Hubby's Christmas Party - Updated with Pics

So, D's company's party is tomorrow night. We're going to dinner at The Fox and the Hound, and then to a bar. So, Daryl said that he wanted to take the bike. I told him, we'll see how cold it is on Saturday.

Well, tonight, we went out to dinner at Top Shelf (great Mexican food!) and on the way home, I noticed it was freaking cold out! When we got home, I turned on the heat and threw a blanket over me. D said, "So are we taking the bike tomorrow night?" I could not believe he had to ask me. I was freezing just sitting in the house! I told him this, and he says, "Why don't you try on my chaps to see if they fit you."

So he brings them in from somewhere (I didn't pay attention to where he went) and drops them in my lap...they were freeeeeeezzzzzing! Hello? So then I tell him that they will probably be too short (yes, D is about an inch shorter than me). He tells me they might be ok, and to just try them. He got pretty insistent, so I agreed.

Now, please understand that I have never owned a pair of chaps in my life, so it took me a few moments to figure out how the hell to get them on. So, I struggle with getting them on the right way. I'm thinking, these are really heavy. I don't remember his chaps being this heavy. So I get them on properly and buckle them up. Then I realize that the length is perfect. I look at D, and he's smiling and shaking his head. That's when it finally dawned on me that these were my chaps! I was concentrating so hard on getting them on, I didn't even realize they weren't his! They are very nice insulated chaps, so now I won't freeze tomorrow night!

And while I did ask for chaps for Christmas this year, I didn't think I would get them until January, because they're pretty pricey. So I couldn't be more surprised, and thrilled! Thanks, Babe! ILY!

Note: I will update this post on Sunday with pictures!

Are We Getting Old?

I can remember my parents sitting in the den after dinner at night, laughing so hard they were almost crying. Not every night, mind you, but on certain nights. I remember asking what was so funny, and they were laughing so hard they couldn't respond to me. I just thought they were old, and maybe didn't know what they were laughing at. Fast forward to a few nights ago, Daryl and I were in the family room after dinner, and there was a hysterical commercial on TV. I cracked up...I was almost in tears. Daryl was laughing very hard, too. Vicki came into the family room and asked what was so funny. I couldn't speak. Daryl, however, pointed to the dog and mumbled something. At this point, I realized that we were not even laughing at the same thing, and I started laughing even harder. You know, the kind of laugh where you can't even breathe? Yeah, I looked and sounded like an idiot. Daryl started laughing harder, too, but he still thought we were both laughing at the dog, which made me laugh even harder! I guess when my laughter kicked into high gear, he thought that maybe I wasn't laughing at the dog. He finally pulled himself together enough to ask, "What are you laughing at?" I still couldn't speak, so I pointed to the TV. This is when he realized that he was the only one laughing at the dog. Now he's laughing as hard as I am. If Vicki was a little older, she would have called the funny bus for us...we really did look and sound like we were ready for the straight-jackets and rubber-padded rooms. When I'm finally able to breathe, I tell Daryl that I was laughing at the TV commercial. He tells me that he was laughing at the dog. We both start laughing again, but nothing like before. Side note: I don't remember what TV commercial it was that made me laugh so hard. I wish I could! That was when it occurred to me that Vicki must have thought we were old, and maybe we didn't know what we were laughing at. Well, I guess she was right - we each didn't know what the other was laughing at. Does that mean we're old? Don't answer that!

Big Daddy's Shirt

How great is this? I actually found a shirt with hubby's nickname on it! I love 50% off days at Goodwill!!!

My Old Man

Yes, I can really call him that, now! Not only will he be a grandfather in a few short months, but he now rides with a windshield!


Now, I give him crap about riding with a windshield, but Vicki is the queen of giving him crap! She called him a wimp as soon as she saw it!


Confuscious say: He who rides with windshield is old!

A Writer In The Family

I'd like to direct my fellow bloggers to read this post. This is from my husband's blog. It's one of his original short stories, and I must say, one of his best yet. If you decide to read the post (it's a little long) please leave him a comment. Thanks!

