Life is a Roller Coaster

      When I look back on my life, it is amazing what a roller coaster ride it has been.   There have been so many ups and downs, but realistically there have been so many more ups than downs.   I have no complaints at all and I can honestly say that if I were to die today, I would be the luckiest person in the world.

       I have had experiences in life that as a child I would have never dreamed possible.  I’ve done things and seen places that others only dream of.    How many people can say that their life has been as full as mine?

       Let’s see……  I’ve been a bookkeeper, executive secretary, purchasing agent, truck driver, business owner, school bus driver, funeral home receptionist and secretary, a 911 operator, a wife, mother, Granny  and a mother-in-law.   I’ve had more life experiences and have more useless bits of information floating around in my head than any two people should have.  And yet, I wouldn’t trade a minute of it for anything.

         I have been places and seen things that I might never have had the opportunity to enjoy if my life had  gone in a different direction.   I’ve gotten to hang out with race car drivers and they actually know me – I mean how cool is that??  Especially as much as I love racing!      I’ve been on mission trips to some of the most beautiful places God has created and received the joy that working for others brings.   I have had people come into my life that brought me such joy and impacted my life in ways they will never know.   I’ve had the joy of watching my children grow to be adults and have families of their own.   I’ve travelled more in my lifetime than my parents, grandparents and great-grandparents did in all their lifetimes.

        How could I ever complain?  Don’t get me wrong, there have been some rough spots, but they just naturally come with life.    As Forrest Gump once said “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’ll get!”.   So far, my life has been filled with my favorites -  strawberry, lemon and maple creams…… oh, and chocolate covered cherries!

"WoooHooo - We're Off to the Races Again - March 12, 2008"

Well, it's that time of year again! Friday morning as soon as I get off work, Becca and I are headed to Lakeland, Fla. for the first Hooter's race of the season! I can't wait - life for the next few months will be hectic, but ooooh so much fun..... Be watching for new pics - you know me!  It'll be great to see Dusty and his folks again.  Sure have missed them.

Have a great week and remember that I love you all! 

"Daytona Race - February 19, 2008"

     Wow! What a fun weekend - a hurry up and wait kind of weekend but nevertheless an AWESOME one. We spent a lot of time waiting in traffic, que lines and just mobs of people, but it was too much fun!

 

     We got to see our friends - Reed Sorenson (driver of the Target car) and his parents, Becky and Brad. That was really nice. Got to see lots of drivers and lots of historical cars and things that they brought in for the 50th anniversary. Got to see 2 wonderful races.

     Life is so good and God blesses us all the time.

"Daytona - Here I Come! - Feb. 14, 2008"

          24 hours and I'm headed for Daytona! Woooooo Hooooo!!!!

          It's going to be a rushed weekend - Hurry up and get to Orlando tomorrow so we can get a little sleep, then up early to get to the track early Saturday morning for all the festivities and race, then maybe we'll have a little time to eat and relax Saturday night, then back at it again on Sunday! Sunday we'll get up early and head back to the track for the race and be there alllllll day. It'll be fun though!

          Sunday we'll head to St. Augustine to spend the night then get up early (and I mean early) on Monday to head home since I have to work Monday night!

          Pray for a safe trip for all of us and remember that I Love You!

"Daytona Here I Come!! - January 25, 2008"

Wooooooo Hooooooo!!!! Bobby and I are going to the 50th running of the Daytona 500! I can't wait - we'll be in the garage area all morning on Saturday before the Busch Race and it's gonna be a blast!

My buddies from Schrader Racing won't get to be there, but we'll still have fun at the races.

Well, gotta go now, but remember that I love you all and have a great weekend!

"Whew!!! - January 10, 2008"

Wow! Where did the last few months go to??? They just seemed to fly by. I had a wonderful Christmas season and most things worked out well as far as scheduling went. Did have to miss the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at Church though and that made me really sad - it was the first one I've missed in the last 12 years. Oh well, I was where I was needed most thanks to the wonderful citizens of Douglas County who keep on doing crazy stuff even though it is Christmas (I just keep reminding myself that it's job security! ).

