Thursday, March 26, 2009

It only took four years

Way back in 2005 Greg and I had a motorcycle. It was a Honda Shadow that we bought off of a friend. From that moment on, my husband was bit by the Biker Bug. There was just one teeeny little problem. He didn't exactly have the bike he wanted. What he really wanted was a Harley Davidson. We would go to various bike nights that different bars and restaurants would have and he would practically drool all over the large assortment of Harleys that were always at said events. We lived less than ten minutes away from a Harley Davidson Dealership, so at least once every other week he would drag me there as well so he could continue dreaming and drooling over the gorgeous bikes.

After about a year he finally sold our Honda. There were many reasons why. One being that it was a distraction and he really needed to focus on remodeling our house. But the unspoken reason was because it wasn't a Harley. (For his thirtieth birthday a friend of his gave him a sign to hang up in the garage that read "Harley Parking ONLY". Maybe he felt a bit hypocritical!)

After we sold the bike, I didn't hear about Harley's for awhile. I thought we were in the clear, but apparently I underestimated my husbands obsession. He would drop hints at least once a month that he couldn't wait to one day own a Harley. Driving past a Harley dealership would cause his head to turn so fast it's a miracle he never received whip lash. I honestly cannot even begin to count the number of times that he has parked the car in a dealerships parking lot and practically ran to the front door as I'm bringing up the rear. Then I follow him around for at least an hour as he verrryyyy slllloooowwwwllllyyyyy makes the round, excitedly pointing out different features of this model versus that model as my eyes would eventually glaze over.

Yes, there have been several times when we have almost bought a Harley. But, we all know that they aren't exactly cheap. So the level-headed part of my husband would always prevail and he felt like we were always walking away empty-handed. And every time we would get back into the car, my husband would say, "We will have a Harley someday, you know that, right?" Yes, I did know. I knew that it was not a question of "if" it was always a question of "when".

Last Monday started off as any other Monday. Well, except for the fact that my husband was off work and we were spending a long weekend in Colorado Springs. We planned to visit the Pikes Peak Harley Davidson Dealership for the sole purpose of buying my husbands father a birthday present, since he actually owns a Harley. But of course, this is my husband we are talking about. We couldn't just walk in and go straight to the clothing. No. That would have been like laying a steak in front of a dog and telling the poor thing that he couldn't eat it. We were approached by a sales person and we told him we weren't buying and he didn't need to waste his time. But, of course, the sales person began to show Greg some of the different bikes. Since I knew that this was our usual trip to a Harley Dealership, I went ahead and wandered off to the apparel section of the store. By the time I had returned to my husbands side the damage had already been done.

As I was approaching Greg and Mark, the sales person, I could see the look on my husbands face. You have to know what I'm talking about. His eyes were the size of quarters. His face was a little red. He was shaking his head in disbelief. When I reached them, my husband proceeded to tell me all about the bells and whistles of this particular bike. It was a 2008 Screaming Eagle Dyna 105th Anniversary Edition with only 30 miles on it. Since it was an '08, and it was the last one, the price was drastically reduced so they could move it on out. I could tell by my husbands actions that he wanted it. But I was a little confused and figured he just appreciated the way the bike looked. Basically I was clueless. When I finally managed to drag him away to focus on the "real" task at hand (birthday present) he asked me what I thought. What I told him was that I was confused because all I have ever heard him talk about for the past four years was that he wanted a Road King. I have never heard him utter the word Dyna. That's when he informed me it was because he never thought we would be able to afford the particular bike he was looking at. What I also didn't know is that Screaming Eagle is a package that Harley can put on any bike. The package basically adds all the bells and whistles to a bike that usually Harley owners have to buy afterwards to deck their bike out. Basically it means a lot more chrome and a better paint job. (I'm pretty sure if my husband reads that last sentence I'll get a lecture that it's not just extra chrome and better paint, but you get the idea!)

Now, let me back up a little bit. Since we hadn't planned on buying a motorcycle when we left for our long weekend, we also didn't have means for getting it back to Lamar. Driving it was not an option because it was too cold. We were frantically trying to figure out if my car could have a receiver hitch added to it and if we could buy a trailer to haul it back on the next day. We did find out that my car is going to be able to pull it, but unfortunately we couldn't get it added to my car in time. A guy who also worked at the dealership had just happened to see a motorcycle trailer for sale in a residential area. He gave us directions and we drove there to check it out. It was perfect! Luckily, Greg happens to work with a guy who lives in Colorado Springs, so he agreed to switch us vehicles so we could borrow his truck to pull the bike back to Lamar. It's funny how everything seemed to line up for us and everything worked out. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Especially when I think about all the other times we were thisclose to buying a Harley before. Greg never had quite the twinkle in his eye as he does about this particular bike.

