Vrroooom Vrroooom

When I was just a young tike, my dad had a motorcycle that he would cruise to and from work. I remember riding up and down the dirt road to our house in his lap (prior to seat belt laws, helmet laws, all laws really) until my mom would come outside and school him on how dangerous this was...

Fast-forward to high school when I dated a guy who literally drove a motorcycle to school every day. Not because he was cool, but because he wasn't. (Being 16 and having to pick up my date to the Homecoming dance? How. Embarrassing.) Never in all my years have my parents loathed a boyfriend so much, and to this day my dad still makes fun of his handshake (and remembers his name- though he prefers to call him idiot, bonehead, or loser). Needless to say, I was never allowed to hop on the back of said guy's motorcycle for a leisurely cruise. (And for once I didn't argue- mainly because I was pretty certain death was imminent if I let that road-rage-crazed maniac drive me anywhere.)

So last summer when Nick suddenly decided he wanted to ride, I was somewhat perplexed. Not since high-school-bonehead-boyfriend had I ever even considered hopping on the back of a motorcycle; nor was this on my bucket list. I was definitely not one of those people who would rubberneck just to scope out the Harley in the next lane (unless the loud grumbling engine reluctantly forced me to turn up the volume on my car radio- in which case I would mean mug the biker and speed up, praying he or she didn't see me) and I had never once heard Nick mention riding before. So.... it was weird.

It all started with this little red creation.



And led to a conversation with lots of convincing that led to this.



Which somehow led to a biker rally, bandanna, and personalized leather vest.



At this point, you are probably thinking it can't get any worse.

Then the recruiting began.



Along with weekend trips to the local (fifty mile away) biker bar.



So I guess it wasn't any surprise when we spent Father's Day (and last Thanksgiving) like this.



Happy Father's Day to my Dad (thanks for keeping me in line and away from bikers, well... until now), to Paw Paw (thanks for always making me feel like the most special granddaughter on the planet) to Mike (thanks for taking care of me as if I was one of your own), to Nick (for being the most loving and determined dad I know), and to all the other fathers out there who deserve more than just one day a year. Love you all to pieces.

Side note: There are currently no helmet laws in Florida, but given my track record of head injuries I always always ALWAYS wear one. Yes, I realize it makes me look like a mushroom. However, I am going to need these brains once I get around to writing that New York Times Best-Seller. Until then, just call me Toadstool.

Night in NOLA

"Worst week ever + Best boyfriend ever = Surprise weekend getaway to New Orleans!! Top down, radio up, headed to The Big Easy:-)"

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First off, let me say that this week has been awful. It was the week of "The Big Audit" so needless to say I went to work early, got home late, and even broke down in a flood of awkward tears on my home two days ago. Miserable. All I could think about was getting off early on Friday and heading straight to the sofa with a glass of wine and some peanut m&m's. (Because honestly, who can think calories in a time like this. Celery sticks? Not exactly comfort food.)

But of course I didn't leave early.

Well, I did leave early. One hour early. But I didn't quite make it to the couch--only to the kitchen counter where I found an envelope with my name on it. I immediately ripped it open to find a hotel reservation for NEW ORLEANS! My superfantastic boyfriend had the suitcase packed and the convertible all ready to go! As exhausted as I was, I figured I could just sleep in the car. Roadtrip!

Side note: As much as I love convertibles, I would like to mention that it started pouring down rain fifteen minutes outside of Destin... but hey, it's the thought that counts.

Let me just say that I love pretty much everything about New Orleans- the food, the music, the streets that force you to wear flip-flops so as not to sprain an ankle. And of course, the local people are amazing...



And it's not just the ones in drag that are amazing. I was also quite fond of the man who pulled his rolling desk chair all the way down the street to the park to watch a concert. Of course he didn't have a ticket, so he just sat outside the gate with his brown bag bottle in tow.

I will never understand people who don't like New Orleans.

Nick and I actually had our first date in NOLA so it's always nice to spend a romantic night away where it all started. And by romantic, I mean walking down the streets until the wee hours of the morning, hand-in-hand, arguing about which one of us is currently more intoxicated. Only in New Orleans.

Since we have been to the city a few times now, this trip was all about venturing off our normal beaten path and trying some new local flavor. First, we ate pizza at a funky little Italian place called Mona Lisa. The pizza was so good that I literally wrapped the leftovers up in tin foil and put them in my purse for later. Don't judge. Later we checked out the oldest bar in New Orleans, a place called Lafitte's Blacksmith where we discovered lots of hipsters and didn't last past our first drink. Though I enjoyed the atmosphere, this is definitely not the place to go for people-watching. The crowd is far too normal by New Orleans' standards. After our run-in with the swanky crowd, we made it over to Harrah's for a little gambling. I was up by $20 on the nickel slots (big spender), but then got bored and tried out the "Max Bet" button. After approximately 3 minutes I had lost everything and was over it.



Needless to say we ended up with the masses on Bourbon, sipping on hurricanes in the street and soaking up the scene. I would share more details, if only I could remember them.

