The Sturgis Experience

Really hard to believe that Summer is almost over and the kids will be starting back to school next week. I've been kept busy though, so I can't complain about that.

It's been a few weeks now since I was last here and see that I've been instructed to post... so guess I'd better, huh?

Just arrived home a few days ago. We went to Sturgis, South Dakota (our third year now) for the 66th Annual Bike Rally. If you've never been, this place is legendary. And once again it was a great big party!

Alot of the bikers that go there ride their bikes and spend the week "roughing it". Not us. That's just not my idea of fun. It's about a 16 hour drive from where we live here in Oklahoma to Sturgis, so we trailer our bike and golf cart in our RV (toy hauler) travel trailer. The golf cart, new this year... we used to cruise around the campground & get silly. And I must must say that it gets reallllly crazy around there every night. Smiles, just imagine.

Our trip included the following Not-So-Good things:
- intermittant air conditioner not working in the truck on the way to Sturgis.
- a dead battery
- generator for the RV went on the fritz
- flat tire on the RV (blowout on the interstate) which ripped the fender off and twisted the hell out of it.
- me attempting to read the map and getting us lost a few times.
- another flat/blowout on the trailer on the interstate on the return home that caused even more damage.
- The price of Diesel gas averaged about $3.39 the entire trip, sighhhhhh.
-hubby got a speeding ticket on the way home
- i got a speeding ticket on the way to pick up the boys at my parents house.

Other than that.... we had a great time once we got there. Lots of sex, partying, and rock-n-roll! We went on a few great rides on the bike even though it was hotter than hell. At our RV campground, they had 4 concerts a day for 5 days that included: Sammy Hagar, Nickelback, Keith Urban, Big & Rich, REO Speedwagon, Steve Miller Band, Joe Cocker, Shooter Jennings, The Black Crowes, Foghat, .38 Special, Steppenwolf, CheapTrick, Live, Gin Blossoms, Georgia Satellites, Cross Canadian Ragweed, The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Gregg Rolie (Santana). Whew, i think i gottem all.
We didn't see them all since they started early in the afternoons when we were out riding, but we did get to see quite a few and that was awesome!

So yeah, we had a really good time. Much needed time away together. And there were 5 other couples there as well who we knew who camped around us. They all got plenty of pics. which I'm pretty positive that I would be very embarassed to share if I were to see them. Our camera had to be sent in Canon before we left to be fixed, sighs. But we did take our old camera so hopefully we'll get a few decent pics.

If you've never been, South Dakota really is beautiful country. And there's nothing like seeing hundereds and thousands of Harley Davidsons barreling through the ponderosa pine covered mountains and Black Hills. MT. Rushmore and Crazy Horse both continue to amaze me. And I can't forget to mention all the scantily clad women (and men) traipsing around everywhere. Ohhh, my... but thats another post! Another year gone by and I didn't get that tat or piercing I've been wanting. Guess I'm just too chicken even though I'm quite confident I would enjoy the pain. I also think it would be cool to get my own bike and learn to ride well enough to do the Sturgis thing on my riding my own. Perhaps, one of these days.

It always feel good to get back home though. I wish you all could have come along with and made it an even more memorable time. I've got lots of blogs to catch up on so guess I'd better get busy. Peace & be well my friends, until next time....

I discovered...

....tonight what "Punishment" from Blogger is for not posting for so long. That would be to EAT it! I kid you not, I finally finished the post that I had been working on for what seemed like forever. Updating all of my blogger buddies, at least those of you who can still muster up the nerve to stop by here to see what I've been up to, if anything. Which really isn't alot, but seemed like alot after the long essay that I created. Sighssssss. That's right, after hearing all those stories out there from others saying that Blogger "ate" their post. I said, oh that will never happen to meeeeee. And sure enough it did. So until I find the time once again to release my mad blogger brain endorphins that are boiling over.... ughhhh. I will attempt to post again what I had previously posted.

I do want all my blogger friends to know that I've not forgotten about you and I am still reading your Blogs. Even if i don't always post a comment doesn't mean that I don't still love you. Long story short, Summer has been crazy. Lots going on and never enough hours in the day to post here as much as I would like. Especially when I have to share my computer time with two little boys. But school starts back at the end of August and I'm looking forward to having more time to hang out around here.

