Hood Pins? Check!

For those of you who missed the races on Friday night, I'm here to bring you up to speed. This was a special night of racing for a few reasons, so listen up.

First off, the engine work that needed to happen on the Rev's car had been completed and tonight they were really ready compete!

Secondly, Eden was chosen at random to be the trophy girl, which means she got to go out on the track after the races and hand out all the trophys. This was especially fun for reason number three, below.

Third, one of our young race fans was picked out of a hat to be the Junior Racer of the night. Kalli got to suit up with a fire suit, don on a big red helmet and ride in the passenger seat of the racing number 92 in the Super Stock Class for the intermission fan race while all of REV'd Up Racing cheered her on from the stands. Her mother & father stood near the fence, anxiously awaiting the finish line. When that race was finished, Kalli had the biggest smile on her face, trying to get the helmet off. And there was Eden, with a huge trophy in her hand, ready to give to Kalli.

After all this, when the main races were about to begin, the 20 or so of us from Bridgeport gathered in our usual spot and stood to watch the yellow number 66 come out of the shoot and get in line to race for the main even. Everybody started looking around at each other and asking, "How did Rev get to start up front?" Nobody really knew, but we all thought it was going to be a great race. OH how he did not disappoint us! Everything started out well, he made a fast get-away out in front and kept a few foot distance lead. Looks like we were taking home the pot tonight!

Then, about 6 laps in, a collective gasp was heard, as well as a few panicked profanities, when #66 had a black out in his field of vision. Because of the vicious wind, and a sudden burst of driving rain, I was sure a garbage bag had blown onto the track and right onto his windshield. Not so. It took only a second to realize that the hood pins had not been put back and his hood flew up into his face. The windshield spidered, the sponsor "Christensen Chiropractic Clinic" sticker had a hyper-extended dent and was in bad need of an adjustment, and The Rev was headed into turn three. Blind. (I recently found out there are no mirrors on race cars).

He made turn three and by now, everybody had eyes glued to Yellow #66. Turn four, check. Now the straight away, now we're getting worried. Why isn't he stopping?! Everybody had a solution to his problem and is yelling it loudly to the track. The Rev's Wife? Well, she turned slightly around, as to not witness the crash that would end the marriage. Then one of the guys told me it was safe to look. When I did, The Rev was back at turn two, headed out of the track field. What happened after that, I don't know. I just remember thinking, "What did I agree to when I bargained with God just now??"

In the end, it was a great night of racing (at least for the fans) and everybody around us seemed to be having fun. Don't tell anybody, but I'm starting to look forward to Friday nights at the race track.

It's all good.

This is one of those days when life is good and I have no reason as to why it is so, so I'm just taking it for the time that it is and know full well that it will come to an end, and probably as soon as I'm done with this sentence. But it's all good.

See, here comes Elia to pull herself up on my legs and bite me with those two itty bitty teeth that she has on the bottom. Man, are they sharp! This little angel took a near 4 hour nap this morning, which got me a lot done inside and outside the house and means that she'll be up half the night. It's a give and take sort of thing, and at this point in my life, it's all good.

Lars left at 0700 this morning to spend some time with his respite provider. He had what I assume was a wonderful time. When I asked him about it at snack this afternoon, he said, through butterscotch pudding teeth, "I went with my Shauna to the farm and she talked to my Kurt and I had FUN!" The pudding that didn't hit the floor at this point landed in his lap. Again, it's all good.

And Miss Eden, the oldest and wisest of them all, asked for Lars 100 times while he was gone, and wanted to know when Elia was going to wake up from her nap. While having Mom to herself, she began to wallow in her self pity. Before she got too far into it, she helped in making pudding (According to her, "Mom watched while I made pudding!"), and she got her toe nails painted (it was a failed effort last night with two little siblings trying to 'help'), she tried on new-to-her clothes from the summer box, she ate ice cream from the Schwan's truck, and played chase with a girl who ended up over here during a rescue call. She had a great time, so, It's all good.

Allen went to church after a late breakfast this morning and worked through the lunch hour, which, for me, was surprisingly nice. I'll have to figure out why later, but again I say, it was good.

As for me? I got supper figured out, thawed out and ready to go out on the table. I unloaded and re-loaded the dishwasher. I cleaned the mirrors. I sat on my back deck and chatted on the phone with Mom, I sat on the front patio with a friend and visited about life, I worked out in the garden, I worked down in the laundry room, load after load after load. I ran with the dog. I read an old letter from my grandma. I ate chocolate chips.

And I stood at the window and watched the kids play and grow and have fun.

And it was very good.

Friday night at the races!

The Rev - Number 66

For those of you anxiously awaiting the results of Friday night's race at Hi Way 92 Raceway Park in Gering, Nebraska, you have come to the wrong blog. I can't even tell you the different classes of cars, so don't ask. I'm still learning the ropes.

