The Things You Never Thought You'd Be Doing...

I'm BACK! My very first 2011 post!! Everyone complained at my long absence, so here I am. But I didn't mind. It was a sweet complaining, it meant they actually cared whether I blog or not so I was actually quite pleased! Anyways today our ES came over for awhile but mainly to meet with the younger kids. I practiced piano because I've been keeping up with my practices like a fiend this week. All my songs are down and a little more than I was assigned because I've been doing the 30 minute practices every day, I have actually had nothing better to do... Anyways after I finished I put on my tennis shoes and we left. Sam didn't get to go, he hadn't been behaving so as we all got in the car he sat in front of the gate like a protestor. My mom and I shooed him off as I opened the gate and we pulled out Samless. We went through McDonald's so my mom could get an iced tea and then went on to the Fillmores'. As soon as we pulled up the younger girls were out of the car, I looked back and they were gone - I glanced at the stairs and was just in time to catch them running up them. Lex and I followed, we stood inside talking to Brenten for awhile. It was a very random and hilarious conversation and my mom was up soon. Then Brenten remembered he'd forgotten the present he'd gotten me for my birthday at my party and ran back to his room to get it. "It" was quite a bit! There was a cupcake making kit, the irony failed to strike me until we were in the car going home and my mom mentioned it. "OH!" I said, grinning, Of course! Why didn't I get it before?! CUPCAKE! (My most common nickname, a short form of "Cupcake the Sniper") He got me two movies, Forrest Gump and Ace Ventura. And he gave me two crystal candle holders he'd gotten at a family gift exchange. It was very awesome and had me cracking up the whole time - I loved it! Then Donalyn asked our mom if it was alright if Lex and I rode the motor bikes. So we went down and Brenten searched through a drawerful of gloves until he found some matching ones for the three of us and some helmets as well. He explained all the gears and everything and then Donalyn joined us and kindly RE explained a few times until we were up and going. We went first to the end of the driveway and back. Upon attempting to turn when we got back I accidentally ran into a random piece of machinery, my face smacking into the side, but not much other than my right cheek was able to hit thanks to the helmet. I staggered back, laughing, I probably looked like I'd just been smacked senseless and maybe I had! I really hadn't been much of an impact at all, just surprising that I'd actually done it in the first place! I stood up fully, holding my phone out ot my mom, "Can you take this? It won't quit vibrating!" She did, and then Mrs. Fillmore suggested we go around Field 5. So we started, it was so fun! A grin was stuck on my face as we sped along the pavement and then the paths. We sped up and slowed down as Lex and I got the hang of working the gas. It was very exhilerating and impossible not to love. I know it's super cliche, but there is nothing like the wind blowing on your face! Then there was trouble... We were riding around this corner, Brenten made it alright of course, but as I tried to slow I wasn't doing a very good job of turning and so I flew over the edge of a drainage ditch. I was described, I have heard, as having flown 9 feet in the air. At first my instinct was to clutch tightly to the bike handles, but as it became clear I was undeniably going over I knew I had to let go and flew off, landing in a patch of berry bushes. I do not actually remember being in the air at all, the only things I was aware of was me and the bike and deciding whether I should let go in those few seconds. I somehow managed to land on my back, flying into the berry patch so swiftly I didn't ruin the parts over me, and they encased me like a child's cradle. Again, the impact didn't set in at all at first - only the shock. And then I felt myself being pricked EVERYWHERE. "Ow," I reacted bluntly. I began pushing aside the tangled bushes, trying to disentangle myself. As I stood I saw my sister, she'd also gone over the bank but she had rolled less dramatically, with lower speed and had only rolled down the side, her front wheel in the water, the rest she held out. Then I looked up to see Brenten standing at the top of the bank next to the larger bike he'd been riding, unlike us not in the drainage ditch. His face was kind of confused and very surprised. Lastly I looked down for the bike I'd been riding. It was nowhere to be seen but both Lexie and Brenten looked worn already. They later described to me having seen huge clusters of bubbles come up from the water. Anyways immediately Brenten climbed over, taking off his jacket, shoes and socks and waded in to find the bike. "Augh it's cold! Oh snap, crawdad! Well... This is what I get for wearing white pants..." He exclaimed, wading further in and looking to find the bike. Finally he got it and began dragging it to the edge. Lexie