Speed Streets

During race week a chunk of uptown gets closed off and vendors set up tons of displays. There are also 3 stages where singers perform. They had Gary Allen, Kelly Pickler, and Travis Tritt to name a few. I was a little hesitant about taking the kids by myself, but I knew it would be alot of fun. I decided to head out as soon as school was over Friday. Armed with my maps and a tip on a safe parking garage, we went. The parking garage was easy to find and I got a spot right away. It was a bit of a walk to the event, but not bad. Things were busy, but calm when we got there. We walked up and down the streets collecting all kinds of goodies. There were so many free samples, some people had carts to tote everything they got! We played some race simulators, had our photos taken, played kids games, got some drivers' autographs, walked, walked and walked. We hung out at the broadcast of Trackside live, then got a bite to eat. It was getting dark and the streets got so crowded you couldn't move. People were getting rowdy, so it was time for us to go! The walk back to the parking garage was longer than I'd have liked, but we made it safely. The attendants had left, so even the parking ended up free. I got on the freeway on my first try (never happened before), so that was good. Sam was gone so after packing in all the loot, the kiddos crashed with me for the night. =)

Another Game Ball!

Wow, Blake's been a lucky kid this season! He's received 2 of the 10 game balls! The first was for a great pop-fly catch and this second one was for scoring the winning run last game. Don't let the picture fool you, the no smile thing is all a part of this "I'm too cool to smile" pre-teen thing he's going through. Trust me, he's thrilled!

That's the good news. The bad news is his team got creamed last night. Like 2-8, ya CREAMED. They had already beaten this team before, so I'm not sure what the deal was. That brings the season stats to 6-3, with one more game to go.

The kids have been busy this week with EOG (End Of Grade) testing. The 5th graders have the science portion to do today and that will be it.

Sam flies out to Ohio this afternoon. Private jets with company issued luggage nonetheless! He and his guys have been working their tails of to tear apart and reassemble trucks. Sam has been to Staples 3 or 4 times in the past two weeks getting supplies to organize all his papers, you know him. He seems to be getting more comfortable every day. His team races at Mansfield on Saturday. Tune in and cheer them on!

Thank You!

Thank you soooo much everybody! I felt incredibly special on Sunday from all the birthday greetings!

We were kind of lazy after getting home so late from the race. We had breakfast and then all got cleaned up before I opened some thoughtful gifts. We drove down to Charlotte and looked around at some old, high-dollar neighborhoods then strolled around the mall. We stopped for dinner at the Olive Garden on the way home and I blew my diet BIG TIME, but what the heck!

It was a great day, thank you again!

What A Day For Blake!

Saturday Blake's team played their eighth game. At the bottom of the seventh inning the game was tied. Up to bat....Blake Roebuck. Blake carefully watched the pitches as ball after ball came in high, high again, low, and high. Blake took his base. The next batter had the same luck. The third batter hit a line drive up first, but it was missed and as the ball traveled way out right field, Blake hustled home and scored the winning run! Wooo Hooo! He threw his fist in the air victoriously and his team mates came out of the dugout cheering and lifted him in the air! I, of course, didn't have the camera with me. You'll have to take me word for it when I say Blake's eyes were twinkling and his smile was ear to ear!

After the game we ran home to pick up Sam and headed to Concord for the All Star race. Sam used his infield pass to get us right up to the front gate which was nice. We made it just in time to watch the burnout competition that Greg Biffle won.




Next came the shootout, which was fun.












Next came driver introductions. They had fireworks and the teams rode in the back of pickups all around the track. I've never heard a crowd boo like they did when Kyle Busch came out! Some race fans are an interesting breed, lol! My favorite part was when Dale Jarrett drove the Big Brown Truck.









We enjoyed some hot dogs and sodas and settled in for the main event. How cool is it that 2 Washington boys won it, huh! After the race we took our time getting back to the rig. We sat for a while and watched the helicopters transporting all the hot shots out before coming home.

I don't think it could have been a better day for my little guy!

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

My Grandfather is such an incredible man. He has been a solid foundation for my life and an inspiration. I have a million memories created from my time with him, especially on the farm. I am forever grateful for him.
I love you!






This morning I dropped Emily off at a friend's house for some play time. Sam and Blake went out to do a little shopping, even though I told them no gifts were necessary after being spoiled on Mother's Day. Sam's now off at the old shop to work on a side project he's got going. After lunch Blake and I will pick up Emily and head over to the baseball fields for his game. Immediately after the game we'll high-tail it to Concord for this:





Should be a busy and fun day!

From Lowe's Motor Speedway

"Jack Sprague and the American Commercial Lines Chevrolet Silverado completed the top five in the sole round of practice prior to the race, which will be event No. 6 on the NCTS schedule." - TruckSeries.com

Looks like Mr Sprague has been given a good truck! Ray called this morning to see if I saw Sam on tv, but I'd missed it. I'm glad Ray saw him though. That's pretty cool right there! Qualifying on SPEED at 3:35pm ET. I'll post more updates when they are available.

***UPDATE*** It's raining here in Huntersville and the weather usually travels East toward Concord from here! Hope it doesn't affect tonight's events!

