Birthday Week #48!

Let's start out my birthday week with some work outs, shall we?

Two runs with miss ollie girl and two work outs.  Almost the sweet spot.  I'm loving it.  I love night runs, especially this time of year when people are putting up their lights and their decorations.  

One dual and one match on JV.  Still not at 165 but getting closer.  I was super proud of this match because he was a varsity kid and Andrew went toe to toe with him.  Andrew made one mistake and the kiddo capitalized on it and that is okay.  He learned a lesson and probably won't make that mistake again.  That is what wrestling is for Andrew, still a learning process and still improving even though he's been doing this for 9 years.  

Came home from the dual complaining of headache and dizziness.  He had a very low-grade fever and a sore throat that I felt like was either drainage or his lymph nodes.  Woke up and was just kind of stuffy and had an easy day anyway of a choir field trip.  Still no fever.  Called me pre practice and said he felt like shit and wanted to come home.  I was okay with it as I didn't want the entire team to come down with something even though I am sure they are passing something around anyway.  He kept saying his ears were really bothering him and kept asking me to clean them out because he couldn't hear out of them.  I suspected maybe an ear infection so when he got up the next day and still didn't have a fever but felt like shit, I made him an appointment to see the doctor as soon as we could and called him in sick to school.  They did all the swabs which he truly hated but needed to be done and he was negative for the big three, covid, strep, and flu.  He did have a double ear infection and some sinus infection, and the doctor wanted him home another day and no wrestling.  Thankfully we have fall break next week so he can rest and recover and hopefully join wrestling next week.  

Now to my birthday day!  My work bestie bought me a tea and shake, and Brickhouse got me a candle and had me blow it out.  LOVE Kelsey and Amanda.  

It wasn't a great day at work as we had to remake a ton of solutions and lots of stress with an experiment we have been trying to get done before Thanksgiving.  Science can be a cruel mistress for sure.  

I came home to flowers, some new windshield wipers, and a new key FOB that actually works for my Tahoe since mine literally fell apart.  

I had a reservation for 20 people at 785 Brewing in Topeka.  Their Christmas pop up was starting and it's seriously my favorite.  I love the over-the-top decorations and the lights and the themed food, and I wanted to share it with some of my closest friends.  

We had the BEST time and of course I said NO GIFTS, and they came prepared anyway.   I got cards, gift cards, beer, and the best handmade bracelets ever.  I love these families and their kiddos so much.  We've all been through some shit working in the tower and on the board and we've tried to handle it with grace and a smile and then drinks later.  

Finding and keeping friends when you are an adult is hard.  I'm glad I've found some people that are here to stay in my life.   While our kids may not race together next year, I will still be coming by to watch and cheer them on!  They all have raised such amazing young women and men that are respectful, kind, and smart.  I can't wait to see what these kiddos do in the future!  It was an amazing night, and I won't forget it.  Thanks for making this girl feel so special.  

We also celebrated another birthday Saturday night and got to hang out with some of our local sports kid's families.  It was so good to just sit and talk without the yelling and the screaming of a gym or football field.  We had a great time and had some yummy drinks and did some shots.  Let's just say I am getting too old for back-to-back nights of fun!  Happy Birthday Bobbi!  We sure do love you!

Sunday, I had planned on running but instead, I had the urge to clean and organize, and I ended up working all day long on several projects I'd been putting off.  I reorganized our metal shelving unit in the kitchen, cleaned out Andrew's bedroom, got all of his metal awards on the wall, and took 4 bags to the garbage and one to donate, cleaned out tow junk drawers, and just sorted and pitched stuff we didn't need.  Tony even helped me go through some stuff including a total clean out of our fridge and his desk.  While I spent all day cleaning and sorting and didn't work out, I am so glad that the urge hit me and could just work all day on the house.  We aren't hoarders by any means, but we tend to hold on to things that we don't need to.   Andrew has a TON of art supplies and lots of stuff he's brought home from school every year that needed a new home.  We bagged up three HUGE bags of pencils, markers, and old crayons to donate to his school and found several things to donate to his school's Santa's workshop.  It feels so good to see some of his stuff go to new homes and still be used and loved.  

Onto next week and Thanksgiving with some time off mostly.  Have a great week y'all!

The End...of this Book

Let's start out with the easy stuff.  Three runs this week and only one work out with the app.  I did complete a workout in my backyard that was more functional per se than typical gym work out.  Let me explain.  

