Note: Guest blogger Cuddy's dog-Mom Helen is writing today's blog,
Cuddy is at her feet snoozing! 

Me & My Bicycle 

Mention certain words and they evoke memories instantly associated with the word.  At the mention of Neil Armstrong you will pause and remember where you were on that July day in 1969.

When I think back to summer memories I immediately recall my high handle bar bicycle and my many rides on it down a big challenging hill over one summer.   This bicycle was of pre-10 speed era, I don’t think it even had three speeds.   I was either 11 or 12 years old at the time and the bicycle had a gorgeous high rise handlebar bicycle – that is still how I would describe it.  We lived on the top of a really big hill and I figured out that if I started my ride at a certain spot I could really get my speed up and then to my delight put my feet up onto the handle bar while seated (and flying down the road) with my arms extended fully out on my sides.  It was as close to flying (better than my supergirl episode at around age seven from the top bunk bed which was more shortly lived I might add!). 

So there I was flying down the road full speed with my arms extended, feet up on the handlebars, smiling I might add, and THEN my bike hit a small rock that was on the pavement, this happened at the same time I had not anticipated braking so I ran into the split-rail fence in the cul-de-sac which flung me over the split-rail fence and I landed into the pine straw.  When I gained consciousness my first response was ‘where is my bike, is it okay, and then did I skin my toes, my knees?’ As this was my adventure you would think someone flying off their bicycle would be hurt, upset, sad, but au contraire I emerged with sheer joy on my face and calculating what my next ride would be like and how to avoid the rock in the road the next time while flying down the road on my bicycle!

Do I even have a photo of my beloved high handlebars bicycle ? no, but I’m inspired writing this blog to add this story using a good journaling pen into my scrapbook and sketch out my route and include a photo of me at around that time in my life.  And I’ll enjoy a good telephone call with my Dad actually confessing to him that I would make these rides down the hill.  What is truly amazing is that I was able to do this when there were no cars anywhere around and I must pause here and give this disclaimer to any one reading to not try this yourself!   So when I do talk with Dad and tell him about these episodes I fully anticipate getting a “good talking to for being so stupid!”   So wish me luck!

On my scrapbook page I’ll caption it Me & My Bicycle.  Of course with today’s technology I can create with my cricut and cricut design studio software a spiffy title and dress up the page, but even plain and with just journaling the story will resonate and be cherished.   

My page will recall that Neil Armstrong had landed on the moon the previous summer (or two before) and I will recall hearing in the distance music playing on the radio from a neighbors house through their screen door – the music was popular to this then eleven/twelve year old as it was the music of David Cassidy of Partridge Family fame playing on that distant radio.   It is ‘close enough’ that I recall it was either summer of 1970 or 1971 and there I was out riding my bicycle down the hill and repeatedly flying over the split-railings fence in the cul-de-sac!  

What are your fond summer memories of your childhood?  Do you have it journaled and included in your scrapbook about yourself?  Do you have a scrapbook about you ?  I have one which I call my “All About Me Album” and even had ME ME ME ME ME imprinted across the front of the album!   Even if you have no photos to include of an event you can still honor your memories.
 
That same feeling of sheer joyness of riding down the road on my bicycle have been the feelings of joy I have had these past five months since the initial concept through opening HELEN’S (brick and mortar) and with getting my web site professionally designed and launched.  This time though I have looked ahead and am on the lookout to avoid running into any split-rail fences!    It is such fun to have Cuddy at the studio.  Each day brings in new and seasoned scrapbookers to the studio and seeing their relief as they get unstuck and through the process and leave with their project outlined and a plan in place to get their album(s) completed brings great joy! 

HELEN’S new website launched two weeks ago and I have been truly blessed with my website design team.  This week the online store went live and it was so much fun receiving my first online order!  

In getting the mechanics of twitter, and facebook set up and reading and listening to what is ‘out there’ what has come through to me for this blog, for my website, is to be authentic - be myself - and actually to have something to say. 

Marc Fuller writes in his article “The Marketing Power of Beauty and Soul”:  “You need more than just a business identity, you need to share your business soul. For a small business to quickly power up to a successful internet marketing presence they must be able to present both beauty and soul. It needs to be more than just a pretty picture. It needs to be sharing a “conversation” with its website visitors and prospective customers from the first impression. No matter how good the “optics” of your site are you, your site and presence must have a conversation to reveal your soul. Balance.”    Well done Marc, excellent article!

So plan on paws-ing (that’s Cuddy’s influence) at this blog and enjoy catching up on Life at Helen’s Scrapbooking Studio & More.  And on this very early Sunday morning or later today when you are reading this see if you can pull up a chair and take ten minutes to jot down a fun memory from your summers of previous years and then plan to get it into your album!  

Cuddy has just gotten through approving this posting and asked me if there are any doggy jogger bicycles out there that he could try this same method – he wants to put his front paws up on the handlebar, I showed him the disclaimer above and for now we’ll stick to walking! 

Wishing you a fun rest of the weekend!

Best, Helen
(and a wanting-to-get-his-own-bicycle-now Cuddy!)

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