Motorcyclists and Me

So a week or so ago I was contacted by the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. Every year I participate in what is called a "Ride-4-Kids" which is basically a group of motorcyclists that come together and do a charity ride for children with brain tumors. They raise money for pediatric brain tumor research, and also raise money for college scholarships. (I was a recipient for some of the scholarship money all throughout my college education, and it DEFINITELY helped!)

Also, all the little kids that have had brain tumors (myself included) get to ride with someone on a motorcycle or trike through the canyon along with this giant train of motorcycles. It's a great ride, and I love it! Then we eat lunch at the park, there's a raffle with drawings, and then all the children that are survivors (or the "stars") get to be interviewed by someone from the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. Some of the interviews are pretty darn funny, and of course some make you cry, but in my opinion everyone who participates leaves uplifted and excited for next year.

So anyway, the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (PBTF) Utah event coordinators contacted me and asked if I would come to the Miller Motor Sports Park in Toole and participate in a "Celebration of Life" event with the PBTF national director Kyle Clack. I love to help out in any way that I can, so of course I said I would love to participate.

The event was to take place over Memorial Day Weekend during the Super Bike World Cup. Josh and I got free passes to the events (wa-hoo!) and spent the day at the Motor Sports Park. It was a lot of fun! I got to ride on the race track (that's right! the one where they do all of the racing!) with a lady named Cathy. Cathy has a trike, and she's a spitfire lady that's in her sixties, and has bright white hair. Josh was great support, he got pictures of every single motorcyclist that participated in the parade.... except for me. It was pretty funny =) Then because I hadn't realized that I would need my ticket to reenter the park (we had to go out one gate to another to ride on the track) she and I snuck back-into the park past security... I felt like I was in a James Bond movie. Cathy was Bond. And so that makes me Bond's girlfriend, the one that ends up dead... Ok, so bad movie analogy, but you get the idea =)

Then Kyle Clack, (the national guy for PBTF) took me and Josh to lunch! It was a lot of fun, Kyle is a fantastic guy, and he has a lot of heart. And hair. And earrings.

Kyle's been the national director for the last seven years and he is passionate about what he does. He has been a motorcyclist for years, and worked in the motorcycle industry before he transitioned to being the director for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. He said that motorcyclists all have a unique gene that is somehow embedded in them, that makes them passionate for life in a unique way. So that makes them awesome candidates for charity work, because they bring two passions together, their passion for life, and their passion for motorcycles. And it's true, all of the motorcyclists that I have met at these events throughout the last six years have been dedicated and hardworking people committed to the PBTF cause and passionate about people and life. Despite their sometimes hard-looking exteriors, these people are genuine.

So then we went onstage and another girl Holly and I spoke. Holly is another girl that had brain tumors and is now in college. We spoke about what it means to be a survivor of a pediatric brain tumor, and how as a teenager life was a little different. And how the scholarship program can literally change a survivor's life, because for many it means the difference between going to college or not.

And of course, I only made it about halfway through my speech before I started crying. Someday I'll be able to make it all the way through... maybe =) But hey, when I start crying others start crying too, so I'm not crying alone! haha!

Overall, it was a great day, and I am really excited about the ride this year. It's usually the third Saturday in August, and for me it means celebrating life in the company of motorcycle buddies and family.

And celebrating life is what I do best.

The Best Homework Project Ever

I guess it all began on Sunday. My dad asked me to help him out by helping my sister Savanah and her friend Emily to put together a power point presentation for one of their school classes. He would have helped them, but he was going to be out of town for the week. I was happy to do it, but I was a little surprised because they are only in 9th grade. And they are supposed to do a power point presentation. I only had to do a total of 3 in my entire college career, and I just graduated last year! I later found out, that Emily (Nan's friend) had had to put together a power point presentation in the 6th grade... umm..... I could barely type in the 6th grade! The level of intelligence keeps growing with each new generation I suppose...

Anyway, the topic for their power point presentation was Tsunamis.

They had already typed everything out, so all they really needed me to do was bring my lap top over (my parents' computer doesn't have power point on it, and my dad was out of town with his lap top) and copy and paste the facts into a powerpoint presentation.
And figure out how in the world to convert a youtube video file to a what-cha-ma-callit file, so it can play without having to use the internet.
And put pictures into the power point as well.
And do a little editing.
And then save it to a thumb drive.
And... well, you get the idea ;)

Nan and Emily are such funny girls when they are together, that we were laughing the entire time. Ironic, because Tsunamis are not really that funny... But Nan and Em and I sure are!

