riding into december

I'm going to try to not talk about how I'm sitting here wondering how it's already December, and just say, that I'm glad it's here. Shanna reported some beautiful snow over in her neighborhood today, and can I just say, that I cannot freaking wait until we get some snow here, especially if it's on a day when I can curl up on the couch with some knitting and a cuppa tea. This December first feels quite different than last year's, but hey, that's just how life goes sometimes, right?

So, until it actually starts to feel a little wintry around these parts, I'm going to talk about biking. I will admit that we have had insanely warm weather here this past month, but despite that, I am proud to report that on December 1, I am still commuting to work by bike. And I have no plans to stop just yet. In full disclosure, I will tell you that my commute is about ten minutes each way (roughly a mile and a half), but still.

Being a one car family definitely has its pros and cons (I'm inclined to say that there are way more pros than cons, but I won't deny that sometimes it's just plain a pain in the ass). One of the pros (or cons, depending on the day/weather) is that I have a damn good excuse to ride my bike everywhere. To help with that, I bought a pair of these over the summer, making running errands or going grocery shopping so much easier. Since it warmed up back in the spring, I've pretty much been biking just about everywhere I could. (I even did a bunch of research on getting a trailer for the dog, but I think that'll wait until next year).

This year, more than years past, Jared really does need to drive the car just about everyday given the locations of his school/work, leaving me on two wheels (or, occasionally, on two feet). Not only is it better for the environment and all that jazz, but biking is just plain more fun than driving. I didn't grow up in a driving culture ,so driving around all the time tends to make me want to jump off a cliff. Luckily, we live in a super bike-friendly city (almost as cool as PDX) including the amazing off-road bikeway that we've got here. And being Minneapolis (where it tends to get damn cold, as you may have heard), there are a good number of hardcore year-round bikers. I'm not sure if I'll make it year-round, but I'm just going to keep on riding until I can't stand it any more.

My initial goal was to make it through November, and I'm pretty psyched that I've gotten this far. I'm now amending my goal to make it until my winter break from work, which starts December 18. This will be the real test, since it's supposed to actually start getting cold this week. But, I think I can make it another two and a half weeks, don't you?

And before I go, just a couple of things that are making me happy this month...
} abby's photos of her weekend with shanna (here, here, and here). the thought of those two together makes me a little giddy.

} the ladies at habit are hosting a big ol' party, with all the 33 guests they've had this past year posting all month long. pretty excellent.

what are you all enjoying so far this december?