First child getting married.

Wow where does time go?  My oldest daughter gets married on the 16th June.  My first to get married.  Wow - almost 27 years since she was born.  I sometimes sit and think about all the water that has flowed under the bridge all these years. I have had so many adventures in my life, and now that I am in a new phase in my life, it will certainly be bringing me new adventures too.

The wedding alone brings many thoughts to mind, what to wear, who will be there, will it all go as planned.  As we did with my wedding all those years ago - I certainly dont believe in the amounts of money that are spent on weddings these days.  So we are doing a potluck reception and a very small guest list.  Phew thank goodness.....by the way - would it be appropriate to show up on a motorbike as mother of the bride??? haha  no I guess not!

Today I went back to work and did a half day.  It was good to be back at work and then I spent the afternoon checking out a couple of bike shops.  I managed to find a set of knee and elbow pads for my grandson, so now to find some pants that I can put these pads into.  I really want to make sure he is as ATGATT as much as I am.

Since my daughter and her fiance dont blog and wont see this, I can give you a sneak peak at my daughter in her wedding dress.  And my sweet little baby grand daughter.

Tonight I went out an joined in with our Alumni riding group for an evening ride.  I was so nice to be out riding again, although the shingles have gone I still have a lot of nerve pain from the shingles virus.  I hope it goes away soon, with this long weekend coming up I hope to get some new rides in.
Here is our group from the ride this evening.

Well goodnight everyone - I have a terrible headache so its time to go to sleep.  Ride safe everyone, especially since its a long weekend.

I am back....

Well it has been some time since I was on my blogg.  It has seemed that when things happen in life, you - well at least I, tend to simplify life in order to get through and cope.  Nothing has happened - its just I seemed to have so many things going on that by the time I got home at night, I was ready to just read relax eat and sleep.
My riding has become an obsession for me - is that bad?  I seem to gravitate to anything motorcycle oprientated and in the process the great thing is, I have made an entirely new set of friends.  My life has totally changed and for once I feel like I am me!
I think about why I didnt start riding earlier.....well basically, I never had time to think about what "I" wanted to do, let alone the fact that finances would not have allowed it.
I think we all eventually get to a time in our lives where, its time to do something for yourself.  Those of us who are mothers, parents, caregivers, we all put family and others ahead of ourselves.
BUT now I feel like me again, I have put 10,500kms on my little bike in 6mths.  Not bad considering that was through the winter months eh?  I am actually pretty proud of myself for accomplishing this.
My little Suzuki DR200 dual sport has been wonderful to me and putting up with all I have been putting her through.  She is really designed more for gravel roads and trails, but I have ridden her exclusively on pavement.
I finally tried my riding 2 up.  My son needed a ride to a party one evening when his truck was in parts and my car engine had reacently blown while he had been driving it.  He said I would be fine using him as the guinea pig for my first trail, 10pm at night!  So I did - and I was fine!  My son told me he was very impressed and that he had even more respect for me now that I rode a motorbike. :)
So with that under my belt, my grandson said all he wanted for his birthday was a ride on grandmas motorbike, so the next day I granted his wish.  Here we are....

Here is my camping and now riding buddy grandson Darren on his 7th birthday.  This is the photo of when I asked him if he liked his ride.  We were having date night also and stopped at his favourite restaurant "White Spot" after the ride for dinner.

I have been doing lots of rides with friends, alone and in group rides.  I still have to take my first road trip and hope it will be soon now that the weather is so beautiful now.

And above I was able to participate in my first International Female Ride Day - what a great day we all had.  We had many ladies riding so we broke into two groups.  One did a rural west coast ride and the rest of us did a rural peninsula ride.  I was asked to lead the rural peninsula ride since I had mapped the ride and pre ridden the ride.  It was exciting to lead, but also stressful.  I was worried the whole time about the riders behind me and was I doing everything right and was I doing the right speed and what was happening back there????  Yikes what did I get myself into??  Its harder than I thought.  I had to balance looking in my mirrors, watching ahead, looking for obstacles and to signal them to the group. Phew, I enjoyed the ride, but I was glad to finish the ride and relax.....

