For this milestone, I give you “The Thirty On Kurty”.  This will take some work of the roller-ball on your mouse.

1. He enjoyed this morning’s fried eggstraordinary  breakfast with “30″ jelly toast on the special red plate, a family tradition (photo 1, above).

2. He received a sewing machine this year, and is stoked!  I can’t wait to see what creations he churns out.

3. He delights in having a can of Pillsbury Cinnamon rolls.  Yes, the whole can.

4. He can rock a tux…then and now (photos 2 and 3, above).

5. He’s a kid magnet.  They flock to him.

6. He doesn’t sweat the small stuff.  This, I love.

7. He’s a tremendous artist…his sculpture “Sliding” is a part of Indiana State University’s permanent collection (photo 4, above).

8. Try as he might, he cannot find a good tasting onion.

9. He makes a mean (actually, very smiley and nice) pancake (photo 5, above).

10. His first and only take of the newspaper is the Sudoku puzzle.

11. He gives and gives, and seeks nothing in return.

12. He’s kind of like a superhero (photo 6, above).

13. He likes it simple and wants to live off the land.

14. He’s passionate about photography (photo 7, above).

15. He could be a Math teacher someday.

16. He loves to climb and will scale anything with holds, just like this wall at a rest stop (photo 8, above).

17. He’s a Dr. Pepper fiend.

18. This 30th celebration will not be a repeat of 21 (photo 9, above).

19. He’s faithful and God-loving.

20. He makes me laugh.  A lot (photo 10, above).

21. He enjoys a good kung-fu movie.

22. He gets all kinds of giddy during football season (photo 11, above).

23. He looks up to his big brothers.

24. He’s a deep thinker (photo 12, above).

25. He’s a proud Godfather to two beautiful beings.

26. He loves his family.  Big time (photo 13, red Christmas sweater, above).

27. He recalls his high school senior year as one of his favorites.

28. He adventurous and loves the outdoors (photo 14, above).

29. He has a heart of gold.  Like 24 bazillion karats of the stuff.

30. He’s made me the luckiest girl on Earth. I love this man. (photo Matthew Gordon Lee, 15 above).

A very blessed and happy birthday to you, Kurtis.  Continue to live it up!

Me & Tom.

Throughout this post, we’ll be rooting for the “go tommy dot com team,” ok?!

Some things I learned and/or was reminded of…

That right here in our backyard (of Indianapolis), we have one of the most magnificent sporting venues in the world.  It doesn’t matter if it’s your first or fiftieth time to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS)…it’s awe-striking every time.

…That it’s really fun to walk the tunnels while the cars thunder ’round the track.  Then, when they’ve passed, you let out a big “whoooop!” or a “get ‘er done!” and enjoy the thundering echo of your own voice.

…That the IMS has sweet garages.  And it’s fun to be on the inside of that fence surrounding them.

…That precision and preparation both at the shop and at the track are non-negotiable.  Every detail counts.  Scales are positioned, leveled and zeroed-in below.

…That it’s a dirty, hot job and requires lots of note-taking.

…That Jack Johnson and NASCAR do mix!  Here’s the Johnson boys, Jimmie and Jack…I assume they’re Cali buddies.

…That track food is really something to look forward to!  I did not have Clabber Girl’s biscuits & berries on this day.  Rather, I enjoyed biscuits & gravy on raceday morning

…That there’s a lotta rubber.  At 3Gs a set!  For four tires!

…That raceday is buzzing with energy, and heading out to the start line is pretty spectacular.

…And that walking down pit lane just before the start is surreal.  I made several 360 spins to make sure I could catch everything.

…That our “scoreboard” beats all others.

…That the #5 car’s pit box was in the best possible spot for viewing purposes!  Pagoda.  Start-Finish Line.  Bingo!

…That while superstars were found all around us, the only one I cared about was this one!

…That the pit crew dudes are big time.

…That I love the posting of colors and fly-overs.  Gives me chills every time.

…That the pit boxes are transformers.  And they’re stocked with everything imaginable.

…That you don’t get to see much of the action from the pits.  So, you watch on the big screen opposite, or poke your head behind one of those transformers just shown.

…That rubber buildup on the tires must be removed in order to get accurate tire-wear measurements.

…That pit stops are intense.

…And at the end of the race, the victorious team gets the biggest thrill ever.

…That Jamie McMurray became only the third driver in NASCAR history to win both the Daytona 500 AND the Brickyard 400, the two top events in the sport, in the same year.

…That it’s a good idea to be far enough away from victory circle to avoid being showered in sticky beverages.

…And most impressive?  That car owner Chip Ganassi (far right) won the big three – The Daytona 500, The Indy 500 and The Brickyard 400 – all in the same year!  That’s huge.  HUGE!

So proud of our Speedway.  And so proud of my big brother.

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What items have we found in the garden?  Sugar snap peas!  Nicely modeled as a moustache!

Our first harvest of green beans.

Basil, baby.  I can’t get enough pesto.

Chard.  A very nutritional leafy green.

Ehh…what’s up doc?

Tomato blight has hit Indiana hard.  Our little cherry toms are feeling the effects.

Jalapeno peppers.  Salsa makin’, here I come!

How ’bout them apples?!  Coming this fall.

Hope your garden is blooming too!!