A bit of disappointment...

I'm going to be visiting my aunt (mom's sister) in the next few weeks as both my mom and I travel to her home.  I bought the airline tickets for the trip as a gift for my mom and have also paid for the rental car that we'll use to get to my aunt's home after flying to the general area.  I'm psyched about the trip as I've not seen my aunt in a few years, and even longer than that since I was last able to visit her at her home (she was in our general area a few years back when my grandmother passed away, that was the last time I saw her in person).

My aunt has been fighting off breast cancer for the second time in approximately a decade.  We're not sure how well the fight is really going this time, but we're thankful for each additional day my aunt has and hope for the best.  On the plus side, she's in a period of respite from the treatments she's been taking so our trip will hit at a time when she should be feeling as well as the disease will let her (since the meds and treatment that is nearly as bad as the disease won't be impacting her).

I had been hoping that while taking this trip I'd get to do an item from my own bucket list, driving a race car around a NASCAR track.  There's a track in the region and they do offer the opportunity to take advantage of a 10 lap drive around the track in a genuine NASCAR car, but unfortunately there aren't any opportunities to do that event while I'll be in the area.  Just no openings in the scheduling at the track/driving school   Hopefully I'll be able to do that event in the future.  There's another track in my general area that offers the same opportunity, but again on a limited schedule.  I may try to do that event with a friend later this summer, depending on how much free time either of us has.

Despite that disappointment, I am looking forward to the trip.  My mom and I will get a chance to visit with each other and talk amongst ourselves for a while.  We don't often get much time to visit, but during this trip we will.

I still have reservations to get made, but those depend a bit on how our visit schedule starts to lay itself out.  Over the next few days that will firm up and I'll play around a bit on Priceline or Hotwire and make some room reservations and such.

Best part of all of this?  This is just trip #1 of the season for me.  My kids and I will be doing a family vacation not long after.  That one has long since been planned and mostly paid for.  That'll be serving (somewhat) as our final goodbye to my wife (the kids mom) as we scatter the rest of her (ashes) remains during the trip.

That's all for now, other than perhaps a quick note to say that the Helen Thomas situation is almost as amusing as watching more and more incumbents having a hard time getting renominated so they can try to defend their current seats in Congress.