You-Getsy has been on a nice rotation of once a month postings, but once my teaching year wraps up in the beginning of June, Summer Betsy will emerge, and I hope to be writing to you more like once a week š¤
You Get-sy is a project I started to share the things I like ā a way to connect good people to good people and share the love. It has also evolved into general recommendations of things that have made my life sunnier and full these days. Because this project is new and very much a work in progress, it is so helpful if you subscribe (thanks to those of you who have!), share with friends you think might enjoy, and please feel free to leave a comment letting me know what you liked, what youād love more of, or just a bit about yourself.
This weekās newsletter is dedicated to the one thing Iāve been consistent with for dang near my whole life: riding a bike. This spring Iāve discovered new joy in gravel biking, and it has me reminiscing about the incredible times and friends Iāve made while riding bikes. But, if biking isnāt your jam, feel free to skip down to this monthās section covering what Iām coveting.
Thanks for reading!
[You Get-sy] Rec of the Week
Ride a Bike!
TL;DR: This weekās rec is to š hop š on š a š bike. Any bike! Find a bike share in your city! Dust off your old mountain bike from the 90ās! Check out your local bike shop! It is possible that there is no better feeling in the world than riding your bike, alone, or preferably, with friends. I strongly recommend finding a way to get on a bike and enjoy your city/town/country road.
The backstory: For the better part of my life, Iāve found immense joy in riding my bike. One particular early memory is when I was upgraded from a smaller bike and was gifted a hot pink specialized mountain bike for my ninth birthday. It looked almost exactly like this. For my birthday party my mom and cousin (who now tell me they donāt remember this at all) set up a bicycle scavenger hunt for me and my friends around my small town that ended with cake, ice cream, and swimming at the city beach. Honestly, I canāt imagine a better birthday. Maybe I need to recreate this for an upcoming birthday, or wait until my daughter is old enough to do it for hers?! I rode that beautiful bike to and from school and all around town for years. It represented freedom and exploration for a young girl who loved to be outside.
My next bike milestone came when I was 13. As part of my magical summer camp my cabin mates, counselors, and I rode over 200 miles throughout the Upper Peninsula of Northern Michigan for a week. We carried all of our camping gear, cooking gear, and food on our bikes and raged around the UP- biking, swimming, camping. It was a trip dreams are made of. Iāve tried to find photos of this to share with you all, but they must be in a dark corner of my parentsā basement somewhere (with the bike birthday photos, apparently). See the only photo I could find online below:
In college I primarily used my bike to get around campus and around Missoula, which led me to joining the UM Cycling Team. As someone who is (mostly) only competitive with myself, I wasnāt road racing to win, but I got to ride in amazing places across the PNW with friends and folks who are riding professionally today.
My friend and cycling/life mentor, Shaun, was instrumental in taking my riding to a new level, and he is still giving me tips and leveling up my riding to this day. Shaun opened a cycling and ski shop in Missoula a few years ago. If youāre local, stop by for coffee and a pastry. If youāre not, make sure to check out MTCX online . Shaun puts together amazing community focused races and events throughout the year and puts his heart and soul into everything he does.
ALRIGHT! So after that (not so) brief history of Betsy on Bikes, here we are in 2024. I love mountain biking and bike commuting, especially with my toddler in tow, and now Iāve joined in on the gravel bike craze. I recently picked up a new gravel bike from Shaun and have been obsessed with riding and exploring on it ever since. It has truly rekindled my joy of riding my bike. Iām feeling strong on the uphills (thanks, Revo), and as a hesitant descender, Iām working on my speed for the downhills.
Whatās next? Iām riding the Dusty Bandita in June with a bunch of pals and then Iām headed on a week-long gravel tour at the end of June. Iām contemplating signing up for another gravel event or two this summer, but mostly Iām looking forward to riding with friends, exploring beautiful mountains, and channeling seven year old Betsy on her sick Specialized as inspiration to keep a sense of joy and freedom on bikes always.
Coveting
Bringing back the ācovetingā section from last month for another round!
Pretty much everything from The Arrowleaf. Paige is a dear friend and makes incredible pieces. I have too many to count, but some of my favorites are these, these, and these. Iām coveting this special piece. If you decide to purchase anything, in your cart, just before checkout, there is a box that says āOrder Special Instructionsā and you can put my name (Betsy Craske) in as a referral so Paige knows I sent you.
We are looking for a great living room rug- anyone have any recommendations in this realm? Ideally not too expensive and easy to get the dog hair off.
I went overboard ordering flowers for my garden beds this spring, and these would be the perfect tool for harvesting in the fall.
I have dreams of backyard summer pizza parties with inspiration here and here (same name, different vibes).
Until next time, thanks for reading! xo
**I havenāt turned on paid posts, but please feel free to pledge if you feel up for financially supporting me if/when the time comes.**