Ogilvie Raceway Opener

I never did address all the hoopla that went down with 2 of our weekly tracks switching sanctions, but basically it means our schedule was rearranged slightly.  Princeton and Brainerd switched from Wissota to IMCA, and Granite City Speedway switched from Sunday nights to Friday nights.  I've heard opinions from each side of the fence and my only opinion is that I believe things will work out for everyone.  As much as it makes people defensive and uncomfortable, change is inevitable.  And sometimes I think people just like having something to complain about.  It's like we all complain about the pot holes, but then we bitch during road construction because traffic is moving too slow or we're forced to take a detour.  Maybe that analogy wasn't pertinent, but you get the idea! Sometimes the difference in the situation is all in your attitude.  And I truly hope that this shift in central MN racing turns out beneficial for all involved! 

 

So back to our schedule change.... We now will be racing Granite City Speedway on Friday nights, and mainly Ogilvie Raceway on Saturday nights.  KRA speedway in Willmar is a possibility on Thursdays, depending on work.  And occasionally we might travel somewhere on Sunday, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited to have that day off to enjoy other summer activities!  Might need to sell a racecar to buy a new boat! :)

 

Shane has admittedly never been much of a fan of Ogilvie, mainly because he struggles there and is intimidated by the backstretch wall.  But see why change can be a good thing?!  It forces you to challenge yourself to figure out something you previously would've just given up on!  This past Saturday he finished 2nd in both the Midwest mod and super stock (both from the front row I believe, as it was draw/redraw for opening night), and made his way up to 8th from 19th in the mod, after a tough break during the heat.

 

Braelyn usually volunteers to help wash, and I couldn't help but chuckle at her choice of shoes.  The kid's a goof.  She's pretty homely dressed most of the time, but I pick my battles, and let her do her thing.

There's a reason we usually shop Walmart and not Target, and Rollback prices are not the reason!  Yes, she's wearing ONE clip on dangly earring. :) Ooy!
So long for now... Have a great week!

Wisconsin Racing

I'm going to start off by taking the risk of offending some fellow race-track goers, and tell you that I find it annoying (as do others) if you clap, cheer, grin from ear to ear, or voice your enthusiasm for a driver when he has unfortunate luck (mechanical failure, driver error, wrecked equipment, etc.).  I'm not speaking from an incident that happened to Shane, just something I witnessed over the weekend and I can't help but wonder, where's the love?! Of course we all have our favorite drivers that we hope to see win, but to root for someone during hardship just seems immature to me.  I get that racing isn't really a team sport, but I think we're all united in a "hey...I came here to win, but mostly, I come for the fun of it!" type of way.  Or at least I hope you come for the fun of it.  And if you find yourself at the racetrack and you're still grumpy, I advise you to stay home & find something else that makes you happy.  Being at the racetrack makes me happy.  I enjoy watching a good battle on the track, and it's worth noting that I enjoy Shane winning; but I also find enjoyment in other competitors winning too. The thing is, my favorite part of the night usually doesn't revolve around winning or losing.  I come for the company of those that have befriended me, and the bullshitting, beers, and food afterwards!  So even if you're not quite ready to show some love to everyone within this awesome sport, at least keep your mouth shut when someone's having a bad day! :)

 

 

Now, onto results:

Sorry, I forgot to post last weeks results, but our first race around home was at Cedar Lake Speedway in Wisconsin on April 11th.  The superstock wasn't quite race ready, so we just brought the mods, and Shane ended up winning both features that night!  This past weekend we ventured to Rice Lake, Wisconsin for their season opener.  He (Shane) finished 5th in the Midwest mod, won with the superstock, and finished 3rd with the mod. 

Sorry the pictures seem blurry. The superstock has a little different look than the mods...I like it...it has a prettiness to it! :) The next race is still undecided, as we'll keep an eye on our options with this  cold weather we're having! Enjoy the rest of your week!

Kansas Race Trip

I apologize that this a couple weeks late... somehow it took me 2 weeks to sit down and decide to do a race recap from when we traveled to Kansas for the $10,000 to win King of America race. We left on Tuesday evening once I got done with work.  It took about 12 hours to get there, as the roads through most of Iowa were horrible with snow/slush/ice...or at least that's what the guys said.... me and the kids sort of slept most of the drive.  We arrived safely and awoke to a pretty decent day, until evening came and it was time for practice to start.  Then the storm rolled in and forced them to cancel practice until the next morning. 

