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It’s been several months since I last updated my blog. A lot has changed in my life since then. I am sorry to say that this is going to be my final blog.
Since I last updated you guys and gals, I have made a major life decision. Like the saying goes ... when one door closes, another one opens. Well, I’ve decided to close the door on my racing career to open the door to my future. Racing motorcycles has been nearly 100 percent of my focus for almost my entire life. I have sacrificed just about everything that you can possibly imagine to accomplish the goals that I set for myself. In 1995, 14 years ago, I wrote a letter to George Bryce (who had never heard of me) and told him that I was going to be a NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion. When I wrote that letter, I had never even sat on a Pro Stock bike yet. To the world, I was just a girl with a ridiculous dream. No one knew who I was, I had no money, no big racing last name, no connections to the sport what so ever. But what I did have was passion, determination, will power and the most stubborn “I’LL SHOW YOU!!” attitude ever!
I told lots of people what I wanted to do and everyone laughed at me, except, of course, my parents, and George or Jackie Bryce. My mom especially has always told me that I can accomplish anything! Everyone else looked at me as if I had lost my mind. But not George; he told me that we could win together and, oh boy, did we win: 41 wins and three world championships. What a ride! Thanks George and Jackie, and thanks to everyone at Star Racing for taking a chance on the girl with the crazy dream.
I did exactly what I set out to do. I accomplished every goal that I made for myself before I started racing. Along the way, I set a few more goals and I accomplished all but one. I really wanted to drop the title of “Winningest Female Racer” and gain the title of “Winningest Racer” in Pro Stock Bikes. I guess I fell just short of that one.
As I look back on my career in racing, I do feel a great deal of pride but I also wonder if the sacrifices that I made were all worth it. Being a female in this sport can take it’s toll in several different ways. I won’t take the time that I would need to explain every detail, but I will tell you that it was very difficult for me at times. My racing career was really hard on my family and was especially hard on any relationship I tried to have. I took a public bashing for quite some time because of my name changes. I had two failed marriages, due mostly to the demands of a life and job away from home. In a similar situation, I had a business nearly bankrupt me because I couldn’t be here to oversee what was happening while I was gone. My brother and I didn’t speak for almost two years because my “distance” from the family literally came between us. But most important of all, I am still childless. I don’t even think I can explain the feeling of being a 39-year-old woman who doesn’t have a child. It’s just not natural. I have lived every day for at least the past 10 years with a giant hole in my heart. I chose to put off having children until later in life, but I never really thought it was going to be this late.
I was scared that my friends and some of my family would be disappointed. I had actually been believing that “Angelle the racer” was all that they cared about. I didn’t think that anyone wanted to know me for me, but only because of my racing. This had really affected my self esteem and had caused me to be extremely insecure. But when I told them, they all seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Then I knew that they really do love me and that I was doing the right thing.God has given me another chance. At the beginning of the 2009 season, Shirley Muldowney contacted me to ask if I would be interested in driving a Top Fuel dragster for her. Despite what I had been feeling for quite some time, I did not hesitate to say yes! Just days before that call, my mom broke down to me and said how happy she was that I wasn’t racing anymore. She said that my family wanted me home and they wanted me safe. She said that she thanks God everyday for allowing me to have the career that I had without ever being injured. I reluctantly called to inform her of my decision to pursue a Top Fuel ride, she somberly replied “I’ll support whatever decision you make, I just want you to be happy.” Those words rang loud and clear in my head for several months. Although the idea of racing with Shirley, and especially in a Top Fuel car, excited me so much that my spine tingled, I couldn’t lie to myself about what was really going fill the hole in my heart. At the final hour Shirley informed me that the deal fell through, I felt so many different emotions at once. I was sad, but happy. Scared but relieved. Mad but glad. I knew that this was my sign. It was time for me to close this door and open the next one.
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The best thing of all happened after that. My boyfriend of three years, Seth Drago, took me up in a hot air balloon ride and asked me to be his wife. How romantic! I knew just then that he loves me for who I really am. He doesn’t care if I am on TV, how much money I make, what sponsors I have or what “title” I hold. He just loves me for me and that’s all there is to it. I couldn’t ask for anything better in the whole world.
So this time around, my sacrifices are going to be a little different. My focus will be on Seth and the children that I pray God will bless us with. I will soak up every moment I get with my friends and family. I am going to live my life in the slow lane for a while. I am going to enjoy a normal life in the real world.
I want to thank all of you who rooted for me. Thank you for your support, for your friendship and, most of all, for your prayers. You have no idea how much it has meant to me over the years. I may have missed out on a lot with my friends and family at home while I was racing, but I sure do have lots of memories from my extended family and friends that I made on the road. I was very blessed to have met so many of you. I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again: You all really were the wind beneath my wings!!
Thank you for reading my blogs. I hope they were at least a little entertaining for you and that you have learned something about me that you might not have known otherwise. Beneath the helmet was just a girl chasing a dream; I hope you’ll do the same in your lives. It’s never too late to get what you want! Champion the right to be yourself. Dare to be different. Live your own life and follow your dreams, for in the end, if we live truly, we shall truly live!
God Bless each and every one of you.
Cajun News Hotline......
I am sad to report dat dare has been two tragic losses in South Louisiana. Thibodeaux has passed away ... and in his will he axed to be buried at sea. Boudreaux, Thibodeaux’s brother and best friend, done drowned while trying to dig Thibodeaux’s grave. May day boat rest in peace!
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Here are the co-owners of G. Smith Motorsports, Glen Smith and Gary Smith
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Halloween is almost here! It's one of my favorite times of the year. I love to dress up and especially love to see the kids dressed up. It’s so much fun to me. Last year while we were in Vegas, I dressed up like an NHRA Cheerleader. I haven’t decided on this years costume yet. If I am home, I will be going to my friend Brooke’s birthday party. A costume party, of course. I’m not sure yet if I will be home though. I’ve actually been traveling a bit lately. This past weekend I was in Richmond, Va., for the races. It was kind of a last minute thing and I wasn’t too sure how I was going to take it because of my last two episodes at the races, which were in Gainesville and Indy, but this time was different. I’m not sure if it was because the bikes were not there, or because I am just feeling better about it, but I was really happy to be there from the moment I got to the track.
A couple weekends before that, I went to Orange Beach, Ala., with my parents for a Shriners event. Seth had to work so unfortunately he couldn’t make it. My dad and I hung out on the beach together while my mom went to a tea party. They had to create their own themed hats for the party. Here’s a picture of me wearing the one my mom made. We also had a door decorating contest and best of all, a luau. We had a blast! My dad’s Shriner friends are wonderful people and I really enjoy being around them.
I’ve also been busy at home. Besides studying and the usual Coral Fever stuff, I am now working with a company called G Smith Motorsports. They are a locally owned Bourget Bike Works Motorcycle Dealer located in St. Rose, La. Bourget Bike Works is well known in the motorcycle industry for its unique custom designed motorcycles. BBW is ranked one of the top motorcycle builders in the custom motorcycle world.
This is from the press release:
Glen Smith, co-owner of G. Smith motorsports comments, “A partnership between G. Smith Motorsports and Angelle Sampey is a perfect match. As we move forward with major event rallies and fundraising activities across the south, we are proud to have Angelle represent our business. Angelle’s dedication to the racing industry and her drive to be the best align with the G. Smith/Bourget business philosophy. We strive to be the best in product, sales and service to our clients.”
Angelle’s first public appearance representing G. Smith Motorsports is Saturday, Nov. 7 from noon until 4:00 p.m. at Louisiana Custom Cruisers Benefit Car Show in Boutte, La. Angelle will showcase her new Bourget motorcycle provided by G. Smith Motorsports, as well as sign autographs and take pictures with fans. Come join us.
I am very excited about this opportunity. G Smith Motorsports is involved in lots of charities that I am proud to be a part of.
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Speaking of Charities. I want you guys to know about one in particular that is very close to my heart. It’s called Jaylen’s Challenge. The website address ishttp://www.jaylenschallenge.org
This site is the dream of a wonderful little boy named Jaylen. Jaylen suffers from Tourette Syndrome. He wants to educate people about bullying, bringing attention to the difficulties he faces in his day to day living . He hopes to make you laugh, make you cry, but most importantly make you aware that those with disabilities are not only normal - but incredibly special people. With your help and support he can spread the word and teach people to help ... not bully
The reason that this is so close to my heart is because my nephew Logan has Tourette Syndrome. It’s such a terrible thing for other kids to bully such sweet children like Logan and Jaylen for something that they don’t understand. So if you guys have kids, or even if you don’t, please take a moment to look at Jaylen’s site. Help your kids to understand what Tourette’s is, and that they should never bully or tease a child that has it. Help them to understand that they should never bully anyone for any reason.
