The Silver Lining after my Bike was Stolen.

I walked into the bathroom with my eyes half-way open. It was 2:30 AM. As I turned on the light I noticed a note on the mirror.

Your bike was not outside. If you don't know where it is, wake me up. Love, Marshall.

I felt my stomach drop instantly and felt as though I was dreaming--was my bike really stolen? When I went back to the bedroom to tell Marshall, I started crying like a baby. He held me close for a few moments and then went outside to search the apartment complex to see if the person who had cut the chain had just left it somewhere. It was nowhere. When he came back he ran into our neighbor who said he had walked out to the gym around 7 PM and didn't see it. That meant it had been taken in broad daylight between 6 and 7:30 PM. I couldn't believe this had happened and I know it probably sounds silly that I was so sad. It's just a bike. Maybe so, but there was a special place in my heart for my powder-blue Giant bike.

The super nerdy and super cute picture from the day I bought my bike.

August 2008

Springfield, Missouri

It was my first form of transportation I bought when I moved off to college. While most people are nostalgic about their first car, my bike was where my heart was.

It was my main form of getting around during my four years of college even though I bought a car after my first year.

It was on this bike that I got to know the college town I lived it, then Fairbanks, and now Lawrence.

It was a trusty bike, only getting ONE flat tire in the seven years we were together.

I had my first crash on that bike, one that brings memories of overcoming my fears.

Marshall and I rode many places on our bikes together, creating memories of riding in the scorching heat, to the farmer's market, or all around town--just because we could.

Eklutna Lake Bike Ride

June 2014

Alaska

When I thought of not having a bike, I couldn't wrap my head around it. My bike was how I ran my errands. It may sound crazy, but I often prefer my bike to a car.

While my bike wasn't particularly fancy or fast, it was mine and it was a good bike. My heart grieved a little today, and while it may sound silly, I am allowing myself to feel the sadness for a little while. And then, it will be time to look for the blessings from this silly, crazy situation:

Tender Mercies:

Oh how I am grateful Marshall was home to take care of the logistics: calling the apartment complex, the police department, and the insurance company.
We were able to get $93 from our insurance company, and while that isn't a lot, it still is 1/3rd of the value and it sure is better than $0!
I have a million happy memories on my bike that no one can take away from me.
I get to buy a fresh new bike for new memories!!

I think it is important to find the tender mercies (a.k.a blessings) when dumb things happen. Gah, I am so sad but I am so happy for the many blessings that have come because of this.

Have a super day, and I challenge you to seek out *one* good thing that happened today and tell someone about it.

Love ya! :)

May 2014

Alaska

Hoping for a Rainbow

I'm really not sure if I ever thought this day would come. The day that I made it past 13 weeks pregnant without losing the baby. #miracle. I know I am not out of the woods yet, and honestly, when are we really? I am just trying to live every day with gratitude for the life inside of me, living with hope for the future. Part of me wanted to wait until next week, when I was past 14 weeks and officially in the 2nd trimester, but I couldn't wait any longer. I've been getting a little thick in the middle, which is getting more difficult to hide, and I feel like I haven't been able to be completely honest with friends when they would ask, "how are you doing?" All I wanted to talk about was how nauseous I was or how nervous I felt. So now, the news is out, whether or not you already suspected something was up. Seriously though, the 1st trimester is not for the faint of heart! There were many instances when I thought I would lose the baby, but dee...

Grandpa is Always Right | Gender Reveal |

I was hanging out in our rental apartment in Salzburg, Austria with my sister when my dad walked out of his bedroom and announced that I was having a girl. I was only 11 weeks along at that point and while I was wishfully hoping for a girl, I was preparing myself for a boy. His strong conviction of the gender of our child without any hints from an ultrasound surprised me. My dad seems to always be right about things, so I secretly hoped he was right this time too. Today during my scan, my favorite sonographer announced that we were having a girl. Grandpa is always right. I never imagined our family starting with a baby boy. I don't know why, but a baby girl seems to fit just perfectly. Now I just have to keep calm and stay healthy for 19 more weeks.

Learning to Speak Like an Alaskan

Denali in the background No one wants to feel like a newbie, so a common practice before traveling to a new city or country is to learn the language of that particular place. Well, when my Aunt Joan picked me up from the airport last December when I first arrived in Alaska, one of the first things she told me was if I didn't want to sound like a tourist, I needed to refer to Mt. Mckinley (the tallest mountain in North America, located some 120 miles south of Fairbanks) as Denali . Denali is the native Athabaskan name for the mountain, and means "The High One." So, from day number one in Alaska, I refered to that majestic mountain as Denali instead of the name I had learned growing up. This is just about what it looked like yesterday morning! Another thing I learned recently is how to say the temperature. I was saying "Gosh it's cold outside because it's negative 30 degrees." But luckily, a kind skating mom...

Tender Mercies

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