I'm starting to get that wanderlust again and can't wait for the races to start back . . .

There's a new puppy in the house and he's really cute, but driving us all crazy - especially our inside dog, Lucky. Lucky is almost 8 now and doesn't want to play all the time - he's old and playing chase for several hours at a time at high rates of speed just doesn't seem to appeal to him anymore - he'd rather sit on his sofa and watch the world go by outside the window. A.J. (the puppy) on the other hand thinks that wearing a new rut into my carpet by running at top speed from one end of the house to the other is what he was put here on earth for and he's trying to prove to all of us that he is the absolute best dog for the job. So A.J. (the young and stupid puppy) runs like mad and drives Lucky (the older and wiser dog) crazy, making him bark - so all you hear is running, barking, running, barking, running, barking (well, I'm sure you get the picture of how my days go).

Well, have a great weekend and remember that I love you all - you make my life the joy that it is!

Happy New Year and Merry Christmas (it's never too early to say that because the Lord is so good to us all)!

"Dependability - November 6, 2007"

First of all I'd like to say that I had an awesome time at the races over the weekend. It was great being with Dusty and the gang and I'm sure gonna miss it until the season starts back up. We met some of the drivers and crews that we didn't know and hung out with them for a little while Saturday night at the hotel and had an absolute blast with them. I hope we'll get to see more of them next year.

Now for the down side of my weekend trip - when I got back to work today I had a bit of a shock. We are allowed to swap days with other people so that we can save vacation time or get days off that we need when we would otherwise be working. I had swapped with someone for one of the weekend days thinking that she could be depended on and she didn't bother to show up or to get a replacement to work for her. This made me look really bad and also made me loose 12 hours of overtime pay. Not only was I terribly embarassed by this, but now I have to figure out how to make ends meet since I'll be loosing quiet a bit of pay.

I guess I have different values from most folks, because I was raised that if you committed to do something then you did it or you made sure it got done. It was called dependability when I was growing up, but now I guess most people look at it as "every man for himself". It's a sad day, but I guess it was to be expected. Oh well, "Once bit - twice shy" as the old saying goes. I just know that it won't happen again. I learned my lesson.

Thanks for letting me vent and I hope you all have a great week! Remember that I Love You All!

"We're Off to Lakeland - November 2, 2007"

Well, ended up having to work for a little while tonight so I was late getting my cooking done, but I'm finally through. I'm headed to the sack for a little shut eye and then hope that we'll be heading out by 9:00 AM for Florida.

I'm excited and a little sad - this is the last race of the season and I'm actually going to miss the mad rush to get everything done and hit the road..... but at least I have Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up - they're always a mad rush at trying to get everything done!

Have a great weekend - I know I will! Say a little prayer for a safe trip for Bobby, Becca and I and we'll see you when we get home -

"One More Race This Season - October 22, 2007"

Well, we made it to South Georgia and back, safe and sound. Bobby and Becca both got to go and we had a wonderful time. Bobby worked with Justin Wakefield to learn how to spot for Dusty, just in case he ever needs a backup spotter. Becca and I taught Justin's wife, Jennifer, to score and she did a great job. Becca scored for Chase Pistone and Jennifer scored for Jeff Fultz. The race was pretty exciting. Dusty had problems getting the car set up and had to get into the race on a provisional - causing him to have to start 35th. He ended up having a great race and finished 13th. Because of that he was awarded the Hard Charger award for the race, so not a bad night overall....

We have one more race in Lakeland, FL in two weeks and then will be off for several months. I'll miss it, but it will give me time to rest up for next season and regroup. Then off we go again, and I'll be a happy happy camper!!!