Well that’s about all that I have for you guys today. I wish you all a very SPOOKtacular Halloween! Be safe and Have Fun!! I know I will!
One day Boudreaux went to the doctor to get a check up. Boudreaux says to the doctor, "Mais you know something doc ... my wife Clotile, she's having trouble wit her hearing."
De doc say, "Well Boudreaux, how bad is it?"
"Mais doc I don't know how bad it really is but she don't seem to hear me at all. What's de best way to find out how bad her hearing is?"
De doc say, "Boudreaux, when you get home stand about 20 feet behind Clotile and say something in your regular voice. If Clotile don't respond then move up 10 feet and try again. If you don't get any response again move up five feet and try, then if you don't get any response move right up behind her and try."
When Boudreax got home, Clotile was wash dem dish in de sink so he get about 20 feet back and say, "Clotile what we havin for dinner?"
Mais there was no response, so he move up 10 feet and say dat again. Still no response so he move up five feet and try. Nothing...
"Hunh, it worse dan I tought," Boudreaux say to himself.
He move right up behind Clotile now and ax her one mo time, "Clotile, what we havin for dinner?"
Clotile turned, looked at him and said, "For the fourth time, I said we havin' chicken and rice!"
I’ve been putting off my blog update for some time now because I just really haven’t had much going on to write about. My days are mostly filled with studying for my RN refresher course to get my license reinstated. Other than that, I work on Coral Fever stuff, which is my aquarium business, for those of you who haven’t read my blogs before. We’ve been getting in lots of gorgeous corals lately so it takes me a lot of time to photograph them and post them on our website. www.coralfever.com is where you can see what we have to offer.
It has been pretty much a non racing year for me so far. Until recently, the only race I attended this season was the Gators in Gainesville Florida. I haven’t even been able to watch them on T.V. It’s just too hard for me. But this past weekend was different. I attended the U.S. Nationals and unlike Gainesville, I had a BLAST!! Well to be perfectly honest, as we drove through the gate, my heart was pounding and my emotions took over and no matter how hard I tried to hold it back... I started to cry. I thought to myself, “I’m never going to be able to deal with this! I shouldn’t have come here and I want to go home!” but after I was out of the car and especially after I got a hug from my favorite Top Fuel racer, Antron Brown, my emotions turned to happiness and excitement to be BACK AT THE RACE TRACK!!!
Being back at the track for the first time in six months was quite a feeling. I really was dreading being there because I knew that it was going to hurt. I am NOT a spectator! I am a RACER! Thank goodness the pain only lasted for the short drive into the infield. The whole time I was there, I could feel my heart pounding inside of my chest. My senses were heightened and the adrenaline was rushing. It was like I had consumed a case of Full Throttle all at once.
I’ve been enjoying my time at home and have taken complete advantage of the many months of much needed R and R... but man did it feel good to feel the earth shake and to smell the nitro and to see my friends again at the most exciting motorsports arena in the world, THE U.S. NATIONALS!!!
I spent most of my time in the Pro Stock bike pits this time. In Gainesville, I couldn’t go there because I was a wreck, just thinking about not racing with them. But this time was different. I was happy to be there and excited to see them race. I swore that I would never admit this to anyone, but I’m really good friends with Craig Treble, so that’s where I hung out. I even drove Craig’s bike to the staging lanes for him once with him pushing me up there. It was so funny because all of the bike teams just pointed and laughed because Craig and I have a reputation for hating each other. It’s more like a big brother, little sister relationship except although he’s MUCH older, I’m still bigger! LOL.... Well not really, he’s not that much older than me but he is a little taller. Maybe an inch or two.
After truly enjoying the bikes from the sidelines, I realized that I’ve come to terms with the fact that my Pro Stock Bike racing days are quite possibly over and I am actually at peace with it. I believe that God has other plans for me. I sent up a few request lately, hoping that those plans include replacing my most excellent Custom Bates leathers with one of those really cool looking Impact Racing firesuits! That’s right boys and girls, I’m talking about Nitro Baby!! Well of course I’d also like to win the lottery, find the fountain of youth, be able to eat anything I want and never gain weight and most importantly, experience World Peace! But for right now, I’d settle for a ride in one of those big bad fuelers!!
Yeah, yeah, I know, I’m dreaming, but at least I’m dreaming big and you gotta have a dream! I believe that they make us what we are. In the book Who Says The Fat Lady Has To Sing? Bob Wosczyk writes, “With change comes growth, but we will never grow if we never change. And if we never grow, we will never get what it is that we really want out of life. Our dreams will never come to pass.” I’m ready for t hat change. I’m ready for the growth. I’m ready for my dreams to once again become a reality.
I still don’t know which of my dreams is the one God is going to choose for me, there are a couple others that I’d rather keep to myself for the moment. So in the meantime, I will continue to pray, hope, dream and of course, study, study, study, until I reach my next adventure. I know that where ever my journey takes me, that my greatest days are ahead of me, and that no matter what, I am going to continue to live an extraordinary life.
Be blessed everyone!
Boudreaux axed Thibodaux the other day...
“ May Thib... why do dem scooba diven people always fall backwards out of da boat?”
Thibodaux replies... “ Boudreaux! You So Stupid You!... if they would fall forward, den they would still be IN DA BOAT!!!”
June 18, 2009
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Ok, so I figured it was time that I drop in to say hello and tell you guys what’s been going on in my “non racing” world. Actually, I have really been enjoying my time off even more than I anticipated. I guess after nearly 14 years of traveling, a break was exactly what I needed. It’s been so nice to be home for every occasion that I’ve been missing for so many years. It’s funny when my friends and family call me and ask, “Angelle, will you be home the weekend of…” and I just laugh and say, “Yes, I’ll be home.” It’s funny because they are asking because they expect me to say “no,” or that “I have to check my race calendar,” and most of the time I would have a race on the weekend in question. But this time when they ask, I don’t even have to look… I just know I will be home. So some of what I’ve been up to is spending time with friends and family. I have been very fortunate to be able to help my mom and dad take care of my 95-year-old grandmother. Her name is Doris Sampey. She is my dad’s mom. My dad and his brothers and sister are taking turns having her for a little while at a time, and when she is at my parents house, I get to see her. Last visit, I styled her hair and did her makeup before we attended my nephew Logan’s 7th birthday party, an event that I would normally miss due to the Chicago or Englishtown race.
I’ve always found it amazing that my grandmother is 95 and still going strong, but I really freaked out when she told me what year she was born, I just hadn’t thought about it that way before. She said it was in 1914. I just can’t get a handle on that. Can you imagine? The progress she has witnessed… the technology, the changes, the births, and the deaths. It overwhelms me to think of what she has seen and experienced. The other night, I sat and wrote out our family tree just to see what lives have taken place because of her. It was pretty amazing to see how many people she and my late grandfather are responsible for. Both of my grandfathers passed several years ago, but both of my grandmothers are still doing great. I really am thankful for this time that I am getting to spend with both of them. I am including a picture of the two: Doris Sampey, 95, on the left, and Helen Hartman, 86, on the right.
Another thing that has been taking up most my time is my studying. I am back in school to get my RN license reinstated. I have to take a Registered Nurse refresher course because I’ve been out of the field for so long. I want to get my license reinstated regardless of whether or not I return to racing. I know that sponsors come and go and racing can end for so many different reasons, so I want to have another option open. I was talking to a friend the other day. He says that he’s anxious to hear about the day I get a patient that is a diehard NHRA race fan. He say’s he can just imagine the patients face when I walk into the room and introduce myself as his or her nurse. I thought about it, and I kinda hope it happens. If my racing can help to make someone’s stay in the hospital a better experience, then I’m all for it.
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When I am not studying or catching up with family, I have been continuing to work on Seth’s and my business, Coral Fever. I’ve added lots of items to our online store atwww.coralfever.com. I’ve also changed up my website atwww.goangelle.com. I have some more to do, but I only get to work on that stuff in small increments of time. Business is slow right now, just like everything with this economy, but Seth and I are very passionate about our aquariums and we do it more for the passion than for the business, but it sure would be nice for it to be profitable in the long run.
