Life Goes On!

It's been 3 months since Dad passed away, and it's been quite an adjustment. Mom spent a couple of days last week trying to clean out his closet. Jeez, I didn't know Dad had that many clothes or that much stuff. I guess ya never know. Since then, we've all had to take on a little more responsibility, such as cleaning up, cutting grass, etc. One thing Mom's been able to do is make some new meals for dinner. Dad was your old-fashioned meat and potatoes guy who wanted the same meals all the time. Lately, Mom's been experimenting with some new recipes, and they've been pretty damn good. Shrimp, chicken-and-rice, and tomorrow, we're having Shepherd's pie. Should be interesting.
My brother got the trailer/future party house wired up over the weekend. Once the EMC comes out and approves it, the rebuilding will begin. Still shooting for a New Year's Eve party. We'll see.
Also, I've been able to go back to day shift at work. I had to stay on evening shift to help look after Dad. As for now, I don't think he would mind. Getting up at 6 in the morning isn't much fun, but at least I'm at home at night, which is my preference.
So, it's all been one big adjustment. But, as the title states: life goes on.

Our new party house!

We bought my best friend's old single-wide trailer to turn into a party house of sorts. Today, they moved it in and set it up. It needs a lot of work done on the inside, especially on the floor and walls, but considering my brother's expertise with his hands (carpentry, electrical, welding, etc.), I have no doubt we'll get it done. We plan to put in a pool table, a poker table, and a dart board. Plus, Mom plans to use one of the bedrooms for storage, and the other bedroom if we have company come over. We're shooting for a New Year's Eve party. That's our goal right now. I may post updates later, and we'll see if our goal comes to fruition.

Losing weight!

Back at the first of this year, I got on the scale and it read 296 pounds! I thought to myself, "No way! I can't go on like this!" I've never been over 300, and I certainly didn't want to do it now. So, I asked my Mom to recommend some pills to help me lose weight. She gave me a bottle of Leptopril, and it worked. I lost 20 pounds in a hurry. When they ran out, I bought Relacore, because it was $20 cheaper. They didn't work at all! I didn't gain any weight back, but I didn't lose any more either. So, over the weekend, I bought another bottle of Leptopril and started back eating less and trying to lose weight again. People are always telling me, "but you're so tall (6'4"), it doesn't look that bad on you." Maybe so, but I don't like the gut. Mom's such a good cook. LOL Right now, I'm about 280 with hopefully, some more weight coming off. I'd like to get down to the 260-270 range and try to stay there. If I can get back on day shift at work, I plan to start walking with Mom because she's trying to lose weight, too. I need to drink not as many Cokes and start exercising, I know that would help. So, we'll see how it works out.

Happy Birthday Jeff Gordon!!

Today (Aug. 4th) is Jeff's 35th birthday. Jeez, he was just 21 and making his Cup debut in Atlanta. Time flies, doesn't it?! Jeff's been my favorite driver since I started watching in '94. I started watching him because he and I are the same age, and he's been my favorite ever since. I got his autograph on pit road in Atlanta in '02. Everybody was sticking stuff in front of him for him to sign, so I said, "the hell with it, I'll do it too!" I put a picture in front of him, he grabbed and signed it and handed it back to me. I don't think he even looked at me, but I got my fave driver's autograph and that's all that matters. A few minutes later, I got his then-crew chief, Robbie Loomis' autograph on the same pic. We talked for about 5 minutes, and he told me they had a good car (which they did, till Jeff lost a cylinder). I've seen Jeff win in person once (3/99 in Atlanta), but I was also there in '01 when he finished 6th and clinched his 4th Cup championship, and I remember running to his trailer and buying a Championship shirt and hat. Ah, the memories!
So, happy birthday, Jeff! A 5th win at the Brickyard would be awesome present!