"Cecil Race at South Georgia Motorsports Park - Oct. 16, 2007"

Well, this weekend we are off to the South Georgia Motorsports Park in Cecil, GA which is near Valdosta for the Hooter's all pro race. Becca and I will leave sometime Friday morning after I sleep for a few hours (I have to work 6 PM to 6 AM Thursday night).

I'll be cooking for a larger group than usual because a lot of Dusty's family and friends from the Savannah area will come over for this race. It'll be lots of fun and this is a really nice track.

I'm kind of sad because this is the next to the last race of the season and then we have a break of several months before we start back up. Guess it's a good thing though, I need to build my vacation time back up!

Have a great week and remember that I love you all!

"Thanks Will!! - October 9, 2007"

P. S. to my Talladega blog :




Thanks Will !

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. . . . . . Well, I guess you get the point - I appreciate it more than you will ever know (even though I might tell you a hundred times, it will still not be enough to tell you how much I truly appreciate you and all you've done for me! I love you and will feed you for the rest of my life - Ha Ha!)

And for those of you who don't know - Will is the one who is responsible for me getting to hang out and help out with Ken Schrader's team. He is a great friend and our whole family just adores him.

We love you Will and THANKS SO MUCH!!!

"Talledega! - October 6, 2007"

Oh my goodness!!!! I had an absolutely awesome time at the races this weekend. The guys on the team are so much fun and soooooo sweet. I just love being around them.

I got an extra special treat this weekend - I got to score for the team and it was so neat! And to top it all off I got paid for it! I wanted to do it for free just because they let me come and hang out, but Brian insisted on paying me. I got my cake and got to eat it too!!

On Thursday, Kenny Schrader came over and hung out with us for a while. I was standing outside by the car taking some pictures when Kenny came out of the hauler and walked over to me. He leaned over and asked me "just how dark is our locker room?" and then turned around and walked back to the hauler. After I quit screaming and laughing - I realized that most everybody on the team was in on the joke and was laughing right along with me.

Somebody told Kenny this story (which is actually true): After the Sonoma race, I got back to the shop around midnight and went in to take a shower. I had just gotten lathered up good and had started washing my hair when the lights went out (no one knew they were on a timer). So I stood there in the dark, laughing at myself, taking my shower and trying to figure out what I was going to do (there were several walls and turns to get back to the light switch). When the team came in the next morning, everyone got a big kick out of the story.

Well, Kenny being the jokester that he is thought it would be funny to ask me about it. Kenny came back over after I quit laughing and we had a good laugh out of it! He is such a sweet person and really nice.

Got to get up close and take picutures of lots of drivers and such and you know how I love that!

Sometimes I have to pinch myself because God has been so good to me - I may not be famous or rich, but I am one of the luckiest and most blessed people on the planet and I will be forever grateful for all that God has given to me.

Always remember that I love you all.

"Heading to Talledega! - October 2, 2007"

Woooooo Hoooooo!! I'm heading to Talledega on Thursday to hang out and help cook for Ken Schrader's ARCA car team. I'll get to see all of the guys that I went to California with in June and I'm really excited! I loved going to the race in Sonoma with these guys and I know that this weekend will be just as much fun. I can't wait....

Becca will be heading to Myrtle Beach to work with Dusty's team - I hate that I'll miss being with them, but I'm gonna love being at Talledega and I'll get to see them at the South Georgia race and the Lakeland race later on this month.

This weekend, the ARCA cars race on Friday, the Craftsman Trucks on Saturday and the Cup cars on Sunday. It's going to be like hunting on a baited field! I know I'll have some great pictures after this weekend!

I have to work tonight and then sleep for a little while in the morning. Most of the rest of the day will be spent doing my prep work for the food I'm cooking and I'm also making food for Becca to take to Myrtle Beach.

I'll have handbells and choir at church tomorrow night, will come home and sleep just a little and then get up about 4:30 Thursday morning and head out for Talledega. I'll hook up with the guys at the hotel in Anniston and then off to the track to get our credentials and set up.