Speaking of Seth, as most of you who read my blogs know, he is a Combat Medic in the Louisiana National Guard, and the other day he was assigned to work with recruiting at the New Orleans D-Day museum for the World War II Memorial Celebration. He called and asked me to meet him downtown. I was studying but decided that I needed a break. I drove him and three other soldiers to lunch at “Mothers,” a place that I highly suggest if you ever make it to “The Big Easy.” After he was done at the museum, a few of us went to my friends pub called “Maguires” on Magazine Street, where we met some World War II vets. Then we went to the New Orleans French Market, then stopped in at Jimmy Buffets “Margaritaville” and finally ended the day with some great Sushi in the French Quarter before heading back home. It was an unplanned day that ended up being one of the greatest I’ve had in a while. Seth and I have lots of fun together and I also enjoy being with soldiers AND I love downtown New Orleans. It was a very blessed day!
So I have to admit that although I am still unemployed and I hate to study and life without racing could be construed as no life at all, I do find myself extremely happy and extremely relaxed and most importantly of all, EXTREMELY BLESSED!!
Just as I said in an earlier post, God has put me exactly where he wants me and I know that he has a plan for me. Still don’t know exactly what that plan is or when it is going to be put into action, but as far as I am concerned, yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift, that’s why we call it “The Present!” And I am making the most of each day I am given.
I hate to end this with such sorrow, but I want to let you guys know that my cousin Eric Matherne passed away a few days ago. He was only 27 years old. It was an accident that took his life at such a young age. This is why I consider each day a gift. We just never know when it’s going to be our last. My friends, family and I have experienced a lot of loss in the past few months. I sure wouldn’t mind a break from that too! As usual, I would like to ask for your prayers for Eric’s family and friends. Coping with such an unexpected loss is so tough and prayers are greatly needed and always appreciated!
Until next time,..... God Bless you all, and remember to enjoy the present!
It’s Boudreaux time!!
This one is a little long, but it’s funny.
The IRS decides to audit Boudreaux, and summons him to the IRS office. The IRS auditor is not surprised when Boudreaux shows up with his attorney. The IRS had demanded $23,000 in taxes from Boudreaux due to unreported income.
The auditor says, “Well, sir, you have an extravagant lifestyle and no full-time employment, which you explain by saying that you win money gambling. I’m not sure the IRS finds that believable.”
“I’m a great gambler, and I can prove it,” says Boudreaux. “How about a demonstration?”
The auditor thinks for a moment and said, “Okay. Go ahead.”
Boudreaux says, “I’ll bet you a thousand dollars that I can bite my own eye.”
The auditor thinks a moment and says, “No way! It’s a bet.”
Boudreaux removes his glass eye and bites it. The auditor’s jaw drops.
Boudreaux says, “Now, I’ll bet you two thousand dollars that I can bite my other eye.”
The auditor can tell Boudreaux isn’t blind, so he takes the bet. Boudreaux removes his dentures and bites his good eye.
The stunned auditor now realizes he has wagered and lost three grand, with Boudreaux’s attorney as a witness. He starts to get nervous.
“Want to go double or nothing?” Boudreaux asks. “I’ll bet you six thousand dollars that I can stand on one side of your desk, and pee into that wastebasket on the other side, and never get a drop anywhere in between.”
The auditor, twice burned, is cautious now, but he looks carefully and decides there’s no way this guy can manage that stunt, so he agrees again.
Boudreaux stands beside the desk and unzips his pants, but although he strains mightily, he can’t make the stream reach the wastebasket on other side, so he pretty much urinates all over the desk.
The auditor leaps with joy, realizing that he has just turned a major loss into a huge win. But Boudreaux’s attorney moans and puts his head in his hands.
“Are you okay?” the auditor asks. “Not really,” says the attorney. “This morning, when Boudreaux told me he’d been summoned to appear in person before the IRS, he bet me twenty-thousand dollars that he could come in here and urinate all over your desk and that you’d be happy about it.”
April 15, 2009
Hi everyone,
I wish I were here to give you guys some good news but unfortunately my life has been filled with bad news in the last couple of weeks. My brother has been dealing with some health issues that had him hospitalized for a few days. He’s going to have surgery soon, and as you all know, with the today’s economy, anything that keeps us away from work is NOT good.
Sadly, my brother’s issues are the lightest of what I have to share. I recently lost a friend of mine from a motorcycle accident. His name was Mike Espe and he was a longtime employee of Star Racing. George Bryce, my former crew chief is the owner of Star Racing, along with his wife Jackie. I’ve known Mike and his wife, Tammy, for more than 13 years now. If you’ve ever called Star Racing for anything, there is a good chance that you talked to Mike. He was always so sweet and friendly. Mike did not have life insurance so if any of you would like to help Tammy and Mike’s family with funeral expenses, you can send love offerings to Tammy Espe, C/O Star Racing, PO Box 1241, Americus GA 31709. Friends and family may send their condolences online at www.raineyfuneral.com.
Just as I was beginning to feel a little better after hearing of Mike’s accident, I received a call that a friend of my family was also killed in a motorcycle accident. His name was Cody Rodrigue from Houma, La. Ironically, Cody and Mike were both working on a friend's motorcycle and decided to give it a test ride after, which is when the accidents happened.
My heart has been feeling like a big gaping hole in my chest for the past week. I am also dealing with some personal issues that are costing me a lot of money that I don’t have, but when things happen, like the loss of Cody and Mike, it always puts my life in perspective for me. I realize that any problem I may be faced with at this time is nothing compared to what some people are faced with. I count my blessings and hold my chin up as best I can.
I still don’t have any leads on getting back on the racetrack anytime soon, but I have been working really hard on putting my life together here at home. Seth and I have been busy with getting our business, Coral Fever, up and running. I’ve put a lot of hours into getting the Web site and online store done (which I am not finished with yet) as well as, brochures, business cards, uniforms, Quickbooks, tax stuff, inventory, yada, yada, yada! All of the stuff that has to be taken care of to get a business going. It looks like we will be focusing a lot on aquarium maintenance services. We had our first service appointment about a week ago. This time I had to do more than feed the fish, which is all that I am responsible for at home. Seth does most of the maintenance work and I mostly hold stuff and get stuff. Until I get back to the computer that i,... then it’s the yucky business stuff that I am responsible for.
Well gang, that’s about all I have for you right now. I hope you all had a blessed Easter weekend. Please remember Mike and Cody’s families along with my brother’s upcoming surgery in your prayers. Thank you!
Angelle
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 hank God that is over! The Gatornationals, I mean. What an emotional roller coaster I was on. I landed in Gainesville on Thursday at noon, and was so excited to see Andy. Seth and I rushed over to Junglefriends, and I was like a kid in a candy store. I just couldn’t wait to see my baby boy!! As I approached Andy’s enclosure, I could see him looking towards me. He looked at me and as soon as I got close enough for him to recognize me he started to SCREAM!! He was so excited to see us. My heart was pounding and I was so happy to see him again. He looks so beautiful. His color has changed from being outdoors and getting more sun light. He is now a beautiful reddish brown and black. He is so healthy looking. He seems so much more relaxed now and I can tell that he is happy and very well taken care of. |
March 21, 2009
Thank God that is over! The Gatornationals, I mean. What an emotional roller coaster I was on. I landed in Gainesville on Thursday at noon, and was so excited to see Andy. Seth and I rushed over to Junglefriends, and I was like a kid in a candy store. I just couldn’t wait to see my baby boy!! As I approached Andy’s enclosure, I could see him looking towards me. He looked at me and as soon as I got close enough for him to recognize me he started to SCREAM!! He was so excited to see us. My heart was pounding and I was so happy to see him again. He looks so beautiful. His color has changed from being outdoors and getting more sun light. He is now a beautiful reddish brown and black. He is so healthy looking. He seems so much more relaxed now and I can tell that he is happy and very well taken care of.
It was really quiet while we were there, because Kari said that she is in desparate need of volunteers. So if any of you guys live near Gainesville or would like to take a road trip ... please look them up at www.junglefriends.orgThere are still so many enclosures that need to be built for all of the monkeys. There are now 117, I think, and Andy is still the best looking one there!
After spending about three hours with Andy, Seth and I checked into our room to get cleaned up for dinner. We met Louis (ESPN), Kevin (NHRA) and Mindy (Ringers Gloves) for some awesome Sushi at this really cool place called Dragonfly Sushi in Downtown Gainesville. The food was great but the company was even better. I was already having a WONDERFUL trip and I had only been there for 10 hours.