 

I'll just give a quick recap of racing... but basically each modified driver raced a total of 4 heats and accumulated passing points throughout the course of the first 2 days. Shane's first run was shaping up to have some potential, until he came into the corner way too hot and hit the wall.  It looked much worse than it was and thankfully the guys got it put back together and everything scaled out normal.  From then on, I could tell he raced scared, or untrusting of the car/track/etc. and his passing points reflected his lack of confidence.  He picked up a heat win (from the pole), and basically finished wherever he started in each heat.  In a big show like that, you need to finish consistently toward the front and we just weren't able to produce well enough finishes to make the main event.

 

The Midwest mod ran a complete show each of the 3 nights, and he wound up 2nd the first night, 9th the second night, and DNF'd on the final night, after his rear suspension broke while leading.

 

 

 

 

There was a nice wooded area, river, and grassy play area on the grounds, so me and the kids went for walks, met some new people from Texas and played softball and kickball with them during the day.  We took the golf cart one afternoon to town and played at the park, and also took an adventure on some back roads which led us to Kansas cows! Yes, they're probably the same as MN cows, but watching Mason freak out when we seen one with horns and then noticed himself wearing a red jacket, was quite possibly the funniest part of my vacation.  The speed at which he removed his jacket and hit the gas on the golf cart was hilarious.

 

He had to prove to me that he could cross the river... Not without falling in first though!

 

Even though racing didn't go as well as it could have (albeit, it could've gone worse too), we all enjoyed our time there and are excited to hopefully head back again next year.

 

 

....CONTINUED

So I explained how I like to get rid of things, and clear my house of clutter HERE. But my husband isn't quit on the same page as I when it comes to ditching the "things".  So how do we compromise on things that stay and things that go?  Umm, well, typically I'll tackle a job when he's gone and if I know he hasn't used or worn it in the past year, I kind of just assume that he won't notice it missing anyway.  And 9 times out of 10, my judgment is spot on.  I bet he'll never miss the 8 cloth belts (you know, the ones that come with men's shorts) or the dozens of old shirts that sat folded in the bottom of the closet, or his pairs of work boots that have accumulated over the years.  Because why would anyone resort to the old things, when you have since replaced them with new things? 

But remember how I said I'm right 9 out of 10 times?  Yeah, so there was this ONE time that I went cleaning crazy and gave away all his racing coats that have accumulated over the past 10 years.  They were given to him for various track championships and state/national championships.  Now mind you, these coats are stored in a closet in the hallway and not in our entryway, which means they are not/have not been used in years, so it was fair game (in my mind) to get rid of them.  But I forgot about the second part of my rule... is it beautiful?  Because what I see beautiful vs. what my husband or kids see, is different.  Not so much that he thought his coats were masterpieces of art, but he enjoyed having them and looking through occasionally.  How did he even notice them missing, you ask?!  Of all things, he went in the closet to get the vacuum..... Who'da thunk?!? ;)  *I was thoughtful enough to keep a few coats.  But my lesson here is to maybe get permission before you get rid of someone else's things!

Someday, we'd like to move.... To the country, to a farm, live in a hauler, travel the country racing... who knows.  But when the time comes to pack up this house, I'll have fewer boxes to move, by moving them now!!

Have a happy week!! Maybe do a little spring cleaning!!

 

 

Are you a hoarder or a minimalist?

I googled "the opposite of a hoarder" because I didn't really have a name for what I routinely do, which is get rid of stuff.  And a few articles later, it turns out I might have a psychological disorder, called obsessive-compulsive spartanism.  Of course, the internet exaggerates everything... Like the time I googled Mason's stomach ache symptoms, and then made a doctor appt fearing it was a stomach tumor or appendicitis or some life threatening illness.  Nope, turns out he was just constipated.  There's a big difference between all the scary stuff I read on the internet and just needing to take a shit!  Long story short, I don't actually believe I have a disease of decluttering, but it doesn't even bother me if I do!

 

The older I get, the more I realize I don't like "stuff".  Having things that don't serve me, actually makes me feel burdened and overwhelmed when I see it.  So I purge it.  And I enjoy it (which is where the disorder may actually be true:)).  Usually once a month I go thru cabinets, drawers and closets and get rid of things that accumulated that I no longer use (or no longer fit...kid's clothes).  This month's basket had things like: winter hats/gloves, dvd's, flower vases, home décor, and kitchen appliances.  Yes, I love a homemade Belgian waffle topped with strawberries and whip cream, but I haven't made myself one in over 3 years so the chances of using the waffle maker are slim.  And last month, I debated ditching it, but told myself I'd use it and never did. 