We had new neighbors move in a bit ago and they approached us about our fence that we share.  When we bought this house, one of the main reasons was for the fence.  It's wooden and in decent shape and tall, but our new neighbors wanted to put up a fence of their own.  They asked if they could just butt up to our fence OR take our fence down and put up theirs in its place.  I was torn because they wanted to put up a metal fence and I wasn't sure how I would feel about it.  In the end, we decided to go with the metal fence because it's maintenance free and should last the rest of our lives in this house.  It will also be super hard to tear down because it's welded.  Anyway, the guys doing the fence work have a lot going on so it's taken quite a bit to get it done.  They finally got our side done and there was a gap in places under the fence that I just could see Ollie getting out of.  We inherited from a job site lots of landscaping limestone stones that over the years we've used here and there but still have a ton of.  Since it was originally piled up against the fence, we had to move it and I thought why not use it to block those holes???   Let's just say I did a ton of squats and lifts of these heavy buggars, but they are placed and I've used up several of them.  It was a great combo of arm and leg work out for sure.  Functional fitness is the best!  I am hoping we can redo our backyard now, finally get grass to grow because we have sun, and maybe build a fire pit in the middle of the yard to make it more usable.  Honestly the past years it's just been a dog toilet, and I would love to change that.  I love our deck, but would love a fire pit just as much.  

We also had another wrestling dual this week.  Andrew did not make weight, clocking in at 170 so he had to wrestle JV.  The first dual team only had one kid at that weight, but they kindly let him wrestle both JV and varsity to give Andrew some mat time.  The match ended in a pin, but Andrew put up a fight and that is all I ask of him.  This kid was a BEAST and normally that would freak Andrew out, but this time it didn't.  Baby steps and small victories.  I will take it.  Still on the journey to lose those last five pounds.  

We also had yet another round of Northern lights.  This will never get old!  I could see them faintly with the naked eye but my camera on my phone got some good ones, even with light pollution.

Ollie also got an early Christmas present.  She's not very sure of it and Boom hates his so I am not sure why my dogs don't like these Noxgear light up harnesses.  We need to continue to work on fitting it I guess, but she needs something at night so I can see her black butt in the darkness.  

We also finally got to a playoff game!  Wamego got the W and Andrew got to play in the pep band for the first time.  He smiled all night!  We have a tough opponent at sub state next week, but I am proud of this team for working hard and going far this year. 

Saturday was the end of year banquet for our little racing club.  We had a very hard-working committee this year that knocked it out of the park.  The venue space was decorated nicely, the food was amazing, and the awards and raffle were great as always.  Somehow even though we voted someone else in for the volunteer award for the year, my name was called and I was SUPER surprised!  I don't do what I do for any awards, but it sure is nice to be noticed for my hard work.  

I love this club deeper than most.  Some of us hardcore people have been with this club for many years and frankly it's all their kids have.  My kid may do other things, but this is his favorite, his safe space, and I will protect it at all costs.  I hope that I have passed the torch and the love for this club on to others.  They have an amazing board in place now and I can't wait to see what they do next.  It's for the kids, about the kids, and should remain as such.  

We also got some thank yous to many of the volunteers who give up nights and weekends for these kids.  I am proud to serve with them and can't wait to see another group step up and join in.  

Andrew ended up 4th in heavy Honda.  Our size made this class tough, but he never gave up, and he got a podium most weeks.  Just got bit by the rookie average.  

He got a flip award for two flips this year which is two flips too many.

2nd in Unrestricted animal.  Love this class and love the sound and the speed of these engines but hated that we fought keeping the car on the ground so much.  

3rd in Heavy 160.  Our weight got us in the class, but he battled hard for that 3rd spot.  So proud of him.  

We also got to celebrate Dash's first year in Heavy World Formula in the Coleman Electric car.  We are SO proud of how far this kid has excelled in just one year of driving a new to him car and motor.  We can't wait to see what big things lie in store for him next year!  

It's so bittersweet.  Our last year racing QM, our last banquet, our last time seeing some of these people.  I will miss it because it really has brought some of the best people into my life.  Even the bad people taught me things about myself I didn't know so I am still thankful for them as well.  I've learned so much about myself even in the toughest of situations, that it makes it worth it.  Okay this post is super long and it's a week behind so I am going to hit post and then probably revisit this topic at some time.  As one of my good friends said, at least we are moving to some other form of racing and not saying goodbye all together.  Racing is in our family now and even if Andrew moves on, I could see Tony picking up the torch and continuing.  

Have a great week y'all!!!!!

A routine?

 Three runs and two work outs BOOM!

I even been out on my running route and it feels SO good to be home.  Yes, I will never get bored of those gravel roads.  

This also happened this week.   The little or I should say big stinker told me he lost his wrestle off and wouldn't be wrestling this week.  Low and behold I didn't go, and he got his FIRST pin of the year!!!!!  He lost his second match, but no one videoed it so not sure what happened.  He got pinned but it was the second period which is a huge improvement from last year.  I loved watching the video and seeing the improvements and hearing his club coaches coach him from the stands.  We need to get him down to 165 but I am not sure that is going to be possible.  He's been in the 170s most of the year and he's growing so he's eating a ton.  

