play day

What I thought was going to be the usual staff meeting turned into one of the most memorable Thursdays in GS history. Everyone loaded into the van, and no one, not even the driver knew where we were going. We were at the mercy of Bob's directions. After 25 minutes of driving, we wound up at a sweet go-kart track in Carson. Oh baby! Pretty much everyone enjoyed rides in super fast karts. The slick track sprint cars were awesome. All but one person wound up spinning out and facing oncoming traffic. You'll notice in the picture, most of us are driving in the wrong direction. The track was so slick. It was pretty wild! In the end, I whooped them all. You'd think the crazy CA drivers would have the edge, but the MN girl came out on top! I don't think I've laughed that hard in a long time. There were tears coming down my face by the time I stepped out of the car. And the sun was so stinkin' hot, we were about sweating to death in those little karts. Ellen and I weren't sure if we had wet our pants, or if we were just sweating profusely! (#2, obviously!)

After racing 4 times we loaded back up and headed to our next surprise location: BJ's for lunch! Pizzas and pazookis (oven baked pizza sized cookies with ice cream on the top) were the treat. Many more laughs were shared. This was such a wonderful way to spend the day! And a memory I won't soon forget, as the entire staff was able to be there.

Tonight Mark and Sue Wiedenmann invited me up to play with Henry, then we shared supper together. Henry is getting so big, and smart! He showed me his toys, ate like a champ, and drove his firetruck. He's the same age as Madison, and does a lot of the same things she does. After we tucked Henry in bed, Mark got out his Bonnie Raitt CD collection and played a bunch for me. He thinks I sound like her. So does Dave Bergeson. I laughed at how similar the two of them are. Playing DJ. I absolutely love Mark and Sue. They are among my favorite people here in CA. Mostly, because they're so down to earth and humble. I can be myself around them. I think it helps that Mark is the chair of the ITF. He knows what's going on in my life, so it's easy to talk and trust the two of them. Sue talked me into going to this crazy hot yoga class with her at the end of the month. I can't wait!