Friday morning arrived and I was anxious to get to the track. I went directly to Antron’s trailer and hung out with some friends while waiting for qualifying to begin. I felt happy and excited to be a race fan for the weekend. I was talking to a fan when all of a sudden I heard a Pro Stock Motorcycle going down the track. IT HIT ME LIKE A FREIGHT TRAIN!!!! I immediately started to tremble and without ANY warning, my eyes swelled up with tears and I couldn’t breath! At first it was instant panic. I thought to myself,...” Oh NO, I’m LATE!” I felt as if I was supposed to be in the staging lanes and I was terribly late! Then instantly I realized that I wasn’t supposed to be anywhere, I don’t have a ride.
For the first time in 13 years, the bikes are going down the track and I am not with them. The emotions were just about to EXPLODE out of me when I rushed over to Billie Jo (my cousin and Antron’s wife), I grabbed her hand and tried to say “Help me” but nothing came out. She felt me shaking and fortunately knew exactly what was happening. She took me into one of the team lounges and as soon as the door shut behind me, I lost it! I MEAN I LOST IT!! I cried like a baby and felt so stupid and weak because of it. I thought that I had come to terms with not racing this year. I thought I was okay with it. I thought I had accomplished enough to satisfy my desire and that this weekend was going to be so much fun! I was so very wrong.
Thank You Billie Jo for being there for me. She began to talk to me as I kept saying “Why is this upsetting me so much? Why am I crying? I was ok with it! I really thought I was ok!” Billie reminded me that the last 13 years of my life has been 100 percent consumed with Pro Stock Motorcycle drag racing. I put everything I have and everything I am into this career. Of course it’s going to hurt to not be on that track.
After talking with Billie, I did manage to regain my composure and return to the fan that I ran off from without any notice. I apologized and signed his hat which is what he was asking of me when I had to walk away. He was very nice and understanding. I decided after that episode that I would not be going to the bike pits or to the starting line. I just couldn’t handle it.
I returned to my original plan which was to make my rounds and visit friends. I went over to the ESPN compound which is my second favorite place at the track. (winner's circle would be the first) Stopped by the Army trailer to see my Soldier friends and also made it up to the tower to visit with Bob Frey. He put me on the mic and I got to talk to the crowd. It was fun. Stopped in at the NHRA suite and at the end of the day, I even made it over to the Alehouse for a glass of wine with Colonel Lee and my favorite PR Dude, Chris Dirato.
Sunday morning was tough on me again. I went up for first round with Antron and as they sang the National Anthem, my heart began to break once more. I was much more composed but still very upset as the Gatornationals were kicking off and I wasn’t going to be a part of it. Seth and I watched Antron win first round and after the bikes ran, I went up to the tower with a very heavy heart to visit Alan Reinhart. He made me laugh, as usual, which lifted my spirits but I had still seen enough, so I decided to leave the track. I spent the rest of the day with my baby boy Andy and Seth and I flew home on Monday.
I am so glad it’s over. I have faced reality and I can now honestly say, I am good with it. Actually I am even better than I ever was before. I feel recharged. I am on a mission! God has a plan for me! He might be trying to keep it a secret from me for now, but I know I will find out just what he has in store for me real soon. What ever it is, I am going to make every second count!
My life is an occasion and I am about to rise to it!!
An' now, a little Cajun lesson in speech:
| De Way Boudreaux says dat | The way a non-Cajun says that |
| Ya | you |
| Ta | to |
| Waz | was |
| ting | thing |
| ova | over |
| dere | there |
| dese | these |
| dis | this |
| y'at | you at |
| bout | about |
| wirl | world |
| tole | tell |
| fa | for |
| na | now |
| de | the |
| ah | I |
| eh | huh |
| dem | them |
| yer | your |
| dey | they |
| malebox | mailbox |
| boudin | sausage |
| podna | partner |
| m'amie | my friend |
| beb | dear |
| aint | am not |
| loan motor | lawn mower |
| dat | that |
| antan | antenna |
| yeah | yes |
| abot | about |
| sum | some |
Hey gang,
I wanted to take a few minutes to tell you guys that Seth and I are going to Gainesville to watch Antron race. I will be hanging out in Mike Ashley’s Matco Top Fuel dragster pits for the weekend. I am going to stroll around a bit as well and visit my friends in the ESPN trailer and some other friends like Bob Frey, Alan Reinhart, Mike Dunn, Lewis Bloom, and quite a few others I hope. I did receive a few messages from fans wondering if I’d be there, so I wanted to let everyone know that I’ll be chillin’ like a villain with my little brother and favorite Top Fuel racer, Antron Brown. No, he’s not actually my little brother, but he is my cousin-in-law, and he calls me sister sis, and I love him just like my brother! I am also going to visit Erica Enders and watch her race. She is such a sweet person, and I really want to see her do well. It would be so awesome if she won this weekend! I love her car too — it’s so cool! I’ve never been able t o really watch much of the races before, so this time I am going to soak it all up.
It will be really weird getting to wear regular clothes to the races instead of being in a uniform. It’s funny to me to see racers and crew people out of uniform. It’s just something we rarely ever see from each other. Race team members are at the track for so long, and we wear the same thing everyday. Well the same-looking thing, not actually the SAME thing — LOL! Even when we go out to dinner at the end of the day, everyone is still in uniform. Sometimes, I can’t even recognize some people unless they are in uniform. Well, I know it’s a funny thing for me to be thinking about, but this is the first time in 13 years that I get to actually watch the races and to dress like a girl the whole weekend. I mean no disrespect, but sometimes these uniforms just don’t feel very feminine, ya know? That’s why I loved my Bates Leathers so much last year. The girls at Bates really focused on designing a pair of leathers that were meant to be worn by a girl. Especially with all the bling that I added to them, they were really fun to race with.
The best part of the weekend is going to be when I go to visit my boy Andy. If you didn’t already know, I use to have a monkey. His name is Andy, and he now lives about 10 minutes from the Gainesville Raceway. He lives at Junglefriends with about 100 other monkeys. I haven’t seen him in 10 months! I miss him so much. He is actually the main reason that I chose the Gators to go to. What a great weekend it’s going to be for me. I get to see Andy AND the races. I am more excited than I thought I would be.
WOW!!! A transformer just blew right outside of my house. Everything went black. I am on my laptop, so it kicked over to battery and the screen is the only light on in the house. It’s late, so we can’t see a thing. I have to light some candles.
Ok, I’m back. Fortunately, we remain prepared for hurricanes around here, so I have battery-powered lanterns and LOTS of candles. I did buy a Guardian generator after the last storm, but as luck would have it, we still haven’t had it installed. I can hear Seth running around tending to the aquariums. This is NOT good. We now have about 800 gallons of aquariums here with thousands of dollars worth of fish and coral that don’t take kindly to power outages. Seth did pour the slab the other day for the generator, so I bet this will be the push we needed to get it installed. I just hope it doesn’t happen while we are in Gainesville.
Speaking of the aquariums, I mentioned in my last blog that we were going to start a coral business. Well things are looking good so far. It is called Coral Fever, and instead of just dealing with corals, we kinda bumped into another deal. While we were getting our business license, we met a lady whose son owns a restaurant with an aquarium in it. They lost everything in the aquarium during the last storm here. That happened to so many people around here. Anyway, we went to meet him the other day and talked to him about getting his aquarium up and running again and also about doing the maintenance to keep it looking nice. So after thinking about it, it just seemed natural since Seth loves to care for these aquariums. We are going to try to build a little business to sell fish, corals and supplies but also to do aquarium maintenance. I think that more people would have aquariums if they had someone to help them to keep them up. They are so beautiful and relaxing to look at, but boy oh boy, are they a lot of work! Fortunately for me, I just feed the fish and enjoy the view. Well now I will be running the business side of Coral Fever, so I guess I have to work some, too. So if you guys are into aquariums, check us out at www.coralfever.com. I am building the site right now, so it’s under construction, but I’ll be getting more things up a soon as possible.
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I also mentioned in my last blog that I’ve been entering my photos in some contests. Well I won the last one I entered. It was for the Louisiana Reef Club’s Web site. You can see my winning photo at www.lareefclub.com — It’s on the homepage. The contest was for pic of the month. No prize or anything, but I WON!!!! It was funny because I kept checking the votes to see how I was doing, and every time I would take the lead, I would get so excited. Seth would say, “Why are you so excited about this little contest? It’s not like you win anything.” I said, “ARE YOU CRAZY? If you win, that means YOU WIN!!!!!” After I said that, I realized that I am sick with the competitive spirit. I mean, really. It is just a little picture of the month contest that is voted on by the members of the site, and here I am nervous to the core wanting to win so badly. I was thinking that as I grew older that the spirit to compete would die, but it hasn’t even begun to dim yet. When I compete at something, I want to WIN!! I even hurt a shoulder muscle recently playing Wii tennis cause I was trying so hard to win. But if you think that is funny listen to this!
