Mondays, the start of a typical work week, can be a drag.

However, some motorists off to the grindstone the day afterMother’s Day may have had a good laugh and their day may havegotten a bit brighter. It is not every day you pass a pink nurse ona pink bicycle.

Yes, from Kim Oster’s pink peace earrings and pink bow, to herpink Nikes and pink Schwem Beach Cruiser, she was perhaps thepinkest thing in Brookhaven. Color-coordinated for her pedalingexperience to work at Southwest Mississippi Nephrology Monday,Oster took full advantage of her Mother’s Day gift.

“I just decided I would ride to work this morning to see if Icould do it,” said Oster. “I did it.”

Making the nearly 3-mile-long trek from her home on WestChippewa Street, Oster found herself in the midst of a lot ofstares, waves and smiles as she ventured through Brookhaven like apink blur.

“I got lots of honks; it was embarrassing and I couldn’t stopgrinning,” she said. “I got half way here and was thinking, “Oh mygoodness, what am I doing? I can’t turn back now.”

Like a Power Ranger, Oster was on a mission and forward was theonly direction she was headed.

Perhaps fueled by awkward moments, she arrived to work in 15minutes. However, she said the ride was quite enjoyable and even astress reliever.

“If I could erase the sweating when getting to work, it would beperfect,” said Oster.

While the sun promises to be unforgiving in the months to come,Oster can expect a workout. However, getting a little exercise isjust part of the reasoning she wants to master the two-wheeledcontraption.

The gift will serve as a means for Oster to spend time andexercise with her 8-year-old daughter, Anna Claire, who was tooyoung to join the gym.

“I just wanted a bike so I could do everything with her,” saidKim Oster. “Me and her are going to do everything on ourbicycles.”

Kim Oster said that being a mom was her favorite thing in theworld and is looking forward to a summer full of biking adventureswith her daughter, who also has a pink bicycle.

“Our bicycles are going to give us a time out from the realworld,” said Kim Oster.

Kim Oster’s Beach Cruiser will not be missed as she muscles thebike up and down the streets of Brookhaven. The stylish, brightpink frame stands on two large white outlined tires.

“Isn’t it a cool looking bike though,” asked Kim Oster. “It justneeds accessories.”

She said she plans to add a basket, horn, radio and maybe whenshe gets a few more miles under her feet, a seat so she can pickher daughter up from Mamie Martin Elementary School.

“The possibilities are endless,” she said. “I just got it(Sunday), so who knows.”

Kim Oster said this was the first time she has ridden a bicyclein 20 years. She described the experience as, well, riding abike.

“Once you learn, you never forget,” she said.