In the morning we woke up bright and early (10am) to get ready for our bike tour. Back in September 2008 we took a city tour through Boston on bicycles and have been hooked ever since. Getting the street view of everything makes it much more interesting, so long as you don't get pummeled by a moving vehicle (or horse, other bicycle, gypsy, etc). This one was especially exciting, since our tour guide got screamed at by locals pretty much the entire time. "Can you believe he charges these people fifty bucks in an economy like this?" Apparently they do this every day, as he often used their rants as a segway into talking about local cultures and attitudes (more frequently the latter). Considering he is probably the most laid-back person ever (not to mention he actually does charge $50 a person), something tells me he doesn't mind the chatter.



After 24 short hours in The Big Easy we loaded up the car and headed back back to the Sunshine State. The funny thing is that after having what I thought was the worst week of my life, somehow all I can think about now is what a fantastic weekend it has been so far. I could totally get used to the whole weekend getaway thing and am considering resigning from my current position of "Weekend R&R Extraordinaire" to "Weekend Warrior." I'll keep you posted.

The Family that Plays Together Stays Together

The last few weeks have been jam-packed full of familiar family visitors which has been quite the treat. The first to arrive was my very own brother Alex Bafeep! For the last few years he has been in the Coast Guard, which pretty much means I never have any idea where he is living at any given moment. (I probably could know, but keeping up with his whereabouts is somewhat exhausting.) If you were to ask me right now where he is I could at least point you in the right direction- somewhere between South Carolina and Virginia- but that's about it. Sad, I know. As you can imagine, not knowing where Alex actually lives makes it a little difficult to actually see him face-to-face. However being the loving brother that he is, my address somehow ended up on his GPS while en route to San Antonio for a visit with the parentals. I was totally psyched to have entire night out with the little bro. We spent the evening at a local bar playing pool then ended up on our balcony listening to Al strum his six string while sipping on White Russians. Pure loveliness. The next day Nick and I gave him the tour de grande and drove out to Seaside for some delicious pies at the Pizza Bar. Unfortunately I had to leave for Gainesville to attend a software training seminar so Alex headed on down the road to his next vacay stop. (Obviously not fair...)

The next group arrived the following Friday and consisted of Nick’s brother Kris, wife Ashley, and daughter Adriana. Ashley and I set out for a relaxing evening with the girls to see Sex and the City 2 then met up with the guys afterwards for beer and basketball. The following night we ventured to White Sands for a little bowling with Nick’s mom and Jesse, where I just-so-happened to get on a hot streak. Unfortunately my better half was struggling to get a triple-digit score… but I guess you can’t win everything all the time, right? Three games, three different winners (YAY for me, Jodie, & Kris) and fun had by all.

Wednesday brought the largest group yet when Nick’s extended family headed down from Colorado. Let me just say that my mom has a big family and this is the first time I have met one that even holds a candle in the size division. Just as fun. Just as wild. Needless to say I had a wonderful time. Nick’s sister Angie also came in town from Mississippi and we were able to get a two-on-one Yoga session in with my boss (who moonlights as a Yoga instructor- love it). It was nice to have some solo bonding time in the midst of all the chaos. Plus, any activity that burns calories is bonus points in my book. I was able to take Friday off work and the twenty-plus of us rented a couple boats and spent the day at Crab Island. I have never seen a more packed speed boat/clown car in my life, but everyone had a great time and the weather was gorgeous. The really good news is that we only had one near-death experience. Note to readers: If you insist on jumping off the front of the boat while it is in motion, first make sure that what you are in is a pontoon. Those few milliseconds of floating underneath the hollow bottom might allow your driver an extra moment to cut the engine and stop the propellers from slicing you to bits. (And no, I was not the person who jumped off the moving boat. At least not this time.)

Moving right along, we were also able to celebrate Meme Spencer’s 80th birthday with a dinner at Pronzos! Then we later found out that her birthday is months away. (It’s no wonder she was surprised by the dinner party.) They figured the best time to celebrate was when the majority of the fam was together, and it was so awesome to be a part of such an important family gathering! All-in-all it was a great visit with the Spencer fam and I hope they come back to visit again next summer!


Just when we thought the company was gone… Alex managed to find his way back to Casa de Nick and Roz! And this time he wasn’t alone, which was even more exciting. Memorial Day was spent zipping through the city on scooters at breakneck speeds of 40 mph with my honey Nick, bro Alex and his girlfriend Chrissy. I was a huge fan of this activity because I got to actually got to drive- Nick rode on the back (classic). A trip to the snow cone stand was a must, then it was home to do some baking for Alex’s birthday festivities. Turning twenty-one should not be taken lightly, and it is recommended that a tall glass of milk and some chocolate iced cupcakes are present to soak up all the alcohol. Seeing as how my cooking skills are sub-par (understatement) I somehow managed to turn these said cupcakes into muffin-looking edible objects after overflowing them in the pan. Then I ended up with extra mix, which led me to create the smallest birthday cake ever recorded in Wik family history. But both were delicious so I didn’t hear too many complaints. Pointing and laughing? Yes. Ill-spirited cooking jokes? Yes. Complaining? Not so much. So perhaps presentation isn’t important so long as your treats are tasty. Or here's hoping...

I leave you with these--- Happy 21st Birthday Alex Bafeep!!