"Part of Their World," a song from one of my favorite Disney movies, The Little Mermaid, makes me think of the relationship I have with my growing children. Ariel collects trinkets and treasures from the human world on land and admires them. I collect photos and memories of my kids' interests and adventures. For Ariel, that is not enough; she wants legs so she can be a part of the world outside the sea. She wants to dance and walk in the sun warmed sand. Like Ariel, I look at the trinkets and activities my children collect or participate in and desire to be a part of it. The older they get the more they venture out into their own worlds without me in search of their own treasure troves. Lucky for me, I already have legs and they frequently invite me to come along. I get to do and see and learn things because of my children's interests that I would not have otherwise.
Both of my boys look forward to NASA (National Auto Sport Association, not to be confused with National Aeronautics Space Administration also known as NASA) season. The season begins in March and ends in October. It means that one Friday afternoon and all day Saturday each month they hitch a trailer to a truck, load up Spencer's Miata, extra tires, tools, food, camping gear, photography equipment, and sometimes friends and head out to the Utah Motor Sports Campus in Erda.
While they both share a love for cars, they are there for different purposes. Spencer, the aspiring race car driver, is there to hone his skills and instruct others in the art of driving fast. Taylor, on the other hand, is there to admire the cars' beauty as well as speed by taking photographs of them both in motion and still.They both log a lot of mileage by the end of the weekend. They both wear a wristband that allows them access to areas that are off limits to the general spectator and Taylor also dons an orange vest with the words, "official photographer," printed on it. Spencer's banner is the number "17" and "TT6," his racing number and category pasted on his car. They both network with other car enthusiasts and Taylor always helps the NASA director set up for the banquet that the racers get to partake of on Saturday night. This act has earned him, among other things, a soft spot in her heart and a job offer (which he did not accept) from her husband. Spencer got invited to a wedding of a fellow racer and scored a DJ gig for his reception.
In addition to the weekend rallies, NASA hosts an event called Wide Open Wednesday or WOW. This event allows anyone who pays a fee, signs a waiver, attends a safety class and has a car and driver's license out on the track with an instructor. Spencer often goes out to instruct in exchange for track time. Taylor only goes on WOW days when he has been given a free voucher in exchange for his help on the weekends. At the end of the season, Taylor found himself with two vouchers and the ability to only use one of them. He asked me if I would like to use one. I both excitedly and reluctantly accepted. I made sure he would not be able to use it himself and planned to venture out with Spencer on a golden October afternoon. We had some discussion as to which car I should use, but really, if I am going to be driving on a race track, it stands to reason that I should drive a race car.
Instead of towing his car, he drove it out and I hauled the racing tires in the back of the truck. I attend one or two NASA Saturday events per season, but this was my first WOW.
I got to be "part of their world" for an afternoon. Sadly, Taylor had another engagement on that particular Wednesday and could not attend. I would have loved to have him there too, but I still felt part of his world because I was using his ticket and he gave it to me and not one of his friends. This time I received a wristband which meant I was allowed into the driver seat and onto the track. After taking care of the prerequisites, I suited up (put on a helmet) and took my place in the lineup with Spencer in the passenger seat. With the window rolled down, the sun in my eyes and my son as my instructor I sped off, going much faster around the turns than I wanted to and not fast enough for Spencer. It was all kinds of scary fun and I would do it again, even if I paid for it myself. It was an experience out of my natural world and I loved it!
Dance is a big part of Estelle's world. She used to sing, act, plan parties, bake, play the viola and tumble. At this point in her life, making friends and dancing are her focus. This is Estelle's third year on a competition dance team. Her competitions, conveniently for me because mountain biking races transpire in the fall, are in the spring. However, this year, the new dance studio owner decided to have the teams attend a convention that took place two weeks ago in Layton. It was scheduled for Friday afternoon and evening then again on Saturday morning, finishing up with a showcase for parents at 2:00 p.m. Layton is not so far and the times of the events too late and early that one could not have reasonably driven up and back on each day or carpooled as most dancers did. She asked if she and I could get a hotel and stay the night. I was reluctant because of the additional cost and because we had just spent a night in a hotel every other week for five weeks with the mountain bikers. But I looked at it as an invitation to part of her often distancing world.
I doubt I fit the "dance mom" persona, but I do love watching my daughter dance. She is graceful and flexible and fluid and strong while I am clumsy and inflexible and rigid and not so strong. Even though we spent much of our time apart; moms were not allowed on the premises until the exhibition on Saturday, we had a delightful time together. Just as I was pulling into the parking lot so I could watch her, I received a text asking where I was. She wanted to make sure I sat on the side of the room where I would be able to see her best. It made my heart happy. Lately she keeps me at arm's length, but I was glad she wanted to make sure I had a good spot. Instead of rushing home, she asked if we could go shopping for Sarah's Christmas gifts. I was glad for our time together and her help with the shopping. She even wrapped Sarah's gifts a couple of days later after she and I had picked out this year's wrapping paper.
