I have to first off apologize. I wrote a blog on June 24th when I was in Norwalk. I thought that I sent it. Apparently, I didn’t, because over the last few weeks I have received a few fan e-mails and Facebooks asking me when I was going to write my blog and if I had given up on it. As you can tell, I really don’t check the blogs after I send them. Well, that teaches me. Now, I promise I will check. I have attached the one that I was going to send a month ago below (starts with the heading Busy, Busy, Busy) for you to read. The information is a little old, but it was valid at the time.

I just came home from work, and I have a few minutes to write my blog before going outside and practice my pitching. This week, I will get to throw out the first pitch at the Oakland A’s game. I broke the cardinal rule last time and I hit the dirt by home plate, at the Atlanta Braves game. This time, it’s going in the zone. I actually went out and bought a $2.96 baseball to practice with. I have a few mounds in my yard, so I put a target on our burn pile and went out and practiced. I figured if I didn’t have a catcher, I would get my exercise by walking back and forth to get the ball. It also gave me incentive to hit my target after a few wild throws (over the top of the pit) and chasing the ball. I only have this one day to practice because I head out to San Francisco tomorrow evening. Wednesday evening we have the “Burnout Bash” Charity poker event. It’s going to be fun. That’s something that I’ve done for a long time: play cards. Growing up my parents would have card night every Friday. I would sit on my parents lap and learn how to play Hearts, Spades, Pinochle, Black Jack, and Poker. It used to be a tradition with our family to play a card game called “31,” after Thanksgiving Dinner.

You have often heard me talk about my friend Dee Dee; she was also a big card player. When we were roommates, if we weren’t at the races or watching the races on TV, we were playing cards. It was pretty cutthroat, too. There were no nice guy “gimmies.” I don’t get to play much now, so I am looking forward to it. There have been a few occasions lately that I have been able to play some cards. When we were in Valdosta testing and filming the commercial, we had some down time and I learned a new game called “ hand and foot.” Our friends Hank and Lilly showed us the game, and it’s a good one for strategy.

I do also hit all the charity “Bunko” events that take place. It’s not cards but it’s a fun game and it usually takes place in October when it’s “Bunko for Breast Cancer” time.
Well, time to go out and practice.

Busy, Busy, Busy

I found that I really like Panera. I am sitting here across from my Lighthouse Marketing buddy Miguel. We just completed the “Your Morning” taping at WTOL CBS in Toledo. We have a few hours between interviews and media stops, so we came here to do some work.

We are here in Ohio preparing for the Summit Nationals in Norwalk. GEICO and Lighthouse Marketing have been keeping me very busy. Englishtown was packed with action; enough so that I took a week of vacation from GE. First, and probably most public, was being selected as one of the drivers to join in the ringing of the opening bell on Wall Street. For those that follow, you know that business is my second love, next to drag racing. When I walked on the trading floor, I felt this electrifying excitement. It was not as noisy as I had anticipated, but one definitely sensed the flurry of activity of the electronic trading. Outside the Stock Exchange, in the streets the light mist of rain did not dampen the drivers’ constant interaction and the fan question about the display of NHRA vehicles. Staying in New York, Morgan Lucas and I had the opportunity to tape a segment on the Fox Business and Bloomburg TV.

Another highlight was the chance to have centerstage seats for the play Wicked. For the unknowing, it’s the story of the how the witches of the Wizard of Oz become who they are. I read the book and have been trying to see the play for 3 years now. Honestly, it was worth the wait. It was wonderful and made even more special by a very informative back stage tour.

I did get a chance to come home between races and media opportunities. Obviously, I had to go to work at GE, but the weekends I was able to spend time in the yard with my landscaping as well as do some home decorating projects. I am one of those that like to take some old item or piece of furniture and give it a makeover or change to make it new. People have said, “Karen doesn’t move furniture, she changes it and uses it as something else.” This time I took a black lacquer coffee table and cut it in half to make floating shelves for my entryway. It’s pretty easy to modify and change things when your dad is a carpenter by hobby, your husband welds, and your mom is the material sewing goddess. Right now the HGTV is on my favorites list as I am looking for more ideas for an outdoor room.

Well, time to go! Take care!