Keep runnin' runnin' and runnin' runnin'

With yesterday being broken up into snippets of free time here and there, I woke before the sun and was parked at 1st Street by 6am for some early morning roller blading miles.  I love me a good sunrise on the Atlantic:

Since the wind was kind of tough in both directions and my legs were a little sore from my successful increase in mileage (man, that's laughable!) the day before, I knew I wouldn't be doing the entire boardwalk twice as I had done my previous outing.  I felt good after one trip to the end and back and still had some time before I had to get home to get Brynn off to school, so I skated to the pier and back for a total of 7.1 miles in 32:41.  I sure do love the sound of the Map My Run app telling me my average pace is 4:35 min/mile!  

I also love picking off runners and leisurely bikers, something I'm unable to do during my dainty little run/walk sessions.  Focusing on a person ahead of me, reeling them in, and passing them is something I love to do when running at the boardwalk, so being able to do that on the roller blades makes me feel that much closer to being a runner again.  The oceanfront wasn't all that crowded, but it was buzzing with the quiet energy of city workers getting the boardwalk and beach tourist-ready for another hot day...something I don't really see when I run there during the off season.

Not sure if the driver of this front loader knew it, but we were racing.

Today's wake-up call was another tough one (for some reason, I've had many restless nights of sleep in the past few weeks), but I pulled myself out of bed and stumbled up to the room over the garage for my date with Ryan and Tony.  We sweat and squatted, lunged and leaped our way through Triometrics, and I finished out the session with my ITB rehab work.  One would think after all this time, it would be easier, but it certainly is not!  

Once Brynn was off to school, I strapped Camryn in the jogging stroller with her blueberry bagel (should have given her a blanket, too...who turned off the heat???) for another walk/run session of 1:30 each x 10 (which I just now realized should have been 1:30 running, 30 walking x 8...oops).  I had extremely low expectations for this outing.  To save myself from utter disappointment, I would not get my hopes up that today's session would be as great as the last.  I was not being pessimistic, just realistic.  Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.

And I got the best!!!  Another pain free walk/run under my belt had me doing a happy dance in the driveway to "Fancy," still playing on Pandora.  During the running intervals, I caught myself going too fast a few times and had to slow up a bit.  After posting sub-5 minute miles on the roller blades, it felt like an eternity waiting 12+ minutes for my app to update me on my pace, but I know in good time, those numbers will creep back down into the single digits.  

On Saturday, I plan to do what I actually should have been doing all week, which is the 1:30 of running and 30 seconds of walking, and I'm curious to see how less rest time treats me.  I am chomping at the bit to increase the running times, but I will stick with the program and trust the process.  

Take my hand, we'll make it, I swear

I had the kind of weekend that reassured me that everything is going to be alright.  While Ryan was out on his long run Saturday morning, I made pancakes with my two assistant chefs (Nutella pancakes again, this time with a little more Nutella).  It was the type of morning where the girls would tag team who was mad about something or another, something they've been doing quite a bit of lately.  Being utterly and completely over this nonsense, I decided I needed to hit the boardwalk on the blades to reset before carrying on with our day.  As we all know, 

And sometimes it's the combination of all three at the same time!

The north winds were ripping down the boardwalk, giving me an incredible challenge for the first half of my trek.  I really pushed hard for the last block, knowing I would be getting some help from with wind once I turned around.  I was pleased with the 18 minutes it took me to get to the end, considering how much wind resistance I was dealing with.  

I did my u-turn and headed south, and boy did I fly!!!  With the wind at my back, I effortlessly zoomed down the boardwalk.  I was kicking myself for not having my phone with me to have the Map My Run app record my pace, because it only took me 10 minutes to get back to the other end!  I negative split the pants off that workout!  You don't make up time like that with the wind at your back on a run, so point - rollerblading!  

I returned home in a much better mood than when I had left, and it seems the girls had changed their attitudes as well.  Saturdays temps were a bit too cool for a beach day, so we made up our fun as we went along.

A bike ride in Sandbridge brought us to Little Island Park for some playtime 

Hopped over to a local strawberry farm to replenish our stock 

Enjoyed the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of the annual Pungo Strawberry Festival.  Photobombed by the man behind the strawberry taco operation, Coach Skie himself. 

People, people, everywhere.  And that sky looks fake.

We finished up a fun day with a low key evening at home with the girls, grilling food, playing cornhole, being blown away by Brynn's knowledge of 80s music tunes and lyrics.  The usual stuff.  

