Midsummer

Hold up summer, what's the rush?? Chill. Kick off your flip flops and stay awhile. Your company I love the most. (Slight panic creeping in upon realization that it's already July 15...)


So lovelies, how are your summers? Mine is going too fast. As usual. I'm not getting done half of what I planned. As usual. But no matta! I'm not going to let that bring down my mood.... there are still about 6 weeks of summer goodness to milk.

Biking is going well for the most part. There have been some not-so-fun adventures, of course. Apparently North America gets monsoon weather, and despite being land-locked almost smack in the middle of the country, Colorado gets hit with it, too. I'm talking hella crazy thunderstorms, rain and hail. It's been better this week, but last week was truly monsoon-y. Which inspired an emergency visit to the bike shop to pimp my ride with front and back fenders to avoid the street-grimed-legs-and-mud-butt results of rain biking. Not a good look when meeting with Avon clients, ha! And one afternoon I hid under a tree during one particular torrential downpour, attempting to stay quasi-dry. Good times.

I did get a break this week... a friend of mine often travels for work, so while working across the pond in London town this week, she allowed me to borrow her car. My quads were very grateful for the vacay! And arriving dry to work and Avon meetings has been lovely :)


Things I'd still like to do before fall semester begins... Hike a couple more montañas. Pool. I've not nearly had enough pool days. Read while sprawling on a blanket under a tree in the park. Sit on more patios, drinking margaritas, mojitos and sangria. Eat lots more corn on the cob. Catch up on SYTYCD... I'm waaaaay behind. And HARRY POTTER, bahhhh!!

Whew, I have a few things to do over the next 6 weeks. I better get a move on...

Pics via We Heart It

Happy Weekend lovelies!

xoxo
J

Pedal Pusher

So. I'm sure you've all been waiting with bated breath since I last mentioned a pending change in my corner of the 'verse, so I am here to finally spill the beans. Last weekend I downsized from four wheels to two. No more car for me... I'm now a full-time bike commuter!

Most people ask "What happened??" with great concern, but this was a choice. The short version of the story is my youngest brother and his girlfriend are the lucky parents of the Cutest Baby Alive, my nephew. Life has been throwing them curveballs right and left, and one curveball in particular has been the inability to find a car that stays running for longer than a week. Cars are expensive, but when you have a little one a car is pretty much essential.

So I gave them my car. On Father's Day, I handed my brother an envelope with the keys and the title signed over to him. And then I asked him for a ride home :)

Sure, it's been an adjustment... I now only carry the essentials for my day – lunch, laptop, ballet gear, basic Avon business stuff and items to freshen up post-ride. Feel the burn, baby! I may be in shape, but any new activity requires muscles to be used in new ways - I was ready to call it a night by 9:30pm all last week and I’m not an early to bed gal. On Friday I calculated approximately how far I bike in a day, and it came to about 15 miles. Not bad. Oh, and the appetite! I’m a hunger monster anyway, but my food consumption has gone through the roof. The money I’m saving on gas and insurance may be traded in at the grocery store. Holy moly.

What was one of my biggest fears? Helmet hair, ha! But honestly, it's not been as bad as I expected. My bangs fluff back to life without too much effort. And my morning routine is much simpler, allowing me more time to snooze. There is no point in doing a full blowout or makeup face nowadays. Again, I was worried I’d be a hot sweaty mess upon arrival at work, but I change from biking getup to work-apropos outfit, dab on some powder and lip gloss, and I’m good to go. Thank the stars I work in a casual office.

Any inconvenience or adjustment on my part is far outweighed by the benefit to my brother and his li’l family. It was the right thing to do, so no regrets. FoCo is a very bike-friendly little city, so that helps tremendously, too. And you know I'm still sporting my girly style... hot pink Nike backpack; pink, black and white helmet; and my nails are still polished... today is sparkly red Ruby Slipper.

Wouldn't mind if this was the view on my commute...

All kinds of bike-related posts have been swirling around my helmeted head… such as beauty/fashion posts, potentially titled “Biker Babe Beauty” or “Pedal Pushing Pretty”… We’ll see what happens!

images We Heart It

Happy Monday lovelies!

xoxo
J