Once in a lifetime...

So once in a lifetime, you have to try something different, right?

Well I'm one of those who usually doesn't shy away from trying something. As my 5th grade teacher once said, "try it, you might like it."

Last weekend (April 3rd), my friend, Julie, and I took an adventure and it turned out to be one of those "once in a lifetime" experiences. We went to a REAL NASCAR race. Now granted I had been to a NASCAR event before but it wasn't a true race for points event. So off we trekked early Sunday morning to Martinsville, Virginia!

The drive up was very scenic and not a hard drive at all from Raleigh (a little over two hours!). Once we crossed the state-line, you could tell who was going to the race based on the design of the car, their clothes, etc. The closer we got to Ridgeway, VA, where the track is located (anyone else think it's funny that the NASCAR tracks are RARELY in the city that the track is named after? hmmm) ... the traffic worsened. We elected to park as close as we could so we could walk back and forth from the car to the track & we did just that!

My first experience was finding the bathroom ... welllllll, this is where my adventure began. We couldn't go in the track and come back out without getting hand-stamped. So Julie convinced me to use a Port-a-John. I have NEVER in my life used one of those nasty places, but in dire situations, you've gotta do what you gotta do. I convinced myself that if I could use the "facilities" on a moving train or on a moving bus, I should be able to use this. Well, I did but I was terrified the whole time someone was gonna tip me over. Adventure # 1 complete (well make that several because I later visited one again!)

The entire NASCAR experience is an adventure of itself. The people are just a different breed altogether. But overall, they are good people. We enjoyed all the sights and sounds. I was excited to spend some money at the drivers' trailers buying from my favorites Tony Stewart & Denny Hamlin. The climb to our seats was a huge challenge as we were seated high in the sky. But it was fun and we had a birds-eye view of the entire track.


Martinsville proved to be a challenging race with several lead changes. Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a terrific run and should've won the race, but I won't go on that rant now. Denny Hamlin did a good job but got way off-cycle on his pit-stops and fell back. And my poor Tony Stewart ... well let's not even go there but his pit crew did an amazing job replacing the rear-end gear and getting him back on the track so he didn't receive a DNF. But the best part, thank God, Jimmie Johnson did NOT win. Had he won that race, it would have been a very, very long ride home!

After the race, we mulled around the track for a bit before going back to our car. We sat in the car for awhile and eventually moved down the hill into the shade. Around the same time, the actual car haulers began their exit "train" from the track. What a unique experience to sit and watch all the haulers go past, tooting their horns, waving and throwing out things to the fans.

Soon after the "train" ended, we got in line and headed out of the speedway. Along our route home, somehow, Jeff Gordon's hauler managed to come us beside us and we followed it a little ways before we both went our separate ways -- him towards Charlotte, us towards Greensboro headed to Burlington to eat and finally back to good 'ole Wake County.

All in all, NASCAR is definitely a once in a lifetime experience that all should take. Even if you're not a NASCAR fan, it is something worthwhile. I think I'm a fan of the short-tracks more than the superspeedways though -- mainly because you can see the WHOLE track and know where every body is!

I hope to make it out to some more races in the near future, and maybe, just maybe, one of my boys will win and Jimmie Johnson won't!

Oh to be ...

Isn't is always my luck that the days we start having, what seem like, torrential downpours, and when the weather is cool outside, rather than being able to stay at home in bed and asleep, I'm stuck at the office! Oh well, such is life, I suppose!

I always find it interesting that rainy days are depressing...well, sometimes. Sometimes, we need to enjoy the rain and praise God for it because we obviously need it. But other times, rainy days just help add to our gloominess that may have already settled in from other things.

I am reminded of a quote that I saw re-tweeted on Twitter the other day by Georgia Tech Women's Basketball Coach MaChelle Joseph. It states, "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain." What an awesome quote that is ... thanks, MaChelle for posting!!

Now granted, you won't see me running outside to dance in the rain today (since it's pretty cold here in North Carolina), but while we do weather personal storms, almost on a daily basis, we don't need to let those storms consume us. We get hit, we fall down. We need to learn to bounce back, get back up & not let it destroy us.

