servers get too many tables at once and end up getting overwhelmed.
Now, if you insist, of course we will seat you wherever you like....you are the boss after all. But when that happens one of two things can come next. Either the server whose turn it was supposed to be will take you, even though you are not in their section, or the server whose section you are in will take you, even though it wasn't their turn.
Scenario one...A server takes a table out of their section- There is a very good likelihood that you will be forgotten. This isn't on purpose, but if they are busy in their section it is very easy to overlook a table that they were never supposed to have in the first place.
Scenario two...Your server probably got double, or triple sat, so they aren't going to get to you as fast as the other server would have. Your order will most likely come up right about the same time as the other table/s and may sit in the window for a minute while the other food is run first. You most likely won't get as good of service as you would have, because your server is getting overwhelmed with too many tables, especially if you aren't the only one with "particular seating desires".

That's it for this issue, I look forward to sharing more restaurant knowledge with all of you, and I can already tell that this is going to be very therapeutic for me.

Two Different Versions.... Two Different Morals

I remember Joker posting something similar, or maybe it was exactly the same, but I got this in an email this morning and thought I'd throw it up here. ;)

OLD VERSION
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!

MODERN VERSION
The ant works hard in the withering heat and the rain all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.
Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while he is cold and starving. CBS, NBC , PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?
Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper and everybody cries when they sing, 'It's Not Easy Being Green.' ACORN stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the news stations film the group singing, “We shall overcome.” Then Rev. Jeremiah Wright has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake.
President Obama condemns the ant and blames President Bush, President Reagan, Christopher Columbus, and the Pope for the grasshopper's plight. Nancy Pelosi & Harry Reid exclaim in an interview with Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share. Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity & Anti-Grasshopper Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer. The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the Government Green Czar and given to the grasshopper.
The story ends as we see the grasshopper and his free-loading friends finishing up the last bits of the ant’s food while the government house he is in, which, as you recall, just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around them because the grasshopper doesn't maintain it. The ant has disappeared in the snow, never to be seen again. The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident, and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the ramshackle, once prosperous and once peaceful, neighborhood..The entire Nation collapses bringing the rest of the free world with it.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Be careful how you vote in 2010.

In a Rut?

I was thinking for awhile that I've been in a rut, but then this morning I realized it isn't a rut....it's a big friggin' ditch! I know I haven't posted much, and I haven't commented on very many of your posts lately, but I am here, and I have been reading most of the blogs, but just haven't had much to add.
I read this post that Ann put up at the beginning of the year and decided to use this as a post for myself, cause I have nothing else to say. :) Thanks Ann for giving me some inspiration, even if I'm not being original.

The 2009 Recap
1.What did you do in 2009 that you’ve never done before? I went to AZ, and I rode without a helmet.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't make resolutions, but I met most of my goals, yes I will make new goals for 2010.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? At least 5 people I can think of just off the top of my head.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Nobody really close, thankfully.

5. What countries did you visit? Ummm, none.


6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? A wedding.


7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? June, Fathers day weekend. We went to AZ and met Ann, Big D, Paul and Linda, had an amazing time.


8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting through a busy Christmas season at work without going completely insane.


9. What was your biggest failure? Hmmm.... not going to go get my motorcycle endorsement.


10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Ulcers.


11. What was the best thing you bought? I can't think of anything great I bought this year.


12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Riley, people are always telling me what a great kid he is, and it's true.


13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Tiger Woods, money doesn't buy happiness, it just gives you more opportunities to screw up and make it public.


14. Where did most of your money go? Rent, and the kid.


15. What did you get really excited about? Going to AZ, and the Sat. after Thanksgiving.


16. What song will always remind you of 2009? These friends of mine. I can't remember off the top of my head who sings it.


17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
- happier or sadder? Happier.- thinner or fatter? Probably about the same.


18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Riding.


19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Working.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
Mellow morning with Dave and the kid, finally watched the last episode of SOA, then a great dinner at Wolf's house with his family.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009? Everyday.

22. What was your favorite TV program? Sons of Anarchy

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Nope.

24. What was the best book you read? The Lovely Bones.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
 That Dave can play the guitar....kind of.

26. What did you want and get? Love and happiness...have both.

27. What did you want and not get? A big fat bailout check!

28. What was your favorite film of this year? The Proposal.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? Had the swine flu...took care of the kid, who also had the swine flu. Don't you know it's rude to ask a woman her age...35

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Going to Sturgis.

32. What kept you sane? The kid, Dave, and Patience.

33. Who did you miss? My niece Nastassia.

34. Who was the best new person you met?
Wow, that's a hard one...meet lots of great people....Ann, Big D., MQ, Paul, Linda....

35. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
 Hmmm.....I don't know, I'm drawing a blank.... "I don't want a pickle, just wanna ride my motorcycle."