Mild Memorial Day

With the temps in the low 70s and winds a mild pace, we had an enjoyable (and tolerable) day at the race track.

Today our nephew Colin raced close by – in the Midwest Truck Series at Golden Sands Speedway.  A mere 15 minutes from home.

After starting in the back part of the pack and getting hit and moving to the far back, we were excited to see him pull out a 13th-place finish. 

Plus, the weather was just pleasant. Some Memorial Days it's pouring rain and other times. it's 80+ degrees. So this was pleasant. We certainly wanted him to finish better, but were happy to see him not giving up the fight.

That was pretty much the excitement (and relaxation) of our holiday day off. Maybe we'll get a few more chances to lay back this week!

Monday Funday Checkered Flag Day!

It's pretty much our Labor Day plans to head to Golden Sands for some racing. Naturally, it's always a bonus when our nephew Colin is racing.

This year, it just happened that he claimed the Track Championship a couple weeks ago. So it was fun to watch him at his peak of the season.

We sat with our usual racing friends and it was great to see them AND on a day when the temps were only in the mid-70s versus 90s at this time last year.

Colin qualified with the 5th fastest time so was eligible to compete in the Fast 5 Dash. He won that and earned that top photo. When the feature came around, it took awhile to figure out what was happening since the scoreboard didn't work – after being struck by lightning this summer.

Thankfully, we could watch him passing several cars in the feature and end up finishing 5th. Great job!

I love that his daughter – our great-niece Mya – was willing to help sign autographs.

Meanwhile Colin was eager to meet fans and sign his own autograph.

While son Eli was thrilled to get one from Dad! That just made for a pretty cool day off!

Hot Wheels

The heat wave continues for this un-official end of summer Labor Day weekend. To beat the heat, I had some strategy on my side.

Do a senior photo shoot during a little after sunrise. Then go see our nephew Colin race at Golden Sands – allegedly BEFORE the hot spot of the day.

Well, when it's hot as helling dustballs, you do what you can.

Had a great photo session with Mister "I Will Flex For You" Jacob! Fun to have some water shots at his uncle's place on the Lake Camelot chain. Great family and great kid!

Then onto the races. Colin got fast time and let my sweet grand-niece roll the dice for his position. Even though he started in row 6 (11th), he ended up finishing 5th!

Awesome job, kiddo!

Tonight we pretty much stayed in the A/C. I made tacos for supper and some special treats for work this week. Then I found out my 15 minutes of fame at the U.S. Senior Open extended another minute. Well, maybe 3 seconds.

NHL MVP Joe Pavelski included my birthday shot in his instagram story. I may be fan-girling a bit right now!! 

In other words... returning to the office to work tomorrow will be hella boring. Sorry, not sorry, coworkers! 

Hope you had a great Labor Day weekend as well!

Self-Heating and Cooling

Who needs a weather app when you have a cat who lets you know when it's hot. Today she traded in her heated bathroom floor (where she spends a good 19 hours a day) for the cooler kitchen floor. If she does that or presses her body against the north wall in the living room, then you know it's pretty stinkin' warm out.

And it was today. Totally fitting for Memorial Day and the unofficial start of summer!

And, since the temperature got up to 87 degrees, it was totally fitting we were at the rack track cheering on #87 – our nephew Colin.

It was a very, very warm afternoon at Golden Sands Speedway. A ton of people were there for the holiday races. Colin had a much better outing than when saw him in Kaukauna a few weeks ago. Today he finished 2nd in the heat race and 6th int the 99-lap feature.

And Colin's adorable kiddos were there, too, so I got to see my sweet little great-niece...

And great-nephew! Some day they'll know how cool all of this was when they were little!

And it was good spend a special day in a special way.

Hugs to you who've lost a loved one to war. And thanks to you who served or are still serving. You're a blessing!

My Next Paid Holiday is Thanksgiving

I don't just think of Labor Day as the end of summer, I think of it as the last paid holiday until Thanksgiving. That's 86+ days or 12-ish weeks. And that's why I get everything I can out of this three-day weekend!

Today, I got a walk in, some de-cluttering/discarding done, visited my hair artist (because some people do work on Labor Day), then joined hubby and whole bunch of fans watching our nephew Colin race at Golden Sands Speedway.

Our weekend schedules didn't match up to well this summer so I'm glad we got to see him compete today in the last race for the Tundra Series. There were 28 cars in the marathon feature. It was 108 laps and took about an hour thanks to all the cautions. I was surprised no one ran out of gas. Or maybe they did since they only had 21 finish.

So proud of Colin. He had fast qualifying time today. Then during the feature, he started in 11th and worked his way up to finish 5th! That was a very good finish for a crazy race. So glad he and his car are in one piece and avoided all the "mishaps."

It was a glorious day so I did take a ton of pictures. Since I had time and all. I won't post one from each lap or anything! Just a few.

Now it's early to bed and back to reality tomorrow. Work for us and for Mr. College, it's back to school! Sleep tight, everyone!

