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It's that time of year again........you know, that time where everyone (well, almost everyone) is rushing around trying to get everything done for Christmas day. People making sure they got the right sizes and presents and making sure they ordered parts in time to get shipped by Christmas. Not me though. I'm done with all of that. This is the time of year that I sit back, look at the tree, and think of what all I've gotten to do the last year. This has been one heck of a year, too. I got to meet tons of new people. I got to see a bunch of new places, and I have a new club family to call home. I got to spend all summer going to truck and car shows and showing my son lots of parts of the United States that he had not gotten to see before. I got to fly on a plane for the first time. I got to take my son on a plane for the first time.....we feel like veteran fliers now though. I got to hang out with some of the best friends I've ever had. I got a brand new Tahoe. And, for those of you that know me, or have been reading my columns for a while, I've almost shaken my fear of big brown UPS trucks. I already knew a good many people because we have been in this sport so long, but this year, I got to meet some interesting people as well. One of these people was Charles "The Kid" Armstrong. I don't' know how many of you know him, but he is one cool ass guy. People always assume that "big names" in the minitruckin world don't have time to talk to the little people. This is so untrue. I've watched Charles (and many other "big names") sit at shows (and the after party) having fun with his club mates and talking to anybody that comes up to him that wants to talk. I met Steve Neilsen and Steve Lewis from Alter Images. Cool guys as well and funny as hell when they get a few shots in them. In fact, I think I met so many cool people this year that I can't name them all. The guys from F/X Motorsports stand out to me too. I got to go to a lot of places this year that I had never been. I also visited some old familiars; we went to a good bit of shows this year and traveled a little. I know there are absolutely some shows I would recommend for your calendar next year. Garden State Nationals--perfect show for people with children. Lots of area for them to horse around in and not a lot of "booty" stuff at the show. You might want to find a sitter for the after party though. Another show suitable for families is Fallout in Amarillo, Texas. A couple of shows that I absolutely love but take a babysitter with me are Mini Nats and Texas Heat Wave. I know these are kind of east coast shows but hey, I live on the east coast.
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I got to hang out with old friends (always fun) and make new friends. I have to store up the memories from hanging with my faraway friends so that I can just get through the winter with phone calls, emails, and chat. It really sucks that I can't be with ALL the people that I care about during the holidays. How cool would it be if all minitruckers lived on an island somewhere? It would be one big tech article/beer party/nudity club/show/family.. I got to meet up with people that I had already gotten to know over the net. The infamous Nealio, Dave--Turbo--Taylor, Chas, and Smurf just to name a few. It's pretty cool when you know somebody before you meet them. People tend to be more open sitting in front of a computer. I guess it's cause you're not looking at that person. The flip side of that is most people don't usually look like you would picture them........that's pretty funny sometimes. Russell and I decided to leave the only family we had known for a while and join a new family. When we decided to leave , it was long after we already felt like a part of Subculture. I still have a deep respect for people that attain the status of being in Severed. However, we wanted to be part of something just a little different. Subculture has been the welcome wagon to us. They have helped us get excited about minitruckin' again. They loved us no matter what club we were in and that's one of the reasons we decided that's where we needed to be. I've made some great friends in Severed, and I hope they stay that way. I've made some great friends in Subculture, and I know they'll stay that way. For those of you that know us personally, December 20 marks the two year anniversary of our "accident". I can actually go a whole day now without thinking about it. I hope that those of you who have had really bad things happen and those of you that haven't take the time this year to be especially thankful of those you love and those that love you. Yes, it's been one heck of a year. I can only hope that I can top this year by going to even more shows next year and meeting even more people. I think we'll start the year off right from the get go. Russell said something about wanting a saw-zall and a welder for Christmas............... Merry Christmas to all and may you drag it all night............... Brandi
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