No Likey Bike Riding in the Rain

Ok, I know Justin has been meaning to write about this, and I hate to steal the topic of his blog post, but too bad because i need to share about my experience as well!

Today we had my bike fixed and a baby seat put on it! YAY! Justin and I decided that since it was such a nice sunny day out, that we would take our bikes for a spin! Well, sunny could mean rain within minutes if you are talking Amsterdam weather. Oh yeah. So basically, it starting POURING! Thank the Lord that I had bought a little rain poncho thing for Maisie the day before for a time just like this! 

I must admit a few things from my past before I continue. I’ve never really been great at riding bikes. It all started back when I was around four years old and got my leg/foot caught in the bike tire of my sister’s banana seat bicycle while she rode the bike, tearing ligaments. Then, when I was in about 9 years old, I ran my bike straight into a PARKED truck. I still to this day have no idea how it happened. My next bike memory after that was when I was about 12 years old. I was riding my bike around our apartment complex and somehow lost control of the bike and ran into another PARKED car! I shattered the license plate cover and made my getaway! That bike never quite rode the same after that! My last bike accident was just a few years ago when I first rode a bike in Holland at a staff conference. It was a simple unsteadiness that lead to my driving off the bike path and falling into a fence. I have no idea how any of these things happened!

So today. No accidents today THANK THE LOOOOORD (sing that part in an opera type style)! There were about a million times where I should have had an accident, but I didn’t. I would like to share about my bike experience today, by letting you into my head. I know this could be very scary for you!

TRUE THOUGHTS OF JEN WHILE RIDING HER BIKE:

-“Is my underwear showing? I better adjust my shirt, but I don’t want to lose control of the bike, so I will let all see what nobody should see for the sake of Maisie’s life.”

-“This is NOT very American of me to have Maisie riding on the bike without a helmet!” and then continued to worry that I might lose control of the bike and her hit her head.

-“Oh no! It’s starting to rain!!!!”

-“FRICKITY FRACK! Maisie’s poncho won’t stay on her head while riding her bike! What is the point of having a hood on a poncho if it doesn’t stay on the head!?!?!”  

-“BRRRRRRRR!”

-“I wish Maisie would stop telling me she is cold and asking me to put her hat back on!”

-“If I continue to hold the bike handles with one hand, while holding her poncho hood on her head with the other hand, I will surely fall down in the pouring rain.”

-“Thanks God for the rain because I was sort of thirsty anyways.” -And seriously, with the amount of rain falling, I actually did get a little drink of water from what was running off my face.

-“Screw it. Maisie is going to have to deal with a soaking wet face and hair.”

-“Oh great. Maisie fell asleep. Should I try to balance her head? No, I will let it just hang there.”

-“WHOA!!!!!”

So those were just a couple of my thoughts while on the bike ride. There were lots of “Oh craps” and a lot more “WHOA’s” in there as well as cars and bikes got unusually close to me, or when I almost fell about three different times, or when we crossed an intersection where it wasn’t our right of way and almost got hit a couple times, or when I was going up hill and the bike almost tipped because the bike was in the wrong gears. You know, things like that. But the plus side is that Justin said I looked sexy. How he thinks a soaking wet, clumsy girl looks sexy is beyond me, but I’ll take it!

The bike ride ended with me trying to unbuckle Maisie without waking her up, but I couldn’t get the buckle undone, so as I was pulling on it, I ended up punching her the face pretty hard. She woke up screaming and shaking from being so cold.  

Yeah, it wasn’t the perfect day of bike riding, but at least there weren’t any accidents! Well, besides the whole punching Maisie in the face thing! I’m strongly considering moving the bike seat to Justin’s bike until I gain a bit more confidence! 

Here is a picture of Justin and Maisie from earlier that day, right after we got the bike seat installed on my bike.

So yeah, I know Maisie’s jeans are high waters now.  I’m just trying to make them last! But after seeing this picture, it might be time to say goodbye! Nooooo!

And here is a video of Justin and Maisie riding the bike!