Harvest Cup Weekend

Regular weekly racing has come to an end, and from Labor Day on, is weekend specials (or week long, as is the case this coming week).  This past weekend was racing at Ogilvie Raceway for their annual Harvest Cup.  It wasn't the best finishes, but it was an improvement compared to how he normally finishes there!  Shane has never done all that well at Ogilvie...Not sure if he just can't figure out how to set the car up for that track, or if he needs to change how he drives there, or maybe just more laps around it would help! But anyway...typically he goes backwards in the feature, so it was a nice change to actually move forward (or hold about the same position)!! It is good to make progress!!

Friday night he finished 4th with the mwm, 8th with the super, and 10th with the A-mod.  Saturday he finished 2nd with the mwm, 3rd in the super, and 11th with the A-mod. 

Mason and Braelyn both like helping on the cars now!!  Mason puts the axel caps back on, and Brae's favorite thing to do is to put lug-nuts in her mouth & play in the tire grinding dust...both YUCK! 

This week we will be going to Huron, SD for the Wissota 100.  It's always a good time, but not too excited for the 5 hour drive...Oh, wait!.. a 5 hour nap...I can handle that!! The kids will be staying with my parents and sisters, because late nights and B's 7 o'clock wake up call make for a long day!  It's not unusual for racing to go from 5pm til midnight, and my kids don't even like watching the races.  They love to go with (play in the dirt & run around on the wheeler), but watching...not so much. Braelyn hates her earmuffs and won't leave them on, and Mason is always "boorrreedd" and wants to go back to the trailer!

On another note, Brae had tubes put in her ears a couple weeks ago, and as we IMPATIENTLY waited in our room, I decided to walk the halls (hoping to get her mind off of wanting a bottle/food, since you can't have anything after midnight).  As we were walking back I noticed what room we were in.......

Kinda funny!!

Mighty Axe Weekend

Sorry I forgot to do an update last week, kind-of slipped my mind, I guess! Yesterday would've been a good day to sit down and write, but we all sort-of slept the day away...T'was a long weekend of late nights! Friday we drove to Grand Rapids, MN for a special they had (my first time there since the short tracker days!).  Shane finished 2nd in the mwm, won with the super, and 14th with the A-mod.  We spent the night there and headed to Brainerd in the morning for their Mighty Axe Nationals.  Saturday, we won the feature in all three classes (mwm, super, and mod) and took home 3 axes (instead of the typical trophy, they give golden axes)! Sunday he ended up winning two of the features (mwm & super) and took 2nd in the A-mod! It turned out to be more than we ever expected, and we can't thank everyone who helped out enough!!  Thank you to all our crew! From changing trannys, drawing such good starting positions (which is half the battle), and getting the cars ready to go, you all are appreciated! 

 Mason won the pace car ride on Sunday night!

This was well after the races, but as you can see, the dirt particles are everywhere and pretty much ruins all the pics!

And the best part of the weekend was coming home and picking up Braelyn from my sister, and seeing that she had learned to walk! She was doing 5-6 steps before the weekend, but now she is walking the whole length of the house.  Mason was about the exact same age when he started walking (10 months), and hasn't been able to sit still since.  Let's hope she is a tad more mellow than him, but so far, no such luck!  (Not sure if the video will load)

One Last Camping Weekend!

We spent last weekend camping once again before we are back to racing full time.  This time we went to South Long Lake near Brainerd, which was a completely redone campground (we were there 10 years ago or so).  It had a brand new play area, a sand volleyball area, new docks, and was very clean.  The only downfall was that since it had been closed for, oh, 5 years, the swim area had grown some weeds from not being used.  The owner had just put loads of new sand on the beach the day we got there, so the beach was nice!

Mason caught LOTS of fish! He was so excited every time he reeled one in!

