A Family Affair

This is our bike family.

It's not going to get any bigger any time soon and that's okay with me (for once).

Starting left to right, here we go:

Lil Hidalgo - Worksman Folding Bicycle.  This little guy is deceiving.  He's ridiculously heavy for a folding bike, making it illogical to travel with on public transportation.  But we rarely take public transportation.

Main points - He folds up for easy storage and semi easy travel.  He provides a smooth ride for our guests who may not normally want to ride a bike.  He has coaster brakes, which have proven to be a foreign concept.  And he has fenders and a rack, making him highly capable of pizza delivery to our patio.

Fiona - This is my darling love, Fiona, the Raleigh LTD-3 that we all know so well.  I found this bike when hunting for a bike for Johnpants and I called on her instantly.  She was a steal at $50 and is the best bike for me at this time.  Very little damage or rust or blemishes at all.  And look at those fenders! Hoo doggie!!  I added the gorgeous wicker basket and the leather saddle bag was a great birthday present from my mister.  Since this photo I've added a brass bell from Velo Orange. Erich really helped out by fixing her up for me and now I can't imagine my days without her.

Just yesterday I rode her to the doctor. It was sublime.  But then it turned out that I forgot my key to my ulock.  I about had a panic attack worrying about her fate not locked to anything.  Luckily, the pharmacy let me store her inside with minimal jokes. She was safe! Huzzah for strangers!

Felix - This is John's Fuji Special Racer that I bought him for our 2 year anniversary.  He previously had a Schwinn Racer that wasn't quite his style.  Since upgrading to this beast, he can take hills with ease (much more ease than Fiona).  He's a fast lil bugger - Perfect for my mister.

Our bike family is perfect for us. How about yours?

Bikeventures!

Last Thursday was a great day.  It was like a Friday for the mister and I since we both took Friday off.  To celebrate, we took Miss Sampants out for sushi and a bike ride.



Hidalgo, the folding guest bike, proved only semi intimidating for Sam.  Coaster brakes are not natural past the age of 7 to me.


The lovely Fiona and I were ready to roll after a filling fishy meal.  Despite a slight hesitation to be in photos that I soon got over.


Johnboy just wanted to get on the road.  He was not having this photo safari.


Eventually he gave in to the fun and became our photographer extraordinaire. It was a blast....as you can see.







And that's the end of the end of the week bike adventure.  This week looks less promising for the evening rides, what with the rain and all.

It's a little wild and a little strange...

There's one sure fire way to tell if you're loved in this world.  And that's when you open your e-mail on your birthday to find something like this little gem.

You see, this past Sunday was my birthday and as the Queen of Theme I decided to have a Wild West themed bash.  This meant that I had a good group of people show up at my apartment in their finest cowboy gear.

We ate "Get Along Lil Doggies" and drank "Pink Prairie Hoe Downs".

We did the "Jump on it" dance with pistols and a horse on a stick.

In general, we had a nice themey time!  (With minimal puking).

And then the unthinkable happened - the party got even better! My brother and newly acquired sister in law, who recently moved far far away, attended the party in spirit by reenacting the theme song from one of my favorite childhood tv shows (and a perfect fit for the theme).

So thank you Nick and Kat for being so awesome. And thank you everyone else in my life for being so flipping fantastic to me.

Urge to Splurge Subdued

Let's do a comparitive shopping analysis, shall we?


This gorgeous boot is made by Miz Mooz, I found it at Endless.com (btw...Check that store out) when searching for some leathery riding boots for fall.  Granted, I was looking in the summer because of a recent fascination with them, but still.  I was in love.

Now, these boots cost roughly $100...on sale.  That's a lot of money.  You can see the conundrum I was faced with.  Still, I struggled for months. And then one day, they no longer had my size so my problem was solved.

Not quite.  I still desparately wanted a pair of riding boots.  I had this mental image of myself in them, riding Fiona around Grand Rapids in the chilly weather.  Watching the leaves change.  Eating sushi.  Oh life is grand in my mental images.

And then BAM! It hit me like a truck.  Browsing on OldNavy.com, I saw what I considered to be a contender for fall boothood.


What do you think? I think they're great! And at $35 they're an obvious deal.  So, miss Sam and I went out to the local Old Navy shop and there they were.  Very adorable.  In my size and everything!  I opted to get the darker brown color since I do already have a light brown boot.

Man, when I got them home and really tried them on, I was doubly sold.  They're super cute with jeans.  I'll need to practice wearing them with tights and dresses.   And now my feet are toasty in my cold, cold office! Everyone wins! Well, I win...