Motorcycle lessons

I really love riding my motorcycle.  Here are a few things that I've learned from my time spent astride my iron steed.  (I LOVE #3)!  Thanks for passing these on to me, Troy!

12 Things My Motorcycle Has Taught Me

1. The only good view of a thunderstorm is in your rear view mirror.

2. Four wheels move the body; two wheels move the soul.

3. I'd rather be riding my motorcycle and thinking about God, than sitting in church thinking about my bike.

4. Life may begin at 30, but it doesn't get real interesting until about 75 mph.

5. Midnight bugs taste just as bad as Noon time bugs.

6. Sometimes it takes a whole tank full of gas before you can think straight.

7. A bike on the road is worth two in the shed.

8. Young riders pick a destination and go; old riders pick a direction and go.

9. When you're riding lead, don't spit.

10. Catching a yellow jacket in your shirt at 75 mph can double your vocabulary.

11. If you can't get it going with bungee cords and duct tape, it's serious.

12. Only a biker knows why a dog sticks his head out of a car window.

Message to the 16-year-old me

I usually just write whatever comes in to my mind, sticks in my craw or tugs at my heart.  Today I'm going to answer one of the questions posed by NaBloPoMo:

  If you could go back in time and meet your 16-year-old self, what three things would you tell yourself?

This is a tough question.  The irony is that I've thought of this before.  I think, "Argh...If only I could go back and tell Me what I know now!"  The problem is that, like most 16-year-olds, I knew EVERYTHING.  I thought my parents were terribly old and old-fashioned and I couldn't wait to grow up and be an adult.  Ahh, to be so young and ignorant again.

On with the things I would tell that silly, snobby, ignorant girl:

1)  Life is short.  You may only have another 70 years on this earth if you're lucky enough to one day be an old woman, so don't take any day for granted.  I'm sure that sounds like a long time to you, but believe me when I tell you it's not.  Those years go by FAST!  Spend your days laughing often, loving those around you and figuring out what it is that YOU love.  Don't be afraid to try things that are scary.  Some of the best stories come from doing the unexpected thing.

2) Keep a journal (and take more pictures)!  Write it all down.  In 20 years, you will want to remember the ups and downs of life.  If you do this, you will be able relive the joys and successes.  You'll also be able to reconsider the "failures" with a different perspective.  Don't worry about not having a writing "voice".  You will find it and even begin to enjoy writing and story telling.

3)  Take care of your body and appreciate all it does for you.  You are NOT fat!  But if you don't take care of yourself, and instead constantly put yourself down, you will be!  Eat right.  Get off of your butt and get moving.  Find sports and activities that you love and do them...often!  And if you're never a size 2, I guarantee life will go on and you WILL be loved.  I promise!

Oh!  And buy stock in Dell.  In 20 years it will be worth a lot!

It's Friday Follow time!

It's time for Friday Follow.  I do so love finding new readers and new blogs to read.  (Like I really need MORE blogs to read.)  So this Friday I'm linking up.  Check out some of the blogs if you're interested.

And make sure to leave a comment.  We bloggers {heart} our comments!

Have a great weekend everyone.  If the weather's nice, get out and enjoy it!  The housework will STILL be there. ....I promise!

NOW - Strawberry Festival in downtown Indianapolis

As I've said before, working in downtown Indianapolis is a wonderful thing during the summer.  We just had all of the festivities of the month of May and all that goes on for the Indy 500.  Now it's June and that means it's time for the Strawberry Festival!  Yummo!

It's such a great charity event and really kicks off the summer for me!  I  love the scandalously decadent shortcake and whipped cream.  I love how the strawberries (and all of their wonderful juices) seep into the shortcake and puddle on the bottom of the container.  It is sooo yummy.

So, if you're in Indianapolis, you need to drop what you're doing RIGHT NOW and head down to Monument Circle.  The lines can get a little long sometimes, but it's totally worth the wait!

Hair cut-astrophes!

Okay, I'm gonna need a little moral support, girls.

I can't be the only one who FREAKS OUT when I go to get my hair cut.  For me, my hair doesn't define me.  I had short hair all while I was growing up (I think because my mom decided how my hair would look and she was tired of me not wanting to have it brushed.  I can understand that .... a little.).  I even donated my hair to Locks of Love as part of my first 101 in 1001 list a few years ago.  I had grown it out for about 5 years and I was ready for a change.

Since then, I may have taken it too far.  Over the last few years, every time I go in to the salon, it seems to get shorter and shorter (yes, I understand that's the point of a haircut!).  It was a shoulder-length bob for a while.  Then I moved to a regular bob which came about 1/2 way between my shoulders and my chin.  Then I entered the 90s (in 2009 no less) and discovered the stacked bob.  I think before then the stacked bob had always been too "out there" for me.  What can I say?  I'm a straight-laced kinda girl.

I may have taken it too far this time.

