• Relationships Take Work

    Racing and Life: The Wall’s Teachings

    Drag racing is dangerous. My husband, Bobby, is a professional funny car driver. Over the years, I’ve seen many racecars crash. As much as I love this sport, it can tear your heart out to lose beloved friends to it. The two most common safety issues in our sport are cars catching fire and cars hitting the wall. Often, these incidents occur simultaneously. Bobby has been on fire three times. I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more just to…never see that again. OK, if you didn’t get that joke, you’re too young. Or I’m too old. Haha! Jokes aside, it’s horrifying to watch the most precious…

  • Date Night

    20 Winter Dates for 20 Bucks

    I’ve got 20 easy, FUN, and cheap date ideas for winter! All under $20. Just try one. Capiche? Make cookies. You can go homemade or buy a mix. ...and give them away. Package them up in Ziploc bags and deliver them to neighbors or retirement homes near you. Have a kitchen showdown! Challenge each other to a cook-off – you can split the $20 at the grocery store however you’d like, but each person must whip up as full a meal as possible with what they’ve got. This is my Chicken Marsala – do not and I repeat – DO NOT – challenge me to a cook-off. 4. Put together a…

  • Relationship Advice

    Hey, Get a Room

    “Hey, get a room”. These words have been said to me and my husband, Bobby, literally dozens of times over the years. I’m a modest woman. I don’t dress or speak provocatively in front of others, and we have never crossed any line beyond a quick kiss on the lips in public. So what prompts this consistent and common response from people? I don’t know. I’m always a little surprised. So I did what I always do when I don’t know something. I asked my husband. He didn’t know either. So, I’ve been mulling it over, and here’s what I think. Most people don’t speak sweetly to each other after…

  • Relationship Advice

    It’s Harder to Receive Than to Give

    I almost dropped a Hail Mary pass this week. I know, I’ve never caught a football in my life! But it’s the perfect metaphor for what happened with my husband this week. I ran smack into the realization that it’s harder to receive than to give. In a 1975 playoff game, the Dallas Cowboys were down 14 to 10 against the Minnesota Vikings. With only twenty-four seconds left on the clock in the fourth quarter, Cowboys’ quarterback Roger Staubach threw a winning, miracle pass to wide receiver Drew Pearson. Staubach said that when he threw the ball to Pearson, “I closed my eyes and said a Hail Mary.” This play…