Never Again

This past weekend we all went down to Dallas to see our new niece and nephew. If you know the Beck's and did not know that Aleshia and Natasha had a baby, please check out their blogs. Isabel and Giovanny were born about 7 weeks apart but we decided to wait until the second baby was born before making that 6 hour long trip down to Dallas. Driving=NOT FUN>> While down there we went to our heaven on earth, IKEA, and this time made a budget for ourselves before going in. We did great. We hung out with family and had a good time. On Saturday we got this call that my brother Dustin had just about totaled his car (Codi's old one) by swerving to miss a girl on her bike and ran into a tree. I should have figured out then that accidents don't happen in single events. One accident is lonely and he wants another. I saw my dad's motorcycle in the driveway, the one he takes to work everyday, and thought "it would be really cool to learn how to drive a bike" so I asked him. He started teaching me about shifting and braking and told me just don't worry about shifting into second gear until I feel more comfortable with it. I took the bike around the block and felt like hot stuff, wind blowing in my hair, shirt flying up in the back. I stopped to ask my dad more questions about the bike and how to shift into second gear. I made my way around the block again and my dad yelled, "2nd, 2nd," so I put it in second (pretty well I might add, no jumps). So I decided that was enough and I came down the alley to take it home. I tried to downshift but don't think I did, I think I upshifted right before I needed to take a left and when it sped up I tried to slam on the brakes. In my mind the brakes were on the handles, which they are on bicycles but not on motorcycles, so for a moment there I was confused and ended up slamming on the gas. I was out of control and did not really have anywhere to go, I missed the house but hit their gas line. A spark was created so a 15 foot tower of flames shot in the air. I jumped up and tried to pull the bike but had almost all of the hair on my right arm burnt off and could not handle it anymore. I took off to try to find my dad. I ran inside the house screaming, "DAD, GAS....Dad.." So needless to say all the kids were crying, the adults freaking out thinking that something had happened to my dad. My dad then nonchalantly appears from the backyard with a grin on his face asking, "Did you call 911?" No, I said. He picked up the phone and called. The neighbors were going crazy because the gas line of the house I hit had flooded twice and caught on fire twice and was currently being remodeled from the fire damage. It is a cursed house. The neighbors got their fire extinguishers and put out the bike but it was too late, the flames had already destroyed the bike. We waited about 10 minutes for the Fire Department and Police to come. It took 4 policemen and 6 firemen to try and put out the flames. They put out the flame but the gas was still flowing. WHAT IDIOTS>>> Gas just flowing through the air, that's when everyone watching went inside. It could take just one spark to make things get even worse. We all just waited for the gas people to get there. It took another 20 minutes for them to come and finally turn off the gas. My dad is so great because he was just happy that I was ok. So not only do I have to get a new bike for my dad but I will have to pay about two grand to fix the gas line and pay for all of the gas lost. What an expensive little trip. I was very sore for two days. No arm hair on my right arm, and some bruises and scrapes on my legs and arms. I just got really lucky.