Life Lately | 5.31.16

Hi Friends!   Today’s exhilarating and nail biting post brings you a few key moments in Jordan’s life from the last half of May.  Thrilling… I know!

 

May 21st, 2016 – INSANITY Certification – Waterloo, IA

This actually was thrilling.  And, apparently, I am lucky to have come out alive from my overnight stay in ol’ Waterloo.  Listen, I am a cheap-o when it comes to hotel rooms the night before out of town certifications.  That is money out of my pocket for less then an 8 hour stay, so I choose cheap over lux.  I guess this particular hotel I stayed in usually means trouble.  Let’s just say I got 4 hours of sleep, saw multiple deals go down in he parking lot.. and by deals I mean things I can’t even repeat.   I had about enough of the commotion by 5am that morning that I was up, ready and out the door by 5:30am, found a Starbucks and sat in my Jeep until 8:15am.  After hearing the whole hotel story, Kayla made me promise to put a $100 minimum on any future hotel stays when flying solo.  Clint told me to not forget my gun.  Got it.  Check!  When all was said and done, I survived and helped certify this  AMAZING crew of new INSANITY instructors.  They asked some of the most intelligent questions and really dug deep into the material.

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CHAMP Snuggles.

As mentioned in my last post, Champ has cancer.   And it’s getting really close to the end of his time with us.  Closer then I had ever hoped it would come.  It’s been a rough last 24 hours.  I will keep you posted and many many many many thanks for the love and well wishes.  I feel them.  And WE are going to need them in the days ahead. ❤

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Memorial Weekend

Friday – A wonderful Happy Hour with none other then Ms. Tyree.

Saturday – A trip to Brownville, NE where I was overdressed, the town was packed with junk… err, “treasure” if you are a flea market type, the beer was good, the company in our gorgeous cuz Erika was great, the pickings for Clint was just what he wanted and the afternoon away from the city was glorious.

Sunday – A trip to Clarinda on the bikes…

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for some grillin’ and chillin’ with the greatest friends a couple could have.  We even got to hang with Kyle, the Lane’s and Dustin.

It was the perfect summer night.

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And that Sunset was INCREDIBLE!

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Monday – A trip to the soon to be open Walkup Woods to watch Clint get some mill-work done.  Clint is opening a second business, in conjunction with Walkup Tree, slated to open on June 20th.  He’s the hardest working, most dedicated and most visionary man I know.  Proud of him.  More details to come on this new adventure.

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Ended Monday with a ride to Blair for some afternoon beers, good music and time spent with friends.

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May riding wouldn’t be complete without getting caught in a storm.  I love the thrill of watching the rain roll in, the lightening crack across the sky and those first few raindrops.  It’s not so bad getting poured on when you know you are headed home.   It’s another story when you are just starting out your journey to Sturgis in the pouring rain, but we won’t go back and dig up old bones now, will we?  🙂 😉

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Cheers to a lovely May full of friends and fun.  And here’s to bringing in June with a much needed girls vacation around the bend and a few more long lasting hugs with my buddy, Champ.

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It’s The Weekend Mash-Up

Last week I traveled for work Wednesday thru Friday.  While I had all intentions of running while away, the reality is it didn’t happen.   Wednesday morning before I left town I was able to get a quick lifting session in at the gym, but Thursday and Friday?  Forget about it.  We can thank some questionable food on Wednesday night that led to some unfortunate stomach pains and minimal sleep the rest of the week. Sure makes focusing on meetings an interesting task.

Once back home Friday night, Clint and I opted for an evening in.  We rented a movie, I ordered Jason’s Deli and the couch is where we remained for the evening.  It was glorious.

Saturday morning I woke up feeling great and took off for a 4 mile run.   The weather was beautiful, and for the ridiculous low amount of miles I’ve put in over the last few months, my pace was pretty impressive.

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After my run I was feeling like something light for lunch so I hit up our newly renovated Hy-Vee deli.  The sushi?   Seriously, so good.  They’ll even make it right there for you if you ask.

Kudos, HyVee.  You’ve got this customer satisfaction thing figured out.

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Clint looked at me like I was nuts when I suggested we eat sushi and have a beer in the backyard at lunch, but he totally dug it.   See… I’m not so crazy, honey.

After lunch, Kyle stopped over.  He was back in town for the weekend to see a buddy and so he came over to help Clint get Ruby running again.