With so many options available for roads trips - I feel at a loss as to what to do first.  I have 3 weeks of holidays and Im scared to use them up in case something else comes along that I want to do hahaha...

I know that I have to go into the states and ride because I hate to admit this - I have lived in Canada for 24 years and I have only been into the states twice.  Once for a day trip for work training to Seattle and the other time was across the border in White Rock for a couple of hours to buy an ice cream and back.  Pretty sad eh?
I have a passion to ride the Oregon coast and go down to California.  The only thing holding me back right now is Im a little afraid to go alone as I am terribly directionally challenged and could end up totally lost never to be found again!!  And Im waiting on a friend to get back from his vacation as he knows the states so well and is willing to be my guide.
Well the reason I am able to sit down and write my blog and catch up is that I ave been housebound with a case of Shingles!!!  Why why when the weather finally is beautiful????  I think I may go back to work tomorrow IF I can get my helmet on my head with out it hurting.  I got the shingles on my head and around one eye.

So now that I have caught up a little, I hope you will all keep track with me again.  A few photos follow of what I have been up to since we last chatted......enjoy

Friends

Well I just realized that its been a while since I posted.  Life has been happening and it just seems to take up your free time!
I have been doing a lot of thinking in the past little while, I have a birthday coming up and I am trying to make some direction in my life by then so I can use the date as a measurement of time.
I know that life is all about choices, choices we make, choices other people make and I have always lived by the motto to make the most of what you have and What will be will be.  A couple of days ago I received a hand made gift from a best friend.  She always seems to know when to send the right thing just when I need it.
I want to share some of what she sent me....

I have many gifts.

haha new friends are good.  

I didnt know Dr Seuss was so profound!  I am who I am and I dont plan to change  for anyone anymore, working on the speaking my thoughts - thats a little tough for me.

Dar and I - the Moto Mamas - we are both very strong diamonds!

So today I am headed out for a drive to the hair salon for a haircut.  A drastic haircut - time for a change and also - to make it easier when putting a helmet on and off all the time.

Then after that I will come home and put my helmet on my new haircut and go for a ride.  I think a photo hunt on RASCAL is indeed in order.

Its pretty awesome the way getting on your bike and just riding can clear the head, chase away negative thoughts and make you feel better eh?

Here is a picture from the moto mamas last ride before Dar injured her ankle.

Dar shows how it is done, pull over, off road, turn off the bike and then you can Text.

OUR crazy me taking a picture of Dar taking a picture of me.

Bald eagle in nest

Kiwi bird buddy finds a perch in a tree.

Is the kiwi bird done yet!!!  lol

So my friends as this week comes to a close, 

Friendships are the best gift we can give each other.  

Beautiful Crisp Sunny day in Victoria

This morning certainly started out very crisp, riding to work was nice.  I was toasty warm in my riding gear and layers.  I rode to work this morning with the sun in my face all the way in.
After work the sun had stayed out and allowed Moto mamas to hit the road on another Scarlet & Rascal adventure.
Today we took a little side trip to the top of Beacon Hill Rd.
As usual, we were acting goofy with our photos and again got the usual shot of taking photos of each other taking a photo of each other!

 Moto mamas in our day time riding vests!  They sure make us more visible.

 Aww Rascal and Scarlet missed each other and they couldnt keep their tires away from each other - its moto love!

 This is how moto diva gets her photos.

 I have my trusty little Kiwi along for the ride today, he will be joined by a certain little moose that belongs with Dar.

 Kiwis will go how ever they can as long as they donts have to fly.

Well my friends, good night and ride safe.

Riding Vacation

So I have been so looking forward to this year now that I have my motorbike, and I have vacation to take this year.  But now that I have the opportunity, I cant decide what to do, where to go and should I go by myself?  Besides I dont have anyone that can go with me.
I think that there are so many options, that I cant figure out what to do first?  Does anyone have any ideas to help me get my riding vacations sorted out?  I havent done this before, so I dont know how long it takes to ride places, I dont know how far I can physically ride in a day.

