When two worlds or more collide...

That is what happens when the jet car season spools up at the same time as life happens. Jet car world meets Girl Scouts!! We always try to working things so they don't conflict with each other but sometimes CRASH!! they hit.

First part of the year for you GS rookies, it the infamous cookie sale time. As much as jet car parts, smells, meetings, phone calls suck up time, I now have a better understanding for it with cookies pickup, booths, phone calls, late nights, and all the other things that go with the mad rush at cookie time.

With the TDY trip and Disney trip over, the non stop cookie sales were winding up. For others, it is add up sales and turn in the money, but no not us. For Deborah is the COOKIE MANAGER for the neighborhood. Which means not only does she have to balance her troop, but the endless supply of troops in the neighborhood. Count and recount, add and re-add, checking that all the little troopers get the correct awards, deposit all the money and then finally be done.

Wrong!! She and another troop leader took on an additional fund raiser to help out the neighborhood. That's my girl!! It's cool except for the 900+ boxes of cookies in my garage!!

Where does this collide you may ask? Well we are doing a Car Show for the Girl Scout on April 1. I have been designing new handout cards, new t-shirts, and finalizing new sponsor before the date. Of course this means, My Dad, My Brothers, and myself bounce the ideas back and forth until a majority of us agree. Then get the new lettering done for the Invader and trailer for the new sponsors.

If that was not enough, we were coordinating to get some cars for a race on short notice for a track, plus help repair another jet dragster so they may race on the 1st of April.

So CRASH!!! With work, and race car, and girl scouts, it has been a lot of 2 am nights or mornings whichever you prefer!!

Magic Kingdom

So after spending a few days in Florida, and Disney World where would you go to??? Well after flying home on Friday, We were off to spend six, yes six count them, fun filled glorious days in..... you guessed it the Magic Kingdom, Disneyland. With a six and four year old what else do you do.
After a six hour drive to So Cal, where is the first place anyone should end up??? That is right, you guessed it again.... DEIST SAFETY!!! Truely the happyest place on earth!!

Why you ask? Where else can you have your belts reinspected and tagged, find all kinds of racing history, pick out some new chutes, have you kids terrorize a poor dog, and sit and talk to a true legend in MOTORSPORT history.

Jim and Mariane have always treated my family and me as one of their family. Where else can you deal with people who REALLY care about your safety. See them at www.deist.com

After leaving their shop, the rest of the trip was great, but with anyone with little kids knows, I was ready to come home after a few days!!

Land of the cold....

Finding myself going on a trip for work, I left the warm winter air of Phoenix for the near arctic temperatures of the frozen Florida! No it is not really like that, but a little cooler. Having a conference in Orlando is not that bad!!

Breaking free of the work load I was able to sqeak in a dinner trip into Epcot. It was like a whirl wind tour of most of the countries I have been deployed to without the jet lag!!

I also found time to meet with my friends, the Larsens. They field the Miss ta Fire jet dragster and are in the process of building a couple more cars. With a huge shop, a wonderful view from the house, it really seems like the perfect place to live. If it wasn't for the big winds they get every few years. I guess we will stay in the heat!!

We had a good time and even had a birthday dinner for Elaine. She finally made it to the big XX. Ha you thought I would post how old she is? Never, not going to piss her off. She will take it out on me by cutting a good light. So forget it, I am going to need all the help I can when we face off in August.

Both of us will be running at Kennedale in Texas. Check out their website at www.misstafire.com

Later

Family Day...

On the 3 rd of March, the 161st Air Refueling Wing had their family appreciation day at the base. It is the one day of the year that they make the families really know how much their support means to the airmen. They had lots of activities for the families, a rock wall, three different bounce houses, pony rides, face painting, movies, a dunk tank, and a lot more.

The fire department was out handing out information and letting the kids aim the fire hose. They had static displays from the Phoenix Police department with a S.W.A.T. vehicle and a helicopter.

The Arizona Guard had two different tanker aircraft on display, a KC-135E model and a newer KC-135R model that the 161st now flies. Not to be out done, the 162st from Tucson brought up a F-16 for everyone to see.

Along with all that, we had the Invader displayed in the main area. It was a fun day for all!

With the winding down of the day, the F-16 departed for Tucson, but no before making a vertical departure and disappearing into the sky.