Amanda Rose blog

my new blue Biria CitiBike 700C Step-through

Between Sunday, March 24th and yesterday, Tuesday, March 26th, I found, bought, and rode a new bicycle.  Huh?! What?! ...Yeah. Okay...

At this time last week I had no idea I was going to buy a new bike.  I was too busy panicking about a Preference Sheet and trying to get through the last week before Spring Break.

An unexpected sequence of events took place, and the end result was NEW BIKE.

Here, let me try to explain:

the first bike I purchased can be seen here

(I've had my eye on this bike for a whole year.)

Now, it might seem like this was in impulse purchase, and in a lot of respects it was, but like I said above, this bike has been in my mind for a whole year.

It was on sale for cheaper than I'd find it if I waited to buy it...and...well, I went for it.
I don't know what came over me, but I did it.

I came home, excited, and put together a digital bike-collage featuring my new Biria:

I couldn't take the bike home Sunday because I had my small car.  I honestly did not think I'd be buying a bike.  I just wanted to browse the selection, and I needed a bike lock.

Well, I bought the bike lock for 20% off, but I bought the bike too.

I will ride the thing every single chance I get in the Spring and Summer.
In the long run, I'll save money on gas.
(All this stuff I tell myself.)

Still: I needed to pick it up. 

So that's what I did yesterday.
I took my mom's truck, folded down the back seats, and transported my new blue Biria home.

I got it home safely.
A neighbor walking his dogs helped me unload it.

I hopped right on and rode it to the Post Office to deliver a stamp order.

a vine video of our first ride together can be seen here

Honestly, it's the most beautiful bike.  It seats my fat ass comfortably; it's wide and sturdy and strong; I'm at the most awesomely upright angle, can view the whole world around me...it's great.

I know I'm in a transition phase in my life.
I know I'm in desperate need of pinching pennies, and getting shit in order.

Maybe this wasn't the best time for a new bike purchase...

...but when I was on that bike yesterday, I couldn't. stop. smiling.

It's been a feeling winter's been denying me.
It's been a genuine feeling of peace and calm that I haven't gotten much of since the breakup,
since going back to work after Christmas Break, since - what feels like - forever.

I needed this new activity outlet.

...and I'm going to count every single bike ride toward Mission SKINS & PRITS.

Riding my new blue Biria might not be as arduous a workout as INSANITY,
but I'd call it something better: SERENITY.

♥ ♥ ♥

I look forward to sharing my new bike adeventures with you this spring and summer.

Spring Fever = Bike Fever

Yesterday, I traveled some miles away because
"I had to see about a [bike]." -- Will Hunting.
I ended up purchasing this bike.

 I'm visualizing everything you see above along with it:
this helmet to be tied down with these bungees,
and this basket to hold this bag.

I have a dress similar to that one from Old Navy, and
I plan to wear it with brown boots that match the handle bars.

Spring Fever = Bike Fever

...and I'm burnin' up, baby!

Want some more? See my bicycleLOVE pin board.

road trip / Washington, D.C.

...and thus concludes our East Coast Road Trip.

Thanks so much for following along these past five days, and on IG in real time - if you were.

I've aways wanted to see what Washington D.C. was like, and it was just like I imagined: grandiose monuments, statues, clean, bustling, tourist-filled, heavily patrolled...reminded me of a 3D textbook in a lot of ways. :)

Riding our bikes got us to and from monuments quicker than walking, but once we were at the monuments, it was so heavily congested that the bikes ending up being a nuisance.  Oh well. I'm still glad we biked.  I'm glad we made it there.

I'm glad this road trip happened.

Tomorrow, I come to you with a realization I made on this road trip.
See ya then for that.

xOxO,

road trip / Savannah, Georgia

Georgia, oh, Georgia on my mind...

There are four things that are 'no joke' in Georgia:

    (1) those sad and lovely droopy Georgia tress
    (2) the humidy (whoo, Lord!)
    (3) the art of the PORCH
    (4) the southern hospitality

As a matter of fact, in the first ten minutes upon leaving my hotel room, two older women cheerily said 'Good Mornin' and complimented how nice I looked.  Then, a gentleman held the door for me and said, "There you go, ma'am.  You have a nice day!"

