We Win!!!

So most recently I returned from Ensenada Mexico where I was blessed to be a part of the race team that won the Pro Quad class for the 2nd consecutive year. I probably sound like a broken record but I continue to be amazed at the things I'm getting to experience. I remember reading about Team Matlock taking the win last year after several years of hardships and always coming up short. Never in a million years did I think that I would be standing in the winners circle when they crossed the finish line and thats exactly where I was. Well more off to the side really as I was filming the event, but I quickly made my way to the circle to join in the celebration. It was a crazy awesome experience and I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity.

The Matlock racing crew is basically just a family crazy about racing ATV's. Wayne and his wife Kristen brought their 8 week old son along for the entire week of Baja. That's dedication. I told Grandma Cathy that I was jealous...it took me 24 years to get there! When I say family I mean family. Grandparents, moms, dads, wives and kids all turn up for the event and its truly a family affair. The night before the race we all settled in around a big table between a couple RV's for a feast that would rival many Thanksgiving dinners. I hardly slept a wink that night as I kept waking up wondering if it was time for the race to begin. I really think I get more sleep on Christmas eve than I did the night before Baja. Call me Crazy. The whole Baja experience was amazing and I'm already excited to head back next year.

Another neat deal, I got to share my story with a gal at Starbucks last night. I needed power for my computer so I asked if I could share her table next to the outlet. We visited a little and I found out she’s a multi media major. We had lots to talk about between photography, film and such and as I was telling her about what I’m doing down here she expressed that I’m living her dream. I chuckled and told her that I’m finally getting to live my dream but that it took eight years for me to get here. I shared my thoughts on spending your life doing something you love and I smiled inside as I felt like “this is what it’s about,” showing people and encouraging people to pursue that little thing in their heart that they’ve always longed for. Believer or not I believe that is placed there by God and it just takes time for HIM to develop that in us. In the mean time, we face hardships or get sidetracked with immediate gratification and for many people that dream gets lost. Thank God none of the rabbit trails I’ve chased in the last 8 years worked out. I know that I surely wouldn’t be where I am today.

There is a saying “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive and go do that. What the world needs is more people to come alive.”

People that are alive about what they do are contagious. It takes discipline, perseverance and the drive to not give up when things get tough. What I’ve found for me personally is that the victories I’m experiencing since moving here wouldn’t be near as sweet without the hardships I’ve faced over the last year and a half. I say hardships as if my life was a wreck. People certainly deal with harder situations than I’ve ever had to deal with but for me, my situation at home was so suffocating before I left that I felt like I had no hope for enjoying life. Life is called a journey for a reason. We walk through valleys and over mountains to stand at the peak and behold the glory of what we’ve persevered to get there. I tend to find that if I were on the mountaintop all the time, I would have less of a need for God’s presence. “Give me only my daily bread or else I will have too much and disown you.” (Prov. 30:8) God knows what we can handle, how much pressure we can take before we snap, and how much reward we can handle without squandering it. I believe if we ask Him to, he will take the reigns of our lives and only hand us control when we are ready for it. I feel like it's taken 8 years but God is starting to hand me the reigns....and I can't wait to see where we go next!