An Update on Our House

For those of you who are unaware, I got a bike!

After my first ride

And yesterday, I rode my bike all the way across Clinch Mountain to work.  It was fantastic.

Anywho, as promised (back on May 3), here are some updated pictures of our house!

Our room with no furniture

My mother says this would make a great nursery.  In her dreams.

Sara's room

All you can watch on that TV is static--it isn't hooked up to anything.

And the guest bathroom.

Note the curved shower rod.  One of my favorite inventions of all time.

Upstairs landing area

Finally!  Carpeted stairs!

Our bedroom

Some furniture 

The bed, doorway to the closet, and bathroom

Master bath

His and her sinks

The half bath...  Filled with pictures of us...  I can't decide what else to put there (but rest assured that I will change it...  eventually...)

Pretty sure I already have a picture of the half bath sink...  But here's another one, just in case.

The living room

The view from the bottom of the stairs

Why did I take so many pictures of the living room?

Our pretty mantle

That's about it for right now.  I realize that I don't have any pictures of the kitchen, so stay tuned.  I'm really not sure why I didn't take any pictures in there just yet.

Preview to coming attractions: landscaping pictures from the front yard, adventures on my bike, and confessions from the cadaver lab!  Okay, so that last one probably sounds a little more exciting than it will be...  But working with such a lively crew, you just never know!! (See what I did there?)

Happy Saturday!!

Motorcycles, Part II

My husband and I were watching Terminator 2: Judgment Day just a few days ago when he told me about when he was Arnold Schwarzenegger (who believes I spelled that right on the first try??).  When he was about 8, he watched that movie and proceeded to put on his leather jacket, get his toy shotgun (which he sawed off, by the way), and ride around his yard on his little dirtbike.

Gah, my husband is such a bad, bad mamajama.

So I woke up Sunday ready to get this motorcycle class over with.  I had washed my hair the night before, but I didn't bother to fix it.  Mistake.

So anyway, I get to the range, and we're ready to ride.  First exercise of the day...  We had to make a u-turn in this box that was no wider than a car is long...  Not fun.

I actually was fairly unsuccessful at this exercise.  I've decided that if I ever have to make such a "slow, tight turn," I will just put my feet down and walk my bike around.  Dumb.

The rest of the exercises went fairly well.  We learned how to stop in a corner (straighten out the handlebars, and then press your brakes), how to accelerate through a curve, how to switch lanes (using your blinker), and how to swerve.

After lunch, we got to practice a little, and then it was time for the test.  I was more nervous than I usually am for a med school test.  I couldn't fail this.  That would make me a big fat loser.  So here we go...  Of course, the first test...  Making a u-turn in that sweet, precious little box.  Guh-reat.

My reaction when they told us we had to do the box...

Next, it's coming to a sudden stop.  They count off the tick marks.  I went past three red tick marks.  I don't know if that's bad or good.  The final exercise was to go around a curve, speed up, slow down, and make another curve, accelerating the whole way through it.  I felt pretty good about that one.  It's just that dang box.

So we retire to the classroom to take our written exam.  I've never felt so smart.  A 100%.  I literally gave my test to be graded and told him he might as well not bother.  It was pretty much...

Also found out I passed the riding exam.  Like a boss.

So came the time for graduation.  I graduated with honors with my motorcycle certificate to go get my license.  And (drumroll, please...) I received the coveted SUPERHERO OF SWERVE award.  That's right.  If there's one thing I'm not going to do, it's hit an inanimate object.  Cause I can swerve.  Like a boss.

So the next time you see a motorcycle zooming down the road...

Also, I have been looking back at my blog and just realized that I never posted updated pictures of our house.  Look for some updated pictures sometime soon!!

Happy Thursday!

Motorcycles, Part I

I'm such a little daddy's girl.  Until I got married, my dad ALWAYS took my car to get it serviced.  He would also usually put gas in it (especially if I brought it home with the light burning and accidentally parked it behind his truck so that when he went to go somewhere, he would just have to take my car.....).  So it always makes me feel like such a big girl when I'm able to do these things all by myself.

I made an appointment to get my car serviced last Friday.  And it made me feel like such a big girl that I just had to call and tell my daddy.  I think that kinda defeated the purpose.

So after I got my car serviced (and no, I will not forget to get my tires rotated in another 2500 miles, I promise, dad), I was on my way to Maryville for my motorcycle class.  First of all, let me just say, I felt (and probably looked) like a fish out of water when I parked my little Mazda in the parking lot with all those Harley's and walked into the dealership with my complete and total lack of tattoos and limited piercings.  After about six people directed me back to the classroom, I still got lost.  (Guh-reat.  There goes my plan for not standing out...)

Once I (finally) made it to the classroom, in I walked to meet my fellow classmates.  Except there was a boy.

Now wait just a dern minute.  I signed up for an all girl's class, right?????  (And no, this is not a joke about there was a woman that looked like a man.  He was actually a he.)

He turned out to be John (a.k.a. Joanna or "Happy"), and he had been riding for thirty years and just needed to take the class to get his license.  Okay, I guess he could stay.

So on we go.  Three hours of learning about the differences between a motorcycle and car (I was feeling pretty good right about then) and about the controls on a motorcycle and where they were (learned a few things here), we were done for the night and released to go home.  So off to my brother's house I went to see my two nephews.  I love them.

Jack

Bentley (Notice Jack...  lol)

Sweet babies!

So the next day, it was off to the range.  We were going to learn how to drive.  After my extremely nutritious breakfast from McD's, I was feeling quite confident.  But then I got to the range, put on my suh-weet leather jacket, strapped on my gloves, took off my gloves, zipped up my leather jacket, put my gloves back on, put on my helmet, took my gloves off, strapped my helmet on, and for the final time (before that run, anyway), put my gloves back on.  Then we mounted our bikes.

Mine had just a few dints and dings...  A by a few, I mean it was mostly silver with a hint of black.

At this point, I was thinking, "Sweet Moses, what have I gotten myself in to???????"

We started at 7, and that's a good thing.  By 9:00, I was sweating like a hemophiliac on Warfarin (probably not funny if you don't know what it is....).  I mean, it was HOT out by then.  So we do all these exercises, and I'm feeling a little bit better.

Lunch time (my favorite part of the day), and then it was back to the range.  After a few more exercises, it was classroom time.  After about an hour in the classroom, we were done for the day.  I had learned to start the bike, get it rolling, stop it, get it rolling again, go around a corner, and blow the horn (the most important part!!).

So it was off to my brother's house for the night.  They were out and about, but I opted to stay in and study HIV (I'm so cool).  I sat down on the couch and proceeded to study, study, study.  Jack was so good.  He just curled up next to me and napped.  Bentley FINALLY sat down for about thirty minutes and napped (he's a snorer).  Once I was done studying, I turned on Shrek and promptly fell asleep (being out in the hot with all that gear on not going more than 10 mph can be tiring...).  Bentley woke me up about 15 minutes later, his face about an inch from mine, just breathing.  And his breath...  RANK.  Not even Febreeze could have masked that.

So off to bed.  Tomorrow, motorcycles part II.  You'll get to find out if I completed the class (I'll go ahead and spoil that surprise...  I did.).  But you don't know what award I got or if I wrecked.  I'm just saying...