hey, happy friday!
so, the holbrooks are trying their hands this year at being bike people. i even have the road rash on my ankle to prove it! we had a really fantastic afternoon on the west side highway last weekend, where we rode as far south as we could stand, stopping for a few tacos and playgrounds along the way, before riding ourselves back home for some orphan black. we have one bike between the three of us right now. we're not terribly official yet. luckily, all three of us can fit in it at once! (thank you again, madsen!) i've been looking around at options for our second bike, you know, i don't need to play beauty queen on parade in a bucket seat ALL the time... something city friendly, step through, with a few gears, terribly adorable of course, like this one or this one. any recommendations for us? luckily we have plenty of bike storage in our basement. :)
oh brother, i'm just really grateful for our life in this city. should i be obnoxious for just a moment? i think i will. i'm grateful for this place, this time, this experience. i know i'm lucky to have it. i'm so jazzed at this family of three i get to be a part of. i had a moment last week, you know, when i was waiting for my period to come or for a pregnancy test to read positive, whichever wanted to come first, where i thought to myself, you know? i'm okay either way. i really have nothing to lose here. either way, i'm good. i have a good thing going. truthfully, i'd been looking forward to having a solid month or two off where i just enjoyed being me. just me. not a hopeful vessel of babies, not a body of drugs or schedules or tests, no deadlines or out-of-the-ordinary responsibilities looming over my head, nothing to make me more tired or more grumpy or more whatever than usual. just me. me the way i want to be me, if i'm in charge of being me. (which... i am. do you sometimes forget that, too?) it's been such a roller coaster, the last few years, and i'd always planned for the month of may to be just for play. just chilling. and going absolutely nowhere and doing pretty much nothing. and then my period went AWOL and i started doing the usual "have i been too stressed out lately or am i pregnant?" song + dance (you know the one) and i actually thought, you know what? i'm not ready yet. have i ever thought that before? nooooo. of course then my period came and it isn't humanly possible to want a baby and not hate your period to death every time it comes, BUT. i've been loving the heck out of the peaceful undercurrent i felt all the while. this knowledge that this working out how it's supposed to. whatever the hell that means. and i am in charge of my experience. i'm calling the shots.
anyway, enjoy our way over-exposed shots of the day! (hey check your camera settings next time in case of toddler interference!)
tiny baby goslings along the hudson. they were so fluffy + sweet looking i could have breastfed them on the spot. come on, you know what i mean.
oh and p.s.
the tacos at the chelsea market right now are out of this worrrrld.
Did I dream you were going to do a Felicity bag? Maybe I did.. Can it happen in real life?
ReplyDeletenot a dream! check back next week!!!
DeleteI adore my Linus! I have three bikes and there are pluses and minuses with each one. My Linus is by far the most comfortable. I have the Dutchi 3 (in black - her name is Fleur - but otherwise the same bike you link to) with the Delano basket in front, dual Wald folding baskets in the rear, and great lights. I'd like to get a double kick-stand (the baskets or cargo make it a little vulnerable to tipping on the single stand it comes with), but it's a great bike. I call this my "station wagon" bike, because I can comfortably bring anything with me. She weighs a ton with baskets (close to 40lbs) and would be hard to get in and out of an apartment with stairs (though nothing like the Madsen cargo bike in size or weight, I'm sure).
ReplyDeleteI also have a 1970s 10-speed with drop bars, fenders, and a small rack (The Radish. It's red). It's a bit lighter at around 27-30lbs, and I appreciate the additional gearing on hilly trips. I'm currently trying to decide whether to up the number of gears on the Linus, though the weight would always slow me down on hills even with more gearing (but I do like the idea of higher gearing for when I go down hill; I dislike going faster than the gears can accommodate). I find the drop bars make it harder to look around in traffic (easier to check over shoulder, but harder on the neck and back in general) because you're angled toward the street, and it's harder to throw a leg over a mixte frame than a loop/step-through (but still better than a straight top bar).
Finally, I have a mountain bike (Julek). It's light (25lbs) and has neither fenders nor a rack. I plan to add fenders, and possibly a small rear rack (I can attach a small purse or pannier to the rear rack - parent-hack for you, if you have a diaper bag with stroller loops it may be able to serve as a pannier bag for you). I intend to use this (post-fenders) in ickier weather such as rain or now, but keep it pretty light and easy for gravel or trail riding (we have access to the Missouri Katy trail in St. Louis for which the knobbier tires would be nice). The fatter tires are slow on pavement, though, and I find the narrow handlebars uncomfortable.
You can see all three bikes at my blog fietsofstyle.blogspot.com
That is one cool bike. I'm interested to know if you and Huck get strapped into the bucket or are you free to get thrown around a bit? I have a bike and which hasn't been ridden for years...this has inspired me to get a toddler seat on it and get out there this summer :o)
ReplyDeleteKatie @ http://whatyoudoingkatie.blogspot.co.uk
I have the Linus Dutchi and LOVE it! I highly recommend it--it's really easy to ride (I feel a lot more confident on it than my old mountain bike). Plus it's super cute. Sid's Bikes down on 19th has them in stock if you want to go for a test ride.
ReplyDeletePlease consider wearing a helmet when you bike. It's great that your son has one, but his parents should wear them too!
ReplyDeleteCool bike....I would like to know how many people could fit in the *bucket!* looks huge!!
