Weekend Update

Betty White is so cool. I hope I'm half as awesome as she is when I'm half her age.

My boys surprised me with a new set of wheels Friday evening. Not the dorked-out, PeeWee Herman wannabe cruiser of my dreams--my husband refuses to cater to my "style over substance" philosophy. Instead, what was parked in my living room when I got home Friday was a new, blue, shiny aluminum-framed 23-speed street/trail hybrid. It may not look like anything spectacular (meaning, it looks like every other "normal" bike out there), but WOW, is it easy to ride.

Yesterday we took it for its maiden voyage--the trails at Smithville Lake. Hills, hills and more hills. Hills I've been avoiding so far this year because the toddler weighs more than he did in November (the last time we were there) and I wasn't sure I could maneuver them with him on the back of the Suburban. The New Bike weighs maybe 18 pounds (compared to the Suburban's 50ish) so I was hopeful.

Holy crap--I was taking those hills like they were nuthin. We usually wind up and down the hill from the lot to Sailboat Cove, then wind back up and down again to the lot in a big circle. This time, we hopped on the "Bonebender Trail" beyond Sailboat Cove and had almost a 3-hour ride. My legs were super sore last night, but I was amazed at how much easier it had been to ride The New Bike. I'd never have made it on the Suburban! It also made me realize I am kick-ass super strong to have been hauling that toddler around on my old, heavy Suburban. I may have a spare tire, but my legs are awesome.  ;)

So yeah, it may not look like anything special, and it will never be the prettiest bike in Puppetland, but The New Bike has won my heart. Of course I'd love it more if it had fenders and a chain guard and a wicker basket on the front, but I won't tell it that. Much. And I'm keeping the Suburban just in case I ever want to look like a dork. (Of course, it's out of commission for now--had to swap out the seat clamp with The New Bike's so the toddler seat could be installed. :( But I promise it will ride again eventually.)

I will say I'm now super-pumped for more biking adventures. The weather has sucked balls this weekend--it was nice at the lake yesterday because we were in the woods almost the whole time, so we didn't get killed by the wind, and it was sunny. Today, we went for a very brief ride at Little Blue Trace and even though we warmed up after a bit, it was still cold and dreary. I can't wait to take my first bike/bus adventure... I'd like to take the toddler along but I'm not sure how amenable he'd be to bus travel, and I'm not sure I could hold him AND put my bike on the bus rack at the same time.

I will say my boys went out of their way to make me feel appreciated this year for Mutha's Day. The bike may not have been "just what I wanted" but it is just what I need. They even remembered the Maggie Moo's cupcakes I requested--which we ate the shit out of last night and which are incredible. I'm really very lucky to have them all and even though I may complain about them here and there, I wouldn't trade any of them for any number of dorky bikes.