Getting "back on the saddle"...or should I say "bike seat!"

This is me and my friends, Karen Duffey and Liz Skinner,  

riding our bikes this week around the lake.

 You might be asking yourself,
 "Why do they have your arms in the air, like they are celebrating?"

 Well, that is because...

this is me last week, right after I fell off my bike and took a tumble. 

 I was probably going a little too fast and probably talking a little too much. 

  I have found is that it is harder than I thought to bike and talk at the same time;)!

 So this is what happened, at least how I remember it.

 We were heading home, going down the switchbacks at Miner's Ravine,  

and as I was making a sharp right, I caught my peddle on the cement,

  which threw me off my bike.  

My head hit hard and for a minute or two, I was seeing stars. 

 I tried to stand up a couple of times, but felt terribly nauseous. 

I quickly realized that I wasn't going to be riding my bike home.

 So my friends called Brooke, who left school, to come and get me.

She drove me home and cleaned my wounds and stayed with me until  

Mark came home and checked on me during his lunch hour. 

He decided that I must have suffered a small...very small concussion.  

I was nauseous and headachy for days, 

but the worse part was how goofy my brain has been working.  

I mean, I'm kind of loopy on a regular basis, 

but then you throw in a blow to the head and it was down right scary!  

At least it has given me an excuse these past few days. 

Whenever I'm having a "blond moment," I just say, 

"Well, I feel off my bike last week and had a slight concusion."  

People instantly become sympathetic and give me a free pass! 

 I may be using that line for a very long time:)! 

 Thanks to my friend, Karen who took the picture above and documented the incident.

   Funny thing is that I didn't even remember that she took the picture until a week later:)!

This is me and the gals out by Folsom Lake on the Wednesday morning following my bike accident.

They were all so nice and checked on me everyday to make sure I was OK.

They called and texted me and encouraged me to get "back on the saddle" and ride again.

They knew how hesitant I was about riding in the first place,

 so they wanted to make sure I didn't get discouraged and give up.

One of the texts that I received said, 

"You are a good little bike rider and you knew how to keep yourself safe."

That made me and Brooke giggle.  

I felt like such a child, humiliated and wanting to quit.

But then I knew I couldn't.  

I knew my friends weren't going to let me and I don't want to be a quitter.

So I'm back riding again, wearing a new helmet 

and trying to talk a little less and concentrate on the road a little more.

I'm grateful that my injuries are not serious...

just a bruised ego and over time... 

even that will heal!