Sunday, we came home at about noon, cuz Shane was getting antsy to get back to racing.  (We went and spectated twice, and it's just not the same!)  He threw his B-mod in with the Superstock & crew and made the trek to Bemidji where he won both features!  The time off was was very refreshing, and we did enjoy our camping, county fair, & even a dinner & movie night... But it also made us realize that racing is where we belong!  It is where our friends are, it is what we love, and it is what we enjoy most!  SO WE ARE BACK! (and glad to be so! :)

Kids Update

Braelyn has been doing a lot of "new" things lately.  She was never good at eating baby food (except carrots) off a spoon...of course she'll take icecream from a spoon, but fruit or veggies...NOPE!  So I got this brilliant idea to put the baby food in a bottle with a super fast flow nipple, and she'll suck it right down!  I feel better knowing she's actually getting something nutritious, and not just eating snacks all day. Her all-time favorite food right now is cottage cheese! She also loves noodles (tuna noodle & ramen mostly), and is getting very good at a sippy cup! 

The other day I didn't see her anywhere in the house, so I asked the daycare kids "Where's Brae?"  Here the gate at the bottom of the stairway had been unlocked and she crawled up ALL of the steps (without falling) and was playing upstairs!  She hasn't had a tumble yet, but was very close one time when I heard her screaming, I ran over & her hands were on one step, and her feet were 2 steps above that...she had caught herself with her hands (belly down)!  She can also stand for a good while, but falls when she takes a step! 

Her hair is getting so long, that she almost always has to have a pony in or it hangs in her eyes!  I wanted to cut her bangs so bad, but Shane wanted it to grow out.  It's cute as long as it's in a pony or clip, otherwise she looks like a sheep dog! :)

 

Mason has learned how to ride bike without training wheels!  Shane and my brother, Paul, pushed him back and forth one evening in the grass (for a softer landing), and within a couple weeks, he was taking off on his own around the driveway!  He still has his fair share of diggers, but he's getting better! 

This one makes me literally LOL!! :)

 He is also sleeping ALL NIGHT in his own bed! He loved the security of being on the floor in our room, but was starting to complain that it wasn't very comfy anymore, so I started a "sticker chart" and if he wakes up in the morning in HIS bed, he gets a sticker, and after 10, he will get a reward (space aliens, bounce depot or a movie)!  It's taking a while to get 10, being that he's been at Heidi's, grandmas, currently camping for 3 days with my family, and this weekend we're going camping again!  The kid likes to bum! :)

Camping

It's been a week ago already, but I thought i'd post some pics of our camping weekend (last weekend)...  The weather was beautiful (except a short shower on Saturday), but the water was perfect temperature and we couldn't have asked for a better weekend!  Mason's favorite activities were making sandcastles and riding the jetski (which he was so afraid of at first that we couldn't get him on it).  Braelyn had her fifth tooth popping through so she was not quite her happy self.  She had a runny nose and light fever, so she kind-of slept alot.  It didn't seem to get any better as the week went on, so I took her to the doc and she had a double ear infection :(  It was a fun weekend that we all enjoyed for something different, but we did miss racing a little when everyone started sending results! :)  However, we are already half-way through the 30 days off, so it seems to be going by pretty quickly.  This week we've enjoyed going to the fair two evenings and tonight we'll go cheer on DJ in the demolition derby!

That's all for now.... Enjoy the weekend! (I can't believe I just posted on a Saturday...maybe I do have too much time on my hands without racing) :) LOL!

THE VERDICT IS IN...

….And we were told to continue enjoying our new boat and go ahead and make camping reservations! :) All jokes aside..Most of you have probably heard that Shane's A-mod motor was protested on Thursday night in Willmar. After tearing down the engine, the tech officials found that it did not meet Wissota's guidelines and they deemed his heads illegal. 

I debated whether or not to write our situation, as I know once all those 20/20 screen name hiders get wind of it, their keyboards will likely go up in smoke.  I don't mind a good old debate with an actual person, but some people feel empowered by writing, and put things they wouldn't normally say to your face. So that's why I don't post on 20/20...If you have a question or are just nosey and want some answers... Call me, find me, ask me! We have been honest with those that have called and came to us in person and have a ton respect for the fans/drivers that have wanted answers.

We bought this engine used from another Wissota racer. Our engine builder made us aware of the fact that these heads were borderline of following the Wissota rule book, but based on the cost to fix it we opted to leave it as it was. For safe measures, we had a local tech guy to our house to inspect it, and he ok'd it here in our garage. Scott's Engine shop did not do the work that was in question (as it was purchased that way) and we will continue to do business with him. We didn't fix what should have been fixed and realize it was a huge mistake on our part! But we will live, learn, and move on. The consequence is loss of points, a $1,000 fine, and a 30 day suspension from Wissota tracks. That last one could possibly be a blessing in disguise, as we have not been on a camping trip in over 10 years! We may possibly take a trip to Wisconsin Dells, and just do family things that we have sacrificed for the love of racing.

