When I was hired by Ken Black in 2005, I agreed to leave sunny Huntington Beach, Calif., where I resided and make my home in Michigan to be near Kalitta Motorsports where our team is based. So now I’m going on my third Michigan winter. You would think that I’ve learned a thing or two about snow and ice. I pulled into the shop yesterday morning ever so carefully because I had been warned before I arrived that the parking lot was very icy. I patted myself on the back once I got my car parked safely, without hurting mine or anyone else’s. I gathered up my huge cup of fresh coffee in one hand and my Dasani water in the other hand. I stepped out from my car and didn’t stand a chance.

My feet went right out from under me immediately after touch down on the icy pavement. The balance I gained from years of experience in gymnastics meant nothing as I went crashing down. The worst part was not slamming my arm into the car to break my fall, it was the 24 ounces of scalding hot coffee that spilled all over me. It went in my hair, on my face, all over my pants. Thankfully the jeans were only a Target special for $19.99. My new light brown Ugg boots now have splashes of dark brown all over them which I’m sure is a great fashion statement. The main disappointment over the whole incident was the lost coffee. Eventually the burning sensations all over my face set in and a huge black and blue bump appeared on my arm. Oh, the hazards of my job.

Maybe I haven’t gotten used to the ice and snow because I spend a lot of the winter traveling (yeah, that’s a good excuse). Last week we went to sunny Orlando, Fla., for a couple of days. A group of us -- Rachel Brunner, Ben Marshall, John Glover, Jim Oberhofer, Jon Oberhofer -- from Kalitta Motorsports went to the PRI show. It’s my third year going. We walk around and talk with some of our vendors, sponsors, potential sponsors, and other people we run into. Scott Kalitta was also there for a display with his DHL Funny Car. My favorite part is taking the good people at Red Line Oil out to dinner. This year we went with Kelly Kerrigan, Cameron Evans, and Matt Hupman to Morton’s Steakhouse. It’s an annual tradition as a way of thanking them for giving us such a great product and being so supportive of our team. As always, it was good food and great conversation. I realize the picture isn’t very good. I kept trying to get a good picture of the whole group but I didn’t have much success and the wait staff got tired of me bugging them to take the photo.

After we got back from PRI, we had the Kalitta Motorsports Christmas Party. This is also the third year I’ve gone to that. We all went to Aubrey’s Saloon in Ypsilanti. It’s not a fancy place, but it’s perfect for us. We don’t have to get all dressed up and it’s a relaxed setting where we can hang out, tell some lies, eat some pizza, play some pool, and enjoy a couple cold ones.

Now everyone is back at the shop working hard. The biggest challenge right now, besides staying on my feet on the way to work, is avoiding the plethora (Todd’s word) of sweet treats at work. There is a table full of them calling my name from the kitchen which is right across the hall from my office. Josie Kalitta, who is married to Doug, brought us a big plate of heaven. Rachel, Todd, and I decided to turn out the light and close the door on that room but it didn’t stay closed for long.

Tomorrow I’m going to escape those sweet treats, the ice, the snow, and fly to Charlotte, NC. I will be there for a couple days. I’ll let you know how that goes. Starting Monday, I’m putting myself on a blog schedule since I always work best with deadlines. I’ll update my blog every Monday and Thursday. Talk to you soon.