Life is good, but short

For lack of a better assessment, the past 12 months have been an exercise in human emotional elasticity. From elation to devastation, if there is an emotion left to sample, I’ve not seen it. It’s all left me pondering where I am in life and how to leave this world a better place.

A few weeks back, a high school acquaintance died quite suddenly. He was one of those young, healthy and positive people whom death snatches away with a snarl, leaving friends and family awash in disbelief and sadness.

In the wake of his passing, I’ve found myself re-evaluating my place in this world. I’m a mother, wife, daughter and friend, but am I really good at any of those? Am I doing my part to bring joy to those around me, or am I the one griping because gas is expensive, I’m unemployed and my jeans don’t fit like they used to?

So I re-drew my game plan, counted my bountiful blessings and realized that yes, I am good at some of those roles, but there is always room for improvement. Here’s to a better me and hopefully, more joy to share with those I love.

Election Time!

POLITICS: children building sand castles on a beach. One castle has a wide drawbridge that lets everyone in. The other castle has a broad moat that keeps bad guys out. While the children bicker over which castle is best, the winds of change blow the sand away. 

I'm still waiting for the kid with bricks & mortar who builds castles on common sense, not the shifting sands of passion & marketing.

It's the Last Day of October...holy cow

...and now we begin that frighteningly, sickeningly fast slide into the holidays. I don't think I'm ready for this. I just did find my Halloween decorations!

Think we're all set to go for tonight, though:


1 HALO 3 Master Chief Costume with matching super-cool helmet (CHECK)


1 Masked Banana Costume with appropriately masked stuffed sidekick (CHECK)


1 Large Bowl of Assorted Candy that is not my favorite kind (CHECK)


2 Large Insulated Cups for Portable Margaritas (CHECK) <--ha! I kid, no, really I do


Since my kids are preteens, I believe this may be my last chance to accompany them on their annual fall candy begging spree. Not going to worry about action pics this year. Just going to soak it all in :) And, of course, sneak their candy when they're not looking.

Happy Halloween! May the goblins be few & the Snickers be plenty!

My Momma's Birthday Song

My beautiful Maddie wrote, and sang, this song for my birthday.  I love it!!!!

My Momma's Birthday Song

Boys vs Girls

The past 24 hours have been quite the learning experience in terms of the Tween Set. For me.

1.  Daughter's sleepover: Twister, Silly Bandz swapping, Rock Band on the Wii & everything smells like flowers & candy. Son's sleepover: loud, loud, messy & LOUD & my house smells like sweaty frogs.  And Axe. I think that other smell was Axe.

2.  Girls share Krispy Kreme doughnuts, even carefully dividing the ones they all want so everyone gets a bite.  Boys will arm wrestle to the near death for any glazed ring of goodness, no matter how many other perfectly edible doughnuts are left in the box. Then they crush their juice cups in victory.

3.  Girls eventually sleep at night.  Sleep means dreaming about trips to Build-A-Bear and the new American Girl store.  Boys consider sleep unmanly.  Who needs sleep when the world runs on sheer adrenaline, Airsoft guns & LEGO bricks?

4.  Girls are divided on the whole Justin Bieber is awesome/lame debate. Boys think everything is "beast", love Megan Fox and all want Olivia's phone number (Olivia, of course, is the new girl at school who hasn't yet realized that most boys smell like sweaty frogs).

5.  Girls post about puppies & their best friends on their Facebook status updates.  Boys post about wanting "hot" girlfriends even though they've never touched a member of the opposite sex.

6.  You can count on determining at least one child per sleepover who's next sleepover invitation will unfortunately get "lost in the mail".  For girls, this may not become evident until the morning after.  For boys, this is glaringly evident the moment you let them in the front door.

Now that I think about it, I don't recall my brother ever having a sleepover with his pals, while I had several. My mother was/is a wise woman.

Ch-ch-changes

What a morning! Wrapped my last radio show and have called it a day. When the money crunchers slash budgets, what can you do? Cling to the sinking ship or swim for calmer waters. So, I'm swimming off to my next adventure: Marketing Director for Tornado Bait Racing, my husband's motorcycle race team!  Radio has been a fun ride, but sometimes you just have to call it like you see it.  I'm excited to finally be working with people I LOVE in a sport that makes my blood race, literally.  Motorcycle racing is more than just guys in leather pants going fast, you know. 

Thanks to all the friends and listeners I met through the years. You are definitely what made the job worthwhile. I'm continually amazed at your kindness. I'll do my best to keep my blog updated, but would love to hear from you, too. 

Please do keep in touch :)  I'll be seeing you...here, there and on the racetrack!!  Ride safe!

Where Did It Go?

While I was up to my eyeballs in closet cleaning this past weekend, I came across a box of saved school work from my big girls, K & M. Artwork and spelling tests and creative writing assignments were mixed in with the report cards and field trip fliers. The little kid handwriting, with it's grammatical training wheels and misspelled words, brought little misty tears to play. Forgetting the pile of closet debris around me, I stepped into my personal time machine and took off.