Sunday's weather was much more beach-worthy, so we packed up the babes and boards and hit up Croatan for some fun in the sun.  It felt so good to be back on the beach.

Same view, taller kids 

The beach + his girls = one happy Jude bug (is it me, or do Brynn's legs look ridiculously long in this shot?) 

Buried together 

Brynn catching her first wave of the season

Saturday was capped off with this ridiculous dessert:

(sugar cookie, Nutella, fresh picked strawberries, and whipped cream) and an OT Rangers win.  

Although Monday was a holiday, I set my alarm for my usual weekday time.  I had to get a good workout in if I was going to have my lazy butt parked in a beach chair all day (again).  I blew off my usual Monday morning P90X workout with my beefcake hubby and enjoyed a great rollerblading session at the oceanfront with this beefcake instead:

I was lying on my back on the boardwalk for this shot.  So lucky I didn't get run over by tourists!  

I brought my phone along this time, which was doubly awesome...I was able to record my workout with Map My Run, and I got to rock out to 80s cardio radio on Pandora while I rolled.  Rick Springfield, Pat Benetar, and Bon Jovi (big hair Bon Jovi, not way-too-close-to-being-country-music Bon Jovi) really had me moving.  Winds were from the west, which I have learned means skating will be tough in both directions.  The resistence felt good, and hearing my app tell me my first mile was sub-4:40 felt even better.  I was feeling the need, the need for speed!  My second mile was far and away my fastest, clocking in at 4:17, and I loved every bit of how fast it felt.  So much that once I got back to 1st Street, I decided I'd head back up to the pier and back again.  I was at the pier before I knew it, so I thought why not just keep going to King Neptune?  Once I was at the statue, I could see the end of the boardwalk and just went for it.  Up the boardwalk and back, twice.  10.56 miles in 48:51.  4:37min/mile average pace.  So much fun.  While I'll never see numbers even remotely close to those in my Brooks, it was really fun to hear the ridiculousness of it from my app with each passing mile.  Seeing mileage in the double digits was good for the soul as well.  

I cannot thank Teresa enough for lending me her blades until I get a new pair...hopefully some of her fast running mojo was in the skates and has transcutaneously entered my body through my feet.

Monday was another picture perfect beach day, and this time we headed to Sandbridge to enjoy some time in the surf and sand with the Smiths.  Before they joined us on the beach, I got a good chat in with my BFF, which is always relaxing and uplifting at the same time.  Once our friends joined us on the beach, we were too busy playing and chatting for picture taking, but I managed to get this one in of my little wahinis:

It's going to be an awesome summer with these two!

Today called for a kick ass MMX workout with Tony Horton, and I snuck in my ITB rehab stuff as well before the girls woke up.  Once Brynn was on the bus and our short day with Jude was over, I threw Camryn in the jogging stroller for my first run/walk session of 1:30 each.  I am beyond elated to report that I had absolutely no pain, discomfort, or even the slightest twinge of tightness anywhere in my knee, hip, or otherwise for the entire 30 minutes!!!  What do I do?  What do I do????  Cartwheels, of course!!!  I can't stop smiling, and I've been giddy ever since.  It's been 13 weeks since my last pain free outing, and it was amazing to just not feel anything today.  I found myself running a bit faster than I should at times, and had to reign it in a few times along the way.  The 1:30 of running always seemed to end too quickly, making me so eager to complete this week and get to next week's two whole minutes of running.  

I know full well that my next outing may not be as wonderful, but today was and I'm going to celebrate the hell out of it.  This was a HUGE victory, and it's luring me away from the dark side.  Whoa, we're halfway there.

This is the Jon Bon Jovi poster I had on my bedroom wall in 5th grade.


This would be the Jon Bon Jovi poster I'd have on my bedroom wall now.  Knowing my husband, he might actually respect JBJ's physique.  I should try it.

Why you gotta be so mean?

It's been another week of emotional unrest for me, but thankfully there were more ups than downs.  This volatility has been hard for my rational self to cope with, but after all these weeks, I'm learning the art of self-pep talks.  

On Tuesday, I could still feel what was left of my sad little 1 minute walk/1 minute "run" intervals, so I decided I'd give it another day before attempting another session.  The sun was shining, so I headed to the oceanfront with Camryn, Jude, the double jogger, and my roller blades to get a few miles in.  I was excited that the winds were coming from the west, meaning I wouldn't have to battle them skating north or south on the boardwalk.  Turns out, I battled wind both north AND south instead, making it an extremely challenging workout.  So challenging, you might say, that I busted right out of my roller blades.

