Happy Friday, everyone!  I’m sure most of you are getting ready for a nice, long holiday weekend.  Many of my co-workers will have a one day weekend.  Some of them will be working on Sunday, covering the Indianapolis 500.

I won’t make it out there this year.  We’re scaling back our coverage.  Instead of starting our pre-race show at 5 in the morning, we’ll start at 11.  This will be the first time in about 8 years that I’ll get to sleep in on race morning.  I must confess that the realization I get to sleep in on Sunday is pretty nice.  Being on this shift, I’m usually a little sleep-deprived.  Knowing that I can get up at 7 on Sunday instead of 2:30 in the morning sounds pretty nice.  At the same time, I always enjoyed working race morning.  I would usually arrive at the track around 4:15.  Watching the sunrise and watching the Speedway come to life, are really something to experience.  The first time I saw the beginning of a race, I had goosebumps on my arms and tears in my eyes.  It was really something to see.

I am working on Monday.  Some of my friends tend to feel a little sorry for me when I work holidays, but I really don’t mind.  I’ve been working holidays for so many years, it doesn’t even phase me.  I just take a comp day later in the summer.  My husband and I can take the kids to a fun place at a later date when it is less crowded and hectic.

To all of you who are parents, I hope you use this holiday as a way to teach your kids about what the holiday is all about.  Yes… cook-outs and parades are fun.  Let’s not forget, however, that it is a day to remember our brave heroes.  One of my boys asked me a couple of days ago why he didn’t have school on Memorial Day.  It was the perfect opportunity to teach him a little about pride in our country and pride in our heroes.

And so, I wish all of you a safe Memorial Day.  And for those of you who, for some reason, can’t sleep Monday morning, Paul and I will be here bright and early at 5 a.m.