Obviously, we bought the bike! We weren't able to take it with us that night, so of course my husband was like a kid on Christmas Eve. He absolutely could not sleep because he was so excited to pick up the bike the following morning. The icing on the cake was that when we signed the paper work, it showed that the bike was worth way more than we are paying for it. Who would have thought one could buy a motorcycle and have instant equity! Now, I'm sure Suze Orman would not have "approved" us for such a purchase, but when the level headed part of my husband started to peer out from the shadows, he turned to me and said, "I'm leaving the decision up to you." He's done this many times before and I've said no. But I knew that if my husband passed this bike up he would regret it and remind me of it for who knows how long. He works so hard and has wanted one for so long. I knew that our "when" time had arrived.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

I am now an official computer nerd.

Why? Because I just posted my first auction on ebay!

For those of you who don't know, The Body Shop at Home is closing their doors on April 30th. Apparently this "tough economy" affected them which means no more job for me. Which is fine, I'm just really going to miss my discount on all of my favorite products. The morning I found out I texted my hubby with the news and he wrote back "Sweet". I was a little confused and asked him why he sounded excited and he wrote back, "we have enough stuff". *Sigh* Men! So, in an effort to please my hubby and give us some extra space, I went through all my products and sorted out items that I could live without. (I've also strategically spread products out in various places throughout the camper so hubby thinks I got rid of a lot of it. Shhh.)

So, without further ado, if you or anyone you know is interested in a big lot of both new and slightly used The Body Shop products, here's the little linky link.

I also have an exciting post for tomorrow (well, it's exciting to me anyway!) so stay tuned......

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

The 50 States

50 States plus DC. How many have you been to? 16

Instructions:

The average is 8; how do you match up?

Put an X by the states you have been to. Since just putting a X is boring, also add something you remember about that state. Why did you go? If there's a state you want to go to, put an O and say why! When you're done, count up your X's, and post it after the subject. If you're on Facebook, tag any friends you'd like to take the survey!

