I came up with a new saying today. Even watching Denny Hamlin win is better than going back to work. And I say this from experience now, because we just got back from the NASCAR races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend. The Busch I mean Nationwide I mean Xfinity race on Saturday where Kyle Larson won, and the Cup race on Sunday where Denny Hamlin won. Two of my least favorite drivers. Well, I do have some empathy for Denny Hamlin now since he lost his Dad earlier this year, but professionally I still don't like him. ANYWAY, I'm sitting here working from home, looking at all the yucky snow in our yard, occasionally being reminded that the temperature here is a whopping 13ºF today, trying so hard to get work done while my poor cat is driving me crazy because she thinks she's been neglected AND she won't go outside because it's too cold and snowy. And the sunburn that I sustained primarily on the right side of my face, neck, arms, and the bottom half of my calves and ankles is uncomfortable in various stages from mild itching to random sharp but short-lasting pain (and also covered up because it's frickin' cold here today). And I'm thinking, I don't care, I'd rather have to watch *gulp* Brad Keslowski win than have to be working right here, right now.
So yeah, it was a pretty good weekend. Even though our son, who was supposed to go with us, didn't get to go with us because he came down with the influenza B the day before we were supposed to leave. :( He's feeling better now, or so he says. I don't blame him for not going. He's not the crazy NASCAR fan like we are; I don't think he would've enjoyed being dragged across the country while feeling like crap. And of course there's the matter of being contagious, too. I am still super bummed that he didn't get to go with, because it would've been even more fun with him there. This was his Christmas/birthday present from us. Guess we'll have to find something else to do now.
It was "unseasonably warm" there while we were there. On Saturday the high was I think 91? And on Sunday the high was in the upper 80's. I didn't bring shorts because I didn't know it was supposed to be unseasonably warm. Which is probably a good thing because I probably would've sunburned all of my legs, instead of just the little bit that was showing from where I had my pantlegs rolled up to the top of my ankle socks. Yeah, I have some weird tan lines. The problem is, I hate the feeling of sunscreen on my skin. Specifically, the feeling of it on the palms of my hands to put on the rest of my skin. So unless I can wash it off my hands right away, I hesitate to put it on. So Saturday, even though we had SPF 50, I didn't reapply. On Sunday, we figured it out and got spray stuff, and I didn't get burned any more than I already was.
Anyway...while we were gone, the Blizzard of the Century was taking place back home. We were predicted to get anywhere from 5 to 25 inches of snow. We got closer to 5. THAT was fun to come home to! What was even worse was coming from 80ºF to 10ºF. Of course we brought our winter coats, but when we go on vacation in the winter, we leave our coats in the car. And then we momentarily forgot where exactly we parked, so that was fun, too. Going from being on the verge of heatstroke to the verge of frostbite in the same day? Highly recommended. NOT!!
There were only a few times I kind of cried during the race. Thinking about how much I missed my Dad, and also how I wished my son was there with us. I never got to go to a NASCAR race with my Dad. I tried to, but my Mom wouldn't go so he wouldn't go. Or should I say, she wouldn't let him go. It was too loud for her. Too many people. It involved flying, which she didn't want to do. No, I'm not resentful. Just hurt.
That's literally all we did was go to the racetrack and then back to our hotel. It's not like one goes to the racetrack just before the race starts. One gets there a few hours before the race starts so one can go through the vendor trailers and buy merch and then watch qualifying and practice before the race actually begins. And if one has a pass to the infield (which we didn't this time but have done in the past), one goes to the infield and goes through the garages and all the cool stuff therein. It's funny, because this is like the 3rd or 4th time we've been to this track, but the 1st time we've been there for an actual race. We seem to like Las Vegas. I was wondering why this weekend, because it's loud and noisy and dirty and sleazy. But that's not what I like about it. I like the Las Vegas away from the Strip and away from Downtown. We've been to Red Rock Canyon National Park a few times, and THAT is what I crave about Las Vegas. The desert. The mountains. The natural landscape. It's breathtakingly gorgeous. I was bummed that we didn't have time to go to the park this time. There are other parks out there I want to check out sometime, too, but that's the only one we've been to so far. I just love nature.
Anyway...that's about all the time I have for today. I better sign off so I can go catch up on some work, both paid and unpaid. That's not right. One is paid in money and the other is paid in...um...fulfillment? The one that isn't my professional career that I went to school for and that helps pay the bills, pays me by giving me a creative outlet and allowing me a way to serve Jesus and my church at the same time? Or something like that. Short story long, I'm gonna go catch up on some things on ProPresenter before my lunch break is over. Someone else had to cover a few things while I was gone and now some other things are all messed up and it's driving me crazy and no I'm not a control freak, thank you for asking.
Have a great day! God loves you and so do I!