 The top strap on each skate broke within a week of each other, but it was nothing a little velcro strap couldn't handle.  But when the bottom strap of my right skate popped with two miles to go pushing around 70 lbs of kids and stroller into the wind, I had some words for the universe:

The universe's reply was most likely this:

I couldn't help but wonder what I have done to anger the running gods.  I really thought I had earned my stripes this winter and they'd ease up on me in my time of weakness, but no such luck.  They are truly testing me, asking me how badly I want this, how badly I want to run again.  I ran into a runner friend at the park after my skate strap explosion and told her what had happened.  She could only shake her head in understanding, but then she offered me the roller blades she had sitting in her garage to borrow until I get back to running.  Maybe those running gods like me after all.  

The next day was Camryn's last day of preschool.  Ever.  It was my last time dropping off one of my kids at that lovely little school, and it didn't really sink in until my friend asked me at drop off how I was doing.  The tears started streaming down my face, and they never really stopped until it was time to pick Camryn up again.  My children have made such great little friends there, but more importantly, so have I.  I'm not an outgoing person, and it takes me a while to warm up to new people, but the friends I have made through that preschool are wonderful moms and supportive women.  I will truly miss the social interaction that came with dropping my kids off and picking them up, because both girls will be riding the bus to and from school next year (not to mention that all of my bus stop buddies are moving at the end of this school year too!!!).  

This school year has been so very challenging for me - Ryan's mom's illness and eventual passing, training for my first marathon, struggling with injury - but that school has been a constant source of normalcy for Camryn.  I could be a total stressball, but when she walked through that door, it was all sunshine and rainbows.  Camryn's graduation from preschool is something that Peggy would have made such a big deal about, and her absence hit me hard.  So while I'm incredibly sad this chapter of Camryn's life (and mine as the parent of a preschooler) is closing, I'm looking forward to hitting the reset button that is summer, and having a chance to start fresh in September.

After we got home from her graduation and celebratory picnic, we had a tiny little visitor with us for a few hours.  To christen her to the Psimas way, I threw her in the double jogger with Camryn and attempted another walk/run.  Little C isn't allowed on the internet, so this is all you get:

After a quick but thorough warm up, I got to work.  I don't know if pushing the stroller changed my form enough to make a difference, but I got through the ten sets of 1 minute walk/1 minute run without incident.  Perhaps I was going a lot slower than I did when I was without the stroller, or maybe I had no choice but to keep my core really tight, but I had a great session.  The only pain I felt was when I started my first running interval and Camryn said, "It feels like you're still walking."  Ouch.  

 I had Jude in tow again yesterday, and we had another gorgeous day on our hands.  I decided we'd run our errands on the bike instead of in the car...without running those miles every week, I'll take any opportunity I can to burn some calories!  

 You won't find me spinning my wheels inside a sweat box on a day like that...the streets are my spin class!

Today started out with the best yoga session I've had in a long time.  I felt rock solid in my poses, and I was able to do a few moves I was never able to fully accomplish before.  I also achieved a full split on my left side (as a gymnast, my left side was my "bad" side), which I got really excited about.  With spirits high, I hit the boardwalk for my third and final attempt at ten sets of 1 minute walk/1 minute run this week.  I swallowed my pride and watched people young and old, fit and fat go zooming by me, but I had to do my thing today.  I am pleased to report that it went well, and I think I've earned the right to bump the intervals up to 1:30 next week.

I'd be lying if I said my knee felt 100% wonderful and spectacular because it doesn't.  But it hasn't actually gotten to the point of pain these past two sessions, and I'll go out on a limb and call that progress.  I will keep on keepin' on with my rehab, cross training, and early mornings with Tony Horton, all the while telling myself I'll run when I run.  Running that "feels like I'm still walking" is what's right for me right now, but I'll get faster someday.  So the takeaway from this post is this:

Find what makes you feel good and do it.  Often.  

It's gonna take patience and time to do it right, child

Does anyone else remember this music video as vividly as I do?  What about this part:

Classic, indeed.  Anywho...

The past week or so has been pretty darn good.  Mother Nature turned on the heat for a few days, and I loved the feeling of being dripping wet after a hard workout.  I got in some good miles on the roller blades, and it did wonders for my mental health.  I did long for running quite a bit on Friday though...I wanted to roller blade while Camryn was at school, but there was a monsoon moving through the area, and that just wouldn't be prudent.  I totally would have run in that weather, so it was a painful little reminder of why running is the best thing ever of all time.  

