Bristol Baby!

BRISTOL!!!!!!!!!!!

I was proud to grow up in Johnson City. I had a little bit of arrogance when I would say I went to "Science Hill" like it was some amazing top-notch school, for the Tri-Cities maybe it was...for sports and the band! :) We were so much better than Tennessee High in Bristol and Dobyns Bennett in Kingsport.

When I joined the NASCAR circuit, I quickly realized I had to tell people I was from Bristol for them to understand where Johnson City was. In NASCAR, EVERYONE knows BRISTOL!

Bristol for so many reasons is a magical place. I started going to races when I was 5. I think I even slept through a few. My parents loved taking us to Bristol, and I loved it more than my sister. I knew all the drivers numbers and names when I was 7. I make fun of my husband for being a NASCAR fan, when secretly I am too! In my childhood years it was a place of fun, family, and tailgaiting.

For my adult years, it was a beginning. I got the opportunity to work with some of the most kind hearted people and learn a lot about the NASCAR business world. I started as an Intern helping out my good friends Stacy and Joni. I did a lot of random things at Bristol, helped with the campgrounds, managed the front desk, and made A LOT of copies! I loved being an intern because I could learn. There are a few SPECIAL things I LOVE about Bristol.

1. Jeff Byrd-You can't talk about Bristol without talking about Jeff Byrd. I've been to 20 of the 22 tracks the Sprint Cup Series races at. No other track is as well run as Bristol. Some may say I'm biased and maybe I am, but Bristol has an ambiance like no other. If you don't love the beautiful God-made mountains, you'll love the people! Everyone has a gentle spirit, and that all started with Jeff's vision for Bristol. Pleasing the Fans, from having a full time staff who is souly dedicated to helping fans and listening to what the fans want from Bristol to innovating a race track that gets them the closest access to NASCAR's most famous faces. Jeff's mantra is "exceed expectations" for EVERYONE. Jeff wasn't at the race in Bristol this Spring for medical reasons. Thoughts and prayers for his family were given all over the garage and I especially have to say I'm praying for strength and peace for the whole Byrd family.

2. Lee Greenwood- Anyone who came to my wedding after-party KNOWS i'm not the only one who LOVES Lee Greenwood. All of my precious bridesmaids and friends belted out with lyrics with pride. He was in Bristol this past weekend, he sang my favorite song and he lead the whole crowd in the pledge of allegiance. I mean NO where else does that!!!

3. Family- Bristol is a racetrack on the circuit that I can come home and sleep in the house I slept in for 22 years. When I come home, I'm able to spend time with my sister and her family, my sweet 100 year old Mamaw, my wonderful parents, and friends that always drop their schedules when Justin and I come to go out for a few drinks.

4. Taylor- I'll be the first to admit, Kyle Busch is not my favorite person in the world and he gets a lot of flack for being a "bad boy" but sometimes like last fall, he becomes a real person. I met this little boy named Taylor last year who was born with his bladder on the outside of his body. He's had many surgeries and will continue to have surgeries for most of his life, and he LOVES Kyle Busch. Most kids love Kyle because they love M&M's, Taylor simply loves Kyle. His racecar pajamas are what get him through his surgeries and playing with his cars after surgery are what help him cope through the pain after. Last year, I was humbled to plan a meeting with some help from Food City for Taylor to meet his idol. Taylor was a bit nervous, but when I picked him up on the M&M's golf cart he had one thing on his mind KYLE. He talked about Kyle winning at Bristol and how he KNEW he was going to WIN, and that he was going to win for him. When we arrived at Kyle's motorcoach, he was speechless, as most of us would be if we met our celebrity idols. Kyle won the race that night, and after Victory Lane, media interviews, and a photos, he walked out the tunnel of Bristol and Taylor was there wide awake well after midnight. Kyle ran over to Taylor gave him a hug and told him he won the race for him. Taylor was right about him winning and winning for HIM. Kyle didn't have to go talk to him about the race, but he did and for a moment he made someone's little life a little better. Taylor and Kyle in Bristol in August 2009.

