Birthday black and blues

I know when I write this column it is supposed to be about good stuff. Well last Sunday was my birthday, 39 again. My mom and dad had called after church and breakfast and asked us to come over for an impromptu barbecue. We had all been working so hard this past week in our yards and gardens, it was time to take a break.

Jenee and I went down to the General Store and filled up the gas can planning on riding the quad over to Grandpa and Grandma's house. I don't know what it was or if even I should share this with you, but I am going to because it could be a lesson learned. I was racing dirt bikes when I was 5 years old, my boys were all riding dirt bikes by the time they were 7. Half the reason we moved here was because of the wide open space where I think we can still leave our street and only pass one paved road from here to Utah. Clearly we should be appreciating our wonderful county as far as off road access and we should also be advocates to keep it this way.

That's another story.

So on the way to my folks' house we took an abrupt left when we should have been going straight and you guessed it, the quad threw us off into the dirt.

I'm not talking about just into the dirt; my mouth was full of dirt for at least the next few miles as we slowly made our way to my parents' house. It wasn't just my mouth spitting out dirt, my face was covered, my pants. I was dirty. I figured we were half way to my folks' house, might as well get there. With steak and shrimp in the backpack we might as well go there for ice instead of going home. So this morning I woke up with the biggest shiner. I am starting to think about the story I should be telling, like maybe I was skydiving or rock climbing? How does that song go again?

What is so ironic is as breakfast this morning my father was giving Jenee the lecture about when you ride a motorcycle, you always wear appropriate clothing and always under any circumstance you wear a helmet. Had I worn my regular helmet, I wouldn't have this great black eye today because my face shield would have protected me. Ride safe!

Happy birthday, Garrett and Rachael out there in the Pacific Ocean somewhere on the way to Australia on the USS George Washington aircraft carrier. We pray for you every day, thank you for your service.

Lisa Welch is a Johnson Lane resident and can be reached at 267-9350.