My first Indy race

Not only was this my first race out at the speedway it was my first circle track race! It was a lot of fun. I had gotten free tickets to the race as one of the Marlboro promotions. They teamed up with the Penske Racing Team and gave away a bunch of seats and a bag full of stuff. This is the second Marlboro promotion I have been to. The first was also out at the track but it wasn't during race day. We were able to go ride in a nascar vehicle around the track at high speeds. Then we got to ride along in a drift course. But that is a topic for another post.

Kristen's brother and I both got the promotions for the ride-along but he didn't receive tickets to the race. So I took him this time. We got out to the track and found the ticket redemption tent. We walked in and they gave us both bags full of stuff. Things like a disposable camera, Penske hats, binoculars and a voucher for a free headset so we can listen to the drivers during the race. We were too late though to get headsets. They ran out as we were walking up to the booth.

I never realized how loud the races really were. It wasn't that any one car was too loud but when they started grouping up together it got pretty loud. And the high pitched noise didn't help! Overall we spent about 3 or 4 hours at the track. That was plenty for me. I don't think I will be a die-hard race fan but it was a great experience to get to go at least once. Danika Patrick (sp?) was racing but didn't finish due to vehicle issues. Also the rocket man was there. He flew the start flag from the pit to the starting booth using his jet pack. Pretty impressive for a 30 second flight!

Truly Blessed

One thing that Pastor Adam mentioned in the sermon yesterday was to take the time each day to write down three things you are thankful for and why. My number one is that I am so happy that I don't have a hard time finding at least 3! I have been so blessed. So many things in my life have been giving to me even though I don't deserve them.

1) I am thankful for Kristen. She has been a blessing to me since the day I met her. She has shown me what caring really is. She agreed to marry me and now we have a baby on the way. She loves my family and my family loves her. We are still in our 'honeymoon phase' but haven't had a lot of the typical troubles you hear about.

2) I am thankful for our families. Both of our families are so supportive of us in whatever we do. Kristen and I are going to a training class so we can take in foster kids next year. Our families have been amazing. They are so supportive and we know that if we ever need help that they will be there in a heartbeat for us.

3) I am thankful for our friends. Over the last year we have made some great friends through church. I am so thankful to have these people that care about us and are really honest about it. I needed friends that I can get to know past 'going out' and that we can talk about some deep stuff with.

The list can go on and on and on but these are three of the most important things to me right now. I have been blessed in just about everything that I do. God has put his hand on us and I am so amazed every time I think about it. I don't remember doing anything special to deserve this. I Love God and try to always be open to letting him guide me.

Standing Water!

Not even 3 tons of dirt could stop the rain from creating pools in the back yard! It rained a lot today and I was able to tell where there were still low spots in teh back yard. From the picture you can see that there is standing water to the left of the picture and between the two left trees.

I can't wait for the rain to subside and the weather to warm up. This will allow the seed to set and start sprouting little grasslings. I am hoping that within a couple weeks we can be barbecuing and I can stop letting aero go to the bathroom out back instead of in the front.

NCAA Championship

Kristen and I had planned a trip to Houston and San Antonio a while back for this last weekend. It was a trip to go see her old stomping ground and her friend in Houston and then on to San Antonio to visit her parents. Her Aunt and Uncle were there and her brother and sister-in-law came up from Del Rio. It turns out that the NCAA Final Four and Championship games. This wasn't something we had planned on but it worked out to be good. Kristen's brother from Lawrence and his girlfriend ended up going to the games so they were down visiting for a while too. Her oldest brother ended up having extra tickets to Monday nights game so John and I went to the game. It was such a great choice.

I am a strong K-State fan and very much dislike cheering for KU. However, it was a necessity here. The game was awesome. As most of you know the game came down to a clutch 3 point shot clock that pulled KU up to tie Memphis. The game went into overtime and KU dominated the overtimewith 2-3 seconds left on the minutes. The excitement and atmosphere was awesome. It was a great time.

John and I didn't stay after the game for any of the special stuff or the crowds on the river walk. We headed home to bed. :)

Yard Work!

I know now why they call it work. I had 3 tons of dirt delivered on Friday last week. You can see that in the picture below. Christopher and I had already moved almost 1/3 of it by the time we got this picture. We spent all day working on the yard. I started by rototilling the whole thing. This wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. We used Kristen's grandma's rototiller. I only tilled about an inch deep all around. Enough to loosen the soil some. We got the dirt delivered and moved it by wheelbarrow to the back. I took breaks to rake leaves and trim the trees. The third picture is the pile of tree limbs I got down. This started as a small project and kept cutting more and more. I still see a bunch more that need trimmed but I think it can wait for another weekend. :)

We got all the dirt moved to the back yard and spread out to fill in the low spots. Then I spread grass seed and golf course starter fertilizer. I will go out today and do a crabgrass preventer. Then hopefully we will have grass by the time we come back from texas!

I turned the sprinkler system on a bit early this year. I wanted to get the back yard watered and it was supposed to rain saturday. It never did. So I turned on the sprinkler and am watering a few times a day to get it nice and wet. With no grass there it makes it easy to see where I need to adjust the sprinklers too! I found a couple spots that are barely getting water if any at all. That should be easy to do. Again, saving it for another day!

I will continue to take pictures and may post them up here for documentation purposes (only if the grass grows though, otherwise I will not publicly admit my failure).

Until next time.

1 Timothy 6:6-8

Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing into the world, and we can't take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.

I found this posting that I had started a while back and forgot about. It really is an amazing bible verse. I get wrapped up in my day to day activities and worry about the things that I have. It all boils down to things. The house you live in and the clothes you wear. The yard you try to make look nice (another post coming soon). What does any of this have to do with my salvation? Very VERY little.

I try to stop and think occasionally that all the stuff I acquire will be here when I leave this place. I can't take it with me. I need to be content with what I have and stop worrying about things that I want. I am so blessed to have more than just enough food and clothing. God has blessed me with a wonderful wife, family, house, car, job and so much more.

Does that mean that we shouldn't take pride in the things that we have accomplished? I don't believe so. I am proud that I can provide for my wife. I also realize that I couldn't have any of this without a big boost from God. He has given me everything. That is why I try to remember that if the things go away I will still be ok because I have faith and He has 'got my back'. I try to think about things that I can do to help those less fortunate than me. I am always open to ideas. It always seems to boil down to money and things. I can give those freely because of the position that I am in. It is much harder for me right now to give up my time. But I know that I am thinking inside a box and there are so many ways to help that I haven't thought of. Please offer comments if you think of anything.