I get to travel and do a lot of really cool things with my job, but I have to say meeting Taylor is at the very top. He's a brave little boy and has amazing parents who simply love and encourage him everyday.

I really wanted to share just a few of the special things I LOVE about Bristol!

Home Improvement...Not just a great show from the 90's

It's amazing what a sander, a little paint and primer, and a few trips to your local home improvement store can do for your self esteem.

In my first few months of marriage I've learned more about myself than I had anticipated. I thought moving in with a boy and starting a marriage I would have to learn more about Justin and how he lives. God of course has a sense of humor and I've learned much more about me and how I live than anything. I'm NOT a great cook, I have a burning desire to be like Amy Speropulos or Erin Williams, but I'm just not getting there. I've burnt some of the most simple things, eggs, chocolate chip cookies, chili, and I can't even talk about my crockpot disaster!!!

I just don't have Rachel Ray in me, but I sure do have a little Bob Villa!!! I decided it was time for a little DIY home project. Justin has been out of town for the past two weekends and I've been talking about redoing or giving away his old beat up dresser. So, I did a little research! I've learned from Rhonda King Gilbert to research EVERYTHING! After reading lots of different DIY websites, I decided to go for it. With my husbands permission and my full disclosure on it may not be perfect, I made a little trip to my local home improvement store.

My Dad and husband are both perfectionists and I knew from the beginning it wasn't going to be good enough, but I didn't care. I needed some redepemtion from my burnt cooking episodes!

My first mistake was the I didn't take a proper "before" picture! But you get the idea. This was Justin's dresser from college and when he lived with Colin and Bayless. And who knows where it was before Justin. It's been around!

Thankfully we have a huge garage and I have lots of room to spread out. I started by purchasing a sander, I went with the middle of the road sander, nothing too fancy. I also purchased 80 and 120 grit sandpaper. I opted for spray primer as I don't LOVE to paint. And I went with a semi-gloss paint, and a glossy black spray paint for the finish. All and all the trip was around $75, that included the sander that I will definitely use again and again.

After sanding for about an hour, I sprayed down the dresser with the primer and let it sit for about 2 hours. I'm overly cautious when waiting for paint to dry. After completing a few other house chores I was ready to actually put paint on the dresser! I started at the top and worked my way down with long strokes in the direction of the wood grain. This is where I got really nervous.

If anyone ever went to my house on Myrtle and used my bathroom, you know that I am NOT a Picasso painter. I left paint tape on my wall for two years. So, with this project I HAD to finish it and I really wanted it to be half way decent.

I waited a few days for the paint to dry and took another visit to the home improvement store to decide on new hardware. I could not make a decision without Justin. He has amazing taste and I wanted him to feel involved in the project. We finally made it over there yesterday at lunch. I've been chomping at the bit to get this thing finished and out of the garage. Especially since its been taking up MY parking space.

So.....HERE IT IS!!! My special project! :) My Dad and Justin are both very proud! And what a great feeling to complete a project and save a little money. This will be a precious piece of furniture everyone can come see when they stay in our guest room.

Hey Team! Let's build a playground!!

Baby and I had the pleasure of joining some of our NASCAR friends to help build a playground in Mooresville last Thursday night. It rained most of the day and I have to admit, as much as I LOVE children and community service, I wasn't excited about the rain and the possibility of getting totally covered in dirt, mud, and being soaking wet. Our shift started at 5:30, Baby and I were a good 20 minutes late. If you know anything about Mooresville, you know its 18 miles North of Charlotte, straight up the parking lot of I-77. When we got there, we checked in as "unskilled" since none of us had any prior experience with a hand saw, and made our way to our "job." The 8 of us were assigned to about 12 piles of rock and dirt. With shovels and rakes in hand we got to work. I remember looking at Baby T at one point, and we both laughed "our arms really hurt!" We were workin up a sweat!