I know that this may have tainted our reputation, but I think back at all racers that I know that have been found with illegal parts and know that with time & proving them wrong, they have come back and done great things and are still respected in the racing community. I've learned that people will think what they want, regardless of how little or much they know. And I've learned that all people will have an impression of you and it's hard to change their mind-good or bad! A facebook friend posted this the following day, and really has changed my outlook on the situation...[One year from today, will the stress of today be such a big thing?] My answer is NO! We have always tried to keep things in perspective and not take things for granted, and remember that who you are in racing, does not defy who you are in life. Yes, racing is our life, but it's not real life. Our home is happy. Our jobs are happy. Our family is happy, and we grateful for the things we have.  


We apologize to our fans, family, sponsors, and competitors for any ill will this may have caused. And we thank all of you who have continued to show their loyalty and support to us.

Have a great week!

Hot! Hot!

Good afternoon, all! I keep up with weather according to facebook...which apparently it's pretty warm out there.  One advantage of working from home, is just that...not leaving the house! :) The kids are required (by law) to go outside daily, "weather permitting"...I decided it was not permitting!  Shane, however, is required to work outdoors & work some more when he gets home!  Somehow he conned Mason into helping! :)

They managed to cool off with a water gun/pressure washer war! They say "it's all fun and games til someone gets hurt" and sure enough Mason ended up aiming the pressure washer at his foot and blowing the skin off the top of his foot.  I was in the house and Shane was doing something and he notice Mason throw the handle down and run away yelling "I don't wanna wash the cars anymore!" He wouldn't tell Shane why he quit, but just kept repeating "I don't wanna wash the cars anymore!" Finally Shane seen the red line across his foot...I bandaged him up and gave him the miracle medicine (tylenol or a teething tablet...heck, if they made a chewable vegetable tablet that'd work too)!  And he was better!

This past week Shane raced on Wednesday in Fargo, ND for a mwm special where he ended up 5th in the feature.  This was the only class they ran that night.  Thursday was rained out.  Friday, our usual Princeton was rained out so we headed to Fergus Falls, MN where Shane won with the MWM, took 2nd in the superstock, and only made a half a lap in the mod.  Saturday he finished 2nd in the MWM, DNF'd in the superstock (well, not really...he finished 4th but had a flat right rear tire for the last 2 1/2 laps and the flagman was pointing him to the infield.  He was holding a steady line so decided to stay racing, but later was docked at the payout window).  He won with the A-mod!

*reminder MWM = midwest mod & DNF = Did Not Finish (the race)

Kids News!!

I was so excited when Braelyn started crawling (as with any parent with any milestone!) because I thought this would give her some independence and not long to be held all the time and go everywhere I go.  She could now go where she wanted to go (or just follow me everywhere)!  Well, I found out real quick that it doesn't make things easier.  Now I long for the time I can set her down and she stays put while I get things done.  She definitely was occupied while I was getting chores done, little did I know she was only making another chore for me to do (clean her and the wet floor up!)......

 Mason always played in the toilets at this age too! Just as long as everyone flushes! :)

And speaking of making more chores for mom, I went to take her out of her carseat and found she got ahold of the puffs and dumped them all over herself and was eating them.  She usually hates the car ride and I thought she was awfully quiet, but figured she fell asleep. Thankfully she didn't choke on one (or on the plastic bag for that matter)! :)  The little turd still has a way of making me smile even when she's into mischeif!!

This video is several weeks old...It's when she first learned how to clap, but I'm mostly just trying to see if I know how to load videos to blogger! 

I suppose with "Kid News" I should probably post something on Mason, but other than his foot mishap, nothing's real new.  I received an email of his preschool supply list today, and started to panic.  Not because it made me aware of the fact the summer is half over :(, but because I'm worried how he'll do in a different setting.  It's only 2 days a week for 3 hours a day...It can't be that bad, right?! If he can make it through the year without a trip to the principal's office, we should be in good shape for the next 13 years! :)