My brother cracked his ribs while playing the Wii bowling game! Ha, Ha, Ha! Now that is a competitive spirit! The crazy man was bowling so hard that he slipped and fell to the ground with his elbow between his ribs and the floor and “CRACK.” He tried to get up and brush off the pain hoping that no one really noticed, but after a couple days of having trouble breathing, he got an X-ray and, voila, crack ribs. I am sorry Rickie, but that is hilarious — You crack your ribs playing Wii, I’m never going to let you live that one down brother!
I am working on something pretty exciting concerning my future in racing, but I can’t tell you just yet. I just wanted to plant that seed for the time being. I have a meeting planned in Gainesville to find out more about it, and hopefully when I get back, I will be able to tell you what it is. So wish me luck!
That’s it for now gang. Oh, I forgot, Mardi Gras was a couple of weeks ago. We had a blast as usual. I posted a couple pics for you. Last but hopefully not least, here’s Boudreaux …
After having dug to a depth of 10 feet last year, New York scientists found traces of copper wire dating back 100 years and came to the conclusion that their ancestors already had a telephone network more than 100 years ago.
Not to be outdone by the New Yorkers, in the weeks that followed, California scientists dug to a depth of 20 feet, and shortly after, headlines in the Los Angeles Times newspaper read: ‘California archaeologists have found traces of 200-year-old copper wire and have concluded that their ancestors already had an advanced high-tech communications network a hundred years earlier than the New Yorkers.’
One week later, “The Thibodaux Gazette,” a local newspaper in Thibodaux, LA, reported the following: ‘After digging as deep as 30 feet in a cane field near Houma, Boudreaux, a self taught archaeologist, reported that he found absolutely nothing. Boudreaux has therefore concluded that 300 years ago, Louisiana had already gone wireless.’
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We are also starting a small coral business since we have invested so much time and money into our aquarium hobby. We’ve recently invested in some beautiful and rare corals so that we can grow them and sell them. The room that Andy use to live in was supposed to be turned into a playroom for the little girl I wanted to adopt. Unfortunately, with the delays and additional costs of the adoption process and especially now that I am not racing, we thought it would be better to turn it into something that we could use productively. It is working out even better than we planned. Seth and our friends at Coral Connection in Kenner, La., have built one heck of a tank room. The tanks are looking so good that we joke about charging our friends and family admission to come and see them. Now you know times are tough when you try and charge family for admission into your home! LOL. I’ve learned so much over the past year about salt water and fresh water aquariums and have become very involved with it all. Although Seth does all of the dirty work, which includes cleaning and caring for tanks, I do help out as much as I can with feeding the fish and corals and taking pictures of them. The two most important tasks don’t ya think? Well at least the fish agree. Seth gave me a new macro lens for my camera for Christmas, so I have been snap happy every since. It will surely come in handy when we start advertising our corals for sale. I’ve even started entering my photos into a few photo contests online. Some of the contests are giving prizes and gift certificates that we could use for the aquariums. I’ll attach a couple of my pics for you.
The other thing I’ve been up to is, REALLY enjoying the off-season. After traveling all year round, it feels so good to not have to pack and unpack for a few months. I might get more of that than I hoped for, but for the time being, it sure is relaxing. I just can’t believe that the Winternationals is right around the corner already. I spoke to Antron just before he left for testing in Phoenix. That’s when I realized that Pomona was only a couple of weeks away. I really wish I could fly out to Pomona to root him on. I assure you that I will be at as many races as I can to show him my support this year, and every year, as long as he’s still racing.
Well that’s about it for now gang. I’ll write again as soon as I know more about what I am going to do this year. Hopefully I will have good news for you guys. Thanks to all of you that have sent me so many good wishes and especially for your prayers. Like I’ve said before, I have faith that God will lead me in the direction that he feels is best for me, and like my mom always says, “He has something bigger and better planned.”
Hope this makes you smile …
When Boudreaux was a little boy he was called “Tee-Boudreaux.” “Tee-Boudreaux” lived with his family in a house with no indoor plumbing. Instead, they had an outhouse out in the back of the house. His dad, Papa Boudreaux, wanted the best he could get for the Boudreaux family. So they had a “two holer” outhouse so that two people could “go” at the same time.
One day Tee-Boudreaux and Papa Boudreaux were both in the outhouse when Tee-Boudreaux saw his Papa accidentally drop a quarter into the hole. Tee-Boudreaux noticed his Papa thinking about something awhile then reach into his pocket, pull out a dollar bill, and drop it into the hole where the quarter had gone.
Tee-Boudreaux saw this and said, “Mais, Papa what you dropped dat dollar bill into dat hole for?!”
Papa Boudreaux said, “May Tee-Boudreaux, I didn’t have de heart do send you down dere for just a quarter!”
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The holidays are here! It’s supposed to be a time for cheer! Unfortunately there has been a few things happen that make it really hard to remain cheerful. Most importantly, the passing of Hollie Faulkner. Hollie worked the Oakley trailer at the races and was a friend to so many of us there. She was such a sweet girl and will be missed dearly. I have never visited the Oakley trailer at the races without Hollie being anything but a sweetheart to me. My thoughts and prayers go out to her family for such an overwhelming loss at Christmas time.
Losing a friend at such a young age surely is a clear reminder of how I should never take any day I have here for granted. It has made me sit back again and take some time to prioritize my life. My mom always tells me that when her time here is over, it won’t be the things that she did that she will regret, it will be the things that she didn’t do. So I have been thinking a lot about the things that I still want to do with my life. I figure there is no time like the present to get started on making my newest dreams and goals come true. So now I am looking forward to 2009 more than ever.
I recently attended a Shriners function with my dad. He is a Shriner in the
Shriners Hospitals for Children is a one-of-a-kind international health care system of 22 hospitals dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing specialty pediatric care, innovative research and outstanding teaching programs.
Children up to the age of 18 with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries and cleft lip and palate are eligible for admission and receive all care in a family-centered environment at no charge – regardless of financial need.
If you know of a child Shriners Hospitals might be able to help, please call our toll-free patient referral line: In the U.S., 800.237.5055; in Canada, 800.361.7256
My dad, David Sampey, has been devoting a lot of his time to this awesome cause. I was given the privilege to attend the Shriners Christmas party with my parents. Santa arrived in his sled which was pulled by the motorcycle Shriners wearing reindeer antlers. There were lots of children and their families present to see Santa and to receive a few Christmas gifts from him. Some of the kids were
I’ve recently had a lot of fans asking me about my adoption of little Abby Jo, so I wanted to give you an update on that. It is another of the reasons why it is hard for me to remain cheerful. I spoke to the adoption agency about a month ago to find out how much longer the wait would be. They told me that my estimated wait time was extended to the end of 2009. I was devastated. Last year they told me it would be the end of 2008. They are also telling me that there are no guarantees that it will indeed be next year. I have been waiting for over two years now. I started the process over three years ago. The worst part of it all is that my paper work was only good for 15 months which means that I have to renew everything. This means new health screening, blood work and physical. A new home-study, new back ground checks and financial reports. All of which will cost me around $3,000 more to be added to the over $10,000 that I have already invested and can not get back. I wish I could say that I have no doubts and that I will indeed spend the extra three grand. The decision, however, is out of my hands right now. Because I have to renew my financial statements which would show that I do not have a contract for next year, I can not continue with the adoption at this time.
Like I believe with everything else in my life, I believe that everything happens for a reason and that God has a plan for me. It’s a struggle for me at times to continue to feel this way. I am also dealing with an issue where someone who pretended to be a good person, turned on me, and is trying to hurt me, and take things from me that don’t belong to them. The worst part is that I don’t know why. I often wonder how people can be so hateful, especially during the holidays. I would like to ask you guys for your prayers. I really am struggling personally with this issue and am sorry that I can not give you the details. But I know that those of you who pray, know just how to pray to help me.
That’s about all I have for you guys right now. I hope that you guys and girls are taking some time out of your very hectic schedules to spend a few moments with your family members. Please remember Hollie and her family in your prayers and remember how short life really is. Lets not waste one minute of the time we have here. Have a blessed holiday and a very happy and safe new year.
Thanks everyone.
