Despite an incident in practice on Sunday that almost kept us from competing in race 2, Sonoma was still a great experience!

TV time.  Love his new colors.

Nik after the race trying to get off of the bike with his knee pain

Me in the hot pit watching Nik.

Nikolas moved up to finish Race 1 in 16th place. With the bike dialed in and Nik's comfort with track having gone way up, we were excited for Sundays race 2 as we knew we could charge harder now. Unfortunately, a friend and competitor made a move going into turn 11 that sent him into the wall and bounced back to take Nik and another competitor out. That other rider was able to walk away with only bike damage while Nikolas and the rider that hit the wall were transferred to the hospital and released.

Nik sustained a sprained muscle and tendon that left him able to ride but not put weight on one leg. He knew he could not be competitive. But fought through intense pain to cross the finish line and complete all 12 grueling laps.






As a Mom watching your child in such intense pain is very difficult. I was so impressed with his ability to compartmentalize the situation and deal with the situation on hand. Racing has taught both of my children so many lessons. Perseverance and tenacity are two skills both of my children posses. I feel strongly this sport has contributed to strengthening these traits.

Part of the Team on grid before the race. 

Saturday was a day of learning the track and testing our setup. With a 2-day event instead of 3, there wasnt a lot of time on track before race 1. So Saturdays qualifying session doubled as a test/tune. With lots of changes, Nik wasn't able to get to speed until the last few laps where he moved up to 17th position before coming in for a final adjustment. We weren't able to get back on track for the last lap that resulted in dropping back to qualify in 20th place out of 25. 

One of my favorite parts of the weekend Sissy was asked by our friend and fellow#MotoAmerica #LiquiMoly Jr. Cup racer Isaiah Burleson to umbrella for him on the hot pit for Race 2. 

Isaiah was in 10th place before having mechanical issues that ended his day. The experiences that the kids get to have in a sport such as this are amazing to say the least!

Sissy on the grid as an umbrella girl and supporting pit crew for her brother.

Next stop AFM and then on to Dirt racing with Sis!!! :-) 

Alert!!!! Proud Mamma moment.

My Little man went potty in the big boy potty today  for the very first time  We are so proud of him 

I sure hope this is a start to potty training.

Every Mom wants to witness every first for their children. First hair cut, first steps, first time dragging knee. OK, lets get real, most mom's don't aspire to see their children drag knee in a corner on a road race bike. What can I say, us Moto Mom's are wired just a little bit differently just like our racers, but that's another story.

Nik was given the opportunity to participate in a road racing track day.

My morning photo and phone call. "I got this Mom"

Staging on the grid.

Track days are designed to give riders on course seat time to improve and work on their skills before going out and racing.

This day has been in the making for quite some time. With all of the mental, physical and financial preparation we have finally put all of the pieces together to take the next steps. We could not have been happier with Nik's performance and am so thankful to those who have supported his drive to keep moving forward.

"Look Mom I'm dragging knee."

This was also a first for me. I was unable to be at the track this time to witness his first knee dragging experience... I know most of you are cringing. I am not going to lie. It SUCKED! But, not as bad as I would have thought. Dad was super wonderful about sending updates when he was able too and a ton of photos as the day progressed. Check ins were a must, not only from my husband but from my son too.

Overall, it was a great experience for both me and the rest of the family.





A couple of key points to help get other Moto Mom's get through your first time away from your racer when they are competing or training and you just can't be there.

1. Relax... in most situation the day will progress just like every other race or training day has a million times before.

2. Communicate... if it's your child's trainer or your spouse be sure to talk to them and get a game plan in place for a bit more over communication that day. it may not always be possible but if you have an expectation of when you will hear from them this will help the nervous jitters. Do not under estimate the power of a quick photo or txt.

3. Keep busy... the day of the event is always going to be a bit nerve racking. So be sure to keep yourself busy in between check ins.

 4. Trust... your racer knows what they are doing other wise they would not be competing or training at the level they are at.

 5. Stay positive... these sports are crazy enough as is keeping a positive outlook is the best way to keep yourself from going crazy too.

Much love to all the Moto Moms.

