The Bicycle Stories #1 in the series

As I grew older, despite the accident with the rose bush, my love for riding a bike grew. I rode my bike most everyday after school and almost all day every day during summer. Almost every hill I came across turned into a little jump. Performing wheelies was a regular pretty much wherever I went. As I got better on my bike at doing tricks I also got a bit more cocky. Anytime I could show off for someone was the perfect time. Never to be outdone I would go to drastic measures to out ride any of my buddies.
This brings me to the ramp I built on the dirt road in front of our house. Ya see, the little hills just weren't cutting it anymore for me cause I was more advanced than that. So one day I set out to build a ramp. I found a couple of sheets of plywood in the barn. One was about three feet long and the other about five. Three concrete blocks later the ramp was done. With two blocks under the jump ramp and one under the landing ramp it looked perfect. Now I'm no dummy so I started with them close together. This quickly became an easy challenge so I began to move the landing ramp away from the jump ramp. Soon the ramps were about eight feet or so apart. I was airing that sucker out! About that time my Mom and Her boss came out of house. Mom told me to move the ramps so her boss could get his truck out of the drive way. No way was I gonna move it without one last jump. I mean, heck, I finally got an audience!! I sped back down the rode yelling "Hey ya,ll watch this!" Well little did I know that while I had been jumping the ramp over and over that the front board had been moving back a tiny bit at a time. Hitting break neck speed I hit the ramp with mom and her boss paying close attention. As soon as my front wheel hit the ramp the front board fell to the ground. I never had a chance. When the bike hit the bricks I was tossed like a lawn dart over the handle bars. I flew in the air a very long way. As a matter of fact I believe it was probably just shy of eight feet. Hitting the landing ramp in the front without the bike was definitely not the awe inspiring landing I was looking for. I'm pretty sure it was the landing ramp brick that broke my fall and knocked the wind out of me. Once I came to a stop I couldn't catch my breath. Finally right before I was sure I was gonna die I got a breath and realized besides a few scratches and bruise that I was alright. Right about that time mom yelled "That was a great trick. Do it again!"

Mom's Hidden Extra Powers!!

Ever wonder where your mom gets the extra powers that they seem to have. You know what I mean, like being able to foresee the future. Like telling you to stop or your gonna hurt yourself and minutes later you go crying in the house cause you got hurt. For some reason moms have a sixth sense it seems. They simply have abilities that men and children don't have. I'm not exactly sure why this is but it can work to your advantage and disadvantage. For instance, One time me and my mom were in the living room watching t.v. Mom told me to go to the pantry and get something for her, I'm pretty sure it was peanut butter. So I take off to the kitchen and open the pantry but there's not any peanut butter. I go back to the living room and tell her there's not any. Mom tells me that she just bought some the other day and its in there I just didn't look good. So, I return to the pantry and look again. Still finding nothing I return to her to give her the bad news. This time she tells me in a whole new tone of voice that it is in the pantry on the second shelf and that she put it there when she bought it the other day. Now being frightened for my livelihood I go back and look all through the second shelf moving everything as i go. Still nothing. Now I know I have her caught in her own little trap. I bounce my way back into the living room. I can hardly wait to tell her she is wrong and I got her at her own game. This time she tells me to not make her have to go get it herself cause I wont be happy with the outcome. I told her sorry bout her luck but there wasn't any peanut butter!! Mom proceeds to get up and head to the kitchen. I follow her so I can see her face when she realizes shes wrong. We get to the pantry and she slings the door open then simply reaches in and gets the peanut butter that is sitting right on the edge of the second shelf. In my head I quickly ask God for his forgiveness as to whatever I may have done to deserve this. I've realized since then that I don't need to ask God for forgiveness because Ive come to the conclusion that he has a sense of humor and likes for me to make him laugh. At this time Mom gives me a look that made the hair stand up on my neck. She didn't say a word, she didn't have to. To this day this kinda stuff still happens to me on a regular basis. I think it actually made us bond a little more. Also, I now have a daughter of my own and can actually do the same look quite well myself!!!