Yesterday I finally came straight home from work because moto diva is in a lot of pain from her old injury on her scooter riding days.  I hope she gets better soon and they figure out how to fix her up.
So I can home and decided to wash my bike.  Boy washing dual sport bikes are way harder than cruisers!  There are more parts exposed that get covered in dirt!  And trying to clean around the chain without getting black grease and oil all over your hands is impossible, but fun all the same.  I have a gravel driveway and a very muddy path to my bike shed - sooo as you can guess, Rascal doesnt stay clean very long!

 An old shower curtain underneath the bike was necessary as washing on the driveway isnt so great when the dirt splashes back up on the bike while Im trying to clean it.
She certainly looks so much prettier when she is all clean and shiney!

So since poor moto diva is not up to riding, poor Scarlet couldnt come out to play.  Rascal was very loney on our last little adventure.

So we tootled around taking roads we hadnt been on before, and low and behold, we found the part of the bridge that they removed and barged to this location.  I think they should put it in the middle of a park and turn it into a extreme jungle gym!! haha

After this photo stop we went further along the waters edge and took some more photos.

A different perspective looking into Fishermans wharf.

After my photo searching, I decided it was time to start heading back home as the rain was starting to get a little on the cold side.  But one last thing to mention, leaving this location I came across my nemesis, steep hill start from a stop at a red light, straight into a sharp right hand turn!  Oh no, scary, one car behind me.  BUT WOO HOO, I did the hill start and turn in one smooth movement!!  I did it, my instructors would have been proud!  I was.

So to all, its good night for now.  

Sunshine on my shoulder makes me happy.

Well the sun came out, then the clouds came over and hovered.  Then this afternoon the rain came and came and came, BUT - it stopped so that Scarlet and Rascal could have another one of their adventures.
But today I think it was moto diva and moto mama that had the adventure and the fun.
I wanted to check out the local motorcycle coop, what a cool concept.
Pay a membership and that buys discounts on gear, services and parts.
There are bays available so you can work on your own bike, a place to wash your bikes, and some great owners to spend time with.
I bought a membership and a new pair of gloves.  I was looking for gloves that were not so bulky and a lot warmer and waterproof.  Riding home afterwards the gloves were certainly warmer than my old pair.
Moto mamas had fun checking out the gear and we found  Moto Diva the perfect jacket with red in it to go with Scarlet.  We had some fun and shared jokes and bike information with the owners and some clients.  What a cool place for motorcycle friends to hand out.
So for today, I have no pictures to share as it was so interesting that I forgot all about getting my camera out.
After the trip to the bike coop, Moto Diva and I rode together until we had to depart company to head home.  I continued on around the waterfront, my favourite place to ride.  Then I headed home trying out the new gloves and my fingers didnt get cold.  Yay!!

End all Bullying

Well today was anti bullying day.  I am so happy to see that bullying is now getting the attention it deserves.  It has gone on hidden for way too long.
It breaks my heart to see how young it starts and seeing the kids who are bullied.  
I know first hand about bullying, I have gone through helping my son who was bullied in school.  And why was he bullied?  Because he suffers from ADHD, has an anxiety disorder and suffers from depression.  As some kids in his class discovered this, they would tease and bully him about it.
Also the last couple of years I was also bullied in my workplace. It became unbearable I was absolutely stressed.  This in turn caused me enough stress and anxiety and depression that I went off work for a few months on a medical leave.  I am not afraid to talk about what I went through.  I am not ashamed of it.  It happens to too many people and its brushed under the mat or hidden or just put up with.  It is not right, it is not fair.
Bullies are cowards, take away their power, stand up to them.  Bullies have the problem not you.
One of the hardest things I have gone through in my life besides my marriage of 24 years breaking down, was going through the bullying process.  Lucky for me I had some great co-workers who stood by me and a union who also stood by me.  Going back to work after my medical leave was so difficult to do.  But slowly step by step, it improved at work.  In the end I did get an apology and since then work has been so good, its how it should have been all along.  
Today was a day that made me happy to see how much bullying is being bought into the media focus to help end bullying.  But it was also a difficult day because it bought everything that happened to me right in focus with me again.


