Hello from Michigan. I appreciate everyone who has been so encouraging. I’ve received some cards, hand-written letters, and e-mails that mean a lot to me and I’m really thankful for the support. I am writing to you today from the Kalitta Motorsports shop where I gladly spend most of my week days. Believe it or not, I haven’t traveled anywhere in over six weeks. I think this is the longest stretch of time I have stayed at home since I can remember. All the traveling over the past several years has been great for me, especially because winters here can be so brutal, but I’ve actually found it really nice to stay in one place for awhile. I’ve found it’s cheaper now since I can buy eggs by the dozen now and milk by the gallon and not have it go bad. And I’ve even discovered there is sunshine to be found here in Michigan, I just have to get up early in the morning to see it.

While I’ve finally learned to relax and enjoy the comforts of home, I’m definitely ready to go racing. I know my KB dragster is, too. Fortunately, I have the opportunity to spend time with him just about every day. He is just sitting at the shop, patiently waiting to go back on the road. I took a photo of him today. I sit in him sometimes, I clean him, talk to him. He is ready to race! I keep telling him I’m doing my best to make that happen because I know we have a lot more winning left in us.

In the meantime, I have been trying to stay busy. The Webelos Cub Scouts of Pack 9, Fortis Academy of Ypsilanti came to our shop the other day, so I was happy to talk about racing with them. I led the six scouts, their leader, Christian Overland, and some parents through the Kalitta shop. I showed them Doug’s dragster, Jeff Arend’s Funny Car, the machine shop, and of course I took them to the quiet side of the shop where my KB team and David Grubnic’s team used to work. My dragster appreciated the visitors.

I explained how the cars work, I described drag racing, and I talked about what it takes to drive. I also sprinkled in some inspirational words about the importance of education and working hard in school. The boys were very attentive and enthusiastic. They asked really great questions.

It seemed liked the scouts really liked being able to see our crew members hard at work getting ready for the next race. Rob, from the DHL team took the time to explain about his job doing cylinder heads. Jason, from the DHL team, demonstrated how to change a Funny Car tire. Then one of the scouts, Zach, proudly tightened a lug nut to 100 pounds torque. The boys were excited that they would then be able to watch that very same tire go down the track in a race on TV. It worked out perfect because the scouts need to learn tire changing skills to earn their Handyman Badge. It was fun having the Webelos Cub Scouts at our shop.

I almost asked them if I could qualify for the Handywoman Badge because I ended up changing the tire on my everyday car the week before. I got a flat while I was driving along on a busy street in Ypsilanti. It was quite the scene, but I didn’t tell the scouts about the incident.

When it first went flat, I tried to pretend it didn’t happen, and I drove along for a little bit and listened to the rubber flap around hitting the fender well while my wheel clanged against the pavement and the car went lopsided. I finally came to terms with the fact that I had a flat and cautiously pulled over on a side street.

I don’t have AAA and I generally don’t like asking for help so I decided to fix it myself. I searched around and dug out the jack and all the tools which I hadn’t come across once in the three years I’ve had the car. I didn’t even know where they were. Once I took out all the junk I had piled inside my car, I was able to find the tools I needed. That was actually the hardest part. I lowered the spare, loosened the lug nuts, jacked the car up and went through the steps. I thought the poor little jack they gave me was going to bust, but it held up okay. It’s a good thing I remembered to fully tighten the lug nuts once it was fully on the ground because surely my mighty strength would have knocked the car off the jack … ha-ha.

The whole process took me a good hour and a half from start to finish. I only got a little dirty and, thankfully, no strangers offered to help. I felt a sense of accomplishment. I called both my parents after I was done. I knew my mom would have fixed the tire herself if she had been in my position. I knew my dad raised me to be the type of person who could change her tire by herself if she needs to. I’ve been driving around on that spare for about two weeks, and it hasn’t fallen off, so I must have done something right.

This weekend I should probably go get a new tire since I’m driving around on a spare without a spare. But in all honestly, I’ll probably procrastinate that a little longer. I don’t really have a lot planned this weekend. I’m getting my hair highlighted; maybe she can make it little more orange this time. Just kidding.

Also this weekend, I’ll be doing some cheering from home. The Michigan gymnastics team is traveling to Arkansas for their NCAA Regionals. I’m a big fan and have gone to a lot of their home meets so I’ll be following the results online. I wish them luck and hopefully they qualify for nationals. Of course I’ll also be cheering for my teammates who are racing in Las Vegas this weekend. I’ll be following via the NHRA audio broadcast, ESPN2, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Good luck guys and have fun!!