"Shame on you if you fool me once, shame on me if you fool me twice"

It is a well known fact that, as far as driving is concerned, I border on being crazy/aggressive. Not road-rage-aggressive, more like push-it-to-the-legal-limit aggressive. Let me put it this way: the car is an extension of my body. :) There have been a few times I've driven with Kirk in the passenger seat, and to his credit he's never said anything to let on that he felt nervous. But when I look over and find him gripping the edge of the seat or "Oh Crap" handle with white knuckles, I try to behave myself.

Kirk, on the other hand, is a good, conscientious driver. He's cautious, goes the speed limit more often than not, no abrupt stops, etc. He can drive fast, but usually does so only when we are late to church or something.

Now for the story. When we were dating, Kirk took me to a go-cart race track, and we trash talked a little bit (tension is good for the relationship). He led the whole time except at the very end, when I wedged in by his rear bumper and flipped his sorry cart around. I finished the race in first place, with Kirk claiming I had cheated. *as a side note, the rules did say "no bumping." But who drives go-carts without a little pushin' and shovin'? So. Last night for family home evening, we decided to settle the dispute and revisit the battle ground. This time, I made him go first and it was a replay of the first race. He led until just before the last lap when I made my signature move and flipped his car around to finish in first place, again. The burden of the champion is heavy, but I bear it gladly. And can you believe it, he still insists I cheated! It's sad what competition does to some people.

Rise and shout, the Cougars are out . . .

I hate confessions. Last year I was a die hard University of Utah fan, and we beat BYU and then went on to beat Alabama in an undefeated season. It was glorious. I swore I would never turn my back on the crimson tide.

Ahem. Well, Kirk is a BYU fan, so to keep the peace I've started cheering for BYU. We even have BYU shirts we wear on gamedays. If some of my Salt Lake friends knew of my betrayal, they would cut me off and never look back. My only redemption is knowing that on the day Utah plays BYU this year, I will be wearing red and laughing at Kirk's dismay when we beat them again, this time on their own field (this is big talk, I know. But if nothing else, I can lay down the trash talk). But until that day, I'm in BYU blue. Here is a glimpse of the true blue cougar fan.
Yes, that is vintage BYU attire, people. It's probably as old as I am. Someday you'll be flipping through the tv channels and see Kirk and me on the Antiques Roadshow with this jacket, and we'll find out it's priceless.

Here's our update: Kirk is excited for November because HP is revamping their inside sales force. The changes will be very conducive to Kirk's personality. He's super busy with his calling as ward mission leader, but has some great ideas to help get the members excited about doing missionary work. As for me, school is going well and keeping me very busy. I did a clinical shift in the critical care and learned so much in just that one shift. One patient was very near death and the nurse I shadowed talked with the family about the patient's wishes for end-of-life care, and helped them come to the decision to take her off life-support. Then the nurse offered to pray with the family. It was a very special experience for the family, and seemed to comfort them. It reminded me of the blessing it is to have a testimony of the gospel, to know what happens after we die, and that families can be together forever. It was a somber but sweet experience.

To end on a lighter note, I have another confession to make. Sid, this one is for you. I have started running! During high school I would "cheat" a little on my track workouts because I only competed in the jumping events, and wanted to work more on technique than endurance. Plus, I hated feeling my lungs burn and my legs ache. But now I kind of enjoy it. Further proof that miracles do happen.