Another Motorcycle?

Brian's Honda Rebel broke right before I went to Washington on his way to school. I had to go pick him up and put the bike on our car rack to drive back home. We are not sure yet what happened but it sounds like a major engine issue. Brian plans on trying to fix it when he has some time like Christmas break or something and then try to sell it for around $2500 but for now he needed a motorcycle to drive to school in the meantime.

He found a 1981 Honda Goldwing GL 1100 on Craigslist for $1000 so he went and picked that up when I was gone. It has been a pretty good bike. He had to replace a head gasket and get the head re-surfaced because it had some low spots and wasn't making a good seal. But considering we only paid $1000 and the repair wasn't much either because he did it all himself except getting the head re-surfaced which was only $35 and now that it is running very good it was a good deal. So that is what Brian drives to school everyday and the seats are much more comfortable to ride on than the Rebel. I like it. It is a lot bigger bike and very heavy so I am always careful the never tip it over because I would not be able to pick it up.

We are taking it to oceanside on Friday which is a 2 hour drive to go camping with Eric & Desi because the bags can hold a lot more stuff than the Rebel did and the ride will be better with the more comfortable seats. It is going to be so fun.

Going to the Gym

I got a gym membership to Bally Total Fitness along with Brian because his school was having a really good deal. So today I went for the first time for a half hour and it was really great. I like just moving around in the pool in the mornings because it makes me not feel sick. I didn't swim really hard but it just felt good to get out of the house, relax, stretch and walk around in the water. I want to go everyday because it just feels so good especially in the morning.

Oh, and I also tried out a swimsuit I made with the serger. I finally found a way to sew them without the seams breaking when stretched. It feels really comfortable and I am not worried about breaking it.

Brian's White Coat Ceremony

Brian had his White Coat ceremony today at Western University of Health Sciences. It is similar to a graduation but instead of receiving a diploma he gets cloaked with his first doctor's white coat which symbolizes the start of his medical education. Click here for more information on the ceremony. We also got to tour his campus and eat a nice lunch. For more pictures please see my facebook.

NEW SERGER!!

I finally got a serger today. It is a Husqvarna s21 that I found on craigslist. The girl that was selling it bought it for school and then realized that she needed a different kind so it is brand new and I got it for half the price, $500. I like the table attachment and the garbage bag that catches the scraps as they get cut off.

I have been saving up money from sewing jobs that I have been working. Lori is an LDS lady in orange that I have been making swimsuit patterns for and sewing a few suits but not much because I didn't have a serger. I always had only a few hours a week of work from Lori so it wasn't as much as I wanted. Then Lori moved in with a new roommate Karen who makes custom clothing for some people, including costumes. Karen hired me as a Sample Maker making patterns and sewing them. Sometimes I just help her organize her garage workspace and have started a few interesting costumes. I am much happier working with Karen because the hours are a lot better; I work about 5 hours a day. With Karen I feel like I am an all around assistant, the other day she had me pick tomatoes from her garden and dehydrate them. She is a great person, very religious and I can tell that she is a good person to be around.

I am also excited about using this serger for my own swimsuits. It has been very hard to find a stitch on my sewing machine that would stretch and not break when pulled so that is why I haven't really sold any modest swimsuits because I didn't want to sell something that wasn't perfect. I want to make good quality swimsuits that people will like and tell their friends that I make good products. Now with this serger I am confident that the main thing standing in they way of good quality is gone and I can try out a few styles that I have in mind.

Boating: Lake Perris

We took our boat out to lake Perris on Saturday with Eric & Desi, Eric's Dad and teenage brother. It was lots of fun, we pulled out the tube and also tried waterskiing although the water was pretty choppy by that time. We stopped for a nice lunch on the island that has picnic tables and nobody goes there because the water is low and you have to walk through bushes to get up to the tables. I think I got a little burned but we all had a great time.

My swimsuit worked out pretty well sitting on the boat, tubing, waterskiing, walking around on the shore. It is great for sitting and gives me the flexibility to work getting the boat ready. It also protected my shoulders from getting burned, they are always the worst.

Modest Swimsuit

I have been in dire need of a new swimsuit for a while now. The fabric on my old one is very obviously wearing thin. I found this website that makes 2 piece swimsuits that are a dress and leggings. I almost bought one but then decided that I could make the pattern myself because I have some free time. I used AutoCAD to draft the pattern from scratch which I found to be much easier than the traditional method of paper and pencil I learned in my patternmaking class at BYU. I really like this style because it has a higher neckline than most 1 piece suits and I do not have to find a pair of shorts to wear over because I do not like showing all of my legs, it is kinda uncomfortable. It will be great for boating, I can sit on the boat in it and then also jump straight into the water or wear walking around on the beach. It is more comfortable also because it has no vertical stretch so I don't have a permanent wedgie. I can worry less than wearing a rash guard and shorts because the skirt covers the waist.

So I really like it and it was not very hard to make. For me it is the perfect combination of comfort, security, freedom of movement, and modesty.

Universal Studios

Brian surprised me by going to Universal Studios for our two year Anniversary. It was really fun. I enjoyed all the shows and they also have a few rides. My favorite was the Jurassic Park ride because at the beginning the plants and flowers look so nice and it is calm and then you drop and get wet like Splash Mountain. I don't usually like getting wet at amusement parks because it is usually not very hot but that day it was nice to get wet. My favorite show was the Water World show based on the movie. One thing I really liked is when we got some popcornand they let you refill it as many times as you want that day so I was eating popcorn a lot.