Jamie and Kris Rose Credit: Contributed photo

Two gifts in one

Red Cross to receive $16,100; husband gets anniversary gift

My husband and I live in Lexington, Kentucky. His name is Jamie Rose and he is a corporate attorney who now works as manger of several private investment partnerships. Although his primary hobby is golf, he is an instrument-rated private pilot who loves to fly every chance he gets. He often takes the children to interesting places across the country. Last year, they flew to Niagara Falls, to the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and to an air show to see the U.S. Navy Blue Angels. I wonder if he will appreciate going 200 mph on the ground versus in the air?

Jamie also devotes considerable time to non-profit organizations and currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of both the Scott Rose Foundation and the Lexington Christian Academy.

My full name is Kris Chapman Rose, and I am a native of Owensboro, Kentucky -- home to several current and former NASCAR drivers. In addition to being the mother of six children -- twin girls, Scarlett and Lauren (age 11), triplet boys James, Clay and Neil (age 9) and another son, Matt (age 8) -- I am a stockbroker.

Scarlett aspires to be an actress. Lauren is more interested in becoming a doctor. Neil wants to join the PGA Tour and be the next Tiger Woods. James hopes to follow in his Dad's footsteps and become an attorney and pilot. And, of course, we have two that want to be NASCAR drivers!

Clay and Matt have worn the rubber completely off their go-kart. We actually had "time trials" last weekend. The eventual winner by .5 second (according to Dad, the official timer) was Clay. Matt now wants a rematch! As you can see, our family likes to move fast -- as evidenced by six kids in less than 3½ years --so I guess it is no surprise that two of our children want to become NASCAR drivers when they grow up.

Proving that it's difficult to reach a consensus in a large family, especially when it comes to NASCAR, the polling revealed that the family's overall favorite driver is Matt Kenseth, who received two votes, with Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bobby Labonte, Scott Wimmer, Kasey Kahne and Michael Waltrip each receiving one vote.

Wally's World Ride for Aid For one special weekend, Wally invited someone to ride shotgun with him AND be on national television -- all for charity!   After the winning bid of $16,100, Jamie Rose will enjoy the following experience at New Hampshire, courtesy of TNT:  •   Flight to and hotel and accommodations in Loudon  •   Suite/race tickets, cold passes, access to NASCAR driver's meeting and a behind the scenes TV tour  •   Appear in the Wally's World segment on TNT during the broadcast

I view the opportunity for Jamie to ride around the New Hampshire International Speedway with Wally Dallenbach for his "Wally's World" segment for TNT as two gifts in one. First and foremost is the monetary gift to the American Red Cross to help the hurricane victims. At the same time, I will be able to give him an anniversary gift that he will certainly never forget. We celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary on September 14, 2005.

I heard about this auction while I was watching last weekend's race and thought I would check into it. I "bookmarked" the auction in my browser and checked in on it occasionally. I thought it was a really creative way for TNT and NASCAR to help raise funds for hurricane relief. We get to help the American Red Cross and my husband gets a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Our family has some personal understanding of the damage hurricanes can cause and the pain and suffering they can inflict. As you may or may not recall, an extremely rare, if not unprecedented, meteorological event occurred last year when Hurricane Frances and Hurricane Jeanne both made landfall in almost the exact same location -- Stuart, Florida -- within a few hours of being exactly three weeks apart.

Jamie's parents live in Stuart, Florida, and, until recently, my parents lived in Jensen Beach, Florida, about five miles north of Stuart. Although we were not in Stuart at the time the hurricanes hit, we were there several weeks later and personally saw the damage. Frances and Jeanne were Category 2 and 3 storms and, although the damage to Florida was severe, it was nothing like the damage done to the Gulf Coast.

We continue to keep the victims of Hurricane Katrina in our daily prayers. While we are mindful of the catastrophe in the Gulf Coast region, we can't help but be excited about this weekend's events.