I need a ride or die tattoo now.

First, I'm sorry it has taken so long for me to let y'all know how motorcycle class went. Second, I GOT my motorcycle license!!! I cannot believe I rode a motorcycle for the first time two weekends ago. I have to say the class was fun. Anyone who is nervous or a little bit scared of getting a motorcycle license should take it. The instructors go over how to do everything on the most basic level, stopping, accelerating, turning, swerving, etc. then have you practice all the test exercises just before you have to do it for the test.

Undercover photo of Motorcycle class.

I got points off on the final test for the stupid figure of eight exercise, but passed everything else and got my certificate. With the certificate, I just had to go to the DMV, wait in line, take a vision test and get my class M license!!

Filling out papers at the DMV, or as the lady said when I told her I was there for a motorcycle license, "Go on, girl!"

Look out Baltimore, I'm on two wheels now! I have driven my Vespa, nicknamed "Black Betty" to work every single day since (very fun). I try not to grin like a lunatic the whole way home. I don't want to scare people.

In closing, here is a picture of the gorgeous sunset I took with my cell phone on the way home the other day.

Photos by moi.

Motorcycle class

Hi peeps! I wanted to tell you about my experience in motorcycle school so far. As y'all know, last weekend we bought a Vespa LX 150, which requires a motor cycle license to drive. Which I do not have. There are two ways to get one in the state of Maryland. You can take a written test then pass a driving test which includes things like swerving between cones, making two U-turns within a box, etc... Or you can take a Basic Riders Course through the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. I chose motorcycle school. Mainly because I have not had a ton of experience driving scooters and am not that confident about my abilities to tear it up at the DMV.

Not me yet, hopefully me this weekend. source

I signed up for the class at a local community college. It's four days total, two days of classroom (which I've finished), and two days of "riding." The two days of classroom covered motorcycle laws, concepts and basics, like what all of the buttons and controls do and how to work them.

Just a hint, if you go to motorcycle school and tell everyone that your goal is to get a license so that you can legally drive your scooter, you will probably be made fun of. It was all good, everyone else was also just trying to get a license, so I took it in stride. --Oh, and I think there were a couple of die hard bikers who were court mandated to be in class for one reason or another.

At the end of the two classroom days, we were given the written test. This test was incredibly easy after being in class where we were basically told the answers. I got a 100%. Actually- i think most of the people at my table got a perfect score too.

This weekend is the last two days where we ride actual motorcycles and they take us through what we need to know to become licensed riders. They supply the bikes, we only have to bring a helmet, long pants, leather gloves, and sturdy boots. I'm nervous! Wish me luck...

Vroom vroom!!

So, I bought a Vespa LX 150 yesterday. I think they are an adorable means of transportation. We also rented a scooter to travel around during our weekend getaway to Chincoteague, and we had a blast. We started looking around various scooter dealerships, narrowing down what we wanted and how much we wanted to spend. We ended up at the Vespa dealership, they were having a sale and a great deal on one, so my hubby bought it after getting them to throw in a top case.

Me at the dealership.

Here's the catch. I have little to no experience driving a scooter. My hubby has a motorcycle, so this is to be my two wheeled mode of transportation. We got it home and off the truck and I took my first ride down the alley behind our house. To paint a picture, he was holding the back of the scooter, telling me to give it a little gas and get my feet off the ground. It was not pretty.

Similar to my learning experience, add my husband following behind holding the scooter up.

Here's another catch: You need a motorcycle license to drive this Vespa. I don't have one. I have NEVER ridden a motorcycle. The good news is that I have enrolled in a Basic Rider Course that starts Monday. If I complete this course successfully, I will get a certificate that I can present to the DMV for my "Class M" license. Wish me luck. I'm nervous. I'll let you know what happens.

Sometimes you take the wrong way...

I drove an entire 11 miles in the wrong direction on my way to work today before I realized it. Who does that? I got off the interstate onto the route I normally take, congratulating myself for being twenty minutes early, cruising, singing along with my morning jams, when I see a sign for a city that is in the other direction. Mother eff. You would think I would have noticed I was going east, not west, on my gps. Or possibly that the six or seven exits I passed along the way, all landmarks for going the opposite direction might have clued me in.

(Source)

So I get off the route and get back on in the other direction. I made it into work at 8:00 am on the dot. In my defense, I only just started going to this site once a week, the rest of the time I go to the main site downtown. Oh well.

On another note, I went to the gym for the first time in a month yesterday. That trip to the gym calculates out to $80. Maybe if I can get my butt in there once a week, it'll only cost me $20 a pop.

How was your morning?

Weekend getaway to Chincoteague

As promised, I wanted to get to tell you all about our weekend getaway. We went to Chincoteague Island, a small town on the Delmarva peninsula that is both a wildlife refuge and national seashore. Chincoteague is definitely quieter than the better known Ocean City and Delaware beaches in the area, but I guess I'm at the point where I prefer that type of experience. However, If you wanted a beach party experience Ocean City may be more your thing.

