It’s not news that I struggle with my commute to work–a lot.  So much so that I’ve pretty much given up on it over the past two months.  But last night, I had an idea–why not put my bike on the car rack, drive the girls to school, and bike to work from there?  This would cut out a good five miles and significantly decrease the odyssey-esque feel of my ride.  I pitched the idea to Jesse and suggested he ride his new bike (yes, I said new bike–details coming soon!) and take the car home.  For the record, I’m not some siren of car driving tempting my husband into the car–I don’t want to be labeled as the Yoko Ono of family biking.  He was excited for the opportunity to switch up his routine, so it was a win for all.  This won’t be our new daily routine, but will be a great way to mix things up at least once a week.

This new strategy allowed me to wake up for a minute and have some coffee before riding my bike.  This was far more effective than trying to convince my sleep-deprived self to wake up extra early to get on the bike and ride 17 miles.  Once I had dropped both girls off and it was time to get on the bike, I was awake and ready.  What I was not ready for, though, was getting a steel bike with a step-through frame on and off of a car rack made for straight frames.  Let’s just say that there was a lot of grunting, quiet cussing, and grease in my hair.

The morning ride was gloomy and drizzly, but not in a bad way.  The trail was nearly empty and though I didn’t spot any bunnies, the ride was filled with a number of cool looking birds.  12 miles was so much more manageable for me, even after my long absence, and I arrived at work in high spirits.  The morning got even better when I was getting on the elevator with my bike and a guy shook his head, smiled, and said, “Just goes to show–it takes just as long to get here on bike as it does in my car.”  I can only assume he had passed me out on the road, only to meet me in the lobby after searching for a parking space.

Riding home was absolute biking bliss.  I’m convinced there are few things better in life than riding home on your little red bike in your little red dress on a perfect Florida day with Paris Combo as your soundtrack.  Oh, and in case you were interested, binder clips do not work as a skirt-keeper-down-thingies.  Anyways.  I was sitting at the final stoplight before my street, lost in biking nirvana, when I was stirred from my reverie by a handlebar poking into my peripheral.  I looked to my side and did a double-take–I had company!  A woman had pulled up next to me at the stop light.  She said, “I don’t normally ride out here [in the lane], but I saw you so I thought I’d come out.”  How cool is that?  We chatted for a few minutes and once the light turned green, we went our separate ways.

I love my life.