Ride Like the Wind...

...the Black Wind, that is. You may or may not have been watching my g-chat tagline over the past two months, but it has basically been taking various forms of "I want a bike." And it turns out that I finally got one. I only crashed twice on my maiden voyage. The first time was kind of embarrassing because we had just made it to a pedestrian-heavy intersection in Old Towne Alexandria, and I kind of forgot that my foot was attached to the pedal. When I went to step down, it just tipped my bike over on top of me. Oops. I almost fell on top of a man walking by on the sidewalk. He was looking at me in shock (no doubt wondering why I all of a sudden tipped over). Anyway, I digress. The bike that I finally chose is called a "Vent Noir". That means black wind in French. So when I say I'm riding the black wind, I mean it.

Justin and I decided that we should bike for a cause, so we joined Booz Allen's Bike MS team (hence the sweet flaming jerseys). What that means is that we ride our bikes in the hopes that our friends and family will donate money to a good cause. I'm only about $200 short of my goal. And just think, if all of my friends were to contribute just a few dollars, I think I'd reach my fundraising goal in no time! If you are interested in being one of those friends who want to fund research to cure MS, please click here. All you have to do is type in Bethany Scott, and make a TAX DEDUCTABLE contribution. (Do you like how I'm using my blog as a fundraising forum? Anything for a cure! (Actually, my grandpa died of MS when I was two, so I actually have a reason for supporting this cause...)

This weekend we did a training ride out in Purcellville, Virginia. I decided not to put sunscreen on my arms. Big mistake. Now my legs are speckled, and my arms are red striped (there's a sweet line in the middle of my bicep where my sleeves were). Oh well. It was really fun. I rode 32.5 miles--my new personal record. And I'm in way less pain than I was last weekend after only 25 miles. Good times!

In other news, the prophet said to plant a garden, so that's what we did. And when I say "we", I mean Justin planted a garden, and I sat there and watched him, and then took some pictures. I was giving him a lot of praise for his good work, so I'm pretty sure I contributed to the successful beginnings of our summer salads. Here are the pictures:

Justin planting tomatoes.

Looking at me and planting tomatoes...

The finished product. We have, tomatoes, peppers, parsley, teragon, sage, thyme, broccoli, green onions, strawberries, romain lettuce, green lettuce, beans, chives, cilantro, oregano, mint, peppermint, basil, rosemary, a maple tree and a pine tree. Not bad for a tiny balcony!!!