Over 200 volunteers were there on Thursday night and they were expecting well over a 1,000 volunteers for the whole weekend. It was a fun night to hang out with friends and give back to the community of Mooresville. We ended up moving loads and loads of dirt all over the playground. Our sweet supervisor Dean eventually told us we were laying the ground work for the race track. How appropriate!

Last week was a GREAT week, I went to TWO Bobcats games...were solidly in the hunt of the playoffs...let's go cats...(not the Kentucky Cats, i HATE them...sorry Haley) but the BOBCATS!!!! Had a blast hanging with Bayless, Carrie, and Baby T. Spent the weekend at Myrtle Ave. with the girls! Kickboxing with Anna, our fav! Lunch at Panera, Pedicures, Mac's BBQ, and topped off with a lazy Sunday at home!

As for this week, BRISTOL BABY!!!! Look out for my next post, as I just finished refinishing Justin's OLD OLD dresser. I love being a wife!!

For more information on Hope Park, please visit www.buildforhopepark.org.

OHHH BABY!!!

Welcome to the LCG BLOG! I have my wonderful friends Haley and Laura Bolton Rowe to thank for opening my eyes to BLOGGING. Both have inspired me to take a little time to document my life. DISCLAIMER, i am not a writer, nor am i any good at grammar, i have a tendency not to proof read things before i send or post them, and if my life gets super busy i might not post often, read at your own risk! :)

I LOVE my husband, and my wonderful job at Elevation, i have amazing friends and family who have shown so much love and support this year, and wouldn't be anywhere in life without the love of Jesus.

I feel like my first blog should be about the love of my life...my best friend....my sweet baby!!! Justin loves love. These are some things he loves, and all of these are reasons i love him!!! He loves me and has NO problem showing me he loves me. Even now that we are married, were still that weird couple that makes you feel just a little awkward at the dinner table with our PDA. I admit it, I'm sorry for those who experience it on a regular basis! My next statement is going to be shocking for all women...my husband LOVES to clean!!! I have a husband who cleans the whole house and cleans my hair out of the bathroom (gross!) and does it without complaining. He loves for things to be neat and organized. My husband is a dream! I overly use the word husband because, to be honest for years i never thought i would find someone to call my husband!!

Other than the cleanliness, he also has the biggest heart of anyone i know. He will help out any of his gazillion friends (or mine!) at the drop of a hat. He loves children and has an amazing bond with my nephew Alex. He loves South Carolina sports and NASCAR! This is where is fuse is short. One turnover in a Carolina basketball or a miss cue on a pit stop for Dale Earnhardt Jr. can send this normally loving man into a full on screaming super fan! His small sports fuse is probably on the high end of the rankings of why i love him, but still i chalk it up to passion!

Just a recap, my HUSBAND loves, me, cleaning, his friends and family, sports, kids, and one more really important thing, Jesus. Justin grew up knowing the Lord and going to church but it wasn't until we started dating that he developed a relationship with Him. Sitting in church yesterday, my sweet Baby held my hand through the Baptisms because he knows how much i love them! I cry every time!!! I feel when there is a baptism in church I feel like it is my baptism all over again. I pray during the whole thing that God will give me a pure and clean heart for the sins that I have committed. Justin holds my hand through it all, he shows me he cares by his touch and through prayer together. He is always praying for our safe travels and for whatever new house project we are arguing over. He has learned over the course of our relationship the power of prayer. He is a strong man who has a soft heart!! I love him!!!!

As Justin and I continue in our first year of marriage I'm so grateful to God for putting so much love in our hearts for each other. I pray our love will continue to overflow for each other and for Christ! We will always accept being added to prayer lists, marriage is wonderful but really hard too!

I'm going to try and continue this blog about random things and remarkable people in my life. I'm selfishly doing this blog for better documentation of my life right now. I'm at my favorite stage of life right now. I was born to be a "Mamaw" but I'm loving being married and starting life with my precious husband. I travel a lot and get to see some pretty amazing things and I want to be able to show those things. Happy reading!!!

Love to all,

LCG

**NASCAR and Mamaw were on spell checker!!! Blogspot must not be headquartered in the South!**