and I worked on getting hers up the bank. Brenten got the one I'd crashed up out of the water on the opposite side and then came over to our side of the ditch. The three of us got Lexie's bike up on the bank, and believe me it wasn't the simplest - the bank was a little... steep. Brenten then went back to the other side and began tugging at the bike, slowly getting it up before it slipped back down in the mud. "Need some help, Brenten?" "Nah, I got it," He said, continuing to pull on the thing. I laughed, "Again: need some help?" He smiled this time, "Alright maybe one of you... Or two... Or three..." We joined him, hoisting it up the side it as a progression of one of us lifting and then another holding it in that spot, then the other pulled it up a little more and one bracing it there. Then it was at the top of the bank, we high fived in celebration. "Next time," I said, "I wear my SECOND favorite pair of jeans. Madison would be horrified... But oh well!" We tried Lexie's bike and discovered that since only the front wheel had gone in it still ran fine. Lexie rode that one and then I rode on the back of Brenten's larger one, clasping my arms around his middle to stay on. I have to admit I wasn't really scared as I probably should have been to get on a motor bike again. Oh well, I supposed Maddi and Zach will be displeased with my reckless indifference but.. Whatever. We found a group of men outside the house, Brenten's grandpa, uncle and a few others. We went back to get the other bike, I rode on the Gator with Brenten's grandpa and Brenten rode behind us on the larger motor bike. He pointed out several interesting things, even the beaver dam Brenten had originally been trying to show Lexie and I when we'd fallen off the edge of the ditch. We pulled it up on the back of the Gator and went back. Once there we went up to the house, all of us muddy and Brenten soaked from the waist down. Lexie and I explained what had happened while Brenten changed, much to both our mothers' amusement. I was glad they were only amused and not upset as I'd half expected. I pulled out the Would You Rather cards, but we didn't play, only read a few before we were asked if we would help fix the motor bike. All three of us went down and helped - well mainly Brenten helped and Lex and I stood by watching and getting them paper towels or holding a container to catch water and oil. It was all very interesting and neat, we spent the rest of the time doing this. Lexie had the sharp eyes which was useful. It was dark when they began pulling the small motor bike back and forth in the shop with the larger bike, trying to start it. After many tries they got it going again! The moms asked if I wanted to try riding it again. "I'd love to try it again! But I thought we were leaving?" "Well we're not leaving right this second," my mom said, rolling her eyes. I got on and it slipped out of my hands as I tried to switch it into first. I kick started and tried again to put it into first, it spun around, my right hand still firmly gripping and I stumbled around after it. That's when Donalyn came to my assistance, I sat and got it kick started and then into first gear. "Brenten!" She said, holding out a flashlight, "Run beside her with the light!" So we went down to the end of the driveway, I trying to go as slowly as I could so he wouldn't have to run, and he trying to adjust his speed as I was constantly, running and walking, run, walk, run, walk. The light bounced as he ran (and walked) alongside, talking the whole way. We were maybe two thirds of the way down the drive when the parents and Lexie showed up in the mule, bright lights brilliantly illuminating the asphalt and loud jovial laughing ringing through the night. My mom took a picture with her iPhone of us going down the drive, I riding, he walking. It is one of the funniest things ever! Donalyn made my mom promise to send it to her. At the end Lexie took over the bike and Brenten and I got in the back of the mule, sitting with our backs to our moms. They were still laughing loudly, we just smiled and laughed with them and occasionally remarked about how fun it had been. When we got back the moms sent Brenten to go look for the girls while we went upstairs. The girls were already upstairs though so we just talked and laughed until he burst in the door saying "They're here aren't they?!" Directly in front of him sat the threesome at the kitchen table. Then we collected our things and started down the stairs to our car. We loaded it but it was slow progress actually leaving as everyone talked, we were reluctant to leave. "We should do this more often!" was heard chorused from several people. "Can you see us doing this in ten years?" Asked Donalyn. I certainly hope we are! We were then challenged to plan some events, which I fully plan to meet. If one thing's sure it's that this day was unlike anything I'd expected, there was no way I could have anticipated it! It was so wonderfully unplanned by us, and yet so wonderfully perfectly planned by God. Oh the things you never thought you'd be doing!