So did you know that there are three primary causes of Tsunamis?
There are Volcanoes. There are Earthquakes. And there are Landslides. All of these usually take place under the ocean, and all cause Tsunamis.

But now there is a fourth cause of a Tsunami.

THE FAT MAN!








These showed-up under the subject of "tsunami" when we were searching google images for pictures. I laughed all last night about it. I was laughing when I woke-up this morning. I was laughing as I e-mailed it to my dad. I don't know if it is really that funny... but I sure laughed until I cried =)

So remember folks.

You've got volcanoes. You've got earthquakes. You've got landslides.

And you've got fat guys.

Age 14: Brain Tumor #1

It all began when I started having terrible headaches... Not too surprising considering that my particular tumor was located in my brain. The left frontal lobe to be precise. I started having these headaches on a pretty regular basis. Then I started having headaches that led into severe vomiting, but ONLY after I hit my head.

Case in Point: So at the age of 14 I decided that I wanted to be on the high school color guard. So I tried out, made the team, and had a lot of fun. Well, one day before a performance (which included the marching band) I decided to show-off for one stupendous looking band (ahem) boy who played the tuba. (Don't say it! I know what you are thinking!) And while I was showing off my skills (girls have to have skills too fellas) I tossed my flag into the air simultaneously checking out the sexy tuba boy.

Needless to say, I was paying more attention to the tuba player than to where my flag was moving in the air which proved to be a big mistake. My flag crashed directly into face. Actually, the bridge of my nose broke the flag's fall (I was staring at it as it came down... still don't know why I didn't move out from under it) and then it banged into my forehead. I collapsed to the ground, stunned by the astonishing impact of a 6-foot pole. And guess who was watching? That's right. Tuba boy.

I peeled myself off the asphalt, and tenderly examined my nose for signs of brokenness. There were none so I glanced quickly over at Tuba boy. He and the entire drum line were laughing so hard, they had tears coming to their eyes. Completely humiliated I waved, then flourished a dramatic bow. Things didn't ever end up working out with me and tuba boy...

While I appeared to be all right physically on the outside with my spinning flag mishap, on the inside my brain was going into shock. In the early hours of the morning, shortly after midnight I had what can only be described as a migraine. This was followed a few hours later by violent vomiting. So naturally I had one of three things:
1) I had a concussion.
2) I had the flu.
3) I was pregnant and experiencing the worst morning sickness imaginable.

I ruled out being pregnant pretty much immediately. I didn't remember anything that would have led up to that sort of thing, and let's face it, I was sort of a nerd. Cute, but still a nerd. Interested in boys, but still a nerd. I hadn't even kissed a boy!

I then considered the possibility that I had a concussion. And while yesterday's events had been less than exhilarating no real damage had been done. I hadn't broken my nose, didn't have marks of any kind what-so-ever on my face, and my psycho flag twirling incident had really only bruised my pride.

Therefore, my only logical explanation to the headache and severe vomiting was the flu. As soon as 5am rolled around I stumbled into my parents bedroom and announced that I had the flu. My mom woke up immediately and began shouting "who's there! who's there!" My mom has very poor vision. She'll admit it too. Pretty much without contacts or glasses she can't see a thing. My dad rolled over and accidentally elbowed my mom right in the face as he was trying to figure out why my mom had suddenly started shouting. I started laughing in spite of the fact that I felt so sick. My parents, however, didn't understand why I was laughing at 5am in the morning in their bedroom. I quickly explained that I had the flu. My mom got up and started feeling around for her glasses. After feeling my forehead, she told me I didn't have a fever but that it was probably a good idea for me to stay home from school.

We didn't realize then what the future had in store for me.

My Life's Experiences... in a nut shell

I am a 23-year-old gal with an amazing husband and two sweet puppies! I experienced brain tumors at the ages of 14, 16, and 18 which taught me some great life lessons. I have my Bachelor's degree in Human Development (fascinating area of study for those who are interested) with a minor in Music. And throughout my life, I have had some pretty dang funny experiences, and I know some incredibly funny stories... which is basically what my blog will be about. My life, my experiences, and some of the most humorous things that have ever happened to me.