Busy Bees and Boda Bodas

He's a lumberjack and he's okay!

I finally came to the realization that we're busy people. I used to think "my life is so dull, just have to pass through this or that and then we'll have nothing to do again." Silly me, turns out, our life is incredibly full and rich and that little stretch of downtime inbetween the insanity is the moment we get to catch our breath and then jump right back in. Right now, we're back in our crazy times.

Big Brother is up north with my folks. Having just one child is such a breeze now, compared to the two. How did I ever complain before? Little Brother is relishing in our attention and the big guy is having a blast with Gilligan the Llama at my brother's farm. I'll join him on Friday to celebrate my Brother's wedding hoedown. We even get to sneak in a bike ride with some of my biking heros in Portland! I'll get to try out a Christiana trike and finally meet the biking moms I've worshipped on twitter.

The next day I fly to London. I spend a couple days with family there and they've assured me that there are bikes all around. I want to try out London's bike share system.

Next, it's off to Sardinia. My hope is to rent a bike for about a week and ride to the little town where my host sister from my NZ exchange student days will be getting married! A couple of days with the family and celebrations and a couple more days of exploring the island.

My last leg brings me up to Rome. I'm researching guided bike tours there. How exciting--visiting old friends and family, exploring by bike, and seeing new sights! This will tide me over until the next adventure comes along.

For now, packing. Trying to fit everything into a small backpack for two weeks to stay bikeable as I travel. Multipurpose clothing and functional shoes. Do I bring my own lights and helmet or rent when I get there. How many layers? Rain clothes? Wedding wear? Ditching my kiddos! I can't wait!

Ouch!

We got a quote for the damage I caused by hitting a tree root over a curb and obliterating our car's bumper--$1000+! Are you kidding me? I could buy a Boda Boda with that amout. Sadly, it's also our deductible, too, so insurance is no help. Just one more reason to ditch cars. One ding and we're in the hole that much. I can't believe people just take on these car expenses as a part of life. We were so close to being free. That, along with the rest of our lease term, is not pretty. It's a hit but immediately saving the car payments, insurance payments, gas expenses, future repair costs *cough*, registration, ect. still makes this a positive option for us. It's a bullet we're willing to bite for completing our car-free home. It's taking us longer than I hoped but we're taking these baby steps in the right direction.

Boda Boda Boda Boda!!!

In other news, the Boda Bodas came in to Practical Cycle! I had been a bit unsure about how they would look but the second they were out of the box, I was in love. The look is smooth, the bike is light, and the ride is sweet. It's a lot easier to maneuver than the Mundo, a bit bouncier because it's about 15 lbs lighter. An upright riding position. Only 8 gears but a nice ratio, I was able to cruise up Sacramento's "hills" easily, not even using the full gear range. The bell has a gorgeous ding, too! Love the cork grips. I would swap out the pedals immediately, add a few accessories like the double stand, soft spot, and fenders. Definitely worth a test ride for someone who is considering a longtail but doesn't need the tank of a Mundo.

Test ride!

Too many fun things ahead! I'll take any suggestions you might have to get through it all.