Another one started and not quite finished but getting published anyway. November 15, 2019.
Both of my boys look forward to NASA (National Auto Sport Association, not to be confused with National Aeronautics Space Administration also known as NASA) season. The season begins in March and ends in October. It means that one Friday afternoon and all day Saturday each month they hitch a trailer to a truck, load up Spencer's Miata, extra tires, tools, food, camping gear, photography equipment, and sometimes friends and head out to the Utah Motor Sports Campus in Erda.
While they both share a love for cars, they are there for different purposes. Spencer, the aspiring race car driver, is there to hone his skills and instruct others in the art of driving fast. Taylor, on the other hand, is there to admire the cars' beauty as well as speed by taking photographs of them both in motion and still.They both log a lot of mileage by the end of the weekend. They both wear a wristband that allows them access to areas that are off limits to the general spectator and Taylor also dons an orange vest with the words, "official photographer," printed on it. Spencer's banner is the number "17" and "TT6," his racing number and category pasted on his car. They both network with other car enthusiasts and Taylor always helps the NASA director set up for the banquet that the racers get to partake of on Saturday night. This act has earned him, among other things, a soft spot in her heart and a job offer (which he did not accept) from her husband. Spencer got invited to a wedding of a fellow racer and scored a DJ gig for his reception.
In addition to the weekend rallies, NASA hosts an event called Wide Open Wednesday or WOW. This event allows anyone who pays a fee, signs a waiver, attends a safety class and has a car and driver's license out on the track with an instructor. Spencer often goes out to instruct in exchange for track time. Taylor only goes on WOW days when he has been given a free voucher in exchange for his help on the weekends. At the end of the season, Taylor found himself with two vouchers and the ability to only use one of them. He asked me if I would like to use one. I both excitedly and reluctantly accepted. I made sure he would not be able to use it himself and planned to venture out with Spencer on a golden October afternoon. We had some discussion as to which car I should use, but really, if I am going to be driving on a race track, it stands to reason that I should drive a race car.
Instead of towing his car, he drove it out and I hauled the racing tires in the back of the truck. I attend one or two NASA Saturday events per season, but this was my first WOW.
I got to be "part of their world" for an afternoon. Sadly, Taylor had another engagement on that particular Wednesday and could not attend. I would have loved to have him there too, but I still felt part of his world because I was using his ticket and he gave it to me and not one of his friends. This time I received a wristband which meant I was allowed into the driver seat and onto the track. After taking care of the prerequisites, I suited up (put on a helmet) and took my place in the lineup with Spencer in the passenger seat. With the window rolled down, the sun in my eyes and my son as my instructor I sped off, going much faster around the turns than I wanted to and not fast enough for Spencer. It was all kinds of scary fun and I would do it again, even if I paid for it myself. It was an experience out of my natural world and I loved it!
Dance is a big part of Estelle's world. She used to sing, act, plan parties, bake, play the viola and tumble. At this point in her life, making friends and dancing are her focus. This is Estelle's third year on a competition dance team. Her competitions, conveniently for me because mountain biking races transpire in the fall, are in the spring. However, this year, the new dance studio owner decided to have the teams attend a convention that took place two weeks ago in Layton. It was scheduled for Friday afternoon and evening then again on Saturday morning, finishing up with a showcase for parents at 2:00 p.m. Layton is not so far and the times of the events too late and early that one could not have reasonably driven up and back on each day or carpooled as most dancers did. She asked if she and I could get a hotel and stay the night. I was reluctant because of the additional cost and because we had just spent a night in a hotel every other week for five weeks with the mountain bikers. But I looked at it as an invitation to part of her often distancing world.
I doubt I fit the "dance mom" persona, but I do love watching my daughter dance. She is graceful and flexible and fluid and strong while I am clumsy and inflexible and rigid and not so strong. Even though we spent much of our time apart; moms were not allowed on the premises until the exhibition on Saturday, we had a delightful time together. Just as I was pulling into the parking lot so I could watch her, I received a text asking where I was. She wanted to make sure I sat on the side of the room where I would be able to see her best. It made my heart happy. Lately she keeps me at arm's length, but I was glad she wanted to make sure I had a good spot. Instead of rushing home, she asked if we could go shopping for Sarah's Christmas gifts. I was glad for our time together and her help with the shopping. She even wrapped Sarah's gifts a couple of days later after she and I had picked out this year's wrapping paper.
Another one started and not quite finished but getting published anyway. November 15, 2019.
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