Thanks for all the fish.

Just wanted to thank everyone for their comments.  I'm much calmer now ;) In a perfect world we wouldn't have to worry, then again would it be so perfect.  Someday though it may be much safer.  Zac and I totally want to move to Europe. Zac keeps talking about how we should move to Amsterdam.  I couldn't agree more!  I bet it is so quiet there.  Hopefully with what he has chosen for school we will get the opportunity to live abroad and experience different bike cultures.  Check out this website for the zen that is Copenhagen  and I 'll end this with some lovely bike pics.

Provo River Trail on the tandem

Lovely European bike (sorry it's like 100 years old) PS those bikes still look the same. That is the genius of their engineering.

Bikes and their death machine equivalents

Happy Riding

   Krysta

I can only handle so many people with their heads up their butts!!

You know everyday I ride my bike.  Sometimes long rides sometimes short, but NEVER EVER since the day we gave up that stupid car have I had a day like today!  I really just want to sit down and cry.  I feel so blessed that I am able to even type this letter and hold my little girl.  

I try so hard to follow all traffic rules.  I stop at stop lights and at stop signs.  I do a lot of things that most cyclists feel does not apply to them.  I don't care, I am safe because I HAVE to be safe.  I not only have to care for my life but the life of my baby.  PEOPLE OPEN YOUR EYES! I wish this blog reached more people so that they can pass this on! So those who do read this PASS IT ON.

 I was not almost hit not just once today or even twice.  I was hit almost 11 TIMES. And mind you this is in less than a one hour period.  I don't exaggerate, this is 2 human lives I am talking about.  Everyday you get in your car do you think to yourself,  "Hey I am driving a vehicle that weighs 1/4 ton, it has a steal frame and could drive thru a brick wall." No you don't, Every time I get on my bike I have to think about this.  I don't worry about one vehicle I have to worry about all vehicles. Ones that are parked, ones that don't stop at the stop line when making a right turn, ones that obey rules and ones that don't.  I do hope that you drive safe for the safety of your children.  I hope you remember that you not only have their lives to worry about but you have EVERYONE else's to worry about when you are on the road.  They gave you a license because they thought you could handle that responsibility.  It's just like having a license to carry a weapon.  You choose what you will do with it.  Accidents happen but it is still your responsibility!

 I am not a car hater, someday I may own a car again. I am one who values life. If I can cut out unnecessary risks than that is what I will do. I will help to promote bicycle advocacy and pedestrian advocacy if needs be. And I will yell at you if you are in your car and not driving safe, and I will give ugly looks.  I hate being angry but I have yet to find a solution to help people realize they are endangering peoples lives. No one is in that big of a hurry that they can't be safe. Life is more important! 

Anyway in the meantime I will work to improve my imperfections.  I will try harder to be patient and work on my anger.  It is a poison and it only makes me feel less of a person.  I ask you all just to remember as you get in the car how important it is to drive safely.  Not just for your sake or bicyclists sake, but for the sake of other people who are driving as well.  

Krysta

8 Bicycling Things (I couldn't pass this up 8 is my favorite number)

8 Bicycling Things...

Eight T.V. shows I love to watch that have great bicycling scenes:

1- The Office  Season 3 Benihana Christmas
2- Flight of the Concords  Season 1  Episode 7 "to many mother *%^7uckers
3- 30 Rock  Season 1   I'm pretty sure it's episode 1 or 2 Kenneth ride his bike
4- Gilmore Girls   Season 7 Loralie's Jeep goes kaput and she rides her cruiser to work! Right on!

5- That is the extent of my TV viewing because we don't have TV we just get shows from our friends

6- 

7- 
8- 
Favorite Places to Eat that we ride our bike to!
1- Demae Sushi
2- Joe Veras Mexican Restaurant
3- Gandolfo's
4- Rice King
5- Dell Taco
6- Deigo's Taco stand
7- Sensuous Sandwich
8- Sammy's

(basically every restaurant on this list is off of Center Street in Provo. (They just happen to have the most amazing variety and we still haven't tried Korean, Peruvian, and Indian yet!)

Eight Bicycling Things that happened yesterday:
1- Went to Residential Manager training
2- Fixed Ren's Chariot to be safer for her
3- Road to Sushi
4- Then to Gelato (so yummy!)
5- Road to old house with friends
6- Showed off our cool blinking tail lights and did a dance
7- Zac fixed our neighbors bikes
8- We road home and it was 9:00 AND freezing!  and Yes of course I was in a skirt!

Eight Bike Things I look forward to:
1- Having more Bikes!!
2- Having more kids riding on our bikes
3- People voting against off shore drilling and instead using alternative forms of transportation and fueling!
4- More People riding bikes!!
5- Having bikes be our main form of decoration!  oh wait it is ;)
6- REN RIDING A BIKE   It Will be a great day in the Whitmore home!
7- Zac having every bike he ever wanted
8- People not thinking we are crazy for not having a car  (look around the world peeps! millions of us do it every day!)

Eight Bike Things I love about Fall:
1- Crunching leaves with my tires!!!
2- The smell of damp leaves in the gutter.
3- The Provo River Trail canopied by the fall leaves falling down (this the most magical thing I know!)
4- COLORS
5- Weather (I don't nearly sweat as much)
6- Warm biking sweaters
7- Zac riding his bike in a scarf with bonus facial hair!
8- EVERYTHING of course! It's the FALL the most wonderful time of the year!

Eight bicycles on my wish list:
1- Gary Fisher Simple City 8
2- Dutch Bike
3- My very own xtracycle
4- Zac every Vanilla Cycle he wants
5- Ren a trike
6- Zac an original Schwinn stingray
7- That we could do an epic bike trip like highway one or across the US
8- That all our bikes would be fixed