Track trashin'

It would be a travesty to let the month of May pass without talking about my adoration for being tracktrash.

Let's momentarily be honest. I don't really follow racing, had I not seen the constant heckling of Ashley Judd on twitter during the 500 Awards Banquet I probably couldnt have even told you Dario won the race Sunday.

BUT... but... May in Indy is my very favorite time of the year simply because it's FUN. There is always SOMETHING going on somewhere.

So when you wake up on a Saturday afternoon with not much on the agenda, this is what you do...

1) go pick up your best friend and pack a cooler so full you have to put a 5 foot inflatable shark on top to keep it closed in the car.

2) wander around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a few hours in weather so hot your shoes are sticking to the asphalt. Find race-industry-employed friends and use them for their air-conditioning found only in the garage areas.

3) decide you started the day a little early, and proceed to the infield lawn to take a nap

4) Since it's nearly 6pm and the track is closing, you pack up and head out. Listening only to quintessential 'merica tunes.

5) Talk those friends from earlier into taking you out to dinner. Where they proceed to find themselves HILARIOUS and tell the waiter you are "very single", and he creeps on you the ENTIRE dinner, while they fake being 'in love'

6) Duck out of the restaurant after leaving a fake number, and proceed onto race track number two for the day. To watch a certain cute boy race that evening.

7) Don't forget to Pabby!

8) Continue to lighten the cooler load

9) Finish off the night with a round of grandstand grandslam. Until someone (ahhem myself) pops the Lightening McQueen ball by hitting it onto the track.

Kachow.

Through chaos comes clarity

There was this point a few months ago where I was on a dating rampage.

Literally, being taken on dates 5 nights some weeks. (Wednesdays were girls nights, and Monday was family dinner... every other night was fair game, and usually booked)

At the culmination of my whirlwind social life, my friends and even my own mother were asking for a picture flip book to keep track of who was who, how I knew them, where we met, socioeconomic status, family lineage, so forth and so on.

They all thought it was hilarious. They would even throw a new one in occasionally just to see if I could continue to juggle it.

It was all in good fun, I wasn't taking myself too seriously. They all knew I wasn't in it to win it. I wasn't hooking up with them, any of them. I didn't even kiss most of them. Some were around for a few weeks, some just a date or two.

I don't even know where they all came from. I wasn't actively seeking dates. I'm not complaining though. I can't tell you how much money I saved on food for those few months ;) (Hey, just being practical)

In all honesty, it was a good time. I really did enjoy hanging out with them, otherwise I wouldn't have agreed to any dates. I'm not good at faking being interested. But it was exhausting. I longed for pizza-on-the-couch-in-my-high-school-tshirt-nights, not to be getting dolled up and having to act like I gave two shits about where we went to dinner or how their day was. And confusing! I couldn't remember who told me which stories, which jokes, which nicknames. I started telling stories about my dates to other dates but changing it to sound like stories "with friends" not "while on a date".

After a month or two, I forced myself into early retirement. I started ignoring texts, not returning calls, accidentally "missing" their tweets at me.

There was this one fella who had sorta been on the backburner the whole time though. Not around much, but enough to stay on my mind. We would text almost daily, but had only hung out a few times. He was the one who held my interest. I kept finding myself intrigued by him. I craved his presence but our busy schedules just never wanted to compromise. Somehow through the chaos of the spring though, I realized what I wanted... and somehow that boy kept popping up at all the right times...

When the cats away...

My coworkers apparently were a little jealous that I took Friday off, extending my 3-day weekend into a 4-day.

Saturday afternoon I was perusing Facebook and came across this on my timeline.

Naturally, I cracked up then proceeded to forget about it because I was only halfway through my extended weekend and work was the last thing on my mind. Needless to say I remembered real quick as soon as I unlocked my office door this morning and saw the mess.

Payback is a betch...
 

la la life

Source: looklingerlove.blogspot.com via Chelsea on Pinterest

The best part about having a blog is being able to snoop on what you were doing around this time last year without having to consult the dreaded Facebook Timeline.

For some reason, every year around race time I always start reflecting on the year. Maybe because the 500 is the one constant in Indy year after year so it just makes sense to use it as a mile marker.

So if you ignore the part about falling hard for a guy who turned out to be a tool, my early summer last year was nothing shy of amazing. This year is competing to steal that title though.

You may have noticed, I very rarely complain about life. In my opinion life is exactly what you want it to be - so even if I'm having a rotten day, if someone asks I simply reply its fan'freakin-tastic. And by the time they get done laughing I've cracked a smile and my 'fake it til you make it' stance has worked.

Truth is, things ARE good. I've got a rat pack of a posse that causes hilarious amounts of trouble with me, a cute boy who's whittling his way into my heart,  a house that I can't ever seem to keep clean, a dog that's a rotten brat, a family who never ceases to amaze me and a job that is nothing shy of a party most of the time.

I like life. It's pretty good to me! 

PSA

Have you ever been sittin around chitchatting while you're booking a flight, laughing, having a good time... then you look down and realize you just booked the completely wrong flight.

Yea, I KNOW RIGHT. Who in their right mind would do that!? (hangs head in shame)

Thank goodness for mommies who swoop in & save the day, get the money refunded and the correct flight booked. Because who really wants to spend 9 hours alone at the Miami International Airport trying to get home from Jamaica.

