Wrestled a Ninja to the ground today. What did you do?

Wrestling a Ninja to the ground isn't actually as fun as it sounds. I'm sure when you read the title you were all jealous and wished that it was you that could do it. Unfortunately I got a little help from Mother Earth and threw the Ninja down quite easily. Just to make it clear for those who wonder the the Hell I'm talking about, I wrecked my Kawasaki Ninja in East Canyon this morning. Not so jealous anymore are you? Well, since I'm typing this, it's pretty obvious I made it through the whole ordeal without too much drama and pain. Although the pain is starting to settle in approximately 7 hours later. I'm starting to feel a bit stiff. So I was out with about 6 other riders and we were cruising through East Canyon moving along at a pretty good pace. Roads were great until we got to the lake and took a left. I'm not sure what the road was but it had tight hairpins and they mostly seemed to be covered in gravel. I was only moving along about 25-30 mph into this hairpin. I was going too slow to lean the bike over anymore but going too fast to stop. Once I realized this I prepared for what was coming. It came a lot faster than I could prepare. I was leaned over left with a little trail brake trying to slow down but as soon as that front tire hit the dirt it tucked right under the bike and down I went. I twisted to my left and landed face down on my stomach, knees, elbows and hands and continued sliding on down off the side of the road feet first into my bike which lay in the weeds. This wreck could have been a lot worse but I always happen to wear my protective gear which saved all my skin. I don't have a scratch on me. Other than some bumps and bruises and what feels like pulled muscles, I'm doing OK. The bike didn't fair too poorly either. I have frame sliders installed for just this kind of instance and that $100 part saved me $500 in replacing plastics. The plastic did get a little goobered up as you can see in the pic but not too bad. Also bent my shifter and scuffed up my left mirror. I did have a camcorder mounted on my bike but for some reason the file that the wreck was on didn't work. That is very disappointing because I would love to show video of the whole thing. After I stopped sliding I jumped up and made sure my limbs were all in tact then walked over to the bike. Somehow I was able to lift that 400lb bike off it's side and back onto it's wheels. For those of you that have tried that you understand it's probably not too possible to do without the assistance of adrenaline. I gave a quick check of the mechanics, hopped on, and drove off in the twisties again. I was however going much slower since I didn't want to hit anymore gravel spots. Crashing wasn't near as scary as I thought it would be. I wonder if it's because it's something I've always known was a possibility and knew that it would probably happen sometime. I do think my fast canyon riding days are pretty much over. This year I've turned into a track junky and really just want to ride there. At least when you crash at the track there is an ambulance 30 seconds away and no car is going to run over you. I hope you all have learned a good lesson here. If you ride a bike then wear your gear. Under my jeans I have some abrasion resistant shorts and some leg armor that goes from my knee down to the bottom of my shin. Had I not been wearing those my knees would have been a bloody mess since they hit the ground first. I also have a spine protector under my leather jacket which itself has armor built into the arms and shoulders.
For the rest of the images you can go to http://photobucket.com/tonywrecks

Reunited and it feels so good

How awesome is it that that the New Kids on the Block have reunited?! I remember back in the day rocking out (let's face it, rocking out to NKOTB isn't remotely possible) to their music with my super cool older sister, Katie, and driving my older bother, Mitch, crazy! In retrospect it is safe to say that there were several occasions that Katie and I blasted their music just to annoy the Mitcher. Katie and I even had posters of them in our room, we would stare at them while chilling on our bed and discussing which one we would marry. They were so dreamy *sigh*. Ah, the good old days. I was driving the other day when their new single came on the radio. The lyrics are pure genius! *enter sarcasm here*

The runner up for the best line is:

I was like, "hey, girl, can I have your number?"

And the winner for the best line (well, 3 lines really) is... drum roll please:

You wasn't lookin' for a man,

When you saw me in the sand,

But you fell for the boy from the city.

Let's not forgot all the "Oh, oh's" the song has to offer. No NKOTB song is complete without "Oh, oh!" Yes the song is deep and meaningful. LOL. I guess some things never change. If you feel like a laugh, I added the song to my playlist, take the time to listen to the song that is sure to become the summer anthem of 2008.

