The Long Dirt Road

Las Vegas Day 2 - NASCAR & AIR COMBAT EXPERIENCE!

March 6, 2015 ~ Today was going to be a fun day in Las Vegas! I had lined up a fun event this afternoon... an Air Combat Flying Experience! We were going to fly planes and were super excited but first things first....it's time for some NASCAR! Las Vegas Motor Speedway is one track we haven't visited yet but that's about to change!

The Spry's have arrived y'all!

#19 Carl Edwards

I really liked this track! They had an awesome place to walk up above to see everything going on after checking things out on the ground level. You could actually look through the glass roof to see the team working on the cars down below. I wish more tracks would have something like this!

We checked out the Neon Garage area.... a great place for fans to visit!

I didn't get a chance to grab a picture with Carl (I want a new one with his new race team/number) but I did get to say hi to him. He's a busy guy and I try not to bother him too much but I did get to catch up with his PR guy, Randy. It was so awesome to see that Randy got to stay with Carl and his recent move to Joe Gibbs Racing as he really is a super nice guy. I gave him one of my "Thank You For Your Service" American Flag challenge coins as he served in the Air Force. He was surprised but appreciative for that!

Brandon got to get a quick picture with Danica...

You have to be quick on your feet cause that girl is fast!

It was time for our Air Combat Flight Experience!

We got picked up from our hotel and shuttled out to Sky Combat Ace where we would go through some basic training and then get suited up for our flights! So exciting!

After a fun little photo session I was ready to get geared up with a parachute and strapped in this bad dog! We would travel to the Hoover Dam, fly 2' above the Colorado River then would began the aerobatics in air! This was freaking amazing and such an adrenaline rush! Flight time would have been a little over an hour and Brandon and I would get to dog fight each other before heading back but sadly we both got sick! (Brandon got sick just a few minutes in the air once they flipped him upside down.) My pilot allowed me to fly the plane and after showing me each of the aerobatic moves allowed me to give them a try.... You will see in the following video that the very last one got me as it was called the hammer. You would fly straight up in the sky then the plane would begin flying backwards almost killing the engine. The cabin filled with a diesel like fuel smell that took my breath away. It was my turn to try the hammer and by this point I needed a little while to get my bearings straight and get over the sick feeling then we must have hit our fuel streak because the smell came back and I couldn't take it. I told him that we should head on back because I was done! He was really nice and apologized for making me sick and if I could do it all over again I would minus the "hammer" maneuver!

http://youtu.be/WWVRSPFDRsA
This is my regular video!

https://youtu.be/79Ppr5PXWbQ
This is a video showing the telemetries so you can see the +/- G Force!

Brandon was excited to do this experience but I had my doubts with his vertigo. All fun and games until they flipped him upside down! When you watch his video you can tell he immediately doesn't feel good and ends up getting sick (not shown in the video of course). He missed out on all the fun stuff like flying low over the Colorado River including the flips and turns in the air and of course the dog fighting! Dang!

So much for dinner plans as we both felt like crap so we were in bed by 6:00 PM! Oh well, there is always tomorrow!

Las Vegas Day 1 - Ghost Hunt in Goodsprings!

March 5, 2015 ~ It's always exciting heading to Las Vegas especially since this would be our first time going to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for NASCAR! We have been to Las Vegas 8 times and I really struggled with things for us to do (yes I am a planner) but have no fear.... I think this will be a fun trip!

After arriving in Las Vegas we caught a shuttle to our hotel. (If you have a little time and depending on when you arrive in Las Vegas taking a shuttle to your hotel is far cheaper than taking a taxi or limo....just sayin') The nice part about this trip is that Bellagio invited us to stay for free, gave us $50 in food credit, $100 in free play and I only had to buy one plane ticket as Brandon flies free where ever I go when using Southwest Airlines so it seemed like a perfect reason to head to Vegas!

While I was searching for things to do for this trip I found a Ghost Hunt in Goodsprings which is about 25 minutes from Las Vegas! We haven't ever done a ghost hunt so we were excited to check it out! We got picked up from Royal Resort just off the Las Vegas strip and shuttled out to the Pioneer Saloon. This place has a lot of cool history and it was interesting learning about this 102 year old saloon as well as those spirits that haunt this place!
http://www.pioneersaloon.info/

The main area and bar....

The side room where we listened to stories and ate pizza...

