My mom took Gavin and I out to eat at Applebee's for lunch. Then we all hung out together for the entire day. Mom took us home to get ready for the World of Outlaws race. When we arrived home, there was a cute birthday cake on the table from Matt's mom. 
She also gave me a picture that said Gavin, Casey, Matthew with Family really big behind our names. That was really nice. We dropped Gavin off at the sitter's house and we were off to the races. Matt's mom bought the V.I.P box, which was dumb, so we found our way to our box and watched the cars warm up. We saw Matt's favorite driver who has retired and went to the pits to find his trailer to get a shirt. The driver was Sammy Swindell. I purchased my shirt and had him autograph it. We were on our way back to the box when we ran into one of our friends who told us that Kasey Kayne was there with his driver. So, I wanted his autograph, then we ventured back towards where we just came from and I said, I dont know what he looks like! So we ran into a friend of Matt's side of the family and she grabbed her granddaughter who had already been to his trailer to show me where he was. I got his autograph and a picture taken with him. 
We went back to the box and watched the show. In the end his driver, Joey Saldana, won it all! What an awesome race, what an awesome night! This was just July 8th my actual birthday.
Over the weekend we went to River Valley Campground to camp out and ride horses. It was fun, there was a ranch style rodeo fridday and saturday. I ran into my Aunt Glenna who we havn't seen for lots of years. Sunday we had an organized trail ride Glenna, her son Joe, his daughter Cierra, Matt, and I all rode together. It was fun. My weekend was left with a sore butt from the saddle, maroon sunburn on my shoulders and face, blister on my heel, and certainly exhausted. I also lost my cell phone somewhere! This year was an awesome birthday!
My grandma passed away a year ago on June 30th. I have been thinking a lot about her the last couple months and it has been hard. I feel I was in denial, the realization that she has been gone hasn't really hit me until about two months ago. I watched them close the casket and set her in the vault to be put in the ground.
It was very hard watching someone you spent a lot of your summers with as a child into your teen years being buried. I went to her grave several times and it just never hit me. As I started thinking about it these last months, it sunk in, she IS gone! So I have been moody, depressed, and stressed. On June 30th, one whole year after, I went to Hy-Vee and purchased a beautiful bouquet of flowers. I set out to the cemetary with Gavin in the backseat. I arrived at the cemetary, and sat in the car looking at her grave for a while before i actually went to set the flowers out on her stone. Gavin was in the back seat laughing and talking. I wasn't interacting with him, just simply listening to him. As I walked over to the grave, I looked back at him and seen he was content still laughing and playing. I sat by her grave and talked to her, even though she wasn't there nor could respond, Gavin continued to talk to someone. I feel he saw her and was associating with her. Everyone else may find it crazy but I believe he sees her and talks to her. It was a hard experience to deal with but at least I know she is gone and I can face reality.
My mom took Gavin and I out to eat at Applebee's for lunch. Then we all hung out together for the entire day. Mom took us home to get ready for the World of Outlaws race. When we arrived home, there was a cute birthday cake on the table from Matt's mom. 