Back in the Groove

Happy Easter! I am not sure why, but Easter seemed like a good day to pick up the ole blog again. It has been over six months since I last updated. A lot has happened in those six months and I'm kicking my tail now for not staying on top of it. So, here is to making 2013 ( 4 months in) a better year for Life In The Fast Lane. 

We have had a great extended holiday weekend. Easter is the one weekend that our sport takes "off" and I have to admit I was ready for a break!

Jon's parents drove up to NC on Thursday night. We kicked Friday off with breakfast at Cracker Barrel, a little shopping in town and back to the house to start on a few projects. On Saturday I had a baby shower for a friend, so Jon took his parents to Mayberry (Mount Airy, NC) to see the Andy Griffith Show museum. I think everyone was disappointed to learn that the show was filmed in Hollywood and not in North Carolina. 

This morning we had a great service at The Cove Church followed by brunch at a local eatery before Gary and Gigi headed home. 

Hello September, Hello Friday

1. September just might be my favorite month. It offers such a fresh start to finish out the year on a good note.  
2. I had my wisdom teeth out yesterday. Jon said that on my way home from having my teeth removed I told him they had me sleeping in a cave. That medicine sure is good-haha!.
3. After 24 hours of nothing more than mashed potatoes and Gatorade I have only lost one pound. How is this possible ?
4. The last few months I have been struggling hard with fear. I came upon this old blog post by Heather yesterday by accident. It was such a great reminder and just what I needed.
5. I deleted by Facebook and Pinterest app off my phone a few weeks ago. It has provided a nice break from the madness.
6. Amy wrote a great post this morning that is worth your time. Actually, all her posts are worth your time.
7. Happy Friday!

Summertime

Hard to believe that summer was just beginning when I last updated this ole blog and now we are embarking on the final weeks of warm weather and sunshine. At least I hope much cooler weather is in our near future. The 100 plus temps are starting to get old.

Major picture overload below, but hopefully I can get you caught up on what has been keeping us busy.

we went on a Disney Cruise in May with my family.

it is 100 percent worth every dime.

I plan on doing a complete post on the pros and cons very soon.   

a week after we returned from our cruise Jon broke his arm playing softball.

it all happened the night before one of the biggest events of the year for my department.

I was at dinner with co-workers when I received the call.

Jon handles pain better than anyone I know and it was so hard to see him in so much pain.

I will never forget standing outside the hospital ED that night and yelling uncle at God (ha!)  

you use your cooler to ice your arm to -right ?

I am very thankful that Jon's arm has completely healed.

he ended up only missing three race weekends.

strongest guy I know.

watched a really neat work project come to life in June.

love a good outdoor concert.

we went to Lady Antebellum/Darius Rucker in June.

then Kenny Chesney/Tim McGraw in July.  

this photo was taking right before the girl next to us lost her alcohol.

Awesome.

squeezed in a few fun lunch/dinner dates

many trips to the farmers market in town for veggies and flowers

lots of outdoor grilling

loved being able to visit Laura and A in Kentucky for swimming lessons and a quick lunch. Lexington is such a cute town.

more time with friends in the smokey mountains camping.

one of my most favorite trips ever.

camping with the Crains.

Chicago Cubs game with my new co-worker Steph. 

Sitting in the bleacher seats was so much fun.

a quick trip the beach (east coast) with family

loved seeing everyone even if it was only for a few days

With Suitcase In Tow

Goodness, I am a really bad blogger. I keep taking L-O-N-G blogging breaks and not intending too. Hard to believe we have completed nine races so far this season and that I have traveled to seven of them - hello frequent flying miles!

If you are still checking in .. thank you. Hope to be back soon with a more in-depth non-racing (ha!) update.

First Date Night of 2012

We have been soaking up as many date nights as we can before the season gets started. Last week was Queen's Feast in Charlotte or better known as Charlotte Restaurant Week. I have wanted to try Epic Chop House for months and our schedule never worked out. So, when I saw it was listed as one of the participating restaurants I immediately made reservations.

The restaurant was very crowded and it took a long time to get our food, but I would highly recommend it.

I snapped a quick picture of us before we headed out for dinner. I didn't realize how dark my hair was until I looked at it - Yikes!

I Will Take Another Shot Of Espresso Please

1. This past week I realized that I function best when I have about 45,000 things going on at once. Call me a multi-tasker.
2. Two weeks ago I was charged with leading point on a pretty big project at work. Walking outside your comfort zone is one of the scariest and most rewarding things you can embark on. I highly recommend trying it.
3. We live in what I like to call semi-country. On my way to work on Monday a large cow - not on his fence- was standing on the side of the road near our house. Thankfully, he did not jump out in front of the Camry. That would have been a mess.
4. I talk to myself a lot. I realized just how much last week when I had to share a cube with a co-worker at our downtown office. Poor Jennie.
5. Today, I got caught in one of those rotating doors at a local bakery. (Laura, Rachel and Hailey can stop laughing now)
6. Last night Bo was up three times with an upset stomach, but Jon only remembers him being up once. That is because he slept through the previous two.
7. I think I forgot to mention we adopted another dog - Bo. He deserved a post all on his own.

The Big Picture

I have never been big on New Year's resolutions. I am sure it has something to do with the fact that I never keep them so what is the point -right ? And the weather does not help at all. It has been so cold in the mornings that I have to make myself get out of bed. Not wishing the days away, but I am already looking forward to spring. Maybe I will get motivated then - maybe.

But before we are to far into 2012 I want to write down for my memory one important weekend that defined our 2011.

I do not write much about our jobs on the blog. I always struggle to find a balance, but I am making an exception this time around.

Early in the season - February to be exact -Jon's team failed to qualify for the race. I would go into detail on how it happened, but that would take an entire post of its own. It was a complete shock and appeared to be a season ending blow to a pre-season championship favorite. I will never forget the emotions of that day - the highs and lows.

Fast forward to nine months later with two races left in the season .. his team sits second in the championship hunt. They were poised to do the unthinkable.

The weeks leading up to final races of the season I wrote Jeremiah 29:11 on the chalkboard in our kitchen to serve as a reminder .. that no mater what happened it was in his plan.

They ended up finishing third, but became the first team in history to finish within the top-three and only compete in 24 events.

When we are going through trails in life we cannot always see the light at the end of the tunnel or understand the way ?

But when we have the chance to see the full picture we realize that ... he always has our best interest at heart.

... plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.