I decided to discharge myself from physical therapy...they seem to think that time heals all wounds, so I'll keep my $35 a pop and continue doing my hip strengthening exercises at home for free.  I haven't had so much as a twinge of pain in the knee in the past two weeks or so, even with some increased demands on it with a few of the P90X3 videos.  

I've been doing some reading up on ways to ease back into running after injury, and I found a 12 week program that starts off with 10 sets of walking for 1 minute, followed by running for 1 minute.  This particular program doesn't have you running without walk breaks until Week 9, and the girl who ran for 3 hours, 54 minutes, and 32 seconds without a walk break is trying so hard to be ok with that.  What a great day for me to see this little gem:

Recover.  I'm recovering.  Still.  

With ideal temps outside, my new shoes on, and a belly full of Nutella pancakes (no, I will not shut the front door), I decided today was the day to start Week 1.  Making any excuse to ride my bike, I took her out for a 10 minute warm-up, followed by a lunge matrix and leg swings.  I walked the first minute feeling good, but nervous.  The first minute of running went well, and all I could do was hope it continued.  No such luck, really, as halfway through the second running interval (and I use the term "running" very loosely), my knee was talking to me.  Not pain, not quite discomfort, but a whisper to remind me he hasn't gone away.  By the seventh set, it was pretty bothersome, and I decided it may be best not to do all 10 sets today.  I continued the intervals until I got home, which ended up being 8 sets.  

A minor meltdown ensued, because SERIOUSLY!!!  Nine weeks of rest and rehab and I can't make it through 10 sets of running and walking for one stinking little minute?!  

Dear 800m repeats:  

I'm so sorry I ever cursed you.  I miss you and I can't wait until we meet again!

Much love,

Karen

I had a nice little pity party for myself as I stretched after what felt a lot like a failed attempt at a comeback.  But as I foam rolled, I searched for the good in today's attempt, and I realized that when I stopped running, it stopped hurting.  I had no pain during the walking intervals.  Since it used to hurt all the time, I'd say we've got ourselves a silver lining.  Something in me - either the eternal optimist or the glutton for punishment - decided to get back out there and try to finish those 10 sets.  And when it felt good, the overachiever in me ended up with 12 sets for good measure.  

When you add up the time I spent warming up, running, walking, stretching, foam rolling, and icing, the entire process took over an hour.  Only 12 minutes of that hour was spent actually running.  It's quite dreadful that this is going to have to be my new normal for a while, but I have to believe that it'll be worth it to come back strong and healthy.  After all... 

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!

Back to good

I've found it.  I've found that one thing that gives me the same high as running, minus the dagger to the knee.  It's hard work that gets my blood pumping, my legs burning, and my sweat dripping.  And the bonus is I look super cool doing it.



That's right.  I'm bringing blading back.  The wind in my hair, the salty sweat on my skin...it gives me everything running does, minus the pain in my knee.  It has ignited that fire within, and my plan is to log lots and lots of miles on those eight wheels between now and whenever the heck it is I start running again.  And while rollerblading doesn't provide the same convenience of stepping outside my door and running (the streets in my 'hood aren't nearly smooth enough), it does give me a great excuse to hit the boardwalk several times a week.  I've skated the length of the boardwalk and back a few times now, and the plan is to increase my mileage just as I would with running.  I'll even throw in some intervals for good measure.  The wind provides excellent resistance, which forces me to dig down and work hard.  I.  Love.  It.

I got a few miles in on Mother's Day...I pushed Camryn in the stroller while Ryan and Brynn were on bikes.  We finished up with a pic of sweaty me and my girls:



My favorite part is that the blades make me look taller.  I hit the boardwalk again today, this time on a solo mission with both girls in school and no Jude duty.  Don't tell, but I played hookie from PT and traded the view of four walls covered in posters of the musculoskeletal system for some fresh air and King Neptune's musculoskeletal system:

It's a little blurry because I was just going so fast.

 I wasn't about to half ass my time travel back to the 90s, so I took it all the way back with the 90s grunge station on Pandora.  I'm talking Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, the works.  So much angst coming from one little iPhone.  

I hauled ass going north, only to have a tough journey back south thanks to the wind.  But without the stroller, I was still able to shave about 5 minutes off my previous time, and the runner in me rejoiced.  I can see this escalating quickly.  

I got back to my car and traded my roller blades for flip flops, pumped 50 cents into the meter, and headed back to the ocean to enjoy my iced coffee for a few minutes...a whopping 20 minutes, to be exact, as that is all 50 cents will get you at the oceanfront these days.  Today, it was money well spent.  Every workout that ends with your feet in the Atlantic is a good one in my book.