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My sponsors, which have become my friends, especially at Rush Racing, were very good to me this year. I really enjoyed working with them. They were all very supportive and easygoing, which made me want to win for them even more. I am so sorry that I did not get them to the winner's circle. I did enjoy my ride on that Rush Racing Buell while it lasted! It had its share of mechanical failures as you all know, but that motorcycle sure was a heck of a
For those of you that made it out to the races this year or were listening on NHRA.com’s live broadcast and heard Bob Frey talk about my bling ... I just want you to know that it’s NOT real diamonds on my leathers. They are Swarovski crystals, which are the best but not real diamonds like Mr. Frey said. That crazy man was telling the fans that my leathers had 1.2 million dollars of diamonds on them. Just after he said that, he also tried to sell some oceanfront property in
I did have a lot of fun this year, especially in Vegas for Halloween. The Pro Stock Motorcycle class showed its fun spirit by dressing up and even wearing costumes to the starting line. I figured that since I was a cheerleader for 10 years of my life that being an NHRA cheerleader would be fun for me, and it was! We had a great weekend in Vegas with the No. 1 qualifying position and a really fast bike. Unfortunately I slipped second round and let everybody down with a red-light. UUUGGGGHHHH!!!!!
So now I find myself in an all too familiar place. I am hoping to find a ride for next year so that I can continue my quest for five more wins. At the moment, I don’t have a deal lined up. With today’s economy and the increasing difficulty of finding a sponsor, it doesn’t look very promising. I am praying that something comes my way, but I have to admit that I have already come to terms with the fact that not racing next year is a possibility that I have to face.
No matter what happens, I still consider myself blessed. I have a ton of wonderful fans that support me and a burning desire to succeed that just doesn’t seem to quit. Who knows what the future holds? One thing is for sure though, God will put me exactly where he wants me, and I will make the most of every opportunity I am given.
Boudreaux was flying home from a hunting trip dat him and
The priest thinks for a moment and realizes that he has been given the opportunity to calm Boudreaux’s behavior. He then says, “Well Mr. Boudreaux, ARTHRITIS is caused by excessive drinking and being disrespectful to women; why do you ask?”
Boudreaux says, “Ya don’t say! I axed you cuz it says right here in dis magazine dat the Pope got ar-try-tus!”
That darn Boudreaux!
Happy Holidays y'all!!!
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Hey gang,
I haven’t had much excitement going on lately, so I’ve been having trouble thinking of what to write about. We have most of the month of October off and that has been pretty convenient for me. I have been taking the time to clean up from the storm and catch up on bills and fan mail as well as some work around the house. Last month put me behind on that type of stuff because we were on the road for nearly four weeks straight. But now the season is winding down and there is only two races left for the bikes. I can’t believe how fast this year has gone by. Speaking of how fast time goes by, I have my 20-year class reunion this weekend. I hate to admit that it has been that long but, what the heck, age is only a number, right? I surely don’t feel like I’ve been out of high school for that long.
It’s hard to believe that I have been in this sport for 12 years already. I remember when George and I started racing together, he asked me how long I thought I would race. I told him for five years. I don’t know what I was thinking … Five years went by in what felt like five months. Just like the saying goes,Time flies with you are having fun!
It was my grandmother's 86th birthday on October 7. My mom, Aunt Faye, and I went over to her house with lunch and a birthday cake for her. It was a great day. I wonder what she thinks about how fast her 86 years has passed. I think a lot about the things that she has seen. Things like, rotary dialed phones and sharing a phone line with her neighbors to cell phones that you can surf the net and watch movies on. My grandmother does not drive. Never has. I can’t even imagine that. Especially not me! I am so independent and controlling, I would go crazy if I couldn’t drive myself where I want to go. I do want you to know that although she does not drive, she DOES still mow her own yard. If you ever had the pleasure of meeting her, she would tell you that right away. I can hear her now,...."Ah am 86 years old and ah still cut mah own grass, yeah!” That’s right, she has a Cajun accent and I love her very much!!
Well since I don’t have much to tell you about, I figured I would take this time to tell you guys about a few more of my favorite things. I wrote about some of them in an earlier blog so I figured I would write part two in this one. A new passion of mine (thanks to Seth) is aquariums. Right now, I have a 75- gallon planted discus tank (fresh water) and a 30-gallon reef tank (salt water). Seth does a fantastic job keeping them up so all I have to do is feed the fish and enjoy the view. He has me so hooked on them that I have decided to do some remodeling at home to have a 300-gallon reef tank built into my living room wall which will be viewable from the kitchen wall as well. A two-sided view. It’s going to be awesome!!
Electronics … I love electronics! The more bells and whistles the electronic device has, the better it is to me. I think I’ve mentioned it before but I love it enough to mention it again.
My animals. My mom calls me “Elly May Clampett” -- you know, the character on The Beverly Hillbillies, the one with all the pets -- because I love animals so muchMy animals are spoiled, too. My ducks, Willie and Nelson, are so spoiled that they come running when they see me driving down the driveway. They also come to my front door and make A LOT of noise for me to come outside when they want food.
Sexy cars! I think the sexiest car ever is “Eleanor” in Gone in 60 Seconds. The next sexiest car is “Bumble Bee” onTransformers. I want one SOOO BAD!!!!
A few more of my very favorite things are: The Army’s 82nd Airborne Division Chorus, scary movies, riding in a boat, a crackling fire, the sound of a waterfall, coming home to sleep in my own bed, fireworks, eating cereal late at night. and Wal-Mart!
Well there you go. A little more about who I am. I hope that my blogs have given you a better understanding of the what’s really inside my helmet. Until next time, my friends …
A quick and easy Jambalaya from a box.
Don’t know if this is available for you guys but it's called Zatarain’s New Orleans-style Jambalaya mix. It is in a red and white box. Prepare the jambalaya just as the box says except for a couple additions. I like to add a small can of tomato sauce, an extra cup of rice, about a cup and a half to two cups more water, depending on how well you like your rice cooked. Some garlic powder, salt, pepper and Tony Chachere’s Cajun seasoning to taste. The meat that I choose to add is Manda Beef Smoked Sausage and Chicken. The best chicken to use for this is the already baked chicken that you can get at your grocery store. Just debone and add it to the mix.
Bon Appetite, y'all!!
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September 11, 2008
I survived Gustav! Well my house did, while I was in
I must have called everyone I knew at home at least 200 hundreds times each, but due to the phone lines and cell towers being down, I wasn’t able to get through for a while. I finally got a call through to my neighbor who is a Louisiana State Trooper for the damage report. I was relieved to hear that all I suffered was some minor roof damage. Just the report I needed to hear which allowed me to be a little more focused for a sponsor appearance I had on Tuesday after the race. I spent the day with my team at Rush Racing in
I got to my hotel in
Speaking of the National Guard,... My boyfriend Seth was activated for the storm. He is still on active duty and probably will be until around Sept. 15. He is a medic in the 756th ASMC Louisiana National Guard. Because my area was hit so hard, he is fortunately stationed only about 15 minutes from my house. He and a few of his soldier friends have visited me pretty often. I ran my two generators that my friends at Lincoln Electric gave me a few years ago and since I have satellite we were able to watch the UFC fights on Saturday night. It was really cool to have the soldiers over for some R and R to show them my appreciation for their hard work. Like I always say,... God Bless our soldiers! Thanks to my friends Monica and Kerry Dufrene I managed to get a small AC window unit to run on the generator which made the heat much less intense. It was actually pretty comfortable at night time. I learned that I love electricity and after a week of not having any I surely do appreciate it and especially central air!! There are still some areas without power so I am praying for them and hoping that they get it back soon. It’s just miserably hot and humid in
I’d have to say that the worst part of it all, other than the heat, was to sit in line for hours to get more fuel for the generator. I did NOT waste any time when my power came back on to get online and order myself a natural gas-powered standby generator. I will NOT go through that mess again. Seth and I have invested a good bit of time and money into our aquariums and I had to baby sit those things all day long with ice packs to keep the heat down. We were at risk of losing our corals as well as some very expensive fish. The price we pay to have nice things! I was very appreciative though that the aquariums were the most I had to worry about. I just can’t tell you how blessed we were considering what the weather officials thought we were going to get.