Bike Trouble Continues...But Not For Long

Well, my post about Friday night stated that we had a bit of mechanical trouble, but made the run ok. Saturday night, not so much. We had to be push-started leaving the clubhouse. Then she ran like crap all the way to our destination near Maryland & 59th Ave. Big D decided that since he had to be push-started, he was going home to get the car and I would ride with M. I need to stop this story here and take a moment to tell you about M's bike. It's a newer bike. I think it's an Ultra Classic or a Road King. This bike was awesome. We had to pit stop on the way to the Stardust, and I said to M, "Big D is going to be mad at me." M asked me why, and I said, "Because I want a bike like this!" Let me just say this...it was like riding your most comfortable living room chair down the road. There was an actual seat under my butt, not just a strip of padded leather! It was so comfortable, I could have ridden all night long. Yes, it was that comfortable. And I won't even get started about the foot boards - instead of pegs! So, I was a little spoiled, and Big D wasn't mad, but does NOT want to by a couch cruiser! I predict we'll have one in 5 years. So Big D leaves (with another push-start) and M and I leave with a few others to go to the Stardust. We get there without incident, with the radio on (yes, I loved that, too!). After a while, I started wondering where Big D was. He should have been there by now. All of a sudden, he walks in and says, "I'm here, and I rode the bike." Apparently, the battery was bone dry when he got home. So, as a stopgap measure, he put some acid in it from another battery. He started the bike, rode around the block a few times, shut it off, started it again and headed our way. We walked outside to smoke, (because AZ law says we can't smoke in bars, restaurants or anywhere else) and he started the bike again, just to check it and it started right up. I thought, "Great! No more issues!" About an hour later, we said our goodbyes and walked outside to head home. Well, guess what? The bike wouldn't start. M & C tried to push-start but it would not go. We called Kramer and he brought a battery charger to us. So we waited for the battery to charge up. Still nothing. Then, unconvinced that Big D tried to push start it correctly (as we all expect from Kramer), Kramer decided that he would push-start Big D. Kramer pushed him all over that parking lot! Still nothing. At this point, it's almost 2:00 a.m. I'm tired and I want to go home. Kramer brought me home, and took the battery out of Big D's other bike and brought it back to him. I went to bed. I woke up with a start at 4:30 a.m. realizing I never heard Big D come in and I was startled by the time on the clock. I rolled over, and there he was; sound asleep. When we woke up later that morning, I found out that once he put the other battery in the bike, it started right up and ran great all the way home. It seems that the battery was messing with the whole bike, and that's why it ran so badly the other night. So, a new battery it is. I'm just glad it's only a battery, and not something uber-expensive!

Friday Night...

Friday night was a blast. We were invited to the Rough Riders M/C clubhouse as guests. The guys there are really great. Hung out with my girls T, D, I, B & T from Maine! We started at the clubhouse, but they are sans-air conditioner, so off we went to the VFW next door. Had a few drinks and enjoyed the karaoke performances (as much as we could!) then we got a phone call for a 9:00 p.m. road time. Let me explain road time: If you're not present at road time, you will be left behind. They do not wait for anyone. So at 8:59 we walked next door back to the clubhouse and got ready to ride. Not sure what happened, but we didn't line up until 9:30! Once we finally got lined up, we were off to the Stardust. Riding in a group of 12-14 motorcycles was a great experience for me. I haven't done that in almost 20 years! It seems that our bike does not like riding in a group, because we had some carb trouble on the way, but Big D kept her running and we got there without incident. There was a great country band playing at the Stardust. Had a few drinks, danced and had a fantastic night. The Jim Beam girls were there, and we did a Jim Beam Bean Bag Toss to try to win T-shirts. You had to get 3 in the hole to get the shirt, so Big D and I have two shiny-new Jim Beam key chains! LOL! Big D bought me a pink rose, but I think I killed it when I stuffed it in the saddlebag for the ride home. On the way home, the bike ran much better. It had cooled off a degree or two, so it was a bit more comfortable, but still hot. I can't wait until it cools down and I can actually wear my leather again!

Quote of the Day on the Fourth!

I apologize for the tardiness of this blog, I was having trouble posting! On Independence Day, Big D's nephew Chris called us from Massachusetts. He said, "We were watching the news and saw how hot it was out there. The weather man said people should check on the elderly because it's so hot out, so I'm calling to see if Uncle D. is OK." Need I say more? Quote of the day, my friends. Chris is my favorite nephew!

Freezing Cold in the Arizona Desert??!!