Six Sensational Years

Tony and I celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary yesterday. He truly swept me off my feet in the winter of 2001. The man worships the ground I walk on and never fails to make me feel gorgeous and loved. In honor of yesterday I thought I'd post the first poem I wrote for him. I gave this poem to Tony the first Christmas we spent together as a couple in 2001, about a week before we were engaged.

A Memorized Sincerity

A tiny spark
now a flame
flickering...
with a new hope of happiness

The soft reflection of the
falling snow
with the moonlight spilling in
creates a mood
caught by our eyes
saying so much
using no words
melting into mush
flustering each other

Being draped in a moment
where nothing is forgotten
but memorized
with all the sincerity
you radiate
it's fun getting
lost in that look of yours
knowing exactly where I am
no longer searching
in all the wrong places

In your arms
I capture all the beauty
the situation has to offer
and I don't want it to end
I could get use to this

A Day at the Park

It's official, Jenn takes the most fabulous photos ever!!! She has a talent for capturing the beauty of the most simple moments in life. Thanks Jenn, we love you:)

The FrontRunner

Katie and I took the boys to ride the FrontRunner Saturday. The boys had a blast on the train and I always enjoy chilling with my sista. That is all I have to say... interesting... I am at a loss for words.

Another motorcycle post?! Stop the insanity!!!

Has this blog been taken over by motorcycles? It would appear that way. Tony and Brady somehow managed to drag me out to the Master of the Mountains superbike races. Being a wife of a Nascar fanatic I have watched my fair share of car racing and I have to say that I find motorcycle racing a lot more entertaining. Tony recently bought Brady a small replica of his motorcycle. Brady has insisted on sleeping with it a few times. Why sleep with a stuffed animal when one can cuddle up to a small hard plastic motorcycle? Yes, the motorcycle obsession has already been passed down to the next generation.

My first trackday at MMP

Wow! That is one word that describes riding on the track. It was one of the coolest things I have ever done in my 31 years. Last Saturday I was able to do my first track day ever and I’m lucky enough to have MMP (Miller Motorsports Park) right in my backyard basically. What a world-class facility this place is. Make sure you all come out and see World Super Bike on May 31-June 1st held at this track.
The weather was predicted to be rainy and snowy. Luckily the weathermen got it wrong and we wound up with a mostly sunny day. It was cold (40’s) but you didn’t even notice when you were on the track.
Out on the track for the first time was pretty scary. We did a couple laps with the instructor then they turned us loose. We all went at a reasonable pace for a while since we were getting use to the layout and our tires were cold. After about 10 minutes the pace picked up and I started to feel a tiny bit more comfortable. After the session ended, I exited the track and couldn’t get the grin off my face. I couldn’t wait for the next session to start.
As the day wore on I got more and more comfortable and started to pass most of the people in my group. I was catching 600’s and litres in the corners but then they would pull me on the straights. I finally started to get into the corner faster than them and make the pass and they wouldn’t ever catch me again. It was the coolest feeling to get around the other bikes while leaned over in the turns.
I did scare myself a few times by losing focus and taking a few turns too wide because I went in too hot, and once I leaned over far enough to scrape my left peg on the ground. That startled me since I’ve never felt that before.
I heard that trackdays was an addiction and now I see why. I’m signed up for April 27th now. I’m just counting down the days.
This bike actually handled very well out there. I have Michelin Pilot Powers on and didn’t have any problem sticking to the track. Not once did I lose confidence in them. Since we were only doing the East track and not the whole track, the straight was only half as long. I was able to reach 110mph on the straight and on another part of the track before having to grab the brake and set up for the turn.
One thing that really surprised me was that I could get into 4th gear and never have to shift again. This motor pulled so well, and the track was set up just right, that the engine never lugged and I wouldn’t have to shift before getting to the end of the straight. Everyone else was pounding through the gears but I never had to. And I still passed most of them. For a budget bike this little 650 kicks some serious ass.