So Many Updates

Greetings #bikelife enthusiasts, it has been many moons since I've posted anything on this website. You know what? Life happened.

In the fall of 2022 I signed up for a Feminine Embodiment Coaching program provided by a wonderful school: School of Embodied Arts, so that I might pursue a passion of mine which is to offer 1:1 coaching sessions to those who want to get in touch with their feelings and emotions, to get out of their head and into their body.

Shortly after I signed up for another program called Integrative Pelvic Health, which allows me to facilitate 1:1 sessions with individuals wanting to connect more deeply with their pelvic bowl and womb space. I felt called to this modality due to my own journey with my uterine fibroids.

Then in 2023, I signed up for Heal Through Dance- a somatic movement/ecstatic dance instructor training, along with training to lead Goddess Yoga sessions- a beautiful modality of movement with ties to traditional yoga, somatic and sensual movement, and belly dance.

When I was last active on this site I was dealing with uterine fibroids then, and surprise, I'm still dealing with them now. Since my procedure in '21, my fibroid that was operated on grew back and grew back larger. Unfortunately, both fibroids are located in the "perfect storm" location in my uterus, which causes a boatload of period problems. I'm regularly dealing with pelvic discomfort, lower back pain, fatigue, and spotting or bleeding outside of my period. It has made work life during my period absolutely awful. During my period I'm extremely tired and dealing with a lot of pain and discomfort- sometimes to the point of wanting to throw up. My flow during my period ranges from medium to heavy. Let me tell you, it's an absolute blast. (JK)

Work at the bike shop, along with my fibroids, has minimized my time on the saddle when it comes to mountain biking. Most times this season (and last) I was so very tired, and didn't want to try and mountain bike while feeling so out of it. That's why I decided to find modalities of movement to incorporate into my life that are good for me. Hikes, walking, dancing, and Goddess Yoga have kept me feeling relatively sane.

Bike Shop Life has been pretty wild. I've learned a few more mechanical things this year, which is pretty fun. I've spent many hours after we closed cleaning rental bikes and building bikes. A goal this next season is to carve out time a couple days out of the week for Travis and me to go for a short walk to get some sunshine and fresh air- because when the busy season is on...it's on...and far too easy to choose to work all the time vs. take care of yourself. 

My e-bikes (pedal assist) have been a godsend, and if anyone wants to give me $hi* for riding them, go ahead, but that won't stop me from doing so. Nor will it make me feel bad for riding them. I've driven my car less than 6 times this year because I used my e-bike to get groceries and do other errands. Frankly, it feels weird to drive!

Travis and I went on a wonderful trip to mountain bike up at Cuyuna with our low-power, pedal-assist, Specialized Turbo Levo SL bikes (Yes! Dirty Gertie got DIRTY!) and it made the trip SO enjoyable and SO fun. My knee didn't blow up, I didn't blow up (I was also supposed to start my period during vacation, so my energy was low.) I cannot sing enough praises over how wonderful it is to have a pedal-assist mountain bike I can ride my bike and actually have FUN instead of feeling depleted and exhausted. We rode almost 20 or so miles for 3 days in a row. (Don't think I can't ride a non-e-mtb...I had 3 lovely rides on my Trek Top Fuel this season. Those were the only rides I got in on our local trails before our vacation. 3 rides.)

Not to mention, my mom really blossomed with riding her pedal-assist bike this year and rode the TRT numerous times during the summer/fall season. It's absolutely amazing to see and I'm so glad she's enjoying it.

Overall, life has been good, but my uterine fibroids have taken me down over the past year. I didn't realize how much they were affecting me until my periods became horrendous over the past 5 months. I needed to take some time away from trying to force myself to mountain bike, post on socials, etc. Work also took time away from extracurriculars, and being my interests have shifted and grown, I prioritized what made me feel the most fulfilled and happy.

I'm still always going to mountain bike, and I'm hoping 2024 will have many more rides than ever (once I've recovered)...and about that...I'm having a hysterectomy in January. So it'll be a while before I'll be able to bike to work and such, but overall I'm hoping that the surgery will give me quality of life back. Unless something dictates otherwise, everything will go except my ovaries. I'm very nervous about the surgery, but I'm so hopeful and excited to actually feel GOOD again...that trumps fear.

There you have it. One big ol' update. 
Keep being awesome and living your best #bikelife