Monthly Archives: August 2009

I got the phone call that my motorcycle was ready to be picked up this afternoon.  After work I headed over there to get it with Michelle and Lilly.  Per the phone conversation that I had with the shop manager, we were expecting about $200 for the repair work + parts.  All I needed was a new tube, the labor to mount the tire, and the labor to fix the spokes.  When I got there, he said $304.05..  I ask why it was $100 more than I expected and he told me that they did the rear brakes too, something I didn’t ask for.  He told me that we talked on the phone and I said that as long as the rear tire is off, to go ahead and do the brakes too, something that I didn’t even really need yet.  After some talking back and forth, I was able to assure him that he must have had some things confused and he eventually agreed to take off the charge for the brakes and got my bill back down to what I thought it would be.  He later told me that there were 3 similar bikes in the shop over the last 48 hours that all had the rear tire off and that it could have easily been someone else, though he swore it was me.  I felt bad because it always looks like the customer is trying to get away with free work, but it was honestly not me.

This little bit of miscommunication cost the shop about $90, not a big deal to a shop like that, but to us it would have been a tough blow to the ole pocket book.  I see this as God saving us money to make my motorcycle even safer.

My motorcycle had a slight wiggle to it for a long time before my tire went flat.  I just avoided the interstate since it was pretty bad over 50 mph.  After I took my bike into the shop, they explained that almost all of my spokes had broken loose and was the cause of my flat tire as well as the wiggle in my bike.  The wiggle was extremely amplified after I hit the pot hole that caused the flat tire and the rest of the spokes to pop in the first place.  My rear brakes were getting thin and starting to squeal, which I would have to replace within the next 3-4 months anyways.  So due to the awful Maryland roads and the mistake at the shop, I got my bike fixed and new brakes put on, making it much safer to ride my motorcycle.  Heading into the winter, that’s a necessity.

Thank you Lord for allowing me to get my bike fixed and free brakes.  I feel bad that it happened the way it did, but I am not complaining!  Now if only You could have saved us all $200 too   Ah, I kid!  I know You’ll give it back to us somehow!

Saturday we went to our friends Brian and Nicole’s house for our first experience with Maryland crabs!  It was something on the list of things we wanted to do in Maryland and when I mentioned it, Brian made it happen, that night.  I have the same allergy to crab that I do with shrimp, so it was a little annoying to eat them, but it didn’t stop me!  After we got past all the gross parts of breaking them open and picking through the lungs, intestines and other guts we got to the meat and it was mmm… mmm… good!  Nicole always does an amazing job making very delicious meals that put most restaurants to shame.

On Sunday, Michelle and I took Lilly to Harrisburg, PA to meet our friends Bobby and Jennifer and their new little baby Thomas Rex, or just Rex.  We had a great time getting to see them and catch up for a bit.  Oh how they get so big so fast!

After they headed off to the airport, we made the short drive over to the Hershey Park where we took the Hershey World Tour.  It was pretty cool for being free.  It’s like the rides at an amusement park where you sit in a small car that moves forward and spins around as it takes you through the “factory”.  Lilly had a blast looking at all the moving parts, bright lights, and smorgasbord of colors.  It was very cute to watch her face.  At the end of the ride we got to sample the new Hershey’s Meltaway Kisses.  They were very good.  It was kinda like eating a Hershey Kiss that had been sitting in your pocket for a while, but without the heat.

On our way home we stopped at the Antique Auto Club of America Museum just a few minutes away from the Park.  Unfortunately it was a $10 per person entry and it was later in the day already so we decided we’d just go if we ever came back this way again.  Really neat cars from what I saw in the lobby.

Enjoy the pictures!

It’s with great sadness and at the same time great joy that I have recently joined the Patriot Guard Riders.  PGR is a group that upon request attends the funeral of our men and women who have died in combat and veterans in general.  When requested, a message goes out to members in the area of where the funeral will take place.  The team of men and women will ride to the location (or drive if you don’t have a bike) and will form a “wall” around the outside of where the viewing or burial takes place while holding 3′ x 5′ flags to honor the soldier and their family.  It’s such a great opportunity to be able to show your thanks for to the families of the ones who have given the ultimate sacrifice that we may be free.

I will be participating in my first ride just a couple miles from home on Monday.  The viewing of this young soldier who gave his life fighting in the Helmond Province of Afghanistan will be in Abingdon, MD and he’ll be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetary.  I look forward to doing my small part to give the family comfort and support as they go through this difficult time of burying their child.  It’s the least I can do to give my thanks.

I encourage you to sign up and go if you are in the area of one close to you.  You don’t have to have a motorcycle or even a flag.  Many riders have multiple extras that they will lend you, which is what I will be doing too.  Take some time out of your busy day to honor those fighting to keep us safe.

God Bless!

