Bike Week Begins

We decided that we would stay at the race track for this event and boondock. Be sure to check out our article “Boondocking at Daytona International Speedway” at Examiner.



Bike Week’s bring a different group of people entirely, than the NASCAR fans and we are having a blast meeting and socializing with them. We met several more people who gave us more contact names for other tracks, our dream is becoming our reality, we actually had to turn down some since we do not plan to cross country until October. We have a real sweet deal lined up for Bristol, where we will be heading once this event is over the beginning of March.

We will try to keep you all updated as much as possible or for those who want more instant information about our travels feel free as usual to email, call us, or check out our Twitter.

Happy Birthday Jeff!

My brother…one of the main reasons we began living our dream lifestyle sooner than we had originally planned. Because his life ended much too early, with so many regrets of not following his dreams and that promise I made to him that I would not make the same mistake.

We choose to celebrate his life, not his death.

It is so sad when a life has to end so soon because of a choice to allow the booze to control your life instead of taking charge and choosing to let it go. Allowing the alcohol to consume him as many of the Godlaski’s have done and continue to do is just not a choice we plan to make any longer. One of the main reasons we chose to quit drinking and smoking, we could not have made it this far if we still had that booze monkey hanging over our heads and dragging us down into that black hole of despair.

Jeff will always be in my heart and even now after all these years there are still moments in my day that I just want to pick up the phone and call him, to share with him…then I remember that I no longer need a phone to talk to him. I feel both him and my mom by our sides so often, we constantly find dimes from him and pennies from my mom, especially after we have said a prayer.

When I think about him, I always think about the good times we shared and not dwell on what could have been. Some folks may call that denial, I prefer to call it holding on to the good memories and releasing all the negative ones, something that is always been challenging amongst the Godlaski clan…forgive and forget. But, we are learning many new ways to live our lives without all that chaos and dysfunction, and quite frankly, it feels fantastic.

Thank you Jeff, for being a part of our lives, you will forever be in our hearts!

Clean & Ready for Our Next Adventure

Many times as we wait for things that we have planned, we get antsy if there is too much time in between. Here at Daytona International Speedway there is an excessive amount of time in between each event, so we have been keeping ourselves busy cleaning and purging.

In the past few days, we have opened, cleaned, organized and purged every little nook and cranny that we have. We have probably trashed and/or donated hundreds of pounds of stuff that we just did not need any longer. Stuff that we have been carrying around for so many years…just in case.

For us, it is not just materialistic, it is clearing of all the vented up garbage that we carry inside our hearts, that too has been released. The power this has over our entire lives is just so amazing…letting go of things that no longer work in our lives has left us open and ready for all the new adventures our lifestyle has aligned for us.

Whenever you find yourself with time on your hands and that can’t sit around and wait any longer feeling, begin by letting go of some of your stuff. Look deep, there is always something that needs to be released from your life, whether it be an inner or an outer item. The harder you resist it, the more you truly need to let it go. Try it and let us know how it felt.

Purging…What a Feeling!

We have some extra time until we begin working again, with only a few days planned to do some sightseeing, so we have been doing things that have been on our list for quite awhile…letting go!

There are things that we have carried with us in the past few years that we have not used but for some reason could not or would not release them. In the past few days we have let it all go and it continues to be such a inspirational experience.

Even though most is material items we are letting go, it still has a very spiritual effect on us. Knowing that we do not need things to make our lives all they can be is very comforting. Being able to let go of the material things help us to be open to new experiences in other areas of our lives.

Daytona Week Completed

As others are preparing for the next NASCAR race in Fontana, California, we are getting ready for Bike Weeks at Daytona International Speedway. This is a new experience for us, at least for me it is. When Jerry was much younger, he and his dad did a lot of motorcycle racing, not only watching but participating as well.

We are looking forward to a new phase in our lives and we may have found a way to camp at the track while we work the gates. This will make our lives so much easier. This past month was a bit more than we anticipated regarding transportation to the track and there is not a luxury bus for us to bring us home these next few weeks so we have a slight change of plans. Stay tuned to see how this new adventure works out for us.

