I Am a Biker Chick

It's true! Two years ago for my birthday my lovely mother bought me a brand new bike. (My biker-chick-friends call the bike "Cory" because they have a ridiculous obsession with naming their bikes!) I carry a special fondness in my heart for my bike. I strap on my helmet, hop on, and suddenly I am twelve again, escaping to a world of freedom! I have no idea how many rides we took that summer or how many miles we racked up, but I do know that I have memories to last a lifetime!
Last summer was a flop with the bike. Being pregnant will do that to a girl and her bike. I did go on one phenomenal ride with the girls in March (yes, that's right, I was SEVEN months pregnant). I barely fit between the seat and the handle bars! Oh, was that ride tough! I think we went20 miles. I had to be picked up before the end because I couldn't make it the last two miles. And the girls could have gone farther. I know they could have but not once did they complain. They were so gracious about turning around and heading back. I almost lost my life that day in a horrible bike accident. Okay, maybe it wasn't that bad. But that day will go down in history as the day the L tried to kill me! hahahaha!
This summer I am back to the old, new, ME! I had my first big ride of the season! It was a short little jont (gont, jaunt?) from one park to the next, about 12 miles. When the others left I rode back out to the other park and back. I rode a total of 20 miles! WooWHOO! Man did that feel good!
flashback
When I was twelve my mom was in the hospital a lot over the summer. That summer was a mixture of emotions but one thing stands out. We were FREE! Nothing against mom, but she ran a tight ship. (I am thankful for that tight ship, friends. It kept me safe from a lot of ugly things in the world.) But while she was in the hospital, dad had to work and take care of us and still manage to spend time with her. This translated to LOTS of independence for the Frisch kids! Sure, we still had our chores to do. And, we really were worried about mom. She had been diagnosed with Crones desease, which is AWEFUL, and had major surgery that summer. But during much of our free time we were out on our bikes, riding the neighborhood (in the STREET! Shocking, I know!) Our favorite ride was to go from our house to Foster park and then ride all the way out to Tillman Park. I am guessing this to be about 12 miles, round trip. This was a ride we were allowed to take and we felt like "big kids" getting to go so far! We'd take that ride two or three times a day sometimes! Oh the memories!
Today we took that same ride, from Foster to Tillman. It was very poignant to me. Being on my bike puts me in touch with that little girl that is who I really am, beneath all the layers that time, marriage, and motherhood have covered me with.
I look forward to many rides this summer! L and R don't know it yet, but I have great things in store for us! Marti and "Cory" are BACK!