Unpublished Draft

Started 4/30/2014

What had happened was: Nephew has Crohn's Disease and spent four (?) months in the hospital, three of which were at University of Washington Medical Center.  He went septic at the local hospital and was med-flighted to Seattle.

This is a year plus two weeks since I'd broken my foot off of my leg at work. (freak accident) and spent two days in the hospital and 60 days bedrest and six month recovery.  Then my s-i-l was in a terrible accident on the freeway at the tail end of the above two incidents. (hurt but not Hurt Hurt)

And I think this was right when I started to realize that I shouldn't drive at night anymore.

We went racing for the first time this year.  This is the latest start that we have gotten, ever. Not even with me all broken up last year.

It didn't go as well as we'd hoped, after spending the off season upgrading but it's not like there was anything bad happening, we just had a glitch. We just had to concentrate on personal best and remind ourselves that we're still pretty cool, just not as cool as we had hoped.

The Nephew was able to come with us so that was another step toward normal.  He still weighs in the 150 pound area so watching friends that hadn't seen him yet was heart breaking.  As much as we try to explain (warn) people, a person just can't imagine it.

We got to hang out with our friends and that in and of itself was healing.  We still see them in the off-season but being able to spend three days with them was wonderful.

I was able to ride up with Kevin on Friday so we got our truly only alone time in a long while.  Yes, we live in house together but all it takes is a phone ring, puppy bark, the sound of feet in the gravel or the shop door opening and all is interrupted.

I'm still on strike over camping at the racetrack because I'm 44 years old and that seems ridiculous. (the camping and the 44 years old thing, both equally ridiculous) So, I came home alone one night and both of us one night.  I like to drive so the trip back and forth is a treat for me. Crossing the border doesn't bother me at all.  I just have a book in case I ever get stuck in a back-up.  Some of the border guards say "Welcome Home" when we come back and it's strangely very nice to hear.

P.S.

I'm now 57 yrs. old.  We're not racing competitively anymore and everything has changed (obvs).  But: I can drive at night again and everyone is healed.