I love our 3 day weekends, it makes Sunday’s so much better! Michelle went shopping really early and bought $77 worth of groceries for $37!! She saved $40!! She also saved 51% on groceries at Wal-Mart yesterday for a total savings of $70 on our grocery (& household) shopping! I love it when she saves $$$

This has been a very satisfying and exciting week. Lilly went to the doctor on Friday and had some shots. She’s 14lbs and 23 1/2″ now. She’s doing so good! She laughs and smiles all day long, she’s starting to roll around some too. Very great to see how well she is doing!

Here are a few pictures so far this month:

So today I got caught in the 2nd rain storm while riding home from work within 1 week! Friday I got caught in one too. At least today’s was only the 2nd half of my ride home instead of the entire ride. There was some really great lightning too. One day I’ll start checking the weather and bringing appropriate gear with me instead of just getting soaked. Rain at 55mph really hurts when it’s hitting you in the face.

A little over a year ago now, I bought a new motorcycle and talked about it on my blog. After a year of riding and having moved to a more northern state and riding “year round”, I thought it time to give an update on how it’s been so far.

“Awesome”. To sum it up, I quoted a friend of mine who I recently taught to ride. At the end of the ‘lessons’ he said, “It’s exactly what I thought it would be; Awesome.” It really is a pretty awesome feeling to ride a motorcycle. It’s very free and liberating. You don’t get to relax and sit back in the comfort of your air conditioned box with a radio and cushy seats. What you do get is a feeling about 2% of Americans have ever enjoyed, the feeling of the wind whipping across your face as the road speeds by just inches below your feet. It really is awesome.

I bought my 2002 Yamaha V-Star 650cc from a nice gentleman back in June last year for $3250, about the price of a rather boring small car or truck that’s probably 15 years old with 100,000 miles on it. I get around 50mpg with my driving style just going back and forth to work. I fill up only 2-3 times a month and it costs just shy of $10 each fill for about an average of $25 a month in gas. I recently switched insurance and now pay only $140 a year or $11.66 a month. My loan payment is only $75 a month bringing my grand total cost to own and operate my motorcycle to about $115 a month. Not bad my friends.

Living in a “northern” state, I have to deal with cold winters with snow and ice, something I didn’t worry about while in Florida. Also living in an apartment I have no garage and have to park it out in the open all the time. This meant adjusting my riding style and having a few extra pieces of gear to make things work. First I had to get a riding suit to stay warm. God brought us some folks to help us move in and this one gentleman had a set for sale he was willing to do away with for $50. Stealing deal right there. This jacket and pants are padded, water proof, and very warm. I rode all winter to work and back and stayed rather warm. Of course I needed thicker gloves and something to cover my feet, so I use ski gloves and some donated combat boots. I don’t ride if it’s icy or raining below 40 degrees because that can just be really bad. I also invested in a motorcycle cover. It’s a pretty simple $35 fix that has worked amazingly well so far. The thing leaks less than most tent’s that I’ve camped in. The only thing I have left to get is a full helmet that I can wear next winter to help block the frigid air hitting my face at 55mph. Up until then, I’ll keep using my 3/4 helmet with snap on face shield and balaclava to keep warm and dry.

It’s much prettier up here in Maryland to just go for rides through the countryside. It has more hills and character to the landscape than Florida does. I have gone on several rides lasting 2-3 hours just to enjoy the experience. It’s something I think that everyone should enjoy at least once. I would very much like to do a cross country ride some time with Michelle. Hopefully she’ll have her own bike though

All and all it’s been not only enjoyable but also rather economical compared to my old S-10 that I literally ran dead. If it’s something you’re interested in, start by taking a safety course at your local college and see if you like it. Start small on your bikes, around a 500cc should be more than enough for a first bike and go from there. I have no experience on a crotch rocket so I can’t speak to that other than to say that it’s a different rodeo than a cruiser. If you pick one up let me know and we’ll get together some time and ride

Safe riding and happy trails!

Since my website got sacked by google, I got away from doing updates.  Facebook made it really easy to ignore my site too.  So now I’ve remade it and we’re going to try and do this a little more often.  That being said, I will try to get a few posts up with some pictures of us.

Lilly was born April 6th, 2009 at 7:27am after 31 hours of labor.  Michelle’s water broke around 12:30am Sunday morning and we went to the hospital with my mom.  Dave and Angela were on there way and my dad was back in Tampa taking care of his Soldiers.   Dad booked a flight and made it in around 11ish that night.  Michelle’s labor didn’t progress for about 18 hours.  Finally she was able to get an epidural and a few hours later some petocin.  We went to sleep around 12ish Monday morning and around 6:30amish we woke up and noticed the monitor was going crazy.  Michelle couldn’t feel a thing so I asked the nurse in and she checked Michelle and said “Ready to push?”  About an hour later, Lilly was here!

It’s been almost 4 months since then and we’ve had quite an experience since then.  She’s been a fantastic baby for us and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience.  She sleeps a lot, doesn’t cry too much, and is suuuuuper cute.  She’s already taken a trip to Florida, been out to Church and restaurants, a weekend at the Jersey Shore, fun trips to the ice cream shop a Brooms Bloom, and many shopping trips.  She’s been having such a great life so far!  God has blessed us wonderfully!