I am sooooooo LUCKY and BLESSED - how many people get to live their dreams like I do ? - God has been so good to me and I praise him for all he's done in my life and the blessings he has given to me. How AWESOME he is!!

I love you all and hope you have a great weekend too!

"We're Back From Iowa! - Sept. 24, 2007"

Oh my goodness - what a wonderful time we had! We got back in last night about 1:00 AM after leaving Iowa at 9:30 yesterday morning. Becca and I shared the driving going up and coming back.

We got into Newton at about 10:30 their time on Thursday night and met up with Dusty and the gang at the hotel. Friday morning started early - we had to be at the track at around 8:00 to get our credentials. Friday the team struggled with getting the car set up - it was a brand new car - so they had to start from the bottom up.

Friday night there was a "Fan-Fair" for the race fans to visit the infield, tour the garage and haulers and to meet the teams and drivers. It was pretty fun - I passed out cards and talked to the fans while the team was doing the last minute things that needed to be done to the car. Becca helped put the decals on during that time.

Saturday, we had to be at the track at 7:00 AM to get started and to get the car through tech. The spoiler was too wide and we were missing the taillight decals so we didn't pass the first time through tech. I told Dusty that he needed the taillight decals so that the other drivers would be able to tell when he hit the brakes - after all we were expecting the rest of the field to be behind him!

Unfortunately, we didn't qualify too well - we were 30th, but at least we made the field - there were 4 guys that didn't.

There was a concert by country singer Craig Morgan later in the afternoon and a driver autograph session at the same time. It was great - I thought I wouldn't get to see the concert and it turned out that we were right there with it! We had a ball with the drivers and were all rocking out to the concert.

Becca and I both scored the race - Becca for the 52 car of Kirk Leone and me for Dusty. We had a great view of the track.

Dusty's car was really fast and he managed to make it up to 7th by lap 111 but then the alternator went out. What they didn't realize at the time was that it was draining the battery and on lap 159 the car went dead just as Dusty passed the entrance to pit road. Unfortunately he didn't have enough power to make it back to the pits and stopped halfway down the back stretch and had to be pushed back to the pits. We lost 5 laps and were never able to recover them. It was a real shame too, because he had at least a top 5 car and was consistently passing cars the whole time he was racing. His lap times were faster than the 2nd place car, so I know he would have done well.

We still had a great time and just love working with this team - they are awesome folks and such a joy to be around.

I won't get to go to the Myrtle Beach race because I have to work that weekend, but Becca is planning on going. I hope to get to go to the next two after that though.

"The Iowa Race is Coming Up - Sept. 14, 2007"

I'm getting so excited - by this time next week Becca and I will be in Newton, Iowa at the new speedway that was built by Rusty Wallace. The Hooters team that I cook for and score for will be racing there on Saturday. Becca helps Dusty during the autograph sessions and then scores for whatever driver needs a scorer.

We will leave on Thursday as soon as Becca gets off of work and drive straight through. It will take us about 16-18 hours (including stopping for gas and to eat) of driving but it's always worth it. Up to now, the Mansfield, Ohio track was the furthest that we have gone to get to a race. We'll be driving about a thousand miles to get to the Iowa track.

I have always loved driving - it gives me some good quality quiet time and that gives me the time I need to talk to God and "do some splaining" about the things I need to get forgiven for. Mostly they're little things, but I still need to ask for the forgiveness.

It has also helped to bring Becca and I back together. She moved out last November and our relationship was really really strained for a long time. I wasn't happy with her (and I'm still not crazy about what she is doing) but going to the races together has given us a chance to get back on the right track to getting close again. After all, when you spend 16 hours in a pickup truck alone together, you have to get along with each other.

Well, I have to go walk on my treadmill and then get ready for work. It's supposed to storm tonight and that means that it will be an insane night at work. Just another fun Friday night in D'ville....

Love you all (even if you're reading this and I don't even know you!)