hi

Lucy and I are thrilled to share that we are on vacation!!!  Thursday at 1:15 pm this mama walked out the work door not to return for over a week!  Lucy doesn't have school next week and we are heading over to Door County WI.  Capping off our week at Door will be the 2010 Mehaber.  We are going to need a post-vacation vacation.  I am looking forward to concentrating on just one job (mothering) this week, having a little mental break from the daily grind of doing it all and having some energy to focus on Lucy and myself.

We started the week off by buying Lucy a bigger girl bike.  By the end of summer I predict we'll have those training wheels off.  We bought the bike from our neighborhood bike shop.  Anyone in the Twin Cities looking for a good quality inexpensive used bike?  I highly recommend this shop.  Full Cycle is an amazing social service agency in my neighborhood. Here's a little blurb about what they do: 

 "Full Cycle, a Minneapolis-based outreach program that offers free bikes to homeless and at-risk youth as a way to engage them with vitally needed social services. Founded in 2002 by Matt Tennant, a social worker, Full Cycle uses the promise of a renovated bike to connect homeless youth ages 23 and under with food shelves, places to stay, basic medical care and other social services available through Pillsbury House, a

PUC neighborhood center in South Minneapolis. “Kids love bicycles,” Tennant observed. “Their interest in bikes brings them to our door. We simply offer them the chance to earn a bike by learning how to refurbish it. For some, that's as much as they want. For others, we're able to connect them to a wide range of community resources.” Beyond learning a trade, participants will gain valuable business skills like conducting
sales and customer service, running a cash register and helping with the day-to-day management of the shop. Graduates of the program will have an opportunity for paid internships in local bike shops that could lead to employment."

If you don't need a bike, feel free to donate a bike.  It's an amazign program.  Lucy loves her new bike, I love that she has a good quality bike, in great condition, for an amazing price that supports a good cause.