The Michael has been after me to get in here and post and I promised Him that I would.... or else. But I think that Blogger has punished me enough this time around for my absence. Growls... Thanks alot.

So before I sign off, I'm going to skip my original thoughts and come back to them. And list 6 weird things about myself. I believe it was Tim who tagged me a while back and I haven't forgotten but have had a hard time thinking of 6, even though I know there are probably loads more. Anyways, here goes:

1. I will NOT fly on a plane unless I'm wearing jeans or pants. I have this phobia that if something happens and the plane catches on fire that I don't want my bare legs exposed. So I never wear shorts, dresses, hose or skirts when I fly. :o)

2. I am basically a right handed person in just about everything that I do. Except shooting pool. I shoot left handed and cannot shoot worth a damn right handed no matter how hard I try. It just doesn't feel right. :o)

3. I cannot put on mascara without opening my mouth. Never fails, if I try to put it on with my mouth shut it ends up on my face and not on my eyelashes. Guess this goes with when I was little and would color. I always colored with my mouth open or my tongue sticking out. When my mom would ask me why I did that I would tell her it made me color pretty. :o)

4. I have to have a huggy pillow when I sleep. One besides the one that my head is on. Preferably on my left side. I don't know what I would do without my body pillow and when I go to a hotel I always make sure to get extra pillows to hug on and wrap my legs around. :o)

5. I like bananas, but I do not like ones with bruises on them. They gross me out and if I peel one and it has bruises on it I will throw it away. When I was little I got in bad trouble from my mom when she discovered an entire bunch of bananas in the trash that I had thrown away because they had bruises on them. :o)

6. I'm not what you call a "Neat Freak" and don't mind a bit of clutter. But my clutter must be organized or it makes me nuts. Hehee... does that make sense. Weird I know. :o)

Well, thats what I was able to come up with. Now I'm crossing my fingers that Blogger will not eat my post before I get it saved and published. Take care, until next time....
Hugs,

Happy Mother's Day

History of Mother's Day

On the second Sunday in May, American children of all ages treat their mothers to something special. It is the one day out of the year when children, young and old, remember their mothers and express their appreciation for everything their mothers have done for them. It is a day for showing your love and respect for a very important woman in your life.

England was one of the first countries to set aside a day to recognize mothers. In the eighteenth century when many people worked as household servants for the rich, "Mothering Sunday" (the fourth Sunday of Lent), was reserved for them to return home to be with their mothers. Though this custom stopped when the Industrial Revolution altered the working and living patterns of the people, one Sunday for Mothers was established as a holiday in the twentieth century.

Mother's Day in the United States was first suggested in 1872 by Julia Ward Howe who wrote the words to the "Battle Hymn of the Republic". She hoped it would become a day dedicated to peace and organized Mother's Day meetings in Boston for several years. Although other people began to organize meetings in their own hometowns as well, the idea really didn't catch on until the year 1907.

The establishment of Mother's Day was due largely to the perseverance and love of one daughter, Anna Jarvis. Anna's mother had provided strength and support as the family made their home in West Virginia and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where her father served as a minister. Anna's mother also had wanted to find ways to heal the wounds left by the Civil War and hoped that mothers would bring their children together in peace. As a girl, Anna had helped her mother take care of her garden, mostly filled with white carnations, her mother's favorite flower.

When Mrs. Jarvis died on May 5, 1905, Anna was determined to honor her. Two years after her mother's death. she asked the minister at her church in West Virginia to give a sermon in her mother's memory. On the same Sunday in Philadelphia, their minister honored Mrs. Jarvis and all mothers with a special Mother's Day service. Anna Jarvis began writing to congressmen, asking them to set aside a day to honor mothers. In 1910, the governor of West Virginia proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day; and a year later, every state celebrated it. In the United States, Mother's Day did not become an official holiday until 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Mother's Day a national holiday.

On Mother's Day morning, some American children follow the tradition of serving their mothers breakfast in bed. Other children will give their mothers gifts which they have made themselves, or bought in stores. Adults give their mothers red carnations, the official Mother's Day flower. If their mothers are deceased, they may bring white carnations to their grave sites. This is the busiest day of the year for American restaurants. On her special day, family members do not want Mom to cook dinner!

Happy Mother's Day to every Mom and to all the Mother's we've lost.

Life Of Fear

Feeling my life all tattered and torn.
Wishing some days that I'd never been born.
Fear, an emotion that I know all too well.
It plagues me and haunts me inside of my shell.

