Woman of Inspiration Day 1: Julie Andrews

Today is the Women's Forum for the National Bike Summit in DC. I was supposed to be there launching the Wonder Bloomers PreOrder Campaign, meeting amazing awesome women from all over the country, showing off the Bloomers and telling the My Alibi story then teaching Yoga for Cyclists to start the day tomorrow as the full Bike Summit commences. How exciting right?

Well, here is how the story went: I spent a good week preparing (I am a mother of 6 year old so had to get him and dad stocked and ready). I fit everything for a quick trip including a PopUp Shop at the expo in the Women, into these two carry-on bags. It was a sunny day leaving DesMoines "International" Airport, but for some reason the plane sat outside the terminal for an extra hour with no explaination resulting in me flying to Minniapolis and missing my flight to DC by 10 minutes. Thanks to Storm Titan, the rest of the flights were canceled and after a day of hassle I was back home in DesMoines in time for the Oscars.

I was grateful for two things in this frustrating adventure:

1. my yoga practice that kept me grounded knowing everything happens for a reason

2. all those fabulous Julie Andrew's songs ringing in my head to remind me to keep my chin up

So as I felt like Mary Poppins ready to unfold my bag of tricks for all the bike advocates, instead I was reminded of amazing effect of Art imitating Life imitating Art. I can not think of a better woman to start this campaign of sharing stories of the women that have inspired me to follow my passion, then the magnificant Julie Andrews.

Whether it's Mary Poppins and the "spoonful of sugar" or Sound of Music's "favorite things" her passionate voice marked some of my first moments of being empowered to be feminine and independant. To this day her influence forms the way I shine into the world. Everyday I am either sending off a "brown paper package" with a smile or singing her songs to sooth my the start of end of my son's day.

While I might have failed to open my Umbrella to fly to DC, I have launched the new version of My Alibi Wonder Bloomers in 3 colors that are only available through PreOrder now until World Water Day, March 22nd. I have pledged to educate instead of propagate for this campaign so I have chosen this timeline to promote awareness. Women's History Month is all about sharing the rich stories of women that have inspired us. I hope my stories inspire you to share them, tell your own, and support My Alibi as we launch new products to empower women to feel beautiful on a bike.

Smile and Enjoy the Ride,

Abbie