I swear when I walk into the salon, I nearly break out into a cold sweat.  Maybe it's because I don't have a regular stylist.  Maybe it's because a haircut isn't something you can really undo all that quickly.  Oh sure, it will grow out, but until then every day is a hat day and I really don't look good in hats!

Last night when I went into the salon, it was no different.  I eyeball the stylists and, fair or not, I judge their skills at cutting hair based on what their hair looks like.  Let's just say my prospects were not looking good!  But I steeled myself, plopped my butt in the chair and explained what I wanted.  About 20ish minutes later I had a new (quite short) do.  Apparently when I told her that the length in the back should START tapering at the occipital bone, she took that to mean 1 1/2 inches ABOVE it!  Egads!

Let's just say this hair-do is SHORT!  Crazy short!  I-don't-have-to-use-much-shampoo short!  I-stepped-out-of-my-car-and-the-lesbians-that-live-next-door-to-me-said-"CAUUTE haircut" short!

The jury is still out.  If I decide I like it, maybe I'll share a picture with ya'll.  Maybe.

#24 Completed - Buy fruits/vegetables/flowers from the farmers' market every week for a month - COMPLETED 05/26/2010

I've mentioned before how wonderful it is to work in downtown Indianapolis.  One of the perks is the Farmers' Market held every Wednesday just a block away.  It takes place from May through October from 9:30 AM to 1:30 pm and this particular farmers' market has everything from your standard fruits, vegetables and flowers to a beef farmer selling frozen cuts of meat, a couple of vineyards (who will let you taste their wares!  yum!), honey sellers and a man who sells oils and vinegars.  You never know for sure what you're going to get from week to week.  In the spring, there are lots of strawberries and tomatoes.  The fall brings pumpkins and squash to the market.

Back when my friend Stacey still worked with me, I used to get down to the market at least 3 times a month, but since then I usually don't remember until about 2 in the afternoon.  Doh!  So I decided to remedy that.  I love the idea of supporting local farmers and I especially love the fresh fruits and vegetables of spring and summer.  Sure, with modern grocers you can usually get most things year round, but buying it a store doesn't have the same feel and texture as buying it out of the back of the truck of the guy that actually grew it!

My original plan was to buy fruits or vegetables or flowers from the vendors during the month of May, but instead I bought some wine (yay!), a couple of dog bones from the meat vendor, and a few dog treats from the dog bakery that comes to the market.  (It's a good thing Sasha's not spoiled or anything!)  In the 4 weeks I made it to the market during May (thanks for joining me, Jenny!) I did actually manage to buy some flowers and a HUGE tomato though.  I'm looking forward to visiting the vendors more often over the course of the summer.

If you're in the downtown Indianapolis area on Wednesday mornings, come check it out!  Parking near the market is very reasonable.!

NOW - The ones we love

Over Memorial Day weekend, I took some time to go up and visit my parents (#21 on the list).  It was good to get to see them and it was actually a fairly relaxing day for the three of us.  I watched the race on TV (with Dad) and worked on some craft projects (with Mom).  In the evening we decided to go up and put some flowers on the graves of my mom's mom and dad as well as her brother that died in 2000.  May 20th marked 10 years since he died and so many things have changed in our lives and relationships with my aunt and cousins since then that I never could have imagined.

There are lots of thing that I regret that I didn't say or do before they each died.  My uncle Steve battled brain cancer for quite a long time and I wish that I could have done or said more for him.  I know that his wife was struggling (and probably in denial) and that his children (they were 14 and 18 when he died) were probably not prepared for his death when it came.  After all, how can you be when you're just a child?  I wish I had been equipped with the words that they needed then.  I wish I could have told them how much I loved them.  I wish their hearts would have been open to hear what I had to say.  Unfortunately things have changed too much since then and I fear the wounds that are there can never be healed.

My regrets about the things I didn't say or do for my Grandpa are even more.  I remember the last time I saw him.  It was at an Easter party at my aunt's house and I had gone out to take a walk.  I was gone for probably an hour and when I got back, he had left to go home and I didn't get to say goodbye.

I didn't get to say goodbye.

A few weeks later, I thought about going up to visit him over the weekend.  He lived about 3 hours north of me and I didn't go to visit nearly enough.  He was in the midst of a divorce and I think that he was probably a bit lonely living so far from his family.  I thought about the visit and then got busy with my life here.  That was the weekend he died.

I didn't get to say goodbye.

There were so many conversations I wish could have had with him and so many questions I wish I had asked.  He was a WWII Navy Veterans and enjoyed telling stories about his time in "the service".  I wish I had listened to more stories.

I can't go back and change those things, but I can try to do things differently now.  Those regrets that haunt me are the reason that I put some of the things on my list.  My parents were young when they had me, so they are still pretty young.  The problem is that none of us is getting any younger and when I think that the number of Christmases we may have together is dwindling, it makes it even more important that I try to see them as often as possible.

I'm trying to use the time I have now the best way I can.  When given the choice between spending time with my loved ones or doing the laundry, I know that the laundry will always be there.  My loved ones may not be.  Now is when they are here and now is when I try to tell them I love them.