Of course, it's cold out and she finds the biggest mud puddle to lay in because she literally loses her shit on every run we do.  I may never have another distance doggie like Stella.  

We had district honor band in Junction City for Andrew and they sounded amazing.  Yes, I did cry when they warmed up becuase it brought back so many great memories of the honor bands I did in high school.  They were all such great experiences, and I made a lot of new friends from all over Tennessee.  Of course, when I was a kid, we didn't have all the bells and whistles to keep up with other kids as easily.  He made a few friends that I hope he keeps in touch with.   

On our way back we checked in with the Christies who were in town wrestling at the Manhattan tournament.  Jaxon is trying wrestling for the first time and is doing amazing for just now starting.  They were about ready to eat, and we were hungry, so we met up for pizza and then beer.  That started off an epic night of good beer and live music.  I will never not check out live concerts and will pretty much stay and listen to anything.  Plus, the kids had a coloring station that had some pretty amazing artwork to color and they loved just coloring all night.  

It was a great week!  Have a great week y'all!!!!

Retirement

 I'm going to get sappy so bear with me.  First of all, I got three runs in last week and only one weight session.  I am still struggling with balancing both and also having time to do the things I need to do for my family.  If you have any tips of how to balance working out and running, I'm all ears because I've failed most times in the past when I've tried to do both.  I don't want to lose my gains (yes, I said gains) because I love the way I feel and look, even if I still need to lose about 25 lbs.  

Okay to the post at hand.  We had our last race weekend in quarter midgets.  I knew I would feel all of the emotions throughout the day and boy did I EVER. The biggest feeling though was relief.  Relief to be done with the drama, done with the bull shit.  Yes, there were tears but man, a big sigh of relief was the main thing.  And in many ways that makes me very sad.  This year has been a very trying one and I just wanted it to be good.  Don't get me wrong, there was lots of great memories, but the drama was off the charts.  So many people quit and walked away and that breaks my heart and makes me so sad.  This is a freaking kid's club and adults act so horribly.  You know that meme from the movie Shawshank Redemption where he say's "I'm tired boss"? Well, that is exactly where I am at.  I know you can't change grown ass adults and you can't control them or make them act better.   You can only hope, and I'm going to be completely honest, my hope is completely gone.  Every time we seem to get rid of problems and get better as a club, a new problem just shows right up and takes up the fight.  For that reason, I am done.  I love our club and hope for the best, but I am done.  If people can't see that this is for the kids and ONLY the kids, then I didn't accomplish anything in my last 7 years of work and I will walk away with my tail between my legs.  

So, instead of crying for my kid being done with an amazing time in his cars and crying for all the great memories and the accomplishments we made, I was just happy to be done and gone and that is just plain sad.  I wish the new board all the luck and success in the world.  I am always a phone call away, but I deleted the telegram channel, took myself off of the Facebook page, and blocked some numbers immediately that night when I got home.  Yes, it's that bad.  

Andrew's retirement ceremony was perfect.  Jessica C went above and beyond to make sure that all drivers that showed up (only one did) had a special time on their last laps.  The drivers signed his final checkered flag first.  Then he was presented with his very own sports card.  

He got to answer some questions, and Rachel read his answers on the intercom along with his final song, Going the Distance by Cake.  We couldn't really hear anything because the speaker on that side of the track hasn't been working AND he drove his animal car with the loudest engine, but it was still awesome to watch.

These ladies have been there the whole time, and I can't thank them enough for being there that day.  We've made some memories both good and bad and I will forever be in their lives even if they don't want me to LOL! The stories we could tell!

It wasn't our day for racing for the 100 lapper as we were one step off of the podium due to a last-minute adjustment that we thought would help and it in the end hurt.  We had out of town guests that joined us and there was an epic battle for the lead that was fun to watch.  Andrew raced his butt off with what we gave him so that is all that matters.  We did race the pumpkin race the day before with all three cars and brought home a 2nd place in heavy Honda, a third place in animal, and a 4th place in heavy 160.  The trophies were amazing and huge kudos go out to Ben Belshe for designing them and getting the in for the race.

The kids all LOVED the trophies and the swag so huge props to our publicity director Ben.  We had two podiums, a second in heavy honda and a third in animal with a fourth in heavy 160.  Our buddy from MN got a first in heavy 160 but dash got him in animal.  

As we close out this chapter in our lives, I'm doing a thank you a day to all of the families that made our journey fun and special on Andrew's racing page The Ginger Racer.  It's been super fun to go back over 7 seasons of pictures and memories.  There have been so many great times and I wish we could have more but it's time.  It won't be safe next year to stuff him in the car anymore AND I think unfortunately next year is going to be tough with lots of track drama going on.  I wish the best for the track families left as there are a ton of really good ones left.  Good bye quarter midgets!  It's been fun!