Jezabelle The Westshire Terrier

Just to catch you up a bit. We have a Jack Russell dog named Jelly. Jelly is about as good a dog as you could want. He is loyal, smart, playfull and just a laid back easy goin dude. Not like most jacks ya find. Jelly is a lazy bones kinda dog. However, he wasn't always like this by no means. Ya see, the Easter Bunny brought jelly to my little girl for Easter about six years ago. Boy was he cute. He was so excited (or so i thought). He was runnin around like crazy, chasing my daughter and snappin at her like a tiny turtle. We quickly discovered that he wasn't really excited.....he was freakin nuts! This puppy would eat stuff you wouldn't believe. Wood, plastic or metal ole Jelly didnt turn his nose up to anything. You could take him out for an hour and come back in and he would use the bathroom on the floor. He wouldn't come to you when you called either. Heck, you couldn't even pet the crazy dude cause he wouldn't sit still long enough. One day my daughter came in the living room and asked me if we could call the Easter Bunny. When i asked her why she held up a couple of her prized Barbie dolls and had tears in her eyes. I looked in her hand and it looked to me like Barbie had a bad day. One didn't have a head and the other two were bald headed and missing a few limbs. So, after that day the beatings started. After probably a million woopins and a year or so ole Jelly decided to become a good dog.

This brings me to our new addition Jezabelle. You see, my wife decided that Jelly was too much of a manly dog and that her and my daughter needed a furry cute little girl dog they can dress up and brush and make all purty like. Me and my wife headed to Tampa to pick out a puppy and she fell in love with Jez. Don't get me wrong I thought she was cute as a button too. We brought her home and my daughter absolutely loves her.

The problem, however, is the fact that Jezabelle is a long haired dog. She is also a terrier breed and they ain't quite right in the head to start with. She has a great temper and is very loving. She really likes to be outside too. We live in the country on ten acres. The grass is thick and we have cows too. So when Jez goes outside in the mornings and the grass is wet she cant help but get wet and dirty. Sometimes when she was still a puppy she would take the time to roll in some manure before she came back in. She finally quit all the nonsense after about a year but still cant help getting wet. So you always have to wipe her off in the morning when she comes in.

Now we get to the good part. This morning, as usual, I was running a bit late and trying to hurry. I let the dogs out then made some coffee and began to get dressed. After a bit i went back out to let the dogs back in but they were nowhere to be found. I called and called and they didn't come. I went back in and finished getting dressed. Not to be one to give in I tried to call em again and nothing. I told my wife I was leaving and I looked for the dogs as I drove down the road. Just as I was leaving I spotted Jelly back at the house. I hurried back to let them in and give em a piece of my mind when I seen my wife at the back door to the porch. She said with that not so good tone in her voice " Oh my Gosh, would you look at her!" I took a good long look at her and told my wife "See you after work babe!" I couldn't help but laugh all the way to work. It was truly priceless. I have posted a picture of Jezabelle so you can see what I mean. Gotta love her!

The Super Bowl and All Its Glory!

Every year I try my best to watch as much football as i can. Its usually not a very easy task to fulfill because it takes place on Sunday. The games are usually pretty long and there is always something else goin on. I usually make extra time when the Packers are going to be shown in my area. There is just something about football that makes it fun to watch. Be it the hard hits, the strategy between the two teams, the superstar players and coaches or just watching grown men fulfill there dreams by trying to kill each other, makes the game worth watching. These players get paid unbelievable money to do exactly what they want to do in life. How many people can say that? However, even with as much money as they make and they re ability to play the game better than another player. They still can't become one of the greatest without playing with a team and as a team. By playing as a team and doing it with perfection they might have a chance to make it to the Super Bowl. This is it, the big game, the championship, the big time, the whole enchilada!! A dream come true for a football player. There are many a player that never get to see that game except from the stands. This is why this game means so much. I love everything about it. The hype is what its all about. No matter which team you want to win its always gonna be a great game, not to mention a great show. The who's who of the world will be on hand to watch. The halftime show will be huge. Even the commercials will be talked about for years to come. With this being said, next year if you don't even watch football tune into the biggest game of the year and just watch. I guarantee you will find yourself lost in the greatest game in the world. I'd also like to give a congrats to the Pittsburg Steelers for winning the whole enchilada this year. Kudos to the Arizona Cardinals for making it one heck of a game to watch!!