With God anything is possible! He allows us to go thru the storms to teach us a lesson. We may not understand why we are going thru some things, nor may we ever get the explanation for them. But we have to trust that God is in control and He is allowing us to go thru this to make us a better person, teach us a lesson, make us stronger and most importantly, bring us closer to Him.

So enjoy the rain, sleep a little and maybe this summer, get out and dance a little :)

45 Lessons of Life

So one of my co-workers forwarded me an e-mail this morning that was entitled the 4 Lessons of Life. These were lessons/statements written by an 90 year old lady from Ohio. Most of them are very applicable in our daily lives and can be very beneficial. I thought I'd repost them here and maybe you can gain some insight from them, as well.

Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio.

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written.

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come...

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Sensational Springtime...

Hallelujah, winter is finally gone!!

I absolutely detest cold weather and all that comes along with it (well except for Christmas & basketball!) - but snow, ice, all that mess, it needs to stay away from me and North Carolina. I'm so grateful that spring has arrived and the temperatures can begin their climb.

Spring is the season where we can let our senses go wild! We SEE all the beautiful sights of nature; we SMELL the fragrances of the flowers blooming or even the freshly cut grass; we HEAR the sounds of the birds returning to their homes after their winter retreat; we FEEL the warmth of the air and the sunshine in all its glory; and well, I'm not sure what we TASTE, but I include good 'ole ice cream back into spring as it's too cold to eat it in the wintertime!

Spring brings the time change, which I am not a fan of losing an hour of sleep, but I am quite fine with gaining an extra hour of daylight for when I get home from work, I can now walk, play basketball or do something outside.

I am so thankful for this beautiful planet that God has created. What an awesome God we serve.

So take time this first week of Spring amd let your senses go wild and experience all that spring has for us.

Here are a few "springy" pictures that I've captured over the past few years:


**This is the view from the side of my house looking down thru our back yard**

An Adventure 28 years in the making...

So as many of you know I am a HUGE sports fan! I'll watch most any sport, but definitely do have my favorites & non-favorites.

Growing up in North Carolina, you have to enjoy basketball. Sure I do, but maybe am not as crazy about it as other sports. But I do enjoy going to Women's Basketball games. I've been to quite a few this season already -- okay so I've seen 9 of the 12 ACC teams already play, that should count for something, right?

But Women's Basketball is one of my favorites. I guess if you ask me for fan loyalty which team is my favorite, that's a tough choice because I like so many. My ultimate favorite are the Tennessee Volunteers, coached by legendary Pat Summitt. But in the ACC, wow, that's a tough call, but I guess I'll say NC State (though I do like Duke, too, and Maryland, and Florida State ... ugghhh!!)

NC State is my favorite primarily for two people - Kay Yow & Nora Lynn Finch. They started, developed and led that program for over 30 years. Coach Yow was such an inspiration to many. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to meet her. I used to sit at home and watch her games on TV and dream of playing for her one day. I'd listen to her & Nora Lynn's radio show and watch Nora Lynn do commentating of the games after she moved to Associate Athletic Director. Those were the good 'ole days.

Nora Lynn left NC State in 2008 to move to the ACC, where she is now an Associate Commissioner, but she ALWAYS comes back home to State!! And sadly, we lost Coach Yow two years ago. I did attend her funeral and experienced an amazing service. What a powerful testimony she delivered. She truly impacted thousands around the world.

Ironically with my love for Women's Basketball and in particular the ACC, I've never been to the ACC Tournament. I was able to attend the NCAA Super Regional (Sweet Sixteen) in Raleigh a few years ago, where I met, guess who, Nora Lynn Finch! I've kept in touch with her throughout the past two years, and thanks in part to her help, 28 years later, I am going to attend my first ACC Tournament!!

Needless to say, I am overly excited. I may be more excited about the fact that Nora Lynn & I have been communicating via e-mail lately than actually going to the tournament. But either way, I'm so excited. We are going to ALL ELEVEN tournament games, as well as several luncheons that are held during the tournament. This has been a dream of mine for years and who ever would have thought that one of my role models & someone I've admired since I was a child would play a tremendous role in helping me to get there. Thanks, Nora Lynn, you're the best!!

So be sure to watch the Women's ACC Tournament this week March 3 thru March 6. I'll be pulling for all of the teams but one -- you ought to be able to figure that out!!

Heading to Greensboro to the Tournament & to see Nora Lynn!!!!