NOT JUST A MOM // Going on a bike tour

NOT JUST A MOM is a series about finding the woman behind the mom. Often our identity as mothers is wrapped up in that title, but it is important for us to realize that first we are a person, then a spouse and then a parent. Finding what you enjoy outside of motherhood can recharge you to be the best wife, mother and housekeeper you can be. Read more in the series here. 

One way to find your non-mom identity is to try something new.


Right after we got back from Uganda, a small local business opened here in Lakeland, Florida called BeFly Bike Tours. My brother and sister-in-law had went on a family outing with them and their pictures bragged of a great time. I started following BeFly Bike Tours on Facebook, waiting for my chance to try a bike tour. How cool would it be to be a tourist in my own town? My chance came for my 9th wedding anniversary.

Craig and I biked all around the church where we were married and the little roads around Lake Morton with Beth Geohagan, owner of BeFly Bike Tours leading the way. She shared little known facts about different buildings and kept us up to speed on bike safety all with her bubbly personality and infectious laughter. It was a fun outing and a completely out of the ordinary anniversary celebration.

Several months later, a group of my friends decided to try a bike tour of our lovely city. Since it was summer in Florida, it got a little toasty, but we enjoyed learning lots of tid-bits about Lakeland and seeing downtown from a new perspective of 2 wheels instead of 4. The best part was Beth never made us climb a hill, but instead mapped our route so that we enjoyed the thrill of the down hill bike thrill several times. Talk about regaining a little of our childhood! And we discovered that there is a group that meets to hulu-hoop downtown every week. How cool is that? Afterwards we headed to a local bistro for coffee and dessert.

It was a simple thing, but trying something I had never done before was exhilarating.

So much of my life is routine. 

Cook breakfast. 

Wash dishes. 

Fold laundry. 

Don't hit her. 

Prepare lunch. 

No fighting. 

Change diapers.

Experiencing my own city in a new way allowed me to relax and enjoy being myself. For just a brief moment, I forgot what it was like to always be needed and instead I was able to enjoy the wind in my hair as I whizzed pasted historic buildings I had hardly taken a second glance at before. My eyes were wide as I took everything in a fresh way, without the distraction of little ones.



And when it was all said and done, I went home energized about being alive.

Are there any bike tours in your area? I would encourage you to find one, call to see if they have a discount for a group, round up your friends and hit the town!

p.s. I went on a LimoCycle pub crawl in Sanford, which is kind of like a bike tour with a bar attached. Check out my guest post over at Sanford365.