"Hey! Hey! I've finally found my way, say goodbye to yesterday, hit the gas there ain't no brakes on this lost highway....yeah I'm busting loose, I'm letting go, out on this open road. it's Independence Day on this Lost Highway...Hey! Hey!"
-Jon Bon Jovi
It seems that these lyrics capture the true essense of the day so I am forever naming Adventure #6, The Lost Highway.
Suzy planned this adventure and for the first time most of us had absolutely NO idea what she had planned. Her initial clues were: Wear sneakers and bring a packet of hot cocoa. But, the week leading up to the adventure she kept pushing the point that we HAD to bring our ID. There would be yummy cocktails, but they will card. Up until this point I had some irrational fears that were grounded in flashbacks from our Longwood days. I thought we would be meeting up somewhere and would be grabbed from behind, blindfolded and led to the forest by a pack of SPES. At that point we would be handed a shotgun and told to find our Thanksgiving dinner. You may think I am crazy, but have you met Suzy's husband? He has definately mellowed out through the years...he now prefers watching The Hills to kidnapping KD's and DZ's, but I still thought he had talked Suzy into going old school on us girls. There were other crazy scenarios running through my head...but I think it is time to talk about what actually happened on our Lost Highway...HEY! HEY!
side note: The hot cocoa packets we had to bring were for Suzy and I quote, "I just really love hot chocoloate and I was running out, so hand them over ladies." -Suzy
"I've Finally Found my Way"
Getting lost was a commom theme today, but Lisa and Tracy finally made their way to us with cryptic direction from me on the phone, "This may be hard because I do not know street names, but turn at the 1st, 2nd or 3rd light, I am not sure which one...and then turn into a shopping center that I think may be on your left or maybe your right." How you made it is still a mystery!
"Say Goodbye to Yesterday"
Upon arriving we were asked to go to the conference room to watch a quick video on the rules and regulations. After watching this I am sure we were all hoping to climb back in time and say HELLO to YESTERDAY! Please take a look at some of the rules and you will feel me.
I happened to be sitting next to Heather during this rundown. She is so funny and I honestly don't think she means to be. With every flag rule that was thrown at us she had something to say. "Black Flag=bad, Red Flag=time out, If you cannot pose=get off the track." I plan to sit next to Heather during all rule rundowns from this point forward. I was too busy laughing at her attempts to clarify each flag to me that I didn't have time to let my thoughts go to the irrational again.
"Hit the Gas, there ain't no brakes"
Well, there were brakes. The thing is they were only used by Patty and myself. There is a turn on the track where one of the moderators is standing with all of the above-mentioned flags. There wasn't a time that Patty and I drove past him that he didn't wave the blue flag. The blue flag basically means there are real racers behind you that need to pass so would you kindly move to the right so that they can. Patty and Kat, "why certainly, we apologize for the inconvenience...please feel free to lap us for the 4th time." I saw both MH's and Suzy's curly ponytails at each turn just flying past me. I couldn't stop laughing the whole time. The straightaway was always the time when Patty and I tried to show the others that we were in it to win it too....until we saw blue again....
side note 2: If you could see where the gas tank was positioned it would make you blush.
"Yeah, I'm busting loose, I'm letting go out on this open road"
So, for the "real" racers this was fo real. These girls really bring out the true meaning of Hypo-Phobic Bad Girls. They were whipping around the curves like Danika Patrick with perfect precision. I know this because I was in perfect position to witness their skill around each bend. :) After the initial qualifying round "Game On" (Heather) was in first position. Tracy was still mumbling that she knew her fastest time was not her last lap and I thought for a second she was going to ask if they had video to prove it. We lined up to begin the actual 25 lap race with Game On and Kelly Reyes leading the pack followed by the rest of the girls in the middle and of course Million Dollar Baby (Patty) and Granny Fernandez (me) as the caboose. The 25 laps sped by and we were finally on the last lap. This is where Tracy got a little "confused" about the blue flag. She thought it meant to stay as close to the edge as possible so that you block all the racers behind you. This error led to the demise of Kelly and the victorious win for Heather! If ever there was a time for the red square time-out or Naughty Nook this was it...
"It's Independence Day...on this Lost Highway"
Each adventure I learn something new about myself and my BG's. This time I learned that if you want to win, you might need to pull your foot off of the brakes. I also learned that my greatest joy is never in winning, but watching curly haired ponytails pass me and knowing that they still have my back even though I spent most of my time today looking at theirs....
Other funny moments:
-Whenever anyone is able to say "that's what Helens says" (adventure 2) it is always a guarenteed laugh. Maryhelen, Kelly and I had pumpkin ale with a yummy nut rimmed glass....to which Stacy replied, "That's what Helen says..." she cracks herself up. I love Stacy's laugh.
-Posing for our pre-race photos
-Watching the middle aged men, especially the one in the yellow suit, race before us and know that even I had a shot at beating their times.
-Kelly talking about her trip to China and the mysterious massage she got...and Granny not really understanding what she meant by the word "everything." It must just be the language barrier.
-Maryhelen asking Kelly if she speaks Chinese after Kelly explained that you need to speak English to work for her company.
side note #3:
When I arrived home last night I had two cards waiting for me from my kids. Julia's read:
Bold
Risky
Awesome
Very Amazing
Either Good or Great
Mom you are all of those things! You are a unique, bright and happy girl that likes to pass the limits. You know who are! I love you for who you are.
Kevin's read:
You are a brave mom. You are brave for risking your fears when your white water rafting, trapezing and surfing.
love, Kevin
The gifts of this group keep growing. I can now add the pride of my kids and the realization that we are teaching them that it is important to break down those walls, conquer fears and cherish and support your friends. I am grateful.
Here is a video with pictures from our day!