On Saturday night Big D and I headed out to Morristown (out Wickenburg Way) on Grand Avenue (Hwy 60) on the new bike. We went to Western Trails Ranch with Ted & Julie. It was a beautiful day, but as we were headed out, it got noticeably cooler. By the time we got there, it was starting to get dark, and it was COLD! We forgot our jackets at home. I had on a sleeveless top and my leather vest. I thought I would be ok. We were watching 'The Wall of Death', where a guy rides an old Indian motorcycle in this cylinder-shaped space, and actually rides up on the walls. It's pretty cool if you've never seen it before. Anyway, Big D noticed goose bumps on my arms, and said he was going back home to get our jackets. I told him he didn't have to, but he insisted. While he was gone, Ted & Julie started to get cold. I told them to go get their jackets from their bike; they didn't want to get them while I still didn't have one. Finally, Ted went to get the jackets. Big D took about an hour, but let me tell you: I was so cold when he got back that it took me about 30 minutes to warm up again! You see, Western Trails Ranch is a 12-acre property with bars, BBQ, burgers, etc., and it's an outdoor venue. They cater to the biker crowd, and it was a great place. We saw Dr. Hook, and they were great. (They have two outdoor stages there, too.) So, we sat by the fire and had a few beers, some laughs and listened to some good music. Then it was time to head home. It was very late and very cold out. We had no gloves with us, but at least we had the jackets!! YAY! We took off down Grand Ave, and it was VERY cold! I put my hands in the armholes of Big D's vest to keep them out of the wind. That worked very well. Then, we cross the Loop 303, and all of a sudden, the temperature went up about 15 degrees!! It was actually almost comfortable! Apparently, it gets a lot colder out Wickenburg way then it does in town. The 'heat island' effect is in full force. All the concrete, etc. is holding the heat of the day and keeping it a lot warmer at night. I was aware of this effect, but I had never experienced anything like it before. I was very thankful for the 'heat island' on Saturday night, because riding a Harley out in the open desert at night can be extremely chilly!!

The Cadillac of Bikes

Last night, Big D took me for my first ride on the new bike. My first reaction: WOW! I've been on the back of many, many bikes, but this was like no other. It was definitely the most comfortable bike I've ever been on. The seat was perfect and I felt comfortable leaning back on the padded sissy bar. Even the ride itself was better. And WOW is that bike loud!! It has drag pipes on it with no baffles, so Big D won't be riding it to work that much. He leaves at 4:30 a.m. and the neighbors would not be happy with us. He's thinking about putting the kind of baffles in it that have a switch to turn them on and off. That way he can leave the house semi-quietly. All in all, we are very pleased with the new bike. Big D left at 8:30 this morning for the Laughlin River Run with Aaron. They were going to meet some more people at Greg's house and leave from there. I wish them sunny skies and clear roads. Can't wait to see the pics from the trip!

Our New Toy & Two Of The Nicest Peeps Around!

Last night, Big D got the title to the coveted 1988 Harley Davidson 1200 Sportster in Candy Brandywine. See Random Photo. He is totally stoked! I'm really happy for him, it's been a long haul! In our usual fashion, it was right down to the wire! About 3 months ago, we put the '65 Fury up for sale. Big D wanted a bike. Then about two weeks later, he found this Sportster. Our neighbors Ted & Julie were selling it. Big D talked to Ted about it and explained that he wanted to buy it in time for the Laughlin River Run (which happens to be this weekend). Ted stopped running the ad for the bike, and even turned down a few offers on it because he knew how badly Big D wanted it. Now, when you think about that for a minute and let it sink in, you figure out that Ted is a really good guy. Well, Ted & Julie are great people, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Read on. Naturally, we had trouble selling the Fury. Big D would go and check in with Ted every once in a while to make sure the bike was still there. He thought for sure that Ted would sell it before we sold the Fury. Then, we are contacted by Toon (yes, that's his name) from Holland. Toon wants to buy the Fury. So, last Friday, I opened a paypal account and Toon sent the money. In the meantime, Big D went to Ted's house to tell him the car was sold and he'd be back to buy the bike in a few days. Ted told him to take it home that night. He would hold the title until Big D gave him the money. On Saturday, Ted & Julie were having a yard sale, so we went over to say hi. Ted gave us a few chromed parts for the bike, and we bought a better seat and some saddle bags from him. We invited Ted & Julie over for steaks on the grill that night. Everyone had a good time. On Sunday, I checked my paypal account and they had "limited" my access because it was a brand new account and they didn't know what the large sum of money was for. I called them and told them what it was for, and also that it really wasn't any of their business what it's for. They told me the account would be under review for 24-48 hours. Ok, fine. But the issue was: the bank transfer took 3-4 days after the 24-48 hours. So now it would be too late to get the bike registered and ready to go to Laughlin. Big D was absolutely frantic. Monday morning I found that our paypal access had been "restored". I initiated the bank transfer immediately, and after countless hours of Big D getting hysterical about it, the transfer went through on Wednesday morning! O Happy Day!!! Yesterday afternoon, Big D went to the bank, and got the money. Problem: Big D was short some cash because paypal took their cut. I told him to relax and just talk to Ted. Maybe they could make a deal. Big D went to Ted's house about 3-4 times yesterday. They weren't home. He just kept doing drive-bys. I told him Ted's neighbors were going to call the cops and have him brought up on stalking charges if he kept it up! Finally, he left a note on the front door with his phone number. Ted called at 8:30 last night and they came over to the house. Julie and I sat out on the patio talking, and Julie told me that Ted said, "If Daryl doesn't get the money by tomorrow, I'm just going to sign the title over to him and put myself down as the lienholder, so he can take it to Laughlin." Remember when I said they were nice people? We've never met people this nice in our lives. They stayed a while, and Ted, Big D and Aaron (our motorcycle mechanic extraordinaire) worked on getting the bike ready for the trip to Laughlin. It was a good night. But, in true Nelson family style, it was down to the very last minute! We're used to it, though. Note: Big D wasn't going to take the bike to work this morning, but when he started the Honda, his headlight was totally out and it was dark. So, off he went on the HD. I heard him stall and thought it sounded funny so when I talked to him, I asked about it. He forgot to turn the fuel on!