I can, however, tell you that the turn out was huge, estimated 250 people in stands and pits (I think half were from Bridgeport just to see if the preacher could really drive a stick shift race car or not!), the cake was delicious (Elia's 1st B-day party), the weather was freezing (35 degrees when we got back in the car at 11:20p), the wind, ridiculous, but typical for Western Nebraska, the cotton candy was sugary to perfection, the popcorn, unsalted, but edible, the beer, a flowing river. The staff were overly helpful in shuttling grandma to the seating area and back, (the whole area is wheelchair accessible), the rest of the crews were friendly & fun. The bathrooms, clean, and the people in Rev'd Up Racing Team shirts, a sea of yellow on the upper deck. I've never seen so many normally serious people jumping up and down, shouting in support for the Bumblebee Number 66. And then, he waved from the car, up into the stands! What a thrill. I thought Eden was going to pass out from excitement. The whole evening was family orientated and I didn't get heart burn when the kids were out of my sight.

If your wondering my personal opinion on the whole event, I'm not sure that after even 3 days I can tell you. It was cold. Elia was cranky and in constant need of Mommy, Lars was Ok with his rows and rows of lined up cars, until another little boy came up and attempted to play with him, then all broke loose in his little world and there wasn't enough Mommy to go around. People were asking me questions about the racing, to which I didn't know the answers (it was my first time at the track for a race). I felt a little insufficient as a race car driver's wife, (I'm just learning how to be a pastor's wife, and I've had 9 years practice!) and a little unprepared as a mother at the track and a little overwhelmed as a spectator in the stands.

Every time his car approached a corner on the oval, I instinctively turn my back to the track, afraid I'd be witness to a horrendous crash that would leave me a widow with three preschoolers. I mean, who really wants to marry into that situation?

I drove home tired with tired children and much to ponder. I think overall, it was fun. At least when the yellow cars were out there going round and round and I think I grinned once or twice when nobody else was looking.

One thing is for certain, though. The smile that he brought up from the pits into the stands after his first race said it all. He was having the time of his life. If he never got to drive a race car again, I think he would die a happy man.

Go get 'em, Rev!

Happy Birthday Elia Clara (The Baby)

Today she turns one. The baby. Do I still get to call her my baby after today? My mom still calls me the baby sometimes, so I think it'll be Ok.

That little baby that joined us a year ago, so perfect and tiny, so ordinary and normal, is now crawling all over the place, getting into every bit of mischief she can, and has these tiny wisps of hair that go in 12 different directions. Oh, and her smile is the stuff movies are made of. She still gets up every 3 hours in the night to snuggle with mommy and even though it tires me out sometimes, I love it & will miss it very soon.

I'm no longer afraid of the boogie man, or the alligators that hide under my bed at night. You know, the bed that is really a boat? But I recently caught Eden and Lars trying to work together to get Elia up on to Eden's big bed to protect her from such evil death traps. I guess the creatures that were mine and my brother's arch nemesis growing up have found their way to my house now and into my children's bedrooms. Crazy how that happens. I'm glad Elia has such great older siblings to carry her through life, she's going to need that.

My baby is going to spend her first birthday party at the race track for her daddy's first run as a race car driver. We even have a cake.

In all my life, I never dreamed of being a pastor's wife, living in a parsonage, calling Western Nebraska my home, bringing three babies into this world and loving them with as much as a heart can give, or, least of all, watching my beloved husband drive around a 1/4 mile oval track as a bumble bee race car driver.

Oh the plans God has for us...

Eden

Today is Eden's last day of Head start. She is very excited to come home and eat lunch, too, after her fun day at the park where they get photo albums from the year and strawberry shortcake to eat. She told me last night she's going to eat whatever she wants in the whole house because (as I have told her before) "there's no menu in this house", and, well, since it's my birthday and I'm feeling rather wonderful, she might just get to do that!

I can't believe we have a whole school year under our belt and summer is just around the corner. She has grown up so much and I want to say that as much as I post about Lars and his all- consuming life, my Eden is a brave little soul, complete with the kind of compassion you can't teach children. In this world of loud noises, strange textures, funny phrases, unpredictable changes in plans, bright sights and unexplained movements, Eden is the one who is always there for Lars, comforting him and looking out for him. She tells me, "Lars may not like these crackers because the texture is kind of rough on the edges" or "This might be too loud for Lars, so we better bring his ear muffs" or "The sun is bright today, so I got Lars' sunglasses in case he needs them."

When he bites her (which he often does) she eventually says, "I forgive you, Lars, do you need some gum?". When he grows out of his shoes and needs new ones (not a fun endeavor), she tells him, "It's OK Lars, you'll get used to them like I did when I got new ones." And when he comes to Headstart to socialize, she's the first to greet him and say, "I'm right over here Lars if you need me."

Honestly, can you teach that to a 5 year old? Maybe by example.

I have a wonderful husband who is a great father, not to mention a soon-to-be hilarious bumble bee race car driver, and three God given children to bring up in the faith and teach the ways of the world without exasperating them. Not an easy chore, but one that is made simpler by that of my oldest, my dear Eden. I love you!