Bike Riding 101

What a busy weekend! We celebrated child #2's birthday on Friday with a sleepover. These 5 little boys were great! Pizza, cookie cake, basketball, playing pickle, and of course, a movie! I was worn out from the week, so I told them goodnight at 10:30 and hit the hay! They had been asked to turn off the lights at midnight--which they did!!! The last thing I remember was hearing "Alvin and the Chipmunks" singing! They told us that they fell asleep around 1:30--not too bad considering Mama and Daddy were sound asleep. After a 10 am baseball game, all the guests were gone--they really are great kids! Then,the real adventure began.....

My hubby and another friend have been "bugging" me for weeks--maybe months--to get back to riding my bike. You see, I have this love/hate relationship with it. It's really nice to have hanging up in the garage JUST in case I get a wild hair to go ride! Pretty much, it simply collects dust. Has been since last August and the last flat tire. I'd pretty much figured out that God was simply trying to get my attention and tell me that riding a road bike is something He doesn't want me to do. Why else would I get a flat tire EACH time I rode the silly thing?? Lucky that I haven't graduated to clips yet--having the running shoes on while riding came in handy when I would have to walk/run my bike back to a specific spot to wait for the calvary to pick me up. Friends with me would change the tire the first time(I haven't had the class on changing a bike tire yet!!! Don't really care for the grease under my fingernails!!) They would shake their heads in disbelief when suddenly the tire would go flat again! I'm not lying! So, I gave up the bike because of all the flat tires which does NOT make riding fun at all.

OK----fast forward to Saturday afternoon. The weather is gorgeous--sunny, mild temps, little bit of wind (not enough to blow me off the road!). Hubby, RB, and I begin our journey--I was saying a little prayer as we took off "Lord, please don't let me get hit by a car or truck--what would my family do if I was gone? And, please, God, don't let me have a flat tire! And, God, I really don't want to get chased by a dog--especially a mean one!" This prayer continued throughout the ride--yes, I was following 1 Thess. 5:17. "Pray without ceasing." I hadn't planned on this continual prayer, but God listened! The ride was great--several hills that I huffed and puffed to get to the top, but I made it. I did have the grip of death going on with the brakes (I enjoyed the sore should syndrome on Sunday as a result!!!) . I DID though almost get pegged with a golf ball that some ding-a-ling hit towards the road when I just happened to be riding by a golf course--the nerve of him/her! But, best of all--NO FLAT TIRES-whoo hoo! Maybe...just maybe... I'll ride the bike again and not wait 9 months to do it!

Blessings