 

 

I have a couple rules when clearing the clutter... One is that if it's not beautiful or useful, I don't keep it.  Even if it has sentimental value (gasp!).  I mean, what's the point of keeping your great-grandmother's china set if all you do with it is keep it in a box in your basement?  You are getting absolutely no enjoyment or pleasure or use out of it if it's stored in a brown box in the dungeon of your house.  If you indeed find it BEAUTIFUL, then keep it.  But try to display it somewhere so that when you walk by it, you will be reminded of your great-grandma.  Or USE it! And if giving sentimental valuable things to strangers (Good Will, Salvation Army, etc) makes you feel uneasy, offer it to other family members who may find a use or beauty in it. 

 

*Of course, there's always exceptions to rules, and I do keep a small box of keepsakes for each of my 4 children. 

 

My second rule is, if I don't have room in my dresser or a hanger for it in my closet, then something needs to go.  If I come home with 4 new shirts but only have 2 open hangers, then 2 old shirts need to go.  And to be honest, there's 100+ shirts hanging in my closet, but I always resort to my current favorite 10 or so.

 

And so I've decided that I'm bordering a psychological disorder of getting rid of things, who's married to someone with a psychological disorder of keeping things.....  :)

 

THIS POST (on how one lives with the other) TO BE CONTINUED....

So God Made Girls

My recent few posts have been all about Mason; his birthday, his room, his racing.  I figure I better give a little update on the other child that roams this house!  Some facts about Braelyn:

 

She is 4 years old

Favorite color: pink and red

Favorite food: noodles

Favorite restaurant: Buffalo Wild Wings

Favorite animal: Pig

Favorite friend: Wyatt (from daycare)

 

She is strong willed (read: refuses to wear socks, and pants that aren't just the right length and looseness).  She wants to be a pig farmer when she grows up, or a doctor. I told her to be both!  She wants to move to a farm and have pigs, sheep, goats, horses, and kittens.  I agree, and would add chickens and cows! 

 

She is carefree and confident, and really teaches me how awesome our inner child is. Before we let culture/society dampen our spirit; before we let fear of failure or people's opinions hold us back.  She has dance parties and sings her heart out.  She compliments strangers; from bright pink hair to full-arm tattoos.  She sees beauty everywhere. She wears mismatched things in public and shoes without socks.  And sometimes stays in her pajamas all day.  She rarely brushes her hair, and I don't care.  She is good for my soul!

 

 A random day's choice of wardrobe (swimsuit and dress up heels)

 

And sometimes, you can never have enough accessories.

 

And if you like cottage cheese on pizza, eat it!

And sometimes there are no words. 

I found her "relaxing" one morning with her feet on the massager, cars lined up the upper half of her body (including one over her eyes), and a dumbbell laying across her waist with a hippo on top.

 

Mason's New Bedroom

For the past 4 years the kids have shared a bedroom down the hall from ours.  Well, actually 3 because I think Mason slept on the floor in our room until he started Kindergarten. (I'll address that later.)  They had bunk beds and Mason goes to bed at 8:30pm by himself and Braelyn would get carried to bed around 10pm (my bedtime) after falling asleep on the couch or in our bed.  They couldn't go to sleep at the same time or they would sit and chat and keep eachother awake.  Finally we decided it was time for Mason to get his own room upstairs, but I was in no hurry so I said I'd do it gradually and shoot for Springtime to move.  One thing I've realized about myself though, is that I don't like having an unfinished job/project in the back of my head.  So what was intended to be a gradual process turned into a 4-day ordeal of painting, sanding, staining, nailing, screwing, stud finding, online shopping, and several trips to Home Depot.  And although I've already considered myself a pro at painting (not for preciseness but for speed), I can now add wood working to my resume! ;) HA!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mason just loves it and does awesome being on a different level of the house.  I think it's quieter up there so he isn't yelling "TURN DOWN THE TV" a gazillion times while we're trying to watch our shows (Chicago Fire, Chicago PD & Parenthood).  And like I mentioned earlier, he did sleep on the floor of our room for maybe a little longer than recommended.  Heck, I'm pretty sure "they" recommend your child never sleep in your room.  But you know what? It always seemed to bother people who didn't live in our house more than it bothered any of us.  And I always knew he wasn't going to willingly want to sleep in our room when he got older, because, who wants to have friends over and say, "Hey, this is where I sleep" while pointing to a crib mattress next to their parents' bed?  I knew it would be short lived (in perspective), so I enjoyed it while it lasted.  And now it's such a vague memory that I don't regret it a bit.