You're in the arms of the angels

It's been exactly one week since my beloved beach cruiser was stolen from me.  I think about my beautiful blue bike every day, wondering where oh where can she be?  In the past week, I've learned that bike theft is rampant around here right now, and more than likely, that punk ass kid sold her for drug money to a bum or one of the Russian girls that come to VB to work for the summer.  Whoever has my bike, I hope they love her like I did.  

I've accepted that she's not coming home, and Ryan and I worked tirelessly over the past week to find a suitable replacement.  We've scoured Craigslist, pawn shops, and bike shops, but nothing tickled my Fancy.  I got my last bike from a shop in the Outer Banks that rents bikes to tourists, so Ryan did the leg work and called around to see what we could find.  He found a shop that had some for sale, all I had to do was take a road trip to go pick it up.  It just so happens I had nothing pressing to accomplish yesterday, so Camryn and I hit the road.

I've never experienced a long car ride with just Camryn.  I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  She was nervous about getting car sick...it's happened more than once on narrow, windy roads like those we take to the Outer Banks, but I convinced her she got sick because Daddy was driving.  We arrived in Kitty Hawk about 100 minutes, 1000 questions, and 0 puking incidents later.  After I parked, I hopped out to scope out the bikes locked up out front with the beach carts, chairs, and umbrellas.  And there she was:

She was beautiful, and she had my name written all over her.  I went inside to pay, and the adorable surfer kid who worked at the shop helped me get her into my car:

Hop on up there girl...off we go to your forever home!  

I doubt Camryn and I will ever get the chance to take a road trip like this again, so I really wanted to make it special for her, especially since she was so good on the car ride down.  We found a spot to park, lathered up the sunscreen, and hit the beach for a picnic lunch.  Prepare to OD on cuteness:

We couldn't stay too long, as we had to head back north to be back in time to get Brynn off the bus, but I soaked up every bit of sunshine (and delicious Camryn) I could before we left.  A potty stop was needed before we hit the road again, and there was a Dunkin Donuts conveniently located across the street from where I got my bike.  My readers in the northeast probably don't understand why this is blog-worthy with their plethora of DnDs, but if I told you the closest one to my house is a 20 minute drive through hell, you might see its significance.  I made sure Camryn got a good, long look before making her selection:

She got a purple flower power donut and I went with a Jamoca Almond Fudge iced coffee.  We picked up an extra donut for Brynn so she wouldn't be insanely jealous of the day Camryn and I had together while she was stuck in school.  

The drive home was uneventful, and Camryn was so close to falling asleep once we hit the Virginia line.  Having grown up a 30 minute train ride from New York City, it's hard to believe a place like this is only 30 minutes from where I live now:

I was so excited to unload my new bike once we pulled into the driveway.  My new baby was finally home!  Camryn wanted to burn off some energy riding her four wheeler around out front and in the street, and I was happy to follow along on my new wheels.

Once I attach my headlight, tail light, and cupholder, she'll be ready to cruise.  Might even splurge on a basket too.  I think she deserves a name, and Betty is the first that comes to mind.  Betty White, of course.  This is not set in stone, and I am open to suggestions.  I'm so glad my bike story has a happy ending, and I'll never let this girl out of my sight without locking her up first!