The power company said that we would be out of power for four to eight weeks. Well, if it were up to my power company alone, we probably would have been. But thanks to many other power companies from all over the country, I was back online in one week. I have to especially praise the guys from Mid West Powerline Inc. who came from
I met the owner of the company. He was out there in the heat busting his tail for us. I asked him if everyone was treating them well and he said the locals were really nice to them but the power company had not been very nice to them. I was appalled! These guys came here to help! I was so mad to hear that ANYONE would mistreat them in ANY way with what they were doing for us. I am going to write a letter about it to whatever political people I have to. There was also a grocery store in
Other than that, it was truly amazing how my south
I have been thinking about the storms and how much I hate the stress of them. I am considering moving away from the coast. But I do have to say that the people were I live are so wonderful that I would miss them terribly.
After Gustav came through, dem waters dey got real high in some areas. Especially by Boudreux’s house. Clotele and dem had to climb to the roof top to keep from drowning. As dey sat dere waiting for the Guardsmen to come,
God Bless you guys and thanks for all of the prayers!!!!
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It’s Thursday night and I am sitting in my hotel room listening to the rain. I just finished signing autographs at Classic Harley Davidson here in
I didn’t have much downtime at home between Brainerd and now but I did manage to get some training in. I attended Jiu-Jitsu class on Monday and Tuesday evening. I got in a couple of tough workouts which really helped me to feel better about what happened in Brainerd. I usually mourn the loss of a race for about three days. It’s pretty pathetic but it’s the way I am. Like I have said to you guys before ... you just can’t imagine how bad I want to win.
After training at BlackList Jiu-Jitsu with my friends and teammates this week, I really feel ready to get back to it and hopefully find my way to the winner’s circle on my Rush Racing Buell for the first time this year. My team did such a wonderful job in Brainerd. Everything went right all the way up to the final when the cam sensor failed on us. We really had a great time along with working hard. My birthday was on Thursday August 7 and I had an appearance scheduled at Zylstra Harley Davidson in
The staff there was very friendly and made my day by having a birthday cake waiting for me along with a really long line of fans patiently awaiting my arrival. My brother, Rickie Sampey, attended the race with me and was on the starting line next to me for the first time in 12 years. He immediately acquired the job of umbrella guy and did a fantastic job of keeping me and my bike cool. My family doesn’t get to see me race much. My dad usually makes one race a year and my mom hasn’t been in over four years now. Thank goodness for NHRA.com’s race results because my family would go nuts not know what is going on while I am racing. My parents faithfully listen in to the live audio every race weekend. My mom says Bob Frey helps her to calm her nerves because he is so funny.
The fans in Brainerd were rowdy and fun as usual as we took a spin through the Zoo to say hi to everyone and sign some autographs for them. I just love to see the stuff those guys build to ride around on. One guy had a bathtub on wheels and another had a full-service bar and bar stools all on wheels. I think when we have fun in life or with our work we are all more productive. I know I enjoyed myself in Brainerd and I think my team did as well and it showed in our performance. That’s why I always say, “As soon as I am not having fun anymore,... I am going to quit!” I can specifically remember certain times in my career that I was so miserable that I wanted to quit and I couldn’t win a race to save my life but as soon as I decided to focus on enjoying the ride and having more fun with my job,... then bam,... the wins and championships just fell into my lap.
I have also come to realize that people will try to take your fun just like they try to take your dreams. DONT LET THEM! Life is too short. Make the most of every day. Watch the movie Bucket List and live that way. I am not saying to slack off on your responsibilities or lose your focus on your priorities, but rather, be more focused, and more responsible, and then make time to have some fun to reward yourself for all that you have done. After all, the harder you work, the more you deserve it. My mom told me that when my brother and I were young and the kitchen needed cleaning, she would decide to play with us first and clean the kitchen later. She said the dirty dishes weren’t going anywhere but we were growing older by the minute. So I guess that’s where and how I became programmed to have fun as a priority in my life. Thanks
Now I am in
Well that’s bout all I have to say about that.
Till next time.
Boudreaux suspects his wife of cheating on him, so he goes out and buys a gun. He goes to his house unexpectedly and when he opens the door he finds her in the arms of a redhead. Well, Boudreaux is really angry. He pulls out the gun, and as he does so, he is overcome with grief. He takes the gun and puts it to his head.
His wife yells, “No, honey, don't do it!!!”
Boudreaux replies, “Shut up, you're next!”
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July 29, 2008
I'm going to take this opportunity to vent. I don’t know yet if what I am about to write is more for your reading pleasure or for my mental clarity. I just know that there are some things that I need to say to myself and maybe you might want to hear it, too.
Once again I am sitting in an airport but this time I am not as happy as I was the last time I wrote my blog while waiting for my plane. I am in
I hate flying! I would much rather ride in the rig with my guys and see the country. I would do exactly that if I lived where the rig lives but I don’t. I used to think that my friends Beth and Mickey who travel AND LIVE in their motorhome were crazy for not having a house to go home to, but now I understand. How cool must it be to not have to pack or unpack, never miss a flight or be delayed for eight hours and especially to live somewhere different every week. Hey
Just kidding ... flying is a pain sometimes, but I do love my home and I know how tired my guys get from driving all those miles week after week. God Bless you guys! All the work you do, day in and day out, like a traveling circus from one race to the next. It’s the crew guys who deserve the limelight, not me!
Especially when things go the way they did in
I was so sorry and so embarrassed that I did not want to return to my pits and face my team. I asked George to let me stay at the end of the track for a while. He patiently sat with me and was such a good sport and coach about it. He let me vent as I rambled on and on about what a stupid thing I had done and that I knew I had thrown the race away for my team. I wish I could find the words to tell you guys just how much it hurts to be in that position. My guys did such an outstanding job this weekend. We were fast and consistent and we won the Full Throttle award because of it. I had a really good shot at winning the race. I felt as if I was extremely focused and determined to win and I thought that I was prepared mentally and physically. Which is why I am so disappointed in what I did. I did however, let myself begin to give up and even considered quitting. I told George that I didn’t know if I could handle the pressure anymore. Fortunately for me, he really is a great coach and after listening to him tell me that all I have to do is go back to the basics, I reminded myself that I have a great team, and a great opportunity and the greatest support system with my friends, family and fans.
I can do this! I will do this! I am not a quitter,... never have been, NEVER WILL BE!! I am going home and I am going to train harder. Practice more. I am going to eat, sleep, breath, dream, think, pray, live, day in and day out doing whatever it takes to be the best motorcycle racer I can possibly be. Better than I thought I was, physically and mentally!
That’s how I got here in the first place, that’s what I am going back to! When I started out on this journey 12 years ago, there were only a couple of people who believed in me. Nearly everyone laughed at my dream of becoming a Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion. It was like I was saying “I am going to win the lottery.” I remember people telling me that my family and I didn’t have enough money to pay my way into the sport. They said, “It’ll never happen, you’re too little, you can’t do it, you are just a girl, you don’t know anybody” ... this list of negativity went on and on. Well, they were right about a few things. I didn’t know anybody and I didn’t have any money. The names David and Gail Sampey (my parents) surely didn’t mean anything to anyone in the NHRA but somewhere along the line my heart and my mind couldn’t hear what they were telling me.
My mind did not comprehend “You can’t do it” I fought my way into a world that most people didn’t think I belonged in, and I did it by being determined, stubborn, mean, wishful, dreamful, angry, restless, tireless, fearless, and willing to sacrifice most anything. The fire that was burning in my heart to succeed was so big that failure was not a possibility.
I am going to find the girl in me that attended Frank Hawley’s
Today I realize that the only disappointment I feel in myself is that I started to quit. I started to believe that I couldn’t do this anymore. What a stupid thing to do. I am human and I will make mistakes, but I do still love this sport and I am st ill obsessed with winning. I have been blessed with great health, a wonderful family, an awesome team, tremendous support, and an opportunity to redeem myself at eight more races.
I consider my life a no lose situation. For it to be a success, I know that, if it is to be, it is up to me!! I am still very sorry for what I did because I let my team down. But instead of feeling sorry for myself and wasting my time, energy and thoughts on the past, I am going back to work. I am going to Brainerd, which happens to be the only track that I’ve been racing at all these years and never won, and I am going to win! That’s the only way I will allow myself to think from now on.
Here are a few things that I believe ...
I believe that it’s taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.
I believe that you can keep going long after you think you can’t.
I believe that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
I believe that either you control your attitude or it will control you.
I believe that money is a lousy way of keeping score.
I believe that sometimes the people that you expect to kick you when you are down will be the ones to help you get back up.
I believe that it isn’t always enough to be forgiven by others, sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.
I believe that no matter how bad your heart is broken that the world doesn’t stop for your grief.
I believe that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.
I believe that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.
I believe that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.
