FULL THROTTLE!

Oh My Gosh! As long as I have known Don, one thing is perfectly clear: He enjoys life to the fullest! He gives with all his heart, he works with all his heart and he plays with all his heart and he loves with all his heart! Always at Full Throttle.
So I am not surprised that he has jumped into this past time with everything he has. I am talking about Nascar!
Two years, 2 months and 14 days ago I didn't even know he had ever even thought about Nascar. A friend of ours, Kenny Baily, loved it and I recall thinking him over the top when he took the day off of work for Dale Earnhardt's funeral. I didn't know it but at the time they made an agreement if one or the other went to Bristol (evidently a big race), the other could go, too.
Two years, 2 months and 13 days ago, Don and I were at a fund raiser for Camille and Olivia's school. Don and I were at our table with our friends eating dinner and enjoying the conversation when I noticed that Don was bidding on a Live Auction item. I looked toward the stage and saw that it was a Nascar Package. It had to be what he was bidding on, but I still had to take a double look! With a huge sigh of relief, I noticed that the date was the same as an item that we had one at an auction the month before. Picnic with the Pops was on the same date. Naturally, he quit bidding on the Nascar Package. Big Sigh!
Three months later, our phone rang on the Tuesday before the BIG RACE at Bristol. The Chair for the event that had the package called to say that the couple that actually won the package would give it to Don for a small donation to the school. Well, he snapped that right up! Tuesday before the event on Friday! He now had four tickets and I should be glad that he did ask me very first if I wanted to go. I said (with emphasis, I might add) "No." Honestly, he was going to go whether someone was with him or not. That there were three more tickets and only 3 more days until the race wasn't going to stop him. He asked Johnny Merritt and he was "in". Our friend Kenny Baily was "in". No one else could get out of town with such short notice but Johnny said that he knew a guy that had his own plane that they could rally.
So now they had to find accommodations. After calling around a little, they were finally told that there just were not anymore rooms left close by but they could probably find some place in "Lexington Kentucky." hehehe.
So, with this short notice, Don had found 3 friends with whom he could go to the races. They had a plane and a plan. As the pilot could only be on duty for 15 hours, they would leave at 1pm on Saturday and they would have until 4am on Sunday to have the pilot back before FAA restrictions. The cost of the plane and the pilot was rationalized because it was way better than a dui! Someone was going to get a dui.
The man that donated the Luxury Suite for the Nascar Package is someone that we had never met before. His name is Brian Sturgill. Don contacted him on Thursday to let him know about everyone that was coming. Brian said to call him when they landed and he would have a car pick them up from the airport.
So. There they go. Four men that had never been to a Nascar race now had a private plane, transportation to the track and luxury box tickets. What little boy would not be unbelievably excited about this?
Now, this is me, right. And me being me has to be sure MY little boy is not in danger and I call him at every chance I get that I know he is capable of answering the phone. I called him pre-departure and he is just giddy!. He is just getting on the plane and he was about to POP with excitement. Actually, I could feel the testosterone from our house. And that, my friends, is something Don Fishback doesn't get to have around him too often.
I called him two hours later (while I was at the Picnic with the Pops) and they had just landed safely. He would call back when they got in the car but they were having problems reaching Brian on the phone.
He called me back in about 30 minutes AS THEY WERE BOARDING THE HELICOPTER! He was just about over the edge because he was taking a helicopter to Nascar! I heard from him one more time that night. They had something called a Hot Pass. This pass enables a spectator to watch from...well...right beside the track. He was down in the pits with the pit crews on the Nascar race track. When he called, he screamed that he wouldn't hear me but "ROBIN. LISTEN TO THIS!" RRRRRROARRRRRR! As loud as I have ever heard. He was right there!
At that time, I guess it was maybe a small dawning of realization that Don was now a huge Nascar fan. Who wouldn't be given this very first experience? Who wouldn't be hooked when the whole package was so filled with so much Guy Stuff? Just Guy Stuff!
Alright. Fine. There have been a lot of evolutions in our life together. We have gone from care-free beach bums to settled home owners to responsible parents. We have gone through all of this with synchronization. This is where we are out of sync a tiny bit. I am (admitting this with head down) slowly learning about this beloved past time of his while he is going at it Full Throttle!