It was July 22nd, and hotter than you could imagine. The day of my motorcycle test. What was I thinking about booking the test in mid-summer? I hate the heat. The heat plus my nerves made a recipe for disaster that day, but I made it! Let me tell you about it.

I remember that day like it was yesterday. I remember just how hot it was. I sat at red lights, and the heat was just rolling off my bike. I could feel the sweat under my clothes and jeans. It was unbearable. My dad’s birthday is July 25th, so I wanted to nail this test in honor of his birthday. As I pulled up to a parking spot at the DMV, I took a deep breath and told myself, “You got this.”

My heart was beating a mile a minute as I walked in. I knew that I knew this and was so beyond comfortable on a motorcycle. But it’s someone watching your every move and judging you that made me nervous.

I really wanted the lady who worked there to give me the test. Woman to woman, I felt like I’d be more comfortable. A few of the guys there honestly scared me, test-wise. One was grumpy, and the other dude didn’t talk much. I kept praying the lady was giving tests that day.

I kept scanning the front desk to see if this lady was working. I spotted her, and she was helping a customer at her desk, which meant obviously she wasn’t the test giver that day. My heart pounded harder now. Who would give me my test?

“Andrea McElroy!” I heard a man’s voice yell my name.

I swallowed hard and walked towards him. It was the grumpy guy.

“Are you kidding me!?” I thought to myself.

Now it’s not only hot, but I get the one person who hates the world giving me my test.

He asked how I was and if I was ready. I told him I was as best I was going to get and was ready to do it and get it done. He seemed in a pretty good mood, so that made me feel a bit better, but the butterflies were still taking over.

As we reached my bike, I put my helmet on. He had me get on the bike and start it. He then had me turn my turn signals on, tap my brakes, and ask me a few questions before we left the parking lot. He then told me to meet him out back to continue my testing.

Dad always warned me about the stop sign right down from JoAnn Fabric.

“Make sure you stop completely and use your turn signal there, or you will fail your test.”

Even though he told me this for my driver’s license, he made sure to remind me for my motorcycle license, too, when he would ride down with me on his bike to practice my figure eights and weaving in and out of the cones.

I, of course, stopped at the stop sign and put both feet down. Put my left turn signal on, looked both ways and headed down to the test sight.

The first thing he wanted me to do was to ride down and back behind the buildings and shift through gears. I knew I had this. Easy peasy. I got to third gear and noticed an eighteen-wheeler coming right toward me, and it wasn’t going to stop. I didn’t know what to do! I didn’t want to fail my test by making the wrong choice, but I wasn’t taking the chance of this guy not stopping either! I stopped completely and waited for the truck to go by. I then turned around to head back toward my test giver.

“Sir, I am so sorry. I didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t going to stop, and I wasn’t going to take the chance to get hit!” I said to him while most likely wiping the sweat off my upper lip.

MAN, IT WAS HOT!

The man was so kind and told me I did the right thing. They get so mad when this happens while giving the test. I guess it happened pretty often. I asked him if he wanted me to do it over, and he said no and that we would go into the figure eight now.

On the pavement, there is a square with painted corners. During a figure eight, you have to stay inside this box on your bike. If you take it too wide, then you will get outside the box and fail. You have to keep it tight and control the bike.

I did my figure eight and did it well.

Next was weaving inside and out of cones.

He laid the cones out, and I felt like they were so much closer than when Dad had me practice with his cones. Not to throw my husband under the bus, but this is why he failed his first motorcycle test. He took out one of these cones. If he couldn’t do it, then my chances didn’t feel so great. This was the part that made me nervous, and now that they looked even closer, the butterflies started going crazy again. I swear it was getting hotter by the minute too.

I shifted into first and started through my first cone, ending with the last cone, not taking out one. I felt instant relief as I pulled up next to him.

“You passed. Congratulations!” he said.

Oh my goodness, I was just so excited! I told him thank you and said about my dad’s birthday and how this will just make his day.

He responded with, “Young lady, I have given out many of these tests throughout my years, and let me tell you something. I have watched grown men on smaller bikes not be able to do what you just did on their bikes. You did everything so naturally like it was just easy for you. I love your confidence.”

I will never, ever forget that moment. I could hardly wait to call my dad. I had so much excitement that I thought I’d burst! As soon as I left the DMV, I pulled over in the TGIF parking lot and called Dad immediately. I told him what the guy told me, and he started laughing and congratulating me with excitement!

“See, honey! I told you! I knew you would ace it! You know this stuff. There was no reason for you to be nervous,” Dad said.

We had the best conversation; even though I was sitting in the heat, it didn’t bother me. My excitement took over. I did it! I passed. I have had the best motorcycle teacher since I was three years old — a dad who has always given me the confidence to do anything I set my mind to. Even the nice grumpy guy told me he saw my confidence! It was a day I will never forget.

Thanks, Dad, for always believing in me and being there through the big moments, small moments, and everything in between.

Strawberry Shortcake Kabobs
Ingredients:
• 1 container of strawberries, washed and cut in thirds
• 1 package of dessert shells, cut in fourths; you could use angel food cake, shortbread, or sponge cake too!
• 1 container of icing or homemade
• Kabob sticks
Icing:
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• 2 Tbsp. milk

Combine till smooth, then place in a small baggie and cut a small hole in the corner of the bag.
Directions:

Alternate the strawberries and cake on sticks.

Then drizzle with icing! It’s that easy and so easy for a summer dessert!