There are pivotal moments in life where your world is changed in an instant.

The day you say I do.. the day your children are born, the day you watch your parents take their last breath. Your life is forever changed from that moment forward.

It is a very special moment when you get to witness a moment like this in your child's life.

Nikolas was a ripe old age of 4 when he first jumped on his custom built 1978 Suzuki JR 50 built by my father.

It was a warm California Christmas day. Nik was totally unaware of the new adventure he was about to embark on. My father had been working on the bike for months prior to the up and coming revel. I don't think Nik really knew what to think when we rolled the bike out of the back of the truck and presented it to him. I just remember seeing his face and the look in his eye when he realized that the motorcycle that we were pushing up to him was his. Every little boy dreams of owning his very own motorcycle at one point in his life and this lucky little boy had his very own.

After a few moments of walking around the bike and looking at all the details he insisted that he try to ride it. Only ever being on a pedal bike we were a bit leery of his first test ride. We packed up the bike and went to a local open field. We knew that if at least he was going to try to ride it that there would be a crash or two to get him going.

After stationing different relatives and family members in calculated positions throughout the field and suiting up with safety equipment we were ready for the first test ride. I was stationed in one location and Dad was going to run along side with the pull cord ready to pull the plug if things got a bit out of control. My brother was on the other side of the field ready to "catch" him if he was unable to stop.

The concentration and anticipation that came over his little face was so intense. I still see the same focus today when he swings his legs over the bike. Ready or not Mom we are going to do this Dad yelled from a few feet off. I wasn't sure if I should close me eyes and look away or watch with eagle eyes so that when my little man fell I was ready to pick him up and kiss his wounds.

As the tiny wheels began to move forward my heart began to race... off he went. Dad struggling to keep up with the pace that Nik was keeping. No issues with balance, no issues with being afraid, there was no looking back.

My brother was stationed on the other end of field like I said to "catch him" as I was convinced that by the time Nik had made it to the other side he would have forgotten how to stop and would have no idea how to get off of this moving machine. To much of our astonishment. Nik had other plans then to stop. As he began approaching my brother he started to steer around him. In fact he made a complete circle around my brother and was headed back my way before we all knew it. Again with Dad in tow, running and breathless now.

Both of my boys were coming toward me both with grins from ear to ear. As if he had been riding the bike for years. He slowly comes to a stop right in front of me and looks up.  Both my husband and I much to our disbelief smiled and laughed at how controlled and calculated he was. Never expecting what we just witnessed.

After a quick hug and a great job Nik. He looked up at me with his tiny little smile and said.

"Momma, that was the coolest think I have ever done. I love my new motorcycle. Can I do it again..."

Fast forward a few years...

Gotta love our racing life.

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO CUTE!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why Computers Sometime s Crash!
By Dr. Seuss.

If a packet hits a pocket on a socket on a port, and the bus is interrupted at a very last resort, and the access of the memory makes your floppy disk abort, then the socket packet pocket has an error to report.

If your cursor finds a menu item followed by a dash, and the double-clicking icon puts your window in the trash, and your data is corrupted cause the index doesn't hash, then your situation's hopeless and your system's gonna crash!

If the label on the cable on the table at your house, says the network is connected to the button on your mouse, but your packets want to tunnel to another protocol, that's repeatedly rejected by the printer down the hall......

And your screen is all distorted by the side effects of gauss, so your icons in the window are as wavy as a souse; then you may as well reboot and go out with a bang, 'cuz sure as I'm a poet, the sucker's gonna hang.

When the copy on your floppy's getting sloppy in the disk, and the macro code instructions is causing unnecessary risk, then you'll have to flash the memory and you'll want to RAM your ROM, and then quickly turn off the computer and be sure to tell your Mom!

Well, that certainly clears things up for me. How about you?

"Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant, filled with odd waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like."

 

---Lemony Snickett

 

Also, Someone mentioned this and of course who wakes up at exactly 1:00 this morning. 

 

On Wednesday of this week, at two minutes and three seconds after 1:00 in the morning, the time and date will be 01:02:03 04.05.06

 

This won't ever happen again.

To funny.

S