You could darn near see Clint’s heart on his sleeve that afternoon.  

He was beaming ear to ear that his little buddy was back in town.

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While they tinkered with their toy, I baked some white chocolate oatmeal scotchies.  They turned out super yummy, but they looked terrifying.  Trust me.   I don’t know what it is with me and cookies, but I am going to blame it on my oven for uneven cooking.   Yeesh.

Picture?  Not even going to happen on these suckers.

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Anyway, do you ever get the feeling you’re being watched?

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Yep, these creepers watched my every move while I baked.

Someone should tell them that to be a successful stalker, one must be incognito.

Saturday afternoon I had the itch to get out and ride, so I called up a few girlfriends and we hit the road.

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Anchor Inn, Joe Banana’s, Doghouse Saloon and back to Anchor Inn.

It was a beautiful night for a ride with the gals.

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Tracy, Me, Marcy, Elizabeth, Jen

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Jen, Liz, Tracy

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The BB’s

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Eat your heart out.

…or rather, this is my “I forgot my clear glasses” look.

Fail.

I’d like to close this post with the cool things I did on Sunday, however, let’s just say my bathroom floor and I became frenemies thanks to either a bad case of food poisoning catching up with me or an early strand of the flu.

Oh well….

Friday and Saturday?  You rocked.

Sunday – Forget you.

Cheers! 

The Making of the Biker B!tch Crew

Allow me to introduce you to some of the coolest chicks you will ever meet.

Image2013 Biker B!tch Crew

Some of these girls I have known for years while others only for a short time, but what I can tell you about this particular group is that we share a unique and special bond that only female bikers can truly understand.

Let me take you through the making of this pretty fantastic group.

Background

Fall 2004 I bought my first Harley.

Summer 2005 I started riding with a crew I had only met a couple of times (including my now bestie, Sara).  They welcomed me with open arms, and I am eternally thankful for that being a new rider at the time.  Sara and I quickly became close friends.   She is one sassy lady with the kindest, most caring heart.  Sara and I have been by each others side through some pretty major life events and I am forever thankful for her friendship.  She is my #1 BBB.   (Best Biker B!tch, for those that may be confused) 🙂

Summer of 2006 Sara and I officially formed the Biker B!tch Crew…. or Duo I guess we should have called it at the time.

Even with just the two of us, we knew we were on to something pretty great. 🙂

ImageSara and I: Summer 2006

Holy Old School  Some of these older year pics have made me laugh-out-loud tonight.

Each year we started to recruit a few more girls to our Crew.

There is something pretty darn awesome about being a woman in control of your own bike.

Empowering

Sassy

Hot

Sara’s sister, Liz, joined us next.  Liz cracks me up with her sense of humor and say it like it is personality.   You know where you stand with these two sisters and I love that about the both of them.  Good people.  Good hearts.

ImageSara, Me, Liz

Then came Tammy; Sara and Liz’s step-sister.  Tammy actually bought my Harley-Davidson Sportster which was fun for me to see it passed on to another kick ass chick!  Loads of fun the four of us gals had that summer, let me tell you.

Soon after Tammy joined us, my friend Heidi came aboard.  Heidi and I met in 2006 when we both started working for the same company.  We bonded and survived that nightmare of a job, quickly became great friends and a few years later I had the privilege of helping her search for her first Harley.

And, this is where the years get a little blurry and I have no photos.

Sad affair, but we won’t dwell.  The best is yet to come!

Fast forward to 2010.

ImageHeidi, Sara, Tammy, Jordan and Liz

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The photos above were taken at Heron Bay in Louisville, NE.  Fun little dive bar on the river.  Highly recommend for a summer pit stop.  Don’t expect fanciness.  It is definitely a dive.

ImageLiz, Sara, me, Heidi, Tammy Chrome Lounge, Omaha, NE

Bottoms Up, Ladies!

2011 Biker Bitch Ride we added my girl, Tyree.  Tyree and I met when I moved to Omaha in 2006 and she’s become one of my closest friends and confidants.   We have some pretty wild things in common that helped us bond in just a few short weeks.  Tyree didn’t have a Harley when I first met her, but she invested a few years after.  I also had the privilege of joining Tyree while she made her first Harley purchase!  So much fun.

I can’t help feeling like a proud momma when my friends purchase new bikes!