Just call me Stella, because I feel like I'm getting my groove back.  

I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride it NOW!

It was slated to be the best hump day in the history of my recovery.  Here was the plan:

1)  Drop Camryn off at school.

2)  Do my weekly reading with Brynn's class at her school.  

3)  Ride my bike from Brynn's school to an adjacent neighborhood with a paved path around a lovely lake.

4)  See what this knee will allow me to do.

The sun was in and out that morning, and temps were between 55 and 60 degrees.  Absolutely perfect weather for this plan I've had in my head for weeks.  This was the first chance I had to attempt it since its conception, and I even took a rain check on plans to ride bikes with a dear friend just so I could try it (and have just a few minutes of blissful solitude before Camryn got out of school and resumed her quest to ask a million questions in the 13 hours she's awake).

My short bike ride to the lake was perfect.  I passed some gardeners making this beautiful house on a corner even more beautiful with some annuals and some mulch, and I even told them so when we made eye contact as I cruised by.  I parked my bike behind a bench, and walked for a few minutes to start out.  A teenager was coming my way on his bike, and I did the friendly head nod/smile combo as if to say, "Hey, we're both out here enjoying this weather."

I picked up the pace to a slow jog, starting out on the grass beside the path so as not to completely shock my system with pounding the pavement.  It was a moot point, because shortly thereafter, my IT band started talking to me.  If my IT band were a person, I imagine it would be much like Dennis the Menace, just trying to cause trouble:

Instead of stopping immediately this time, I kept going, switching over to the pavement to see if there was any change.  Nope, no change, but I continued on anyway.  Since I wasn't having the stellar experience I was hoping for, I stopped to take a picture of a family of geese since I needed a picture to fit the category "nature" for an Instagram photo contest.  I scanned across the lake to see how far I still had to go, but quickly convinced myself it didn't matter.  Screw the pain, I'm just going to run.  I ditched the 9:xx pace and picked up a little speed.  I managed to get down under an 8 min/mile, and my cardiovascular system was showing major signs of a 7+ week layoff from running.  Unfortunately, so was my bladder control.  Yeah, I went there.  

I just wanted to complete one loop around the lake, and then I'd figure out if I'd walk another time around or get back on my bike and explore a few more nearby neighborhoods.  I spotted the bench where I parked my bike and just wanted to get to it.  As I got closer, I found myself squinting as I looked at the bench.  Were my eyes deceiving me?  Was my bike...gone?!?!?

SERIOUSLY?!?!?  Someone steals a beach cruiser from a nice neighborhood that's surrounded by other nice neighborhoods at 10 o'clock on a flippin' Wednesday morning?!?!?  Fighting back tears, I walked back toward the school where my car was parked, searching in the wooded area along the way for any trace of my beloved beach cruiser.  I passed by the gardeners again, and asked them if they had seen anyone with a blue beach cruiser.  Like a punch to the gut, they said they just saw a kid put it in the back of a pick up truck.  When I asked what the kid looked like, the gardener described, to a tee, the kid I had seen earlier on a bike by the lake.  How he managed to get his own bike (was that bike even his own?!) and mine away from the lake is a mystery, but I wanted to hunt that punk down and take my bike back.  

I filed a police report, just in case it pops up on craigslist or in a pawn shop somewhere, and I felt like I was reporting a kidnapping.  My baby was taken from me, and she was probably scared.  I wanted to hang fliers like this one:

You hear that?  Straight to hell!  This poster would have worked too:

I'd send Large Marge after that little twit.  Talk about getting kicked while you're down.  My sanity is hanging by a thread without being able to just take off and run, and now I can't even ride my bike.  So not only do I now have runner envy, but I have bike envy, too.  I feel like I've lost my puppy, and any minute now, my phone will ring and one of Virginia Beach's finest will be on the other end telling me they've found my bike.  A girl can dream, right?  

But through my mopeyness, Camryn has yet again proven to be the sweet comedic relief I've needed.  When I told her someone stole my bike, her tiny little freckled face got all scrunched up and she yelled, "That's not nice!!!"  And this morning, when I asked her what she wanted to do today, she said she wanted to go to a store.  I asked her what we needed to get, and instead of her usual reply of ice cream and candy, she said, "I want you to get a new bike because that bad guy stole yours and now you're sad."  That girl.  

She and her sister are supposed to be reminding their dad that Mother's Day is this weekend.  Maybe she can suggest a gift with two wheels, a kickstand, and a sweet little cupholder.