Biker Bitch Feature

April 22, 2019

Life Lately | April 2019

Hey there, kids.  Nice to see you!  We are just going to jump right into this public diary of events in Jordan’s lifey-life.   You know… for the future when I don’t remember much and need a giant assist.

So, what’s been going on?  Everything!  Life is fantastic!

January trip to the Duck Races in Avoca, NE with these Quacks.

 

We had Beer Olympics… I mean WINTER Olympics… in February at EBBC.  Competition in costume and on the floor.  My team killed it in beer pong, naturally.  I love this gym.

Skiing / Snowmobiling in Colorado in March.

 

Cat snugs on the daily.

 

Did I mention Edge Body Boot Camp?   We 5am’ers are crazy… about killing ourselves.  Seriously.  Love.  This.  Place.   And the great friends made!  We’ve got the MURPH coming up next month! I live and breathe for the challenge.

Rowing below… girl next to me is Simone.  She’s a lean mean fighting machine.  And the jolliest of the 5am’ers there ever was. 😉

 

Re-did the spare bedroom, formerly Kyle’s.  It went from a Ford Blue storage unit to a grey/white clutter-free zone that Harley has claimed as her own.  Friggin’ Princess.

Cats world… we just live in it.

 

Experienced Mr. Justin Timberlake himself in March!  Claire, Briton and I had an absolute blast.  JT … dang, man.  That was a show.

 

Clint and crew are killing it at the Walkup’s.  Both WT and WWP are coming into their busy season, so I visit the shop when I can in order to see that husband o’ mine.

 

I recently got the chance to sneak a few shots of Bodi, my biker B, Liz’s, newest addition.  Future biker right here, folks.  What a little heart-breaker.  All the heart eyes on this lil dude.

 

Work.  Well, it’s fast-paced and each day something new. I love it.  It’s certainly challenging me in new ways that I didn’t expect, but am embracing and facing it on the daily.  Growth mindset.  It’s beautiful.  It helps that I have an absolutely INCREDIBLE staff.  My office mates/colleagues are equally as incredible at what they do and keep me afloat on the reg.

 

Still part of the Nebraska Wind Symphony.  We had our Spring concert a few weeks back and now I am on hiatus until the Fall season rolls around.  I enjoy playing still, but will admit the Monday evening rehearsals can be a bit much sometimes with the early 4:20am alarm clock.  Girl needs some zzz’s!

Also back to teaching fitness classes again and my heart is so happy.

 

Motorcycle season is FINALLY here and your girl is feeling all sortsa warm fuzzies.  Coming off Easter weekend and two days on the bike.  Saturday Clint and I rode down to Coin for Easter dinner at the Swanson residence, which provided us the opportunity to chase the sunset on our way home.  Sunset rides are LIFE.

 

Easter Sunday I took off on my own to Clarinda for what was hands-down the windiest ride I’ve had in a while.  Good solid leaning for all 50ish miles of Highway 34 on my way down.  Unfortunately just North of Goecker-ville I had a little malfunction.  It was little due to my low speed coming off a stop sign.  I am telling you… I have RAD angels who ride with me.  It could have been ugly, but it wasn’t, and so a quick call to my dad, Craig, and Jeanne and we had her loaded on their mower trailer and in dad’s garage in under an hour of being sidelined.

 

Saddlebags off, motorcycle up, dad’s magic hands and all necessary parts, and he had me back on the road only two hours late to mom’s Easter lunch.  🙂  Sorry Gr’pa for missing yours completely.  I had all good intentions.

 

Left Clarinda around 3:30 for what was an even WINDIER ride home.  To the folks in the white Grand Cherokee who initially set out to pass me on 34 but then decided to tail back a bit… I am just going to say thanks.  I am going to assume you held back after watching the wind own me like a little b!tch and you were just watching out for my well-being.

‘Preciate ya.

 

And, for the most part, I’d call that a nice brief wrap-up of a handful of events these last few months.

 

Happy Spring to ya.  Be Present in all you do!

 

Cheers!

March 4, 2019

13th Annual Biker B!tch Run | July 2018

January felt like it lasted 328 days, February maybe 10, and now March is showing signs that hell has literally frozen over.

Winter: Get Over Yo’self!

Summer 2018 was a scorcher so I believe now is a perfect opportunity to reminisce on those so humid I need to take a shower to dry off kinda days.

Enter in the 13th Annual Biker B!tch Run with these Babes.

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The run began in Council Bluffs, IA at the Hard Luck Saloon with the divvying of shirts and morning Bloody’s before heading off to the Aeroplane Inn.

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Kickstands up and off to Sportsman Bar in Pisgah, IA.

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Stop 1 & 2 are always the calm before the storm.   Stop 3 you can bet on it…

Shit gets weird.

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Some photos just can’t make it to cybersphere.  Sorry.  That saying “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas?”  We all know that’s not entirely true, but you can bet your bottom dollar that you don’t want to see what kind of situation that selfie stick found itself all up in.

Alllll up in.

She’s cute.  She ain’t innocent.

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I am not quite certain, but I believe a bet was involved here, along with the age requirement question.  Small towns, man.

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Children must also remain in their designated locations at all times.

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Photos, Photos, and More Photos.   The gang was snap happy.

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Let’s Roll! Up next: fuel for bikes and humans.  Pop N Docs, delivered.

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Heidi’s man happened to be out boating and made his way to the bar in time to buy us all a round of cocktails.  I can assure you, no one was upset about that.

Thanks, Shannon!

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Moving on: Tekamah, NE to Ronnie’s Bar, who we blew off a few years back due to tire issues and timing… so we thought we’d stop in and repay them… with nonsense, of course.