I believe that the happiest people don’t necessarily have the best of everything, they just make the most of everything!
and finally, I believe that with Christ, all things are possible!
Now for the joke of the day.
Reverend Boudreaux and Pastor Thibodeaux’s churches were across the street from each other. They were standing by the road pounding a sign into the ground that read, “Da End is Near! Turn Yo Self Around Now, Before It’s Too Late!” As a car sped by the driver yelled, “You religious NUTS.”
From the curve they heard screeching tires and a big splash. Boudreaux turns to
And before I go....
We have a few items on eBay again. My Army leathers, My Winston Team Uniform shirt are up now. The auction closes for those items on Friday August 1st, and of course the proceeds will go to my adoption of little Abby Jo and to Andy and his friends at Jungle Friends, www.junglefriends.org. We’ll be adding more things this week (the springs that were in my Army Suzuki when I set the National ET record of 6.871!) and as usual you can get your Angelle and Rush Racing apparel and merchandise at www.goangelle.com.
Well that’s it for now gang, Thank you for reading, for your support and especially your prayers!!
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Well Andy is all settled in at Jungle Friends. The trip went GREAT! I was so nervous about the drive from Louisiana to Gainesville because Andy was going to be caged for about nine hours and I wasn’t really sure how he was going to take it. I was so proud of him. It was like he knew that I needed him to be good and that he was going somewhere very special.
He played quietly in his cage, took a nap for about 30 minutes but mostly looked out of the window at the drivers of the cars we passed. It was so funny; he was looking at every car we passed to see the people inside.
We arrived at Jungle friends around 3 p.m. and brought Andy directly to his new enclosure. After a brief introduction to his indoor enclosure we opened the runways to his outdoor habitat.
It was like letting a 10-year-old loose at Disney World. He was running, jumping, climbing, swinging and having a ball. It brought happy tears to my eyes to see him having so much fun. It really made leaving him there so much easier for me. Seth and I stayed at Jungle Friends to help with Andy’s acclimation for four days.
While we were there we also helped to build part of a new habitat that will be named Abby’s Alley, after my little girl Abigail that I will be adopting.
The drive home was a somber one because I knew that my house would be empty without my boy Andy. When I returned home, I found Andy’s room all cleaned out, his toys were gone, the bars were removed from the windows and his outdoor cage had been cut to pieces and removed from my patio. My mom, Aunt Faye, Uncle Chris, and Grandma had all worked very hard at trying to make it easier for me to return home without too many painful reminders of my baby boy. It was a huge relief to not have to do that stuff myself.
I was able to spend a couple days at home before hitting the road again to do some testing to prepare for the Torco Racing Fuels Route 66 NHRA Nationals. While I was home, Seth and I built a shelter for my dog pen to give them some shade and keep the rain off. I’ve been wanting to do that for about three years now. It’s finally done.
Seth also recently surprised me with two baby ducks for the pond in my front yard. He thought they would help to fill the hole in my heart from having to give up Andy. They are adorable and are growing like crazy. I started them off in my Koi pond but they are now very happy in my big pond.
While we were getting them use to the big pond, my neighbors Trent and Tyler and their friend came over to play around the pond with us. My true Cajun side comes out when I am at home. We ended up in the pond with the ducks, and also caught and killed a snake. Every now and then when it rains a lot, I get an alligator in the pond and I have to call the alligator man to come out and catch it. Now that I have my ducks (which I named Willie and Nelson) I am really hoping that the gators stay away.
I also had a chance to visit with my grandmother Doris, (my dad’s mom) who is now 94 years old. She amazes us with how well she is doing at her age. She’s a tiny little thing with a very strong will, which is the kind of stuff that seems to run in my family.
Kari at Jungle Friends asked if I could possibly come back to Gainesville at the end of the week to be interviewed for a special that was being filmed on monkeys. Since I was going to be testing in Valdosta only two hours away, it was the perfect opportunity for me to do the interview and to visit with Andy again. My mom made the trip with me which made it her first time in over three years to see me ride. She always had to stay home to care for Andy. When we got there I was so happy to see that Andy had been socialized with two other monkeys named Jack and Wanda. The three are getting along perfectly and just like Kari promised me, Andy has turned into 100 percent monkey! He seemed happy to see me but was obviously content with his new home. To my surprise the interview was for Good Morning America and ABC’s Prime Time News. It was a very emotional interview. I tried really hard not to cry but I was not successful at all. It is supposed to air on July 1st.
I want to tell all of you that sent a donation to Jungle Friends that I am so appreciative of your generosity. Kari tells me every time she gets another donation for Andy and it makes me so proud. I told her that we have the greatest fans in the world.
Well that’s about all I have for you guys right now.
Except, of course, for the joke of the day.
Thibodeaux was driving his car past Boudreaux's house and saw a sign that read: Boat for Sale.
Thibodeaux marches up to Boudreaux's front porch and raps hard on the door and Boudreaux opens it.
Thibodeaux say, “Boudreaux! How long we ban frands?”
Boudreaux say, “Well … all our lives, Thibodeaux.”
Thibodeaux say, “Why don you tole me you gotta boat?”
Boudreaux say, “I ain't gotta boat!” Thibodeaux say. “Da' sign say, BOAT for SALE.”
Boudreaux say, “OH NO Thibodeaux! See dat old '72 Ford pickem'up truck over dare?”
Thibodeaux say, “Yas. I see dat old pickem'up truck.”
Boudreaux say, “See dat ' 76 Cheverloet Ce-dan?”
Thibodeaux say, “Yas, I see dat Ce-dan.”
Boudreaux say, “Well, dey boat for sale.”
Until next time … God Bless!
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I understand that these blogs are supposed to be for you guys to get to know us better. Well, if that’s the case, then I would like to start writing more about my other interest so you all can know that racing is not the only thing I am passionate about. Lets’ see, here’s a few things that I’m crazy about: chocolate-covered strawberries, American Idol, sushi, Walt Disney World, electronic gadgets (my iPhone), sparkly things, animals, stars, the coziness of my home, chocolate milkshakes, Seth’s affection, scary movies, pillows, google.com, my grandmother’s red velvet cake, and the UFC!! Not necessarily in that order, and the list does go on, but these are definitely a few of my very favorite things.
Speaking of the UFC, I am a huge fan of the show The Ultimate Fighter. One of my coaches is competing on this season’s show. His name is Tim Credeur and he is the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt that we train under at BlackList Jiu-Jitsu in Lockport La. True BJJ Black Belts are hard to find and Tim is one of the best in the country. I hope he kicks butt and becomes the next Ultimate Fighter.
Jiu-Jitsu is definitely another one of my passions. I recently became a Blue Belt but haven’t really had time to keep up with my training since our race season started. I am determined to get back on the mat soon to continue my education and to further sharpen my skills. I live in a really small town where you wouldn’t expect to find such a great place to train but I am very fortunate to have coaches like Derrick Breaux and Gabe Barahona along with a large group of amazing teammates to train with. I started training in Muay Thai Kickboxing about three years ago to get in shape. I was introduced to the world of Jiu-Jitsu along the way and now that is mostly all I do. It is the best form of self defense for a person like me because it promotes the principle that a smaller, weaker person using leverage and proper technique can successfully defend themselves against a bigger, stronger assailant.
It is by far the toughest workout I’ve ever been through in which not only is my body exhausted but my mind as well. It’s like playing a game of chess using strategies to trick your opponent or cleverly leading him into a position which will ultimately end in his submission. It is a fun way to stay in shape while learning useful and truly effective ways to protect and defend yourself.
Well I just got a knock on the door from a unexpected visitor. Craig Treble is here to annoy the daylights out of me. He obviously doesn’t get to spend enough time with me at the races so he decided to move to Louisiana and is going to attempt to convert to being a Cajun. Let see how long he last’s down here in the swamp. LOL. If he ends up tied to a tree in an alligator-infested swamp near my home … I promise I had nothing to do with it. Well gang that’s all I have for you right now so I guess I’ll close with my usual Cajun humor.
Boudreaux's wife goes to the local newspaper and say she want to put in the obituary column that Boudreaux died. They told her it would be $1.00 per word. She said, "Here $2.00. You put in dere dat BOUDREAUX DIED."
The editor says, "Surely you want more dan dat."
She says, "No, just Boudreaux died."
The editor said, "Well, you're a little upset. Brought youself back here tomorrow and you will probably tink of somethin' else to say."
The wife comes back next day, and says, "Yeh, I taught of somethin else, here is $5.00. You write “BOUDREAUX DIED, BOAT FOR SALE."
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