Moral of the story kids, when it asks if you're sure that's the flight you wanna book - double check it!

Oh, and let the countdown begin - I'll be going back to my second home in July. Hip hip hooray! (Hope you enjoyed the abundance of Jamaican trip outtake photos!)

New tread

I got some new kicks last Friday. They couldn't be more fitting for May in Indy, Racing Capitol of the world. (They're Keds, by the way. Since people keep asking!)


 (Wanna see the other kicks I love?) 

Bloomington Nights

Sometimes you gotta get outta town. Get back to your roots. Your alumni roots.

Hoo Hoo Hoosiers.

Saturday night some of my best girlfriends and I ended up back in good ol Bloomington, Indiana. Our alma mater. Sorta. Their alma mater. I've got an IU degree but didn't go to the Bloomington campus, I stayed in good ol Indy.

Sidetracked. Anyways.

Brewery, music festival, bar-hopping, shopping, birthday celebrating. A nice little evening, for sure! I foresee many more summer trips to the land of crimson & tide in our future.

(I also foresee more maxi dresses added to my closet. I've never been completely sold on them. I have 4 hanging in my closet for a few years but they get minimal rotation. Until this past week I dawned 2, and am hooked!)

 

So What Wednesday

Link up with Life After I "Dew" if you wanna dish too!

It's soooooo what WEDNESDAY time!

So what... if I am dressed like a pirate today.

So what... if this simple little act of kindness made my morning.

I sort of had a crap week at work last week, one of those where you feel like you just keep messing things up. So when this email popped up & I saw that one of my wine guys had emailed my boss singing my praises my heart got all warm & fuzzy.

So what... if I want to jump for joy because niece has ONE MORE CHEMO treatment left. ONE MORE!!! Wow, what a journey since January. To be honest, it's flown by. And I'm so thankful for that.  I tried to tell that tumor it didn't stand a chance! (PS look at all that attitude - sheesh)


So what... if I'm about to go all sales pitchy on you and tell you that if you aren't signed up for Ebates. Go sign up now! I don't do a ton of shopping online, but I used it for a few purchases, and used it when we booked our airfare for our last trip to the Dominican, and I just got a check for $33 from them. For doing nothing but clicking the link through their site. UHmazing.


So what... if I ducked out on margarita night early last night so I could go to my parents and watch the finale of The Voice. I loved Jamar the most, and then Tony Lucca and then Jermaine. So at least one of my men won! Woo! And Biebs performed. What a little cutie

So what... if I was taken back to my high school days when I went on a 2ish hour road trip with a fella I'm dating and his parents Sunday. This fella, whom is aptly nicknamed Little Tyke (yes, every guy I date immediately earns a nickname and is thereafter called by it all the time) races, and we went to watch on of his friends race near the Ohio border.  His family was really cool and it was nice seeing LT out of the car being a spectator for once!

So what... if it's this pretty little ladies birthday today and I cannot wait to hit up the country bar with her tonight to celebrate!

So what... if this went down last week. I won't go into detail. Make what you will of it. Call Me Maybe was involved.

So what... if after Little Tyke saw the videos he couldn't stop laughing and shaking his head. Then the next day this happened.  (again, come to your own conclusions)


So what... if I'm slowly but surely getting back into blogging. Finding a way to fit it into the schedule. I miss you all!
 

99 Things

99 things . . . I just stumbled upon this over at Jenn's blog, who got it from the Lovely Al Naturally, I HAD to play. 

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightening storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee


Not too shabby, I guess. Some of these were a little weird (how do you go from having a baby to owning a cell phone? apples & oranges people)
What could you bold from these 99 things?

 

Get a little mud on the tires

(Could also be titled: This is why we can't have nice things) 

I was soaking up the sun in my backyard, with a cold drink and a good book Saturday afternoon when my phone started ringing.

"Can you be ready in 20 minutes?" she asked.

"HA... no way, I just finished mowing my grass & am gross" I argued


"I'll be at your house in 25 minutes. You don't need to shower. See you soon" Then she hung up.

I roll my eyes, Brit is always up to some sort of shenanigans. I collect my stuff & wander inside to change out of my sweaty grass covered clothes and text her to see what exactly I was supposed to wear to this afternoon of debauchery that I was being kidnapped for.

Her response: shorts, tank top, your boots.

My excitement was peaked. I embrace any chance to don the cowboy boots. 45 minutes later we pulled off the country road onto this property and it became evident what I was getting myself into

A whole lotta muddin was goin on

Naturally, I was like a kid on Christmas morning and it didn't take long to go from this...

to this.

Brit & I grabbed a bucket of beer and hopped in the back of one of her friends pick-ups, and the four of us went and got stuck real good.

 before... and after. HA! (In hindsight, sitting in the bed with a cooler, beers, cornhole boards and these large metal pipes was a TERRIBLE idea. I cannot tell you how bruised up I am now)

Naturally, Boone's Farm was consumed straight from the bottle. Once that ran out we turned to Jack.

Then things got REAL interesting. The night ended in cornhole, bonfires and all around shootin the shit in the bed of a pickup truck.

Oh how I love those country nights.