In true Bitch Ride fashion, it rained the day of our 2011 ride.  It always seems to rain on us, but usually passes through pretty quickly.

NOT. THAT. YEAR.

Seriously….

We were poured on.  But, we didn’t let it damper our spirits.  Nor were we going to be called fair weather riders, so off we went!

2011 biker bitch

Me, Tyree, Liz, Heidi and Sara

Shiddle-E Dee – Clarinda, IA

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ImageEssex, IA.  We started a tradition of chalking the tables in 2011.  😉

2012 we added CB, Lara and Kayla to our crew.

CB is an old friend/step-mother figure of Sara and Liz and is such a caring and kind woman.

Kayla is one of my very best friends since our High School Days.  She and I were often up to no good, but we have some of the best memories together and I am forever thankful that we have remained besties in our adult years.  The shenanigans just don’t stop, especially since her husband and mine are inseparable.  They honestly should just move in together and Kayla and I could just pay them a visit every now and then. 🙂

Lara is one of Kayla’s close friends and is an absolute ball of fun.  I love this woman’s humor, compassion and zest for life.

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ImageNever truer words.

The day of our 2012 Ride a few of the gals were just meeting each other for the first time.  I was the only one that knew all of them, a couple of the others knew all but maybe one or two and then there were a couple other gals that didn’t know but only one.   By an hour or two into the day it was as if we had known each other for years.

This is the kind of friendship that can’t be explained.  I can say it until I am blue in the face, but there really is something about bonding over two wheels.  We share the danger, the excitement, the adrenaline and the enhanced sense of caution.  We look out for one another, we never leave someone behind, we encourage, poke fun and genuinely care for each other.

But don’t let all that fool ya…. We are often up to no good. 🙂

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ImageBottom Right – Clockwise – Kayla, Me, CB, Sara, Lara, Heidi, Liz and Tyree

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No shame in saying it how it is…. 😉

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For the record, it did rain that day.  Why would you think any different?

2013- 8th Annual B!tch Ride

Our largest group yet!  We added three new ones this year!

Regeana- Tyree and I met her at the Holstein’s 2013 All Women’s Run about a month prior to the Bitch Run.   She showed up to the run by herself in hopes of meeting a few other ladies to ride with.   We started chatting her up at the first bar stop and we have shared the open road with her ever since.  Regeana has two kids and a husband overseas.  She is a rockstar of a woman.

Ashley – a friend of my husband’s who I reached out to and invited her on the B!tch Run spur of the moment.   Remember that talk about building fast friendships on 2 wheels?  Ashley didn’t know a single one of us until this day.  I was even just meeting her for the first time!  So glad she stepped out of her comfort zone and joined us.  She is an absolute sweetheart and we all loved her from the get-go.

And Katina, didn’t know anyone but me (she grew up with my husband), but the gals literally took her under their wings within minutes.  Katina is such a quiet, sweet soul with a sneaky side to her (um, she just up and moved to Colorado for goodness sakes).   Thankful Katina was able to join our rowdy bunch and didn’t run away thinking we were all too crazy.

I am blessed to know such strong, kick ass, beautiful, fun loving women that I can call dear friends.

ImageHeidi, Regeana, Me, Kayla, Sara, Katina, Tyree, Liz, Ashley, Lara

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Our first stop on the 8th Annual B!tch Ride landed us in Macedonia, IA for lunch.  Our second stop (above) landed us in Griswold.  And this is where we remained for longer than anticipated due to…… you’ve got it…

Rain.

That’s ok though.  We had more then enough fun while stranded.

ImageOur attempt at recreating our 2012 hand in pocket photo.

Can we say, FAIL?

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Stop 3- Red Oak, IA

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Stop 4 and 5 – Essex, IA (chalk table) and Imogene, IA for none other then Little Beer Shots.

So. Good.

       So. Lethal.

                You’ve been warned.

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Case In Point – You may end up in a kiddie pool….

ImageTyree and Yours Truly

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And that my friends, is the History of the Biker B!tch Crew.

Awesome Girlfriends, Crazy Shenanigans, Lots of Laughs, Forever Memories.

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Click on the below links to see what we've been up to!

9th Annual Biker B!tch Run | 2014

10th Annual Biker B!tch Run | 2015

11th Annual Biker B!tch Run | 2016