“Wide load coming through!” I tweak the bell on my silver handlebars. 
Behind me, my 3-year old, Patrick, is harnessed inside a child seat bolted to my bike. He hugs his favorite snarling, plastic T-Rex. 
Beneath Patrick’s seat, a metal bar clamps the frame of my bike.  It connects to a double-wide, bright-red trolley. Fully enclosed, the “caboose” contains 10-month-old Ty and 7-year-old Amelia. My oldest daughter, Sophie, speeds ahead. 
Maybe you’ve seen us cruising the streets of Renton?  I’ve been told we’re quite a sight.  Particularly when we “unload” the effect feels a little surreal, like clowns disembarking from a toy car.  But I don’t care — I love riding around Renton with my kids.
I love twinkling that bell, watching passersby gape at this unlikely troupe.  Most people smile and wave, a few scratch their heads. 
As a stay-at-home mom I spend my time mothering and writing books for kids.  My hair is usually sticking out sideways. I wear mismatched knee socks on purpose. I love doing things people don’t expect. Why not?  When you have four kids you have to get creative! 
When the Renton Reporter invited me to discuss writing a column about life in Renton, I thought about things I love about Renton. 
• I love waving at my sister, who owns CD Danza Salon & Spa.
• I love shopping at my local butcher, Shawn and Ted’s.
• I love the Whistle Stop where my husband Paul and I swap parenting stories with Melinda and Jeff.
• I love it that my eye lens popped out of my sunglasses at an intersection and Armondo plucked it off the pavement and said “hello.”
• I love taking my kids hiking, exploring and generally running amok in local parks.
But most of all I love discovering people and places in Renton you wouldn’t expect — on and off the beaten path.   
But I didn’t tell the editor or publisher any of those things as we adjourned to a white conference room at the Renton Reporter offices. 
“What qualified me to write about Renton?”
I opened my bag, a little number from Happy Delusions that was covered with stars, a unicorn and a rainbow shooting out of its eye.  I sifted through the detritus inside — diapers, receipts, loose change and roughly 10 pencils without tips searching for my Moleskin and pen. 
“What exactly would I write about?” I asked.
They looked at me patiently.
“You know what I love about Renton?  There’s a strip of lights downtown as you curve passed Jet City Espresso.”
They nodded.
“If you hit the lights at exactly the right time you enjoy a sea of green lights. It kinda makes me feel I’m exactly where I should be.” 
It was quiet in the small Renton Reporter conference room. 
Was I being too esoteric?  Probably. I’ve been known to be more quirky than pragmatic. Only an hour before I considered wearing one of my practical business suits. Something I’d worn before bidding adieu to corporate America. 
Sitting in that conference room I looked down at my shirt. A custom-made Tee from Black Anchor T-Shirt featuring my daughter Amelia’s art. I smiled at her drawing of a skipping rabbit wearing a purple dress covered in peace signs. The caption above the bunny’s floppy ears said, “I’m as happy as a radish!”
In that moment, I felt I was exactly where I should be.  I looked up at the editor and publisher.
“Renton’s a lot like me – there’s more to her than meets the eye.  On the surface, she’s the stay-at-home mom next to the glitzy Emerald City. But you know what I’d say to that?”
“Wide load coming through!!!”
In my new column, Life in the City, expect the unexpected.  A tour of Renton through my eyes. 
I love suggestions!  If you know people or places in Renton that surprise, delight and inspire the community, drop me a line at   Carolyn@pippimamma.com