For all the stories about our experiences at the races, both working and as fans, be sure to check out our column at Examiner.

Happy Birthday Daughter

So much time has slipped past us, moments we have missed, all because of some angry words that neither of us can ever take back. Sure, we can apologize but what good does that do when we choose to hold on to them and continuously replay them in our minds?

Am I still upset with her? Absolutely, she has taken away precious time that we could never rekindle, moments that can never be replaced. I was not upset at first because I honestly thought she would let this go after a few weeks, possibly a few short months, but instead she allowed it to go on for years now and that is when I began to feel angry with her. At first, I apologized every chance I could but she wouldn’t accept it, she wouldn’t even talk to me. So then I let go and didn’t try to call her since the calls were always answered with so much hateful and despicable words that I could no longer allow myself to be open for them. Then I began to feel betrayed, there was nothing so wrong that I did that should make her push me out of her life but she made her choice and I needed to let go and move forward with my own life.

Time does not always heal everything…sometimes…time just makes things worse when you think about all that you have missed and can never get back. But, I have finally come to a place in my life that I understand why she has done this…she needs to find herself and does not want me in her life. It has never been my choice but because it is hers, I have had to learn to deal with it and go on with my life. Another lesson learned, I cannot change anyone, I can only change myself.

Finally, after all this time, I do not cry every time I think or speak about my daughter and grandson, instead I smile when I remember all the happy moments we shared and very thankful for all the time we did have with one another.

Happy Birthday Chrissy! May your life always be filled with love and may all your dreams come true.

The last photo I have of us, taken back in 2006!

Traveling Without a Toad…Update

While working at Daytona International Speedway for the Bud Shootout, we had the opportunity to watch the race in it’s entirety which meant most of the other workers that might give us a ride back to our campground were already gone. We have walked it before, rode the bikes and took the bus, so we didn’t think this would be a problem…boy, were we ever wrong.

To read the entire story, visit our column on the Examiner

What a Rush!

Thunder…the sound is spectacular…feeling the vibrations of the roar of the cars passing your seats. The feeling is especially special because it is the first of the season, for the drivers apparently it was a long off season as well since they were not able to practice but it was very apparent for many of the fans, just how much happy they were that NASCAR season once again is here.

The Bud Shootout is the official kickoff for the NASCAR Cup Series and they absolutely made that clear that they were all ready for it to begin. This race is not about points, it is strictly, “Bash for the Cash” and many of the drivers took this literally.

We worked a fairly busy gate but we were very lucky to find great break partners. How this works is when on the gates, you are asked to find partners that relieve you for breaks, they suggest half hour breaks but we prefer doing an hour on and then an hour off so that we can enjoy some of the race. We asked these two young guys, who were also fans so it worked out perfectly for all of us. We were able to see much of the Cup Series Practice and the ARCA Race. Then to make our lives even sweeter, we were told our shift was complete before the Bud Shootout even began, so we were able to watch the entire Bud Shootout from some really good seats and what a great race it was.

Click Here For More of Our Bud Shootout Photos

That's Life...

The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do. - Walter Bagehot

We enjoy doing, and lately we have not been doing much of anything but waiting for NASCAR to begin, once it does we will once again be doing and feeling alive. The past few days, we have been getting calls from many of the tracks confirming our work for this season. We are excited and then at the same time…terrified…scared that we just might make our dream happen this season. We have been struggling for so long and so use to failing that having things happen for us is scary…is that strange?

Many of you will probably say it is strange, and would probably ask. How on earth can you be afraid of living your dream? Unless you have lived a life without, you will never truly know. Sure you can try to understand, but until you have walked a mile in our shoes, you will never truly get it.

It’s not always easy to let go of those old ways of dealing with challenges because it feels comfortable, even though it is not for the best outcome. We remember that the past two times we got this far into our dream and came here to Daytona, things fell apart and we had to find other work which took us away from following the circuit. We began to believe that this could not be done so it takes us rethinking our past mistakes and this time doing something totally different. And, that totally different way is to believe and follow through on all the good things, knowing and accepting that our good is finally here for us to enjoy and live.

Every time we allow ourselves to think about failing, we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and get back in the game…that’s life!