figuring it out

I love riding my bike.  It is a standard 'hybrid' bike- not commited to being labeled a road or mountain bike (strangely relatable to how I would define myself)- yet the most comfortable, trustworthy and fun bike I've had.  It's getting on in the years- I bought it my freshman year in college (no, that really can't be 15 years!! ago- gasp!) and it has never let me down.  Well, after that LONG amount of time, I finally decided I better start taking care of her and took a free bike maintenance class at REI.  In all my years riding my bike, I've never gotten a flat.  Ever.  But I realized that now that I'm pulling Nate all over town in a trailer, with its own two inflatable wheels along with the fact that he has his own bike now with its own 2 inflatable wheels, there was a decent chance that at some point one of those 6 wheels would get a flat while we were out and about and I sure as heck wanted to be able to fix it. 

So I signed up for the class.

It was awesome.  Seriously one of the most useful classes I've taken in my years taking classes.  And it was empowering.  I immediately came home, took apart pieces of my bike, lubed other pieces, and put it back together. 

And, wouldn't you know it, a couple weeks later, I had my first flat.  (At this point my friend, Joanna would inevitably point out that I had, in fact, attracted this flat tire BECAUSE I had taken the class, and I probably would agree with her...but that's another day's post). 

But I fixed it!  Easily, without drama, quickly, and loving every minute of it. 

A couple weeks later Nate was given a new (pre-loved) bigger bike (I can't believe he has already outgrown his first two wheeler!) and it needed new tires.  Well, mama and Nate to the rescue!  He enjoyed figuring out things just as much as I did and was so very patient as I wrestled an old, hard rubber tire off the rim.  An hour and a bucket of sweat later, he's riding again.  Woohoo! 

 A lovely month of figuring things out.