Where have I been?

Where have I been you are asking yourself? Was there an industrial accident and did she loose both of her typing fingers? Did she look directly into the sun and has she gone blind you ask? Has she finally committed herself? Why is there no blogs for over 1 week!! Answer... I Got Myself A Bike!! A bike you ask, can she pedal a bike? I didn't know that they made training wheels for the "over 30" group. Is she tied with a rope to the back of someones car and being pulled? Does her husband know that she is pedaling a** all over town? I understand the confusion and all the questions. I haven't had a bike since I was 11. Me and my friends would arrange our piano lessons in order and we would pedal down from "the bench" where we lived to the high school and have piano lessons. After we finished piano we would ride to the Broadcaster (an old lehi hamburger place with yummy fry sauce) and have lunch, then ride to harts and get a drink and pedal home. Sometimes if we were feeling rich we would go "shopping" at the little Penny's store on main. Oh how I miss those days.

So, I have really done it, I joined the "ELITE" biking culture. "ELITE" biking culture you say? What's that? I may need to join such "ELITE" group. No, believe me, it is not that prestigious as I a newly inducted member have made the group seem. There are some drawbacks. A few you may have heard a few you may not. As this is all new to me I will share the drawbacks with you.

• The sore spots on the underside of your body. Do not make me explain this any further, let's just say I will be getting a gel seat cover, or a gallon of icy hot. (note to self: invent a bike with a Lazy Boy seat.) This is where the padded shorts would be handy.

• The helmet. Do you really need a helmet? YES! I was told, even after explaining that I am a child raised in the 80's in Lehi and we didn't need a helmet then, we surely don't need one now. I mean cars were made of metal then, and plastic now. Not so...Everyone wears a helmet and they do not complain that it really messes up their "Lehi hair". It does, helmets and a really big hair do not go together, that said, I think most people biking out there aren't really original Lehi people.

• Commuter bike! What the crap is a commuter bike? I said the same thing as my riding partner was leaving me in the dust. I do not have a commuter bike, she does. Basically a commuter bike is for people who want to get somewhere really fast and not want to pedal their a** off to do it. I have a "holly hobby" type bike, that is for that mean lady in The Wizard of Oz (you know, she was going to get Dorothy's little dog), girls in the 5th grade, ladies that have no where to go particularly fast and the last category, 30 somethings that are completely out of shape after having 4 kids and do not want to spend a small fortune to get somewhere really fast. My bike is named "midtown" enough said.

• The tingy bell...I will be getting one after riding on main street at 7:30 this morning and telling a kid "I am coming on your left" easy to understand right? No, he moves to the left side of the sidewalk I about ride up his shorts, keep in mind I am an overweight housewife who does not want to slow down, I haven't had this much wind beneath my wings since the movie Beaches in 1989. besides, what is he doing up at this hour, it is summer for crying out loud.

Besides these few drawbacks, riding my bike has been the most fun I have had all summer. Even if my riding partner does not want to ride to the Lehi Bakery and get a donut and call it exercise, riding is a blast. We did manage a small "Tour De Lehi" it was a great time had by all.

It is nice after being with the kids all day that this is something that I can do alone. I have thought of putting a child seat on the back or pulling a little trailer behind, but then I would only pedal faster, making it look like I am trying to get away from the trailer with the kids in it. On a bike you can get places really fast (if you pedal fast). I made it from my house to the high school in about 10 minutes. I can get to the cemetery from my house in about 15 minutes. I also think that I need to get a basket on my bike, not for little dogs, but for maybe groceries (read: donuts from Lehi bakery) and a gallon of milk or something.

Oakley and Bridger ride their bikes to church, so I asked my husband if he thought that it would be okay if I rode my bike to church on Sunday, he just looked at me and said "knock yourself out" I took that as a NO and walked with him. Maybe next week if it is not to hot I will buy me some bike shorts and wear them under my dress and ride to church, then take off shorts in the bathroom and put them in my primary bag until time to ride home. I could get home maybe 5 minutes faster and be changed before Brandon got home, also we have forgot the binky for the baby and had to send Bridger back on his bike to get it. If I rode my bike I could get forgotten items on my bike. Good Times.