I can't see to tame it and it grows bigger each day.
Worn and tired... so why do i stay?
Threats and blame lie heavily on my heart,
sadly convincing me that I must play a part.

Afraid to speak thinking silence is golden.
In fear of what may happen next,
when another huge piece of me is stripped
and stolen.

Tears build inside as I remember what's been said.
Eventually spilling out soaking the pillow beneath my head.
I cover my head trying to escape all the pain.
If only tears could wash away fears like rain.

But the tears keep falling and my body begins to shake.
I'm scared and afraid of every move that I make.
Alone in the darkness....left lying in fear
wondering how much more
of this hell I'll continue to take.

Faceless Friends

We sit and we type and we stare at our screens

We all have to wonder, what this possibly means

~

With our mouse we roam, through sites in a maze

Looking for something or someone as we sit in a daze

~

We chat with each other, we type all our woes

Small groups we do form and gang up on our foes

~

We wait for somebody, to type out our name

We want recognition but it is always the same

~

We give kisses and hugs, and sometimes flirt

In IM's we chat deeply and reveal why we hurt

~

We do form friendships - but - why we don't know

But some of these friendships will flourish and grow

~

Why is it on screens, we can be so bold

Telling our secrets that have never been told

~

Why is it we share, the thoughts in our mind

With those we can't see as though we were blind

~

The answer is simple, it is as clear as a bell

We all have our problems and need someone to tell

~

We can't tell real people, but tell someone we must

So we turn to the 'puter' and to those we can trust

~

Even though it is crazy, the truth still remains

They are *Friends Without Faces* with odd little names

Peace and be well all my Blogger friends :o)

A Day To Remember

The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was a United States Government complex located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and the target of the Oklahoma City bombing.

The federal building was constructed in 1977 at a cost of $14.5 million, and was named for federal judge Alfred P. Murrah, an Oklahoma native. By the 1990s the building contained regional offices for the Secret Service, the Drug Enforcement Agency (D.E.A.), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and other agencies.

On the morning of April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh parked a rented Ryder truck with explosives in front of the complex and, at 9:02am, a massive explosion occurred which sheared the entire north side of the building, killing 168 people.

Following an investigation and recovery of victims' bodies, the surviving structure was demolished with explosives on May 23, 1995. The Water Resources Board and Athenian Building were heavily damaged and later destroyed. The site later became home to the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. (excerpted from oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org)

This was the first major attack of terrorism in the United States. Of the 168 people murdered, 19 were children. These 168 chairs stand as a poignant reminder of each life lost, articulated as the absence felt by family members and friends. The chairs are placed in nine rows, representing the nine floors of the building. The chairs are placed according to the floor on which those killed worked or were visiting.

The symbolic chairs are designed in two sizes, the smaller size representing the absence of 19 children. Each chair is crafted of bronze and stone; its glass base is etched with the name of the victim. By day, the chairs seem to float above their translucent bases. By night the glass bases illuminate as beacons of hope. The walls behind the chairs were left with the original scars from the explosion, as a visual reminder of the horrible violence.

This is a poignant reminder of lives lost. It is a day that I will never forget. Not only was this a day of tragedy but also a day and a time of goodness, caring, compassion felt throughout the country. I'm proud to be an Oklahoman.

Love & Peace, Gina

That's it, i'm done....

Sorry to say this.... but this will be my last day to post.

Things have been a bit tough around here for me lately and I realize that life is getting shorter and shorter every day. I want to take time and smell the roses. So I am going to quit posting here at Blogger and travel full time with a biker gang to see the country, and enjoy life while I still can. Yes, you can say that i'm very jealous and envious of Buffalo http://buffalospath.com/, such a free spirit for taking hold of His dreams and venturing out to explore our great Country and all that lies within. A journey of discovery. Yep, I've decided this what I want to do too.

~Don't worry about me. I really will be fine. They all seem like really nice, down to earth and full of life people~

It has been nice getting to know so many of you here in blogland, but it's time to say goodbye. Peace and be well my friends.

A photo of my biker gang is below.
(And NO you can't come with me !!)

There's just enough for me.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and I get to rest on Sunday


Gotcha!! LOL But I have to say sorry that you're stuck with me. For the time being anyways.

Until next time... Hugs to all,