Let's back up about 6 weeks. My hubby has a big Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Classic. But we both agreed that I'm not a good passenger, so I wanted to find out if I would like to DRIVE a motorcycle. I wondered how I could figure that out, when they are expensive, heavy and require lots of new skills? Why not try a scooter? Ta-dah!

Meet Towanda, the scooter. Doesn't she have a nice little back end? A friend taught me how to start her, how to lean in the curves and how to wear safety equipment. I was off and running and thought that 20 mph felt awfully fast out in the open. Then I inched my way up to 25, then 30 and next thing you know I can get it up to 35 if I'm going downhill with the wind at my back. Yes, 49cc scooters have a limit of 30 or 35 mph.

Most nights I would come home and scoot around the neighborhood, and found that the focus and the openness and the speed were great stress busters. There's so much to SEE out there! And any little errand was another reason to hop onto Towanda and head out again.

On the recommendation of my teaching friend, I signed up for a motorcycle/scooter safety course and decided to take the course on a motorcycle instead of a scooter. The instructor gave me a funny look and encouraged me to take the class on a scooter, but I was determined to learn to ride a motorcycle and get my motorcycle license. Let me give you a little advice - it would be better to take this course in the fall or spring so it would be a little cooler. But I couldn't wait so I took it in August. In the Dallas heat. I lost 6 pounds through non-stop sweating. But it was worth it!

Riding on the little Suzuki 250s was a little challenging at first - clutch with the left hand, front brake with the right hand, change gears with the left foot and back brake with the right foot. Slow, look, press and roll to make a turn. Counterweight turns in small spaces. How to roll over obstacles like a 2x4 in the road - yes, we actually drove over several to learn this one.  The instructor would ask: "What's the best way to slow or stop a motorcycle?"  "Both brakes," we would chant back. And swerving around cones was my favorite part!

The safety course gave me tons of confidence as I continued to ride my scooter and venture out on longer and longer rides. Tomorrow I'll talk more about the new motorcycle. Meanwhile, have you stepped out of your comfort zone lately?  How did it turn out?