So everyone - this is my story.  I am not ashamed of what I went through and I have become a stronger person having gone through it.
Anti bullying is something I am very passionate about.  I would like to have a ride to end Bullying one day.
If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask.  I know this is not my best piece of writing but I just am writing what comes to mind.


So if you see anyone being bullied or you are bullied help or seek help.


Take care and goodnight everyone.

Weekend highlights

Ahh its sunday night - where did the weekend go?  How come they go so fast and the week so slow?  Actually my work week isnt so bad and I do enjoy my job.
But this weekend has been a good one too.
Lets see, friday night my son - whom I hadnt seen all week since he is working and then so busy with his buddies, came to visit me and then went to Canadian Tire for me to pick up my first set of tools that I bought.  I couldnt bring them home on the bike so he went and picked them up. I got a great deal on a socket/wrench set for 75% off the retail price.  Yay I now have tools to learn to fix my bike with!
After that he picked up Tim Hortons chili meals for us and he had dinner with me.
Saturday was a fun day - the first sleep over with my 7 month old grand daughter.  It was such a lazy day for me, sitting cuddling Heather, playing with her, feeding her and watching her sleep.

She cant sit up by herself yet but when I propped her up in the chair, she was able to stay sitting.

Heather really was excited with Gemini, my cat.  Gemini is a good cat but is 7 yrs old and gets a little cranky, but with Heather tugging on her she totally took it all and didnt even move.  This photo to the right made me laugh after I saw it on the computer - I guess Gemini was a little embarrassed with Heathers singing. LOL

Heather had a little heart to heart chat with Gemini and then after that they were best  buddies.

Then later on just before bed, I discovered my middle daughters teddy bear.  Heather fell in love with teddy and even slept with him.
And....Heather went to bed at 8pm woke at 2:15am, had a bottle and went back to sleep until 6:30am, I think she slept better for me than she does at home! Experience works all the time.
Then sunday morning, my daughter came and picked Heather up and took her home and I couldnt wait to get into my riding gear and get Rascal out of the shed.  The sun was shinning and it was beautiful outside.  I messaged Dar and arranged a little tootle around.
I got Rascal checked out and gave her a quick rinse, lubed the chain and checked the oil, then I finished getting on my gear.  While doing my prep, then weather had clouded over!!  I had Rascal running and went to put my Helmet on, I have to take my glasses off to put my helmet on, and so as I put it on I could vaguely see something fluttering in the air! Once I put my glasses back on, there were snowflakes falling!!!  Aargh.  So I decided to go to Dars anyways - I figured I could always have a coffee and come home again.
So off I went, a few more flakes falling, then as I got off my road, the sun was shining again.  Really!!
By the time I got to Dars, as we were getting ready to go riding, moto daughter was very happy to tell us that it was snowing!!  Nope dont believe it.  But she was right.  We sat and had coffee and chatted and next thing we knew it had stopped!  I do believe it was because Moto Diva was so disappointed in the weather that it changed just for her. LOL

BUT moto mamas got out for our ride....
a short one - but a good one.  We stopped at the Oak Bay Marina.
                                                                      This was one of the stops on our stops on our traffic course we did.

Moto diva leaving moto mama for home.







Then moto mama and rascal made a few stops before heading for home too.

 I stopped at Gyro Park and beach.  Parked Rascal in a large puddle of water!  She is a dual sport so was quite happy riding in the mud!

 Beach at gyro park.                                                              

Then I headed to Brentwood Bay, the Ferry terminal.

 The marina at Brentwood bay.

 I liked the perspective of the loading ramp to the ferry and the sun behind me shining on the yellow bars against the dark storm clouds in the background.

 I rode around a little more and then headed to home.  Got home, got my bike parked in her shed, went inside and got my riding gear off and turned around and looked outside and saw this hail storm.....which went on for about 5mins then turned to snow for about 5 minutes.  The gnomes are used to this changeable weather on Vancouver Island.  They just keep on doing what they always do.

In Victoria if you just wait 5 minutes the weather changes.  That sun we were so excited about this morning was just a big tease!