Outside the Pioneer Saloon....

Goodsprings General Store... I loved this big green scale!

News paper reads "Joe Armstrong shoots to death one Paul Coski"
June 1913 at this very table in the other room and bullet holes are still visible.

With a very full moon we began walking around the town checking out the old buildings using EVP's and other paranormal devices to see if we could talk to any spirits.

It was fun but I wish we could have came back during the day to see this place!
Interested in taking the Goodsprings Ghost Hunt in Las Vegas then here's the details of where and who to buy your tickets from! Our tour guides were awesome!
http://www.viator.com/tours/Las-Vegas/Ghost-Hunt-in-Goodsprings-from-Las-Vegas/d684-2434GGH

So many of you ask me how do we get free stuff all the time and here's the simple answer....

We signed up for M-Life which is exclusive to the MGM properties. This is something you sign up for completely free and as you enjoy hotel stays, dinning, entertainment and spa services you will earn benefits. (You can also earn points when gambling if that is your thing) You can learn more about M-Life by visiting/enrolling here: https://www.mlife.com/

We also signed up for Southwest Rapid Rewards, which is completely free, to earn points when we fly. Then several years ago we applied for a Southwest credit card and earned 50,000 rapid rewards points. (I know most people don't like to use credit cards but if you are going to have a credit card then get one that gives you something back.) We enjoy flying Southwest Airlines because of their customer service, no baggage fees and cities they offer flights to so this made the most sense for us to have their card. Our business also has a Southwest card that is linked to our rapid rewards number so every dollar spent we earn rewards points that can be used to purchase future flights. By using Southwest Rapid Rewards/Southwest credit card we earned companion pass so that Brandon (or 2 other people of my choice but only one at a time) can fly for free where ever I go! This makes going on vacation a lot cheaper when you don't have to pay for airfare!
You can visit / enroll by visiting Southwest Airlines website at: https://www.southwest.com/rapidrewards/overview?clk=GSUBNAV-RR-DETAILS

If you don't have a Southwest Rapid Rewards number and have flown Southwest Airlines in the last 12 months you can enroll in the Rapid Rewards program then call them to get points from past flights! (You will need confirmation numbers from past flights when calling)

#no1leftbehind Demo Weekend!

February 28-29, 2015 - Many of you have heard me talk about the #no1leftbehind campaign that directly impact homeless veterans in Mid-Missouri and I have had several ask when is work going to start on this new campus. After this weekend I can proudly say that work has begun and progress has been made because of Veterans United employees, Team Rubicon, The Mission Continues and Mizzou Student Veterans Association.

(Photo Credit: Veterans United)

What was once known as the Deluxe Inn Hotel at 2112 Business Loop 70 East in Columbia, MO will soon be known at Patriot's Place which will house Welcome Home, Inc. along with offices for Columbia Housing Authority and Harry S. Truman's Veterans Hospital to make it easier to help homeless veterans transition back into the community with resources needed to be successful. This is a hand up not a hand out approach to helping those that fought for our country and our freedom.

(Photo Credit: Veteran's United)
It's hard to imagine that by 2016 these doors will no longer look like an old hotel but instead be a threshold that house deserving men and women that saw our community not give up on them. Behind these doors are a second chance at the life they have earned and totally deserve.

I gotta say that it was incredible and heartwarming to see these volunteers made up of both men and women working so hard together get the demo done (even through snowy Missouri weather) so they can start turning this old hotel into a much needed space for our veterans that would include space for female veterans and families.

Something that I will always remember from this weekend is seeing 5 veterans that currently live at Welcome Home, Inc. came out to help with this project. When they first arrived you could tell that they maybe didn't fit in as smoothly with the group (perhaps because they didn't really know anyone) but I will tell you that by lunch time those guys had their heads held high, chests puffed out and you could see the pride running through their bodies as they were helping to make a difference! I can't tell you how proud I was to witness something like this. You see veterans are some of the most special people. If they noticed for a second that another veteran was needing help fitting in they worked along side them. They may have given a smile and continued to swing a sledge hammer and that veteran just simply said "we got this" without saying a word. Together they make a difference in the lives of others in a positive way and that's exactly what I love about our military men and women!

This demo weekend was truly about taking this campaign to the next level and showing what is going to be done as the funds are raised....

PROGRESS = COMMITMENT!

#no1leftbehind