I passed!!! Without falling over....

I passed my Beginning Rider Training (BRT) class this weekend! In order to get my motorcycle endorsement (and eventually ride a motorcycle legally in Oregon), I needed to pass the DMV written and riding tests or pass the Team Oregon BRT (teamoregon.orst.edu) class. So, for my birthday Josh enrolled me in the class and off I went. Last Thursday I had a two and a half hour classroom session which introduced us to the class and book. Saturday and Sunday my schedule was longer (and hotter - the Willamette Valley had a heat advisory both days!). Saturday I started the riding portion of the class at 11:30am and that lasted until 3pm. The classroom session was 3:30pm - 5:30pm. Sunday we started the classroom session at 9am and took our written test. I missed four questions (you could miss ten) and one of those was just me going to fast and not paying attention to what I was writing. The afternoon riding session started at 12:10pm and ended at 5pm. During that time we finished our practice exercises and took our riding exam. I missed 9 points (you could miss 20) so pretty standard throughout both tests.

I had a blast and think I'll enjoy riding a motorcycle, but it will definitely be a slow and long process....motorcycles scare the heck out of me and I don't want to do somthing dumb because I stopped concentrating and didn't know what to do. I rode a cruiser-style bike and definitely think that is what I will be looking at, it was easier for me to clutch and brake and I feel that it will be a better fit to learn on. The Suzuki GZ250 was just the right height and felt good.

It was hotter than heck, up in the 90s both days but the worst I got out of it was a sunburned face (nose down) because I forgot the sunscreen. Wearing a helmet can be deceiving, even though I wasn't wearing a full-face helmet I should have realized I was exposed. Now I have a bright red nose like Rudolph the Reindeer and bright red cheeks. Even my lips got sunburned. Oh well, at least I didn't fall over. Next on the list is to get me a helmet and find an affordable bike to ride/practice more on.

Where have I been?!?!?

Wow, so the last post was in April I think?! I have been super busy and have just been too wiped to sit and type. Strange to say but true. To put it all in a nutshell, here's what I have been doing:

Quilter's Safari with Liz (we both won something!)
Piecing the baby quilt
Piecing Gene's quilt
Altrusa of Lebanon's Dollars for Scholars Fundraiser (we raised over $3K!)
Altrusa of Lebanon's Scholarship Awards (we awarded 3 $1K scholarships)
District 12 Conference in Canyonville, OR (AWESOME!!!!)
Memorial Day in California with Mom (nice to relax!)
Finished the concrete in the backyard (finally and the dogs totally love it)
Altrusa of Lebanon's Annual Retreat (great ideas ladies!)
Altrusa of Lebanon's Officer Installation (woohoo-passed the torch!)
Linn County Kennel Club Hearing (yeah, so not fun, sorry)
Father's Day at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinville (ever seen Hubble in 3-D or a Blackbird aircraft in real-life?)
Work day at Alderwood Quilts (Sue and Wayne had a monster of a project and we knocked it down a bit)
4th of July Neighborhood BBQ (fireworks in the cul-de-sac with the neighbors)
Oakleigh got fixed!!!
Finished Baby Quilt
Family dinner at Leane's to meet Jimmy & Kimmy, Josh's cousin and her husband
Vacation with Mom-Saturday was Brownsville Stand by Me Days and Jefferson Mint Festival
Vacation with Mom-Sunday was waffles breakfast with Bar, Liz, Mom and Josh; then off Lincoln City for glass blowing with the ladies and Mo's for lunch!!!
Vacation with Mom-Sunday-Tuesday was camping in the Baja at house Rock campground with the three of us and three dogs
Vacation with Mom-Wednesday was Mexican food for lunch and Indian for dinner with a gelato chaser
Anniversary weekend in Canyonville with Josh
Finished Gene's quilt top

I think that is it. If I missed anything, shoot me cause I am totally done.