Ocean City can be so crowded!

The most popular time to go is during pony penning, where they round up and auction off some of the wild horses as a form of population control, as well as to raise money for the Chincoteague volunteer fire department. We went after this happened, but the fire department was still holding its annual carnival. I had a clam fritter sandwich and hubby had a softshell crab sandwich. I loved my sandwich, but I don't know about that crab sandwich. Besides being allergic, I wouldn't want to eat a sandwich that has legs sticking out. Isn't that a little weird?

I tried to crawl away, but this bread is so soft!

We stayed in a bed and breakfast right off of Main St. called the Channel Bass Inn. Neither of us has ever stayed in a bed and breakfast before. We loved the experience. I guess beforehand I imagined staying in a B&B like staying in some stranger's guest room. This felt more like a little boutique hotel with a little English garden off to the side. The rooms seemed private, we rarely heard and never saw someone in the hall. It was very quiet also. The best part by far was the breakfast. Let me tell you, the breakfast was an event! It took at least an hour to eat, but didn't feel that long. Barb, the co-owner made several different fresh breads (zucchini, cranberry, nut, ginger) and we usually had some type of fruit course and a main hot course.

Source

To add icing to the cake, Barb happens to be British and serves a four course Saturday afternoon high tea. This was also quite an experience, complete with tomato & cheese and ham & cucumber sandwiches with the crusts cut off, warm fresh scones (the candied ginger were my favorite!) and a pecan tart. I had to turn down the fresh-baked cookie that she ended with, I was in a food coma by that time.

High tea (picture from Channel Bass Inn)

We also rented scooters to get around. I am hooked and now want one for everyday use. How can you possibly be in a bad mood while zipping around on one of those things?

I'm a nerd.

We visited the Chincoteague national wildlife refuge and saw some of the wild ponies grazing feet from the road in the wetlands. I'm sorry I didn't get to take a picture of that, our camera was packed at the bottom of our beach bag and jammed away in the little scooter trunk. We scooted all the way to the beach in Tom's Cove where we frolicked in the waves and sand. After some beach time, we visited the Assateague lighthouse and climbed up the steps all the way to the top.

Lighthouse

178 Steps. Made me a little dizzy and a lot out of breath!

View from the top back inland.

All in all, I recommend visiting if you are looking for a quieter, less crowded beach day. It's only a three hour drive from the Baltimore area. I wouldn't mind getting a beach house there so that I could go every weekend.

Cheesin' it up with some fake gang signs.

Where's your weekend getaway?

I love weekend getaways.

Hi peeps! I just got back from a lovely weekend getaway. I don't know how many of you are in the mid-atlantic area, but people looking for a little beach time often go to Ocean City or the Delaware beaches. This weekend, for my birthday, my husband took me to a bed and breakfast in Chincoteague Island. I looooooove this place. It's a little quieter, more laid back, sleepy beach town. The beach is actually in a national park on Assateague Island, famous for it's wild horses. As soon as I get the camera and find the freaking cord for it, I'll put some pics up to show you.

(Source)

Until then, Here is my weekend in ten words. Food, carnival, food, beach, scooter, lighthouse, high tea, horses, food.

The next person who asks if I'm pregnant will get punched in the face.

(Source: www.nataliedee.com)

I know it's a slight over-reaction. Here's a piece of advice, although most of you reading this already know this. Don't ever ask someone if they are pregnant. EVER. If you have to ask, just keep it to yourself. The only exception to this rule is if you are the kind of friend that she talks to about her sexual escapades and her birth control use/mishaps with, then you can ask. You will also probably know when not to ask because she's complaining about all the other dillholes that have been asking and making her feel fat. Otherwise this is a no-win situation which may earn you a punch in the face if she's been asked one too many times.

If you are correct in thinking she's pregnant, and she hasn't told you directly, then it isn't any of your business you're not that close of a friend so you shouldn't be asking. If you want to be that close of a friend, you could always wait until you see her with an infant nine months later and say "Holy crap, I didn't even know you were pregnant!" New BFF for life.

If you are incorrect in thinking she's pregnant, then by asking you have now made her think two things. Number one, you are a huge asshole. Number two, she is a huge fat chunkster that needs to lay off the cupcakes and ice cream. Fail on both counts.

Over the past three months, I have been asked several times if I was pregnant. At first it was a little funny. Yes, I know I've gained the newlywed fifteen. Or maybe because I'm a newlywed in my early thirties, you think I need to procreate immediately. Yes, haha. The next couple of times, it became a little embarrassing. OK, everyone seems to notice my love pudge and that my pants don't fit anymore. Today and yesterday I got asked by co-workers if I was pregnant. No, just fat. Thanks, i'll be starting that diet now.

Why do people do this and how do I stop it?