My dad took me to my first dirt track race…gasp…20 years ago. I was 8 years old. Very hard to believe I’ve been wasting my money for 20 years going to the race track every weekend. But I love it. When we moved from the farm to a small town in 1992 my dad became friends with DH and helped him on his race car. DH is a Stock Car National Champion and a very talented driver. My Dad also got to know DH’s wife Susan. About 5 years ago my sister and I were hosting a surprise 50th for my dad. Susan helped us with organizing the party and we struck up an instant friendship. For two years I went all over Kansas with DH & Susan to the races. I loved going in the pits with them and standing on top of their trailer to watch.
Memorial Weekend 2004 Susan introduced me to TNT. I could pick TNT’s car out of the pack, but I had no clue who he was in person. When she introduced us I was just starting a relationship with another racer and I’m not the type who would juggle men. I told her I wasn’t interested. But that didnt’ stop her from trying. She’d tell me TNT is the nicest guy I’d ever meet and we’d be perfect for each other. Susan and TNT had grown up together and Susan had been best friends with TNT’s sister.
About 4 months later the relationship ended with the guy I was seeing. Susan kept after me about dating TNT. I told her, “he’s 7 years older than me what would we have to talk about?” She said to break the ice talk about racing then go from there. Plus I didn’t think he look very friendly at the race track. I was against it. I was 24 and he was 31 how would that look!
Jump ahead to Dec 2004. I was out with DH and Susan at the bar. DH decided the goal of the evening was to find me a date. I was so embarrassed. (there’s another whole post about the events that occured before we even made it to the bar) Once we finally get to the bar Susan sits down with TNT. TNT & I talked a little and laughed a lot. He was nothing like he was at the track. This one kid kept hitting on Susan. She was nice to him so he thought he had a chance. TNT and I were laughing so hard at this young kid hitting on her. Then my best friend leaves me at the table with that kid and TNT. The kid then starts hitting on me. TNT is laughing too hard to save me from the drunk 18 year old.
About a week later I told Susan if she saw TNT around maybe ask what he thought of me. She got off the phone and called him immediately. I mean IMMEDIATELY. So the following Thursday TNT calls and asks for a date. I accepted. He also told me Susan had called him. I wanted to DIE! He made me feel better when he told me he had looked up my phone number before Susan called. He was interested!!! For our first date he took me to Hays which is 100 miles east of where we live for a steak dinner and a movie. We even went shopping for his niece and he bought an Easy Bake Oven. I was thinking the whole time, “what kind of a badass am I dating that buys an Easy Bake Oven.”
I’d like to say it was perfect from there on out, but we had our trying times. That’s why we danced our first dance to “God Blessed the Broken Road,” by Rascal Flatts. But the trying times brought us closer together and now I’m married to the best guy!
Makes me wonder if my dad hadn’t taken me to my first race 20 years ago would I be married to TNT? Dad wouldn’t have been friends with DH, then I wouldn’t have met Susan. Susan wouldn’t have introduced me to TNT. I’d probably still be living alone at the barn house with my cat.
The man was injured but nothing critical. That tornado was very dangerous. It’s what they called a wedge tornado which means it looks like a huge rain cloud and you can’t actually see the tornado itself since rain is swirling around it.
Life in the Slow Lane 