K's "All About Me" poster was eerily fortelling. And M's birthday party pics captured her glee with ease. Time flies is truly the most accurate statement ever uttered. How could my precious little people, my motherhood guinea pigs, be all grown up now and out on their own? With ballet recitals and soccer games, cheerleading and SkillsUSA checked off on their TO DO lists, where did I fit into their world now? My heart ached and my eyes grew a bit more than misty.

After a moment, I carefully placed the papers and drawings and photos back in the box, checking to make sure no edges were bent or 3D art masterpieces crushed. Then I pushed it back into the closet and headed downstairs. My two youngest babies were playing Star Wars Legos in the front room and suddenly needed big hugs. Or was that me?

No one has ever died from a Dust Bunny attack

Whew! Days One & Two of Operation School Year 2009-10 can be successfully crossed off the list! And Day Three seems to have gotten off to a great start, too. Cannot believe my kids are growing up so fast...they look so big and so Non-Little-Kiddish lately. Makes me sad and proud at the same time. Does every parent say that? Of course, then they head back to the computer or throw another load of laundry in or get to working on something extra for the job.

STOP! I have to tell myself that again and again...STOP, and enjoy the kids while they are here. The chores will wait (no one ever died from an attack of dust bunnies), work will be there tomorrow (yes, it will), and NOTHING is going to happen on Facebook that really means anything (trust me on that). What once seemed like such a long time, eighteen years, flies by so quickly....carpe diem!

(pic: my brother and I on the first day of school, circa 1975)

Tornado Nationals!!

AWESOME weekend! Ron & I took the kids out to the AMA Tornado Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka to see some motorcycle racing (yea, I know, shocking!). Really cool to see friends of ours mix it up with the big boys (and girls, in the case of Melissa Paris). John Deuser, Matt Hall & Jamie Hall raced well. They may not have had the big rig set-ups, but they did have some of the biggest cheering sections out there. Ron will be with them on the grid next season. Can't wait!

LOVED that the big name riders were so accessible and friendly. My son got his new hat signed by Jordan Motorsports riders Geoff May and Aaron Yates, and I snagged pics with my faves, Ducati rider Larry Pegram and Danny Eslick, along with Martin Cardenas, Roger Hayden, and Aaron Yates. Pegram even graciously signed T's hat after he won Sunday's Superbike race.

And check this: when we met Pegram on Saturday morning, I mentioned I worked in radio. He asked which station so he could listen while driving to the airport on Monday. When we saw him on Sunday, right after his second big win of the weekend, I said "Wow! Now I've REALLY got something to talk about on Monday." His reply: "On 98.1, right?" With everything he had on his mind, how in the world did he recall that?? Very cool guy. And I LOVE that he calls his wife right after each race. Gotta love it!

Equally cool: we bumped into racing legend Scott "Mr. Daytona" Russell strolling thru the paddock. Ron and our friend Greg Williams (owner of Cafe Racer, Inc) were a bit starstruck. I'm not as familiar with his racing feats as they are, but his commentary on SPEED TV with Ralph Shaheen is great. Quite a coup for us all.

Pretty great weekend all around. How was yours?

What's Your Passion?

Had you asked me 20 years ago what I would be doing for fun "when I grew up", I would have never imagined my reply would be "riding motorcycles". To someone who doesn't ride, the allure and thrill cannot be adequately explained. The words just don't exist. Lots of folks just smile politely and nod when I go on about my two-wheel addiction. That's alright. I'm sure their zeal for golf will always escape me, too. (For me, golf is only fun if it's involves gnomes, windmills and waterfalls. Hello, Cool Crest!!). And I'm okay with that.

But even though they might not share my enthusiasm for bikes, I know that I'm in good company with many who do. Whether you ride a Harley or a Honda, tour the backroads or drag a knee at the track, pilot your own ride or prefer a passenger seat perch, it's a sport that gets in your blood and never leaves. Know what I'm talking about? WHAT'S YOUR PASSION? To start you off, here are some pics from a recent trip with my fellow Motorcycle Addicts. Enjoy!

Motorcycle Addicts Days at Grattan 2009

I'm Like a Kid Waiting for Christmas Eve!

Something about a grown-up vacation that makes you feel like a kid. Ron has the bikes prepped, the trailer is good to go, and we are both so PSYCHED for our road trip to Grattan Raceway next week that it's hard to sleep. We'll spend three days track-riding and hanging out with club friends at the annual event. Nothing like great comaraderie and genuinely good people to renew your faith in the human race. And, as my track announcer friend Charles says, there's something very unique about the bond between people who participate in dangerous activities. The best part is that everyone is there to have a good time. No trophies, no racing, just a lot of fun and good sportsmanship. BONUS: I get to spend five days with My Guy, doing something we both really enjoy. I'll miss they kids, but they'll be in good hands (and up their ears in craft projects) with Grandma Kay.

Fortunately for me, at the track they group us into riding groups by skill level (yes, I'm in the "barely out of their training wheels" bunch). I will be the slowest one out there, but I'm hoping to come away with some better techinques and no crashes (though the amount of safety gear makes any off a little less painful).

I promise to post many pictures (and hopefully some video). What are you doing this summer?