A little over a week ago,Joe and I were at OUR 11th Indy 500. This race, and weekend, is so special for us and we look forward to it all year. We went to our first race in 2005, have continued the 500 Tradition, and have followed the Indy Car Series every season since. Yes - all the races. Its official…. We are race nerds. Our friends will gladly confirm this.
I wanted to write about how special it is for so many reasons. I love to talk about it. Those of you that know me are probably sick of hearing about it and "just don’t get it."
Well – guess what? TOO BAD!!
When we LOVE something, when we are passionate about something, we want to share that experience with the world....… it’s just how we roll as humans!
WHY do we love this so much?
First and foremost – race weekend is our annual celebration of our Anniversary. We were not married at our first race in 2005, in 2006 we had to skip it because we were getting married! And we just celebrated 12 years of marriage this last Sunday. So this race is literally intertwined with our history as a couple/family.
Its Memorial Day weekend. Yes, that means an extra day off but more importantly we honor those that have served, are still serving and all that they sacrifice. There is NO BETTER place to do this than at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is the most patriotic event we attend all year and every year I shed some tears when we see all the military paraded on the track, we hear TAPS and of course our National Anthem. Goosies every year.
We were introduced to this race by my close friend Amy, who lives in Indianapolis. Without her we would not be the fans we are today. With her came an army of friends and family we have have been blessed to get to know and become close with over the years. This is priceless for me. I love reconnecting with all these folks when we are in town.
It’s all about Tradition…. Every year we do a lot of the same things...... eat the same things, wear the same things, leading up to the race and on race day. We are getting older and the weekend is tamer but every year it is perfect. For us it is about connecting with people and seeing the race. What happens in between we are grateful for regardless. There is one person who has always been the race “coordinator” so to speak. Our own Julie McCoy!! She is a sucker for traditions like us and she loves the race experience. Without her and Amy, this weekend would not be the same. This last year marked her 35th race. Wow. Thank you Michelle for all you do on race weekend. You are my hero! You and Amy are my Race Sisters!
“Tradition: how the vitality of the past enriches the life of the present”
- T.S Elliot
Lastly – as we advance through the years, I am so grateful that races have become our family tradition at home. We look forward to them, we make snacks and watch them together and the kids know a lot of the drivers and have favorites. It literally warms my heart. After this last 500 my daughter asked AGAIN when they get to go. I can not wait til we get to bring them and bring this special weekend and tradition full circle.