Holiday Racing

As part of the tribute to fallen soldiers on Memorial Day, they also have a Dick Trickle Memorial Race at Golden Sands Speedway. Since it was only going to be 95 today instead of 98, we were a good uncle and aunt and went to see our nephew Colin race.

Flags were flying and a few veterans got to ride around the track during the National Anthem.

Saying it was hot is an understatement. But we tried to be smart and stay hydrated.

At some point in the late afternoon, though, right when it was 94 or 95 degrees, the track ran out of bottled water at the concession stand. The crowd wasn't huge today, but they were thirsty! I'm sure beer sales were up, too!

Colin did OK. He stayed in the top 5 for about 86 of the 99 laps. Then he had a little spin-out and had to go to the back of the pack. In the end, he finished 7th. In our minds, a top 10 finish is always good. But we aren't the driver or crew. Hopefully they're happy with a well-fought race.

Got home by 6 p.m. and soaked up the A/C!!

I had some freelance design work and I did mind it one bit. Nice to not be sweaty. Or have those pesky mosquitoes buzzing in my ear!

The three-day weekend was a good one. Tomorrow is back to reality when – again – I'll be grateful for a job working inside.

June Bugged

I took today off to get some things done around here. Just haven't been home much and will be gone again this weekend. I had good intentions, let me tell you!

While I did manage to dust off yet another layer of yellowish pollen on everything, I remembered that something worse than pollen bugs me about June. Those big fat June Bugs that look like woodticks about to explode.

Gross!

Thankfully, I only see them at night. But they are disgusting any time of day. In my opinion.

But at least they don't make a mess in the house like pesky pollen. I did get some sweeping, dusting, vacuuming done today along with some cleaning, decluttering and reorganizing of the master bedroom. Not completely finished there, but needed to spend a little time with Mr. Deck Chair – it was a "vacation" day, after all.

Tonight, hubby and I went to the races at Golden Sands. Our nephew Colin won the super late model heat race so I finally got to take a picture of him in Victory Lane... the one time I didn't bring my "real camera" to the races.

Still, you see the number 87 clearly so you know it's him. Later, in the 50-lap feature, he led for the first 20-some laps. It was exciting. Then there was a spinout and caution. Restart and he's still ahead. Then there was a 4-car collision that caused a red flag for about a half hour. Not kidding. Two cars were stuck together and thankfully no one was hurt.

After that long-awaited restart, Colin couldn't hold onto the front spot. He fell back several places and I think he ended up finishing 8th. We (and Jim's parents) left after that race even though there were 4 other classes to race yet. It's 11 p.m., though, and we are heading Up North in the morning for my nephew Zach's wedding.

Yay for summer weddings! I see cake in my future.

Despite bugs and pollen, June does have its moments.

Memorials

My tribute to Memorial Day included this poppy I got from a local vet at the grocery store. (And a chance to show off my Wonder Woman fingernails!) I also was part of a memorial for Dick Trickle at the race track and a memorial to high school at a graduation party.

Busy day. And Mother Nature did not want to cooperate!

The cool air and wind were steady. The rain was intermittent. Not good for a race day or party day.

Our nephew Colin raced in the Dick Trickle 99 Memorial Race at Golden Sands.

They had little flags lining the edge of the spectator area. In the background you can see officials drying the track – something they had to do a few times in the afternoon.

Colin qualified 2nd. Some other races began. Umbrella up. Dry the track. Onto next race. By the time Colin's race started, another dark cloud was moving in and we just hoped the 99-lap race would wrap up in time. After several delays – for cautions, not rain – the clouds broke open again. Umbrella up. Race over with 6 laps to go. Colin finished 8th.

We did not stay around for the final race, trucks I think, because it was still raining and we had a graduation party to get to.

That was held close to home at the Lake Wazeecha shelter. It was not an enclosed shelter so the friends and family were literally chilling all day. I had not warmed up from the races, so I did not overstay my welcome after enjoying my 6th piece of graduation cake of the weekend. I left before they had to roll me out of there!

My scale is going to have a come to Jesus meeting with me tomorrow. Uff da.

Tonight we are all home again. Carter is back from a weekend with friends up north. And we're all reminding ourselves we have to set alarms in the morning.

Yes, a holiday weekend. Yes, a day off. But with all the fun, there is work remaining to be done.

I see myself coming off my sugar high about 10 a.m. Tuesday. I'll either crash at my desk or just be going through crabby withdrawals. Just warning the masses.

The day after Memorial Day is Memorable Day.

Rain Delays

With our freakishly busy schedule of late, we haven't had much opportunity to see our nephew Colin race. Tonight we finally had the chance. And, after a day of on-again, off-again sunshine and rain clouds, we didn't know what to expect.

Hubby and I got to Golden Sands Speedway for the start of qualifying so got to see #87 in action while the sun was still shining. You can see by the photo, though, that trouble was on the way.

They didn't even get all the qualifying in before rain sent most of us scurrying for cover, which basically entailed people 3 deep trying to huddle under the roof overhang of the concessions building. I had a sweatshirt on and jacket over it and both got wet.