New Ink

Friday night, Big D got his new ink. It's a tattoo created in the memory of his brother Mark, who recently passed away. It looks good, but is scabbed over right now, so when it clears up a pic will be posted. Tonight, it's my turn in the chair. I'm going to my girl V's tattoo guy, and I know he does really good work. I'm still a little jumpy about it. I'm going to get it on my back, opposite the fairy that is already there. I will not reveal the identity of it, though, until it has healed and can be posted. I will say this: it has been 2 years in the making, and I cannot wait to get it! Happy Wednesday everyone!!

I'm A One-Trick Pony!

A few weeks ago, (I think) Big D and I were driving to or from somewhere in the car, and I recall him saying to me, "You're a one-trick pony, hon." For some reason, this popped into my mind on my drive home from work yesterday. I was sitting in traffic on good ol' Grand Avenue (a.k.a. doing the Grand Avenue shuffle), and all of a sudden I could not stop laughing! I'm sure the other Grand Ave shufflers thought I was either laughing at something on the radio, talking on my celly, or just plain crazy. I really don't care. The fact of the matter is, I don't remember why Big D called me a one-trick pony! When I got home, I asked him about it, and he couldn't remember, either. Then it hit us: I can never remember anything! That's my one trick! If we see that a movie is coming out on DVD, I'll ask him, "Did we see that?" And usually his answer is yes. I can't remember it, though! Now that I think about it, it's pretty amazing that I was a successful administrative assistant for over 12 years, because I really don't remember much. I must write everything down, or it's gone. So, I'm a one-trick pony, but apparently, Big D is also a one-trick pony with the same trick, because it took a while for him to remember why he called me that!

Explanation for the Random Photo

The photo is not so random. It is of Big D's 1965 Plymouth Fury. It was formerly known as 'The Black Bomber' because it was done in black primer. Now it's for sale, so it's painted 'Silver Bullet Gray" with metal-fleck red on the trim, and a low-gloss black hood. Big D and Kramer painted it over the weekend, and I have to say, it really looks good. Big D bought the Silver Bullet (a.k.a. the Black Bomber) on his 40th birthday on e-bay. I think it was his mid-life crisis car. The engine is a 440, we put in a racing transmission, shifter, console, etc. I believe it has a new cam, among other things. In short, we dumped quite a bit of money into this car. Now, Big D's passion has gone from cars to motorcycles. He has a Honda and a Triumph, but now he has his eyes on a Harley. So, the Silver Bullet is for sale. If you know anybody looking for a really fast car, let me know. It's street legal, but will run high 13's in the 1/4 mile.

Bike Week Was A Blast!