I tell ya: Savannah was a sweet, sweet city.  We biked through it in only a couple of hours.  I wish we would have had more time to explore...or maybe get me those shoulder tattoos I've been wanting HERE. (Yeah...didn't happen.)

Here are some snaps of the scenery & me and the boyf:

It was pretty much a bike ride through a new city filled with trees that simultaneously made me want to both cry and joyfully play hide-and-seek behind them.  The insects sounded like buzzing Mac trucks, the porch-porn was off the charts, and Tomas ended the ride with a swamp-ass stain in the shape of his bike seat.

Georgia was a good ol' time.

From Savannah, Georgia --> we headed SOUTH to --> Grams in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

That post comes tomorrow,
and believe me...
you don't want to miss it.

Love yas!

xOxO,

It's going to be a great month.

Gah! August already!

I'm making a promise to myself that it will be a great month.  I plan to do lots of what the above picture shows: bike-riding, photoshop-playing, and soul-soaring.

Maybe you'll stop by to see how it's all coming along.

I'm still road trippin' and plan to be back in my Queens, New York craftroom tomorrow or the day after tomorrow...

...or the day after that. ;)

I don't know.
I've got lots of sightseein' to do before I completely check in to reality and
admit to myself it's August.

It's going to be a great month.
It's going to be a great month.
It's going to be a great month.

We'll see.
Ready. Set. August.

xOxO,

long bike rides in the sun = summer

I just wanted to pop in with a quick 'hello' today and say that July is here (in case you didn't know) and one thing that's been missing from this third (and final) blog space of mine has been 'bike posts'. You can see here and here that bike posts used to make up a lot of my material.

Just know that of course I still love my bike, and I plan to share that bike love with you this month on this here blog...amongst a bunch of other exciting shares.

That's all, butterballs.

Enjoy your Sunday, the first of my favorite month.

xOxO,

approx. 52 miles later...

...and we're in April!

I'm so happy to have gotten through March in one piece.  I feel my March|movement|Challenge was a BIG reason why.

I had set out to walk/jog/run/bike/move for at least one mile every-other-day in March, and as you can see, I did much more than that.  I'm proud of myself because my goals were attainable.  I am one to set crazy, outlandish goals, never achieve them and hate that I failed.  This time around, I was real with myself and real with my schedule.

Below is the awesome result:

I love pairing exercise with documentation.  Each picture is like a cheerleader.

I shall continue to document my movement (<--my {one little word} for 2012, in case ya weren't aware) for the next few months via instagram and here occasionally.  I like to.  It makes me happy.  I reminds me to continue taking care of my body, so it can take care of me.  It reminds me to be grateful for all it allows me to do.

It definitely needs a #hash (...and that's how I can tell I'm a social-media-dweeb.  I categorize everything in my mind anyway, but now I need it #hash-tagged on all my devices.  Lawdy Lawdy!).

I shall get back to you when I've decided on a #hash for my next movement/documentation project.  For now...

...YiPPEE! It's April!  We made it. We moved it.  Now let's move some more. ;)

xOxO,

...and there was {movement} by bike New Year's Day

With my one*little*word in mind, I suggested to the boyf we go biking on New Years Day.  After all, it was an ♥ unseasonably warm ♥ 50 degrees here in Queens/Manhattan.

We ended up in Central Park, rolling down hills, in between joggers and runners and families out after Sunday morning mass...zooming by dog after dog after cutie cute dog...racing by horses and carriages with bundled-up tourists inside...

I always hold a special place in my heart for the first day of a new year that I go on a nice ride.  Last year, that day was March 8th. I rode with the boyf and his friend, Damian, and we had my homemade Thai Lettuce Wraps afterward.  See?! I love and remember my first bike day of the year.  

...and look at that! My first bike day of this year happened to be the first day of the year.  That's pretty awesome, since |bitter piercing ice cold| is usually how NYC sets up the first day of the year.

As I pedalled, I watched my thick thighs in amazement that it was happening.  Yes, because it was New Year's Day in NYC and I -- the Queen of Feeling Cold -- was out and biking and okay...BUT...more than that.  I was in amazement that a part of why I was rolling and zooming and racing up and down hills was because my one*little*word had put it into power.

With my mind on {movement}, I had made sure I moved.

It's already happening. :)

xOxO,