I have many moms

First of all, I would like to say happy Mother's Day to my wonderful mother. She gave birth to me, and continues to guide me in my daily life. I'm not yet a mother myself, but I hear that the bond between mother and child is something that cannot be touched by anything else. I would have to agree, seeing as my mom is my best friend and I would be utterly lost without her at times. She still leaves me in awe to this day as I watch her continue to change the world with her kind heart.

I would also like to thank all of the other women in my life that have taken on the role of "mother" in my story. My stepmom is a wonderful example, not only because of the title she has been given, but because of the unconditional love and support she has given me from the age of three, all without actually giving birth to me. Sure, we've had our differences, but everyone has a time where they don't see eye-to-eye with their parents. She has truly been a force of nature in my life, and having her as a role model has been a great thing in my life.

More recently, I have become aware of my "other moms". They are coworkers, friends and other people's moms that have taken an interest in my life.  Being 4.5 hours away from a decent mom-hug, it has been a blessing to have these women in my life. They may not know me as well as my own family, but having dynamic, wonderful women that care about me makes an incredible difference as I go through my daily life. 

So, to all of my moms, I would like to say "thank you" and let you know that you are appreciated and loved.

The day I sold my dignity for comfort...no, not for Uggs...

As you might have read before, my biking obsession is coming along quite nicely; aided by my Tahoe TNT Team, my enthusiasm for stretchy fabric, and my (now far away) boyfriend.

I haven't really done too many long rides, so I was not so sure about the infamous padded-butt shorts that most spandex-donning cyclist owns. Mind you, I was not in doubt of their comforting qualities, I was more so in doubt of my ability to shrug off my vanity and put on what essentially feels like a tight, expensive, adult diaper. I figured that I just needed to condition my seat (read: torture myself) until I was, as my team mates put it "ready for the saddle". (I love how cavalier that sentiment is.)

I saw however, that we had a 30-mile ride on the schedule last weekend (and a 40 this weekend), so I figured it was time to swallow my pride and add some padding to my backside.  My friend that "helped" me pick them out (the quotes refer to her inability to stop laughing while I was strutting out of the dressing room) and my roommates said the same thing: "Hey, now it looks like you actually have a butt."

Gee, thanks guys.

Bottom line is (pun intended) I'm sold on padded butt shorts.