Needless to say, when it stopped raining, the clouds and wind definitely put a chill in the air. My mother-in-law and I were both freezing but thankfully we both married good Austin men who took care of us. At that point, our goal was just to outlast Colin's super late model feature race, then go home... unless he finished first, then we'd stick around and go to the Pits.

He almost pulled it off, too.

It was quite the exciting race. Had the leader get in a crash and Colin then led for a good 10 laps before getting passed. Then, for reasons unknown to me (for now), he was passed by two more cars. He ended up finishing 4th, his best finish at Golden Sands so far this season. That should be awesome, if not for his coming this close to a win.

Guess we'll have to keep on going so we can see this progress turn into perfection. Just glad I have race fan gear for all occasions (and weather) in my vehicle!

The Early Bird Gets... A Lot

The standing joke at bedtime is hubby asks me if I am getting up early for kickboxing. I typically answer, "Well, my alarm is set for later, but if I happen to wake up, I'll go."

When does one just happen to wake up for a 5:40 a.m. class? Well, today actually.

For some unknown reason I accidentally woke up at 5:19 a.m. Went to the bathroom and decided what the heck, I might as well stay up and go to class! I think the instructor just about passed out from shock, but other than that, it felt great to be kickboxing – with full use of my left leg and now healed psychotic nerve, no less.

Of course, I stopped at Kwik Trip on the route between class and home to get a Red Bull. I told the cashier a million-dollar idea: They should have a drive-thru for people who workout early in the morning and don't want to be seen by the general public! I think she took it under advisement. I was in too much of a hurry to get out of there before I ran into someone I knew!

Was awake enough for work today but the day dragged on. Probably because I could not wait for the end of the day.

Early last week, through some communication on Facebook, a longtime friend of mine and I realized we would be only 15 minutes away today when her daughter played softball in nearby Plover. Laura and I (and our friend Kristin, now living in Seattle) were a pretty tightknit trio of trouble, I mean reporters at the newspapers in Marinette and Menominee (Mich.) in the early '90s. We had a lot of fun, and it didn't always involve beer. Cross stitch, Friends and Knots Landing were also high priorities!

Here are the three of us (Kristin, Laura and me) after a heated broomball match amongst a bunch of newspaper people, circa 1993 maybe. I just know I could hardly get out of bed the next day. Ouch! (Oh. And my hair was not cut short, just in a pony tail of sorts.)

Fast forward to 2016 and we realized we had not seen each other since probably when I stood up in her wedding in 1994. Maybe we saw each other in1995, but either way, it's been 20 years.

So I raced over to Plover after work and got to watch her daughter Emma (a recent grad like Carter) win her softball game while Laura and I caught up on each other's lives, reminisced about old times and yes, thanked god there was no social media back in the day!

We did make sure to take a selfie to prove we haven't aged a bit AND to let our friend Kristin know that maybe this dynamic duo will make our way out to Seattle some day. Lord, is the West Coast ready for that? Not sure Northeast Wisconsin has recovered.

After our enjoyable but brief visit, I headed back to Rapids to meet up with Jim and his parents at Golden Sands Speedway. Our nephew Colin was racing tonight.

He did not have the best outing, with some mechanical issue right at the end of the feature. Still, it was good to see family, friends and this...

Yes, the early bird gets the worm, but she has to stay up to get all the great gifts during the day, plus a sunset.

Still not going to may a habit of this early rising business. But if was definitely worth it today!

Season Ender, Season Opener

Memorial Day marks the last time ever Carter will perform with the Assumption High School Band. His for real, official swan song. So glad he finishes on such an important occasion, using his musical talent to pay tribute to fallen heroes.

Gorgeous day. Thankful for the breeze as it was 75 degrees at 11 a.m.

 Great crowd at Forest Hill Cemetery in Wisconsin Rapids!

Playing of Taps by Miss Thomas, Seamus, Nick and Tony. Very, very cool trumpet version!

 Final huddle!

The last time I'll have to force Carter and his buddy Olivia to pose for a band picture. They have been real troopers for the past 6 years!

After the program, most of the leftover family in town hit the road and hubby and I had a very short time to eat, sleep or watch TV. He did laundry and took a nap. I put on my Colin Reffner Racing Jamberry nails for the Memorial Day Race this afternoon. (Why yes, we do have a full schedule!)

Did I mention I am having an online Jamberry party right now? Let me know if you are interested. There is a Jam for every occasion!

My sister Rayna and brother-in-law Paul are in town for one more day so they joined us a the races to watch Colin. So hot, like 85 degrees, but had to wear my new Colin Reffner Motorsports t-shirt!

My scrap sistah Jenny was there, too. Figured we better get a selfie in before we melted.

Had a fun time. Was a bit warm and the results were not what CRM wanted – Colin finished 11th – but it's a starting point. Lots more racing to do.

We might just squeeze it into our schedule now. But tonight, I am just going to try to squeeze in that thing called sleep!

Going back to work tomorrow may seem relaxing. I should be able to do the party postmortem after that.