***UPDATE*** KHI currently sit in the 2nd and 3rd qualifying spots. Will they get bumped? Stay tuned!

***UPDATE*** They held on to their spots! Jack will be starting right behind Kyle. It's ON Becky! =) The rain was short lived and I promised Emily I'd take her to the pool after qualifying, so I'm out for awhile.

***UPDATE*** So, it's underway. Jack's trying to fight off the other trucks, but they are coming on strong. I heard earlier that his best finish here at Lowe's is 26th, ouch!

***UPDATE*** Are y'all watching this? How 'bout them apples? That was not intentional, but I sure hope Hornaday has an apology. Let's see if Jack can make it back through the field, again. Follow Kyle, follow Kyle, follow Kyle....

***UPDATE*** Man truck racing is exciting! That was an awfully good truck to finsih 14th, but that's racin'. It's past my bedtime, so goodnight all.

Happy NASCAR Day!

"During the past five years, nearly $5 million has been raised to help those who need it most in a celebration as unique as the sport itself. NASCAR Day, celebrated annually on the third Friday in May, is an opportunity for fans, corporations, schools and organizations across the country to donate $5 to the NASCAR Foundation to raise funds for its Family of Charities in an effort to help thousands of children live better lives." NASCAR.com

It's great to see so many people out with thier pins, shirts and hats. This area is bustling today. You can feel the energy in the air. And no Mom, it's not just the humidity, lol!

Indulging

I made the trip up to Mooresville last week in search of new jeans for Blake, but came home with these.





Ulta was having a buy 2 get one free sale, yay! I am uber ticklish on my feet and the thought of someone scrubbin on them skeeves me out, so pedicures aren't something I can handle. I still like my feet to look nice and have pretty piggies though. I chose to use the one pictured left (Strawberry Margarita) first and love it!

About the pants....Turns out Old Navy (who we've had the most luck with thus far) doesn't make 14 Slims. Darn It! Saturday while Sam took the kids out I went to Birkdale and found some at the Gap. They turned out to be about 6 inches too long. And of course they didn't have any 12 Slims to try. Arggg, I wish sizes ran more consistent. So, I'm still searching for some pants for my poor boy.

At least I can hit the mall with soft, yummy smelling hands and bright cheery toes!

It's Official

My wonderfully talented and intelligent husband has accepted the position of Truck Chief on the #2 team with driver Jack Sprauge at Kevin Harvick, Incorporated!



His duties begin today in preparation for the North Carolina Lottery 200 at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Friday! The NCTS has 7 consecutive races scheduled, so Sam won't have a weekend off until July, yikes. KHI is located in Kernersville, NC which is 80 miles NE of here. The kids have 3 weeks left of school, so we will definitely stay here at least that long. The only other shop in the Triad area (Winston-Salem, High Point, Greensboro) is Richard Childress Racing. Knowing how often people change teams in this industry, I'm hesitant to pack up everything and move up there. On the other hand, gas prices are terrible to be commuting that far. One good thing is that there is still a lake nearby and large lots are easier to come by. I've already started researcing the area and am figuring out the best schools. I'll have to make some road trips up there soon to check it out.

I am very excited for and proud of my man. Congrats babe!

Fabulous Mother's Day

I hope everyone enjoyed their Mother's Day! I sure did!

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I was complaining about having to sit on my bum out on the deck and posted a picture of some chairs I wanted? I GOT THEM! I am so excited to be able to sit out there to enjoy the weather and my plants/flowers, including the new ones!


















The weather was chilly and rainy, but I didn't want to spend the day in the apartment. I thought about a trip to Kernersville, but wasn't sure what to even look at yet. I've really been wanting to go to the Biltmore Estate, so even with the Tornado watch, we decided to make the trip to Asheville. OMG, I cant even tell you how beautiful and cool it is there! It's a really eclectic/funky town and a favorite vacation spot of many stars. We drove through town and found a great place to eat.

The weather had been iffy, but as we got to the estate, it was beautiful. Pictures don't even do justice for this place, but I put together a slide show to share.

No photography is allowed inside, but trust me, it is fully furnished and amazingly preserved! There were 250 rooms, including 43 bathrooms, 41 servants quarters, a billiards room, library, indoor pool & bowling ally.... Overwhelming! It was so cool to walk the halls and think about who was there 100 years ago.

The power went out while we were in the house (kind of spooky), but the back-up kicked in quickly. Outside, we noticed clouds moving in and it got really windy. We took our time admiring the grounds on the 3 mile drive out of the estate. It was 6:30 by then, so we grabbed a quick drive-thru meal and headed home.

When everyone was settled in bed, I turned on the tv to get my Sunday night fix of Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters. To my surprise, the news reported there was some NASTY weather while we were gone. A tornado was confirmed in Lincolnton around 6pm. We drove though there at 8pm and everything looked fine. People had reported tennis ball sized hail, TENNIS BALL SIZE! I saw video and pictures of funnel clouds and ground covered in golf ball sized hail in Concord. The storm had to have gone right through our place since we're in the middle of Lincolnton and Concord. Poor animals here all alone =(. We're all just fine though! I'm glad we were away and avoided having to hunker down in the bathroom! I think the storms are over for a few days. Hopefully it will be nice through the next couple weeks. This place is bustling with race activity!

Anyhew, I felt like the luckiest Mom in the world yesterday, and I really hope all the special moms in my life had a great day too!