* Alabama
* Alaska
* Arizona O - I have always wanted to visit The Grand Canyon!!!!
* Arkansas X - Greg and I went on a boating float trip down the Arkansas River and the huge group we were with stayed in some town in Arkansas. Don't ask me the name of it though...
* California O - I just want to go to the beach and Hollywood, and maybe hit a posh night club where I might rub elbows with someone from The Hills!
* Colorado X - My "home" for now! Love: Denver (Coyote Ugly), Canon City (where we will probably move to if we ever plant our roots somewhere!), the hot springs, Colorado Springs (The Kings Diner, downtown)
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* Florida X - Went a couple times when I was younger b/c both of my step-sisters lived there. Loved the beach, hated Disney World. Note to parents: do NOT drag your kids on Space Mountain. A fear of roller coasters will follow. Have a picture of me holding a crab.
* Georgia O - I'm pretty sure I would love exploring Savannah.
* Hawaii O - I don't even need to explain this one.
* Idaho
* Illinois O - I'm dying to visit Chicago!!! Maybe I can go to the Oprah Show! And I have a friend who is a Suix Chef at what I'm sure is a fancy restaurant!
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas X - One of my best friends lives in Wichita and I spent a great weekend there two summers ago as a bridesmaid in her wedding.
* Kentucky O - I want to go to the Kentucky Derby! I would have no idea what was going on though...
* Louisiana O - I want to go to New Orleans so bad! Had the chance to go in college for one of my best friends 21st b-day but couldn't afford it. Would love to hit Bourbon St., go on a haunted cemetary tour, and eat some Cajun food!
* Maine O - I want to eat lobster and look at light houses!
* Maryland X - I'm pretty sure we drove through this state...
* Massachusetts X and O - I think I've driven through this state, but have no clue to be honest. Would love to spend a weekend in Boston! And I hear Cape Cod is pretty spectacular!
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri X - Greg and I went to Branson and loved it! Can't wait to go back! We went to the Dolly Parton show where you eat and watch a show. They asked Greg and I to be a part of it, and we had to go down onto the arena with another couple and we raced each other on stick horses in front of everyone. Of course we lost b/c I wasn't wearing appropriate shoes for trekking around in the dirt.
* Montana
* Nebraska
* Nevada X - Viva Las Vegas!!! Went there on our honeymoon but would love to go back with a big group of friends! I would love to watch Cirque De Soile!
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico X - Went to Carlsbad Caverns which is beautiful! I love caves!
* New York X - Been lots of times when I was younger to visit family. Went to NYC for a day when I was 9 but mainly remember a guy coming up to the car we were in and started washing the front windshield and asking for money. I am dying to spend a week there with Greg. The shows, the shopping, the sights! I also would like to visit some family and stay in my cousins log cabin house!
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma X - Lived there most of my life! OKC is the best! And Wintersmith Park in Ada!
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania X - I know we drove through when I was little. The only reason I remember this is b/c we went to the Hershey Chocolate factory. The only reason I remember that is b/c I've seen a picture.
* Rhode Island O - fresh seafood!
* South Carolina O - I hear it's beautiful!
* South Dakota
* Tennessee O - I think it would be fun to go to Nashille! And I have a friend who is a singer there so it would be awesome to get to see her perform again!
* Texas X - Places I love: San Antonio - Riverwalk and Sea World. Port Aransas - Have fun memories of that little island. Dallas - Went there for a fashion show in college. Fun! Plus clubbing in Deep Elum (sp?) in college during Spring Break with one of my best friends. Ft. Worth - The Old German Pancake House. I think that's the name...or maybe it's just because they have amazing German Pancakes. I know how to get there, so that's all that matters! Sweetwater, just because the real estate market is incredible there. We literally bought a house for $11,500.00
* Utah X - Flew into Salt Lake City and spent a day exploring the city with my brother and his family. I remember a beautiful church...or maybe it was a campus...either way it was very pretty!
* Vermont X - Mainly remember all the trees.
* Virginia
* Washington O - Would love to go to Seattle and visit the fish market place.
* Washington DC X - Went when I was little but thought it was boring. Go figure. Now would only like to go back to visit my friend Christina! Still not much of a history person.....
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming

And I'm going to end this by saying that I'm sure I'll get an email from my mom saying I forgot that I've been to several states. When I was little we would pretty much go on vacation every summer to either NY or FL and we would drive. It would take us 3 days. So I'm pretty sure I've been to a lot of the states East of OK, but honestly don't remember....

Thursday, March 12, 2009

I need a large serving of Inspiration, please.


Lately I have been so uninspired and unmotivated. You may remember me mentioning that I'd like to loose 25 lbs. I've been following Weight Watchers and going to Curves, but unfortunately, I haven't been doing too great with the whole Weight Watchers thing. I go over my points every week, which is so frustrating. I blame most of it on going out to eat way too much. Thankfully I have been ordering what I consider to be more healthy choices, but still.....

As far as Curves goes, I am steadily approaching my second weigh in day. My first weight in was extremely successful! I had lost 7 3/4 inches! Yay! Most of which was in my abs and waist. I typically go to Curves on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Sadly, Curves only counts as 1 activity point as far as WW is concerned. Ugh.

It's been almost two months since I began my weight loss journey, and so far I've only lost 6.2 lbs. I'm not very impressed. Which lead to me not going to Curves one week (well, that was mainly because I pulled a muscle in my back) and not caring about WW for about two weeks. I wasn't really putting any pressure on myself because I felt like bathing suit season was a long ways away. That is until the temps reached the 70's last week. Which made me realize that summer will be here before I know it. I figured it was time I got some new inspiration. How did I do that? I went bikini shopping! ie: I looked at bikini's online. And the picture I've posted is of the bikini I'm going to buy as soon as I loose the remaining 19 lbs. Wow! That's a scary number to me!

So, my game plan has been refreshed! I'm determined to follow my WW points better. Luckily, my week starts over on Wednesdays, and I'm proud to say I stayed within my points yesterday! I'm also going to start walking 45 minutes to 1 hour on my non-Curves days. And, I'm doing crunches every evening. I'm also thinking about going to a yoga class on Wednesday evenings since the yoga class I usually went to in the afternoons was canceled.

Wish me luck and hopefully in another couple of months I'll have some exciting weight loss news for ya'll!