Finally made it on the bike again. I tried to ride on Thursday but I could not get the tire pump to attach. I finally went on the internet to try to find out what I was doing wrong only to find a lot of posts from people saying not nice things about that brand of pump because of the impossibility of getting it to work correctly. Friday I bought a new pump.

Today the weather was still nice so I decided to go visit my sister. It is a short ride but I figured it would be long enough to let me make sure I had put everything back together correctly after Tucson. As I was riding I decided the handlebars weren't quite straight but I figured I could fix that when I got to my sister's. I was almost there when I felt my chain go. No problem, I know how to get my chain back on. Then I looked at it. The derailleur had completely sheared off and was caught in the wheel. I couldn't even walk the bike. Don came and got me.

I took it to the bike shop as it should still be under warranty. Apparently they have to send the defective part back to the manufacturer and get their OK before they can fix it. Result: no bike for at least the next few weeks.

New Year

It is a new year and time to get the bike back out. Yesterday I finally put it back together after getting it back from Tucson. I am hoping to be able to go riding this week some time if it stops raining. I have also signed up for the Tour de Cure here in Washington. This ride raises money for diabetes research.

After the Tucson ride I came home to a new kitchen. I immediately started putting things back away in the kitchen trying to get as much done as possible before leaving for Hawaii on Dec. 1. I enjoyed my trip to Hawaii with my family. We stayed on the Big Island and went swimming practically every day. The boys loved swimming with the turtles and fish and going to see the volcano.

After we came home I went back to fixing up the kitchen, washing everything before putting it away. I also had to get the Christmas decorations up as I had a party the next week. Between parties and Christmas shopping there has been no time for bike riding.