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And finally to a bar in the literal middle of NOWHERE, somewhere West of Blair, NE.  I don’t have a clue it’s name, but what I do know is:

  1. You have to cross a myriad of railroad tracks to get into town.
  2. The bar serves Chicken for every meal, every day.
  3. If you ask bar patrons nicely, they let you take their van for a spin.

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Shag carpet, a cooler of beer inside AND Free Candy, too!

We took the bait.

#sorrymom

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With bellies sore from laughter, many cleared out and headed on home at this point, while a few others made our way to Waterloo, NE to the Dog House.  A tried and true, never fail ya, bar.

This bar brings out the feels… I guess?

#deepthoughtsbylizandjordy

#trueluv

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And how about this CUTE little kitty…

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who was having NONE of it.

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Now you know, this wasn’t the end.  Never is.   One more nightcap at another bar I fail to remember the name of.  It was also in the middle of kinda-nowhere, north of Omaha, off I-680.  Descriptive enough?

You’re welcome.

Poor Tyree.  All she wanted was a last man standing photo.

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Nailed it.

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Cheers to Year #13 with some of the BEST ladies I have ever come to know.  Two-Wheels create such unique and fulfilling friendships.

As for #14?  We will see.  #13 seemed like a good time to close it out.  Call it good.  End a GREAT run.  It became my baby and it meant a lot to a lot of people.  There are a lot of reasons for closing a great chapter, and many of those will remain inside that lil heart of mine.  But, not all sequels are bad either.

We shall see.  Until then…

 

 

Cheers!

September 8, 2018

Motorcycles, Leather and a Baby?

Towards the end of August I had the privilege of taking some photos for my very dear friends Andy and Liz, to only be surprised with the news of a baby on the way!  What a fun opportunity to switch mindsets from doing a couples photo session to a BABY announcement session. My heart! ❤

 

The weather was not in our favor, and having already rescheduled once, we were determined to keep plugging away, despite the rain and 1 million percent humidity levels.

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As all males, I think Andy was less than thrilled at the idea of photos, however, adding in the excitement of the baby announcement helped ease the nerves and joy and pride soon took over.  We had a solid hour of photos, endured the rain and then I held the honor of keeping this beautiful secret locked tight.

Until now.

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I think it is safe to say these two are going to make the absolute COOLEST parents on the block.  I am overjoyed for them and cant wait to spoil this baby in all things Harley-Davidson.

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Congrats, kids!

Enjoy the Ride!

 

Cheers!

December 15, 2017

The Hobby | Biker Photos

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It all started summer 2017 with this girl, this bike and a camera I had received as a gift nearly three years prior.

I didn’t completely know what I was doing, and I certainly still don’t, but I knew I wanted to try and capture a few photos of Liz with her bike.  And what started out as a fun night of unknowns, turned into a hobby worth exploring.

But not for reasons you might think.

I am connected to many influential, intelligent, beautiful, gracious and inspirational women.   Add to the equation a woman who rides her own motorcycle and you end up with a pretty powerful subject.

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According to the Motorcycle Industry Council, the number of women riders in America is growing daily.  In fact, in 2015 female motorcycle owners made up 14 percent of the industry.   In 2003, an estimated 9.6 percent of the motorcycle owners in America were women, which shows us an increase of over 50 percent in 10 years.

Nice work, gals!

Women Riders Now provided us with an even larger breakdown:

  • Slightly more than 17 percent of Gen X owners (born from early 1960 to mid-1970s), and 17.6 percent of Gen Y owners (born in the 1980s and 1990s) are women.
  • Among Boomer owners (born between 1946-1964), women make up 9 percent.

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We are a highly educated group as well!

  • 47 percent of us have a college or post-graduate degree.

 

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As I said…

 influential,

intelligent,

beautiful,

gracious,

inspirational

WOMEN

Before I knew it, one session turned into another and another, and with those sessions I started to grow in my confidence, abilities and knowledge.   Each shoot I critiqued and analyzed to find something new to take away, whether it was a new technique or studying the settings I had used to get the desired outcome.  I fully invested in studying aperture, ISO and shutter speed and how they intertwine.  The importance of angles and subject placement started to take shape.

The positioning of the sun and the effects it had on the shooting range was an eye opener for me.  Using natural light to enhance the subject while avoiding unappealing shadows or bright, nearly drowned out spots, can be tricky depending on the time of day and location.

 

I started to work on the concept of depth and subject placement in order to get the end result desired, whether it be a bold, loud full landscape statement, or a naturally blurred or bokeh effect background with the focus on the subject.

 

I have learned so much, and have so much yet to learn.  I don’t want to be a hobbyist who is a simple “point and shoot” type.   There are plenty of “photographers” out there.  Anyone with a fancy camera can wave their hand in the air.

Am I a professional photographer?  Absolutely not.  Do I want to be?  No.  Am I trying to be?  No.

I am enjoying learning a fun hobby while working toward producing products for people that have a look and feel of minimal effort, but polished and a semi-professional edge.

 

But, my dear friends… it’s more than that.

Those influential, intelligent, beautiful, gracious and inspirational women I am fortunate enough to know?  I want you to see them too.

 

And I want them to truly see it in themselves.

 

 

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I want to help boost confidence in the individuals in front of my lens.

I want them to own and embrace what makes each of them unique.

 

I want to pull out the happiness and joy these girls exude and put it in print for the rest of the world to experience.

 

I want these girls to feel pride when they see themselves in print.

 

I want to help build self-esteem, self-confidence, pride, happiness and joy into each of my subjects

one shot at a time.

 

And with that,

I think I found my niche.

 

I look forward to the spring months ahead where I hope to hit the ground running with more opportunities to capture photos of not only my friends with their bikes, but also to the many other strong, powerful women (and men) out there riding their own.

When you are ready, so am I.