Burley, You Complete Me.

Today I realized that my life is complete.

I'm not talking about having a daughter or great husband or family. I'm talking about my new bike trailer. Burley, you complete me. You had me at hello.

For my birthday I got a new bike. Which was awesome. I pimped it out with fenders, bag rack in the back, cup holder, front light and squeaking turtle horn I dubbed 'Turts'. It was great until I realized that I rarely had time to ride it. It just sat in the garage because someone was standing in between me and long luxurious bike rides. Well, that someone wasn't as much standing, as she was crawling, babbling and toddling.

I got the bike trailer this past weekend, and she actually loves it. When we try to put her in her carseat, it's like trying to dunk a cat in water. Lots of crying and kicking and squirming. But with the bike trailer, she just looks up at me like, "Oh, so we're going for a bike ride, cool."

The first time I took the trailer out for a spin I stopped to go inside a store. I realized that I only had one lock. It was like Sophie's choice. Do I lock my brand new bike that I love? Or do I lock the new trailer that allows me to ride my bike that I love?

Now that I'm able to bike anywhere, I use it to run errands and mentally justify the SUV that is parked in front of our house. (And yes, that's where my loyalty lies, the car is parked in the street, the bike and trailer in the garage.) I guess I should call my car an SU-Free, because it was given to us. Turns out, although I like fuel efficient cars, but I like free ones even more.

I never thought I'd drive an SUV. I thought I'd be bound for a PRIUS or something after NYC. Before I moved, I never understood why people needed a car that big. Now, I load my SUV down with bikes and strollers and just drive them around town because I can. People see my car filled with beach bags, umbrellas and floats and say, "oh, going to the beach?"

And I say, "Nah, just toting those because I can."

So now my life is complete. I have a bike. And a trailer. A clear conscious. And the open road.

The road ahead...

The road behind