Yesterday, Big D announced that we needed to go to the bike show at University of Phoenix Stadium, or Cardinals Stadium for the non-initiated. It was the last day of Arizona Bike Week 2007. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and there was very little wind. It was the perfect day for a ride on the scooter. We arrived at the stadium and went to the motorcycle parking section. We have not purchased the 88 HD Sportster yet, so we were riding the Honda. The parking lot was full of HD's, Triumphs and Indians. There were some really gorgeous bikes just in the parking lot. We parked right next to some of the prettiest bikes I've seen. I thought maybe our bike might get knocked over, just for being an ugly Honda. But, to my surprise, it didn't! Needless to say, we were grateful! Buying the tickets: $18.00 each! I thought that was a little steep, but what the hell, we were there to have fun. Inside, I zoom right to the first bar I see. Miller Lite in a plastic bottle: $7! I predicted $9, so I wasn't that far off the mark. Big D's Diet Coke was $4. Can you say total rip-off? Anyway, we bought a pair of chaps for Big D, at an extreme discount! They look great on him, too. I'll post a pic soon. I got a new vest and some patches for it. (Pic to come soon). Big D got some patches for his vest, too. We heard someone say there was a vendor selling as many T-shirts as you can stuff into a bag for $30. So we roamed around until we found them, and now have a bunch of Bike Week 2007 shirts. Big D wears them to work, so it was definitely a bargain! After the stadium, we brought all our goods home, then headed out to Casey Jones Grill at 43rd Ave & Thunderbird in Glendale. They have special bike parking that's covered. Had a nice late lunch there, with a few more beers for me. Then on the way home, decided to stop by and visit some friends in the old neighborhood. Really enjoyed the day. Wish there could be more like that one! Maybe next year we'll get out to do some runs for Bike Week. By then we'll have the sporty ready to go! Next event: Big D's Laughlin River Run later this month.

Not So Random Today

I wasn't going to update the blog today, but I promised my best friend in Massachusetts that I would. You see, she's going through a minor crisis right now, and I can't be there for her because I'm 3,000 miles away, so, I blog. I don't understand it when people tell me that there are only 2 kinds of men in this world: the kind that marry and the kind that don't. Well, I disagree. There are the kind that jack you around for years, telling you they'll marry you, and they never will. There are also the kind that will tell you they are never getting married, but still expect you to stay in a relationship with them forever, and take care of their every need. (sounds like they need a mother, not a girlfriend!) What about the kind that can't make up their minds? Or the ones that have violence/aggression issues? Those are the worst; trust me. But there's also the kind of man that will always be there. The one who takes his marriage vows seriously, but doesn't take himself too seriously. He's funny, kind, loving, caring and not afraid to laugh at himself. You know the kind I'm talking about; he loves life and enjoys every minute of it. Maybe you don't know that kind. He's a hard worker, really invests himself in his family. He's loyal to his friends, he's a true man. This is the man we dream about as little girls. He's 'The One'. 'Mr. Right'. And we look everywhere for him. Some of us find him the first time. Some of us think we find him, but find out later that he's an imposter. Sometimes, we give up looking. And that's usually when we find him. I went through an unusually bad marriage and a traumatic divorce. There was abuse and a criminal case involved. It was not the kind of experience you'd expect after 1-1/2 years of marriage. After I had him physically removed from our home by the police, I took some time for me. I decided that I could do anything I wanted. Well, I was young, and a little bit self-destructive, so I started hanging out in bars with friends. This wouldn't have been bad all by itself, but then I started going every weeknight. And the weekends. I would stay at the bar until closing time 7 nights a week. And I wasn't drinking club soda. I was not looking for a man. I didn't want any more complications in my life, and that's what I thought a man was: just one giant complication. One night, I was at the bar with my friend George. George was one of the very best friends I had at the time. He kept me sane. We usually just sat, drank and talked. But on this night, we were playing pool. A man walked into the bar, walked by me and sat down next to George. I felt an electric jolt when he walked by. I still can't explain it to this day. It was clear that he and George knew each other, and hadn't seen each other in quite a long time. As they talked, I kept looking at the man, and though I didn't want any 'complications', I could not keep my eyes off him. We finished our pool game, and sat at the bar. When George's friend got up to leave, I decided to throw caution to the wind. I said, "Hey, George, who's the cowboy?" (He was wearing nice cowboy boots.) George replied, half jokingly, "Oh, that's Daryl, but you don't want any of that!" Well, I did want some of that. We started dating shortly after that night and got married the day after my divorce was final. This year will be my 10th year as Mrs. Nelson. Or, Mrs. Daryl, as Kramer likes to refer to me. Big D pulled me off of the path of self-destruction that I was on and loved me like there was no tomorrow. I can't tell you where I would be right now if it weren't for that chance meeting in a bar, of all places! I am telling this story for a very specific reason. I told my friend that she needs to just do what she loves doing, and eventually she will find someone. And she's not self-destructive, so she won't be hanging out in bars. I am of the opinon that we cannot go out looking for a man, or looking for Mr. Right. He will find you. I believe in fate. How can I believe anything else? Hang in there, girl. He will find you, I promise! But until he does, please remember that life is short, so ENJOY IT!!! Oh, and remember the electric jolt that I felt when Big D walked by me in the bar that first time? He felt it too. That is the power of fate.