ReplyDeletehttp://vodkaandarose.blogpost.co.uk
I love this! It seems so much safer than some of the other kid's seats I see. It's the Suburban of bikes!
ReplyDeletehttp://thatumamilife.wordpress.com - a clean eating bento blog. Japanese or Asian-inspired!
so, so lovely!
ReplyDeleteAlthough I'm dealing with different stresses, that second paragraph really struck a chord. Thank you for putting it so plainly. You can be YOU no matter what, and that is liberating. Thanks for taking us along for the ride. Hope you find a good bike! :)
ReplyDeleteloved this post and loving your romper! biking is the best, i just wish we wouldn't potentially die of heat strokes in florida! :) #thestruggle
ReplyDeleteyou're so cute with that big bucket behind your bike. i'm dying to have a bike family again, but not until our newest babe is big enough. soon, though!
ReplyDeleteI recognized Ace & Jig right away... that's amazing, how unique their style is. Love it!
ReplyDeleteHuck looks so cute on the back of the bike! fun..
Valentina
Valentina Duracinsky Blog
-- Facebook Page
I feel so happy for the peace you've found (at least at this moment). It is such an incredible feeling to be satisfied with where you are at the exact moment you're in it.
ReplyDeleteALSO: I literally ran to get my wallet as soon as I saw Kathleen Kelly! Happy Mother's Day to me!
What a great bike! Love it!
ReplyDeleteHi, Your blog is interesting, love seeing New York, and your son is adorable. But I do have a question. Why are all you young attractive women falling for the Ace & Jigs stuff? I get it, the fabric, its comfortable...but its ugly! And these rompers. Why is everyone so taken with this expensive brand - obviously its a trend, the marketing in the blog world pushed it. And I'm not picking on you, its looks bad on everyone. And now the Birks again...well, they were never attractive. Look, I'm old enough to be your mom, but I'm pretty savvy about style. You actually wear it better than most. You girls don't have to follow every trend, feel free tor reject something, its OK!
ReplyDeleteOh, the Kathleen Kelly bag, now that is great!
ReplyDeleteThat is so weird. I am having a very similar mindset at the moment. I have been applying for jobs in a new field, that I have almost completed study in. Getting nowhere for over 6 months. Applying was just rote by now, really. Then two calls for interviews in two days, one of them an hour after I submitted my application. Great jobs. One awesome interview. I might actually be offered the job. Which caused me to completely freak out, because it will be full time, and I won't be able to go to toddler gym and toddler sign class and playgroup and … oh my bay-bee. We have such an incredible group of family and friends who already look after him so I can study, but to only have weekends - how do dads stand it? And that is when I realised how much I love my life right now. Love the stuff my toddler and I do, love my study, love my schedule. If I am offered this job I will have to take it, and it will be wonderful for my career and we could use the money, but I read this and thought 'yep, that is how I feel'. I'm ok if I don't get the job now. I will handle it if I do. But at least I can appreciate how much I love the chance I have had to spend nearly two years with my son. Love seeing how you and Huck are, I hope that Atti and I will be just as great mates as you guys.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to put you over my knee and give you a nice, hot, soapy enema.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos! Looks like a fun afternoon!! My hubby has a road bike for biking long distances but I haven't ridden bike since 8th grade when I fell off and broke my arm (boo). But it's my goal this fall/end of summer (after my baby is due) to try riding bike again. We'll see what happens, it would be fun to bike around our little city as a fam!
ReplyDeleteBike recommendation: My boyfriend refurbishes used/vintage bikes. He does it for fun and usually just charges for cost of the bike and whatever new parts it needs (usually tires and brakes). We have a basement full on Long Island (I'm just trying to help clear out the basement a bit hahaha).
ReplyDeleteExample of bike: http://happyhoneylark.blogspot.com/2011/03/1979-schwinn-collegiate-luckiest-lady.html
Okay, so, I've been meaning to leave this comment for a while but, you know, life. (In retrospect: apologies if this comment comes off really strange? It's definitely not intended to. Anyway!)
ReplyDeleteLiterally the day before you posted this, standing in the middle of my bathroom in the middle of Louisiana I randomly thought of you and your quest for a babe and hoped that it might be going well. Some weird moment of almost synchronization with the blogosphere, I guess. I wanted to say that I'm so glad to see your peace right now (to the extent that the insanity that is being alive allows) and let you know that some random girl floating between Texas and Louisiana sometimes thinks of you (in the least-creepy way possible, I promise) and cheers you on in your battle.
Also, it's been SO lovely to see you share ways you continue to kind of grow into yourself as a woman lately. It gives me some more hope for my own thoroughly messy soul. :)
(Also also, because who can be brief or conclusive, you are rocking those new ear piercings, and I'm pretty sure you'll do the same to any tattoo you may end up choosing, Have fun embracing your wildness a bit!--and all your other multifaceted elements *thumbs up emoji I can't currently do*)
I am in pretty much the same place. Little boy and hoping for another child. Loving that I have this life and really happy to think about bringing another being into this world. Its a fun place to be in, but sometimes a peaceful one and sometimes an impatient one but I wanted to say that it feels nice to be not alone in it.
ReplyDeleteHey Natalie - I was wondering your feelings about the Madsen. I have been considering the purchase of one, but cannot test it out before I order -- do you feel like it is sturdy? Do you feel secure driving it?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your time. Sarah
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ReplyDelete