Midlife Crisis or Just a Reboot on Life?

   Some say when you do something out of the ordinary when you reach a certain age, that there is something wrong with you. Maybe when that something is rather extreme, it might be seem like a crisis. I know that as we get older we tend to look back more than forward in our lives. We want to cherish and hold onto what we left behind. There is a lot to be said that a lot of things are wasted on the youth. You don't realize the value of time and energy when you are young...you just enjoy it. Maybe that is what makes it such a carefree experience. If we focused on losing that as a youth we made not enjoy it as much at the time. Now I am just rambling..sorry.
Since all of my kids are going to be in school all day this year; for the first time in 12 years I will have some time to myself five days of the week. With this new found freedom I saw that I was able to have a vehicle that was not so mommy-fied, but somewhat carefree.
I have always loved convertibles and had one up until I was pregant with my second child. There is something about driving without a top on the car with all of nature open to your viewing. The beautiful blue skies and puffy white clouds in the day. And the open dark skies starfilled at night.  The car I got is a black Mustang convertible.
My husband commented to me that guys usually go for the black motorcycles to rebel and he guess womens version of that is a black sporty convertible. I am seriously going to get a nameplate that reads Rebel on the front. I turn 40 this year and I started coloring my hair blond as a way to rebel against old age and this is just another way to rebel..lol 

The car group I started back in my hometown had great success because there are a lot of us out there that wanted to go back and live it up a little more. We didn't want to just roll over and die or say well that's that. We actually feel younger when given the opportunity to act it. No crime in that. Hanging out with friends  and sporting a cool car gives you a boost in life. So my thoughts here are plain and simple ...don't give up living until you absolutely have to.

VanBuren Cruisers of Enid

I started out to find "harmony at home" and I have actually been led to bringing
"harmony" to a community. One definition I found for "harmony" is this...

   Concord or agreement in facts, opinions, manners,
   interests, etc.; good correspondence; peace and
   friendship; as, good citizens live in harmony.

This group I started in January on Facebook called 

"VanBuren Cruisers of Enid" has grown to nearly 2000

members. We had a reunion in June over Father's Day 

weekend. There were so many classic vehicles and not 

so classic vehicles come to the event. It was most 

impressive. People parked in the businesses up and

down Van Buren. Some folks even set out in their yards

just watching and cheering at others as they cruised by. 

There were maybe a thousand or so cruisers over the 

weekend.

 It was a bonding time with friends of the past that

reunited as well as the youth that participated with 

their parents and grandparents. I would even venture 

to say that there were great grandparents there too. 

This is what we did when I was growing up in Enid. 

Every weekend we would head out to Van Buren to go 

cruising. 

It was where you found your friends hanging out. There

were kids from surrounding towns that would drive in to

Enid to hang out too. By creating this group page I have 

been able to find a lot of those friends from this link 

that I had lost contact with. In doing so others have 

found theirs too.

 I think we get so busy in life moving forward that we 

forget about the steps or paths we took to get there. 

It is sometimes beneficial to retrace those tracks and

find the value in them. Some of our traditions or ways 

of life,the more "simpler" ways you might call them. 

Before we had access to the internet or cell phones. We 

had to actually go out of our homes to meet people face 

to face. We had a lot of fun times hanging out and 

goofing off. 

People that attended have posted nearly 300 pictures on 
the group page of the cars there. They posted their fun 
experiences and how we needed to do it again. And because 
a lot of people didn't want to wait another year for a 
chance to get together and cruise again, I set another 
date in August.
And cruising is just one aspect of this social 
gathering. I sparked an interest in all the car 
enthusiasts in the community. 
There were so many there that love car events. So I 
scheduled a car show. Then I got a lot of emails and 
people confronting me to have a drag race. I had one 
person that came forward and said he would even put 
together the drag race. I have been given a crash course 
on drag racing. The drag race is still under review until 
we can get approval from the City to have it. Apparently 
if it is approved people from several towns are 
interested in coming to participate in it.
I have been approached by radio station owners to help 
with my events, people suggesting bands for concerts. 
Members of car clubs and motorcycles clubs have wanted 
to help me plan events. 
In some aspects I can imagine how people who won the 
lottery feel. Except I don't have money to give 
just opportunities. That must be it. 
Everyone sees what you are a part of and wants to 
join in. 
That is what always made cruising so much fun, 
was all the people, "the more the merrier" holds
a lot of truth to it.
The event was covered by the local paper on several 
occasions. The local magazine did a story on it. 
I had several come forward willing to help with 
any future events. A friend of mine from high 
school, now lives in New York and happens to 
work for a web design company. He made our group 
a web page and they are even hosting it for me. 
How awesome is that? 
vanburencruisers.com 
I have just been overwhelmed by the reaction 
this event or group I created, has had on people. 
Wow is my response! What a thrill and honor to 
have been responsible for something that sparked 
or rekindled, should I say, the interest in a 
community bonding from a favorite pastime.
I am just amazed at how just a cruise down 
memory lane has turned into almost a full time 
job for me. I am now in the process of setting 
up a non-profit organization for the group so we 
can contribute funds raised back to the schools 
in the community.
This past year was my 20 year high school reunion. 
I was unable to attend it. I will turn 40 this year. 
Maybe this was just my way of stepping back in time. 
The tradition we had of cruising had lost its appeal 
to the youth of today. The cops haven't been as 
trusting. I hope that through our cruise nights 
we are able to pass on and renew a treasured time 
to our children and their children. 
So maybe they will get to enjoy it like we did. 
 
Did I mention that when I am not organizing cruise 
nights, car shows, concerts and drag races that I 
am also a mother of four, ages 4,7, 10 and 12. I 
stay home with them. I have a degree in Communications. 
I love marketing. This job feels more like a hobby 
so no complaints from me. Thanks Enid!! What a 
homecoming!! 
I'll see you out on the drag..probably in a 
minivan..lol!!

Distracted

   Let me start this by saying how I have to kind of laugh at myself when I went back and read my first post. I spoke about getting organized and cleaning and a healthier diet and so forth were my goals. Those are still my goals.  I strive to meet those on a daily basis. There just always seems to be more to add to the agenda daily too.
   I started this blog at the first of the year. It was my mission then to accomplish something that I did on a regular basis. From one of my blogs I came up with an idea to start a group page on facebook and I mentioned that in one of my earlier blogs. I talked about the success in the numbers that had signed up in a short time to share in their memories of cruising.
   From that came the most incredible opportunity that has tied up a lot of my time and kept me from blogging on a regular basis, as well as my other organizational goals..lol. I guess you can say that I have been distracted. In this next post I will share with you the incredible journey I have been on since I created that group page.