Bugs Palace!

I keep saying I need to do this more often, but apparently my ability to do updates on the regular is not so super. And boy or boy do I have a bunch of updates! This will be rapid fire and frankly kept quite brief as there is so much to cover.

First up: DISNEYLAND! After a few years of rescheduling due to pandemics and moves etc, we finally were able to do Joe’s 10th birthday trip with Jeff and Cathy. We packed up and flew out west for a week of Disney and California marathon fun! We packed in so much over the week I am still dizzy! In no particular order we went to a Dodgers game; and Angels game, 2 days at Disneyland, 2 days at Disney’s California Adventure and 1 day at Universal Studios. Add to that some site seeing and a trip to the beach and we’ve pretty much covered one amazing trip. DL is so much like WDW but different at same time. I could go to either and be just as happy. Both have perks and draw backs. One this is for sure, it will not be out last trip to the west coast. Thanks again Jeff and Cathy!

Next up: HUSKIES! Joe’s first year as a rep baller couldn’t have been better. The team of rookie misfits somehow surprised everyone and took the gold medal for league play as well as the season ending championship tournament in Ottawa. Not to mention finishing several levels higher than they started out. Each week these boys just kept getting better and surprising everyone. Season 2 has just started to get going and we’re stoked! Lets go DoGGS!

Rugby: Abby’s rugby team (yes! Abby plays rugby) had a great season as well! They finished second in COSSA and went on to compete in OFFSA. Sadly it didn’t go as well, but she got to go away over night with the team and made some fun memories.

Baseball!: Much like the previous summers, if you wanted us — you had to look no further than the ballpark. Between Joe’s house and rep team, Abby’s house league team and Joe’s time lining diamonds and umpiring, we spent a LOT of time at the diamonds this summer. Just the way we like it! Joe’s team won the ORSA championship and also the league championship. Abby’s came in 3rd. Proud of both the kiddos and their teams this year. We have a great time coaching and we hope you all enjoyed playing just as much!

House Updates: Not a great deal to report. Garage is nearly finished. Alex spent some time finishing drywall followed by Shannon beast mode painting has it looking pretty great! Still some trimming out to finish and work benches to build, but it’s nearly done! Only other big project was rebuilding of the pool fence and adding onto the deck. This was started last summer, but ankle injury kept me from finishing. Quite happy with the outcome so far. Still a bit of work to be done, but it looks a million times better than before and so much more functional.

Cars: Nothing much. Shannon’s Jeep is still doing the family truckster duties while I’ve been rocking the R32 full time for a few months now. The R32 has a bunch of maintenance items I’d like to clean up this winter to freshen it up. Suspension bushings, ride height tweaks and maybe a new exhaust. That and I should probably put my stereo in at some point. The Beetle hasn’t moved in a while. Hoping to resurrect her this winter. Finally Abby’s TDI has been busy playing the part of the school bus since September. Shes and old girl but she’s running like a champ.

School: In the blink of an eye, both of the kiddos are now in high school! Joe started grade 9 while Abby has entered grade 12! I’m beyond proud of these two goofs. Smart, compassionate, funny as hell and driven to succeed when they want something. On the topic of succeeding at school, Abby now has received honors in Grade 9, 10, AND 11. And she tacked on the Cosmo and Art awards for good measure. Great job baby!

Though the kids started the year on the bus, that only lasted 2-3 days! Abby officially passed her G2 test! Her and Joe take her Golf every morning and head to Simcoe for school. Not gonna lie, it’s a bit nerve racking at first, but shes gotten to be a very good driver. Alert, cautious and even patient. Keep being safe and going slow! You and your brother are precious cargo!

I know there are a million other little updates I could add, but I think I’ll wrap it up here.

Sooo its not been that long since my last update, but it is quite funny re-reading it. Mind you November 30th I had sold my bike and was debating what to do with the MINI. Well, I decided not to buy a bike right away and used the cash from the bike to purchase a 2009 Chevrolet Colorado. Regular cab, short box, manual 4cylinder / 5 speed from the original owner with only 62K on it! Intention was the now sell the MINI and replace the bike in the spring.

That plan changed. New truck sat in the garage all winter while I continued driving Abbys Golf. I was aiming to put truck on road in April. I finally put the MINI up for sale a couple weeks ago and it sold FAST. So here I am with a truck ready for the road and a fist full of cash to spend on a bike. Well, the truck never got put on the road, and the bike never got bought. Instead, after receiving a random text from a buddy of mine about a dream car, I pivoted. And quick.

Eight hours after the text from Sandor I was on the way home with a 2004 Volkswagen R32! I have been dreaming about this car since the 2003 when I first heard of them. All wheel drive, 240hp, manual Golf with the sound of an angry wookiee under the hood! I am in love! Two of my four ‘forever’ cars are officially in my possession. Sadly the truck will need to go for now, but that is a small price to pay to make this happen. Shes in beautiful condition with only a couple small tweaks/updates to make it the way I want it. Playing with the name “Blackjack Brittany”.. Because the car is officially my 21st car, and — oops I did it again– comes to mind 😉

Life otherwise has been busy yet scheduled. Joe’s basketball has kept us hopping Since October and I can’t remember having this much fun watching youth sports. The Huskies organization is fantastic to play under. And the coaches are beyond incredible. Their dedication and ability to push the boys to their potential is something all who coach should take note of. Only a few more weeks and we’ll be in Ottawa for the end of your tournament. Can’t wait to see these boys do what they do!

Regular life stuff has been going well. Dogs are good. Works been busy. Abby is doing great leaning to drive. Shes really taken to it quickly. Still lots to learn, but she makes me proud and frankly more trusting in her every time we go out.

Well the second half of summer turned out to be just as busy as the first. I don’t know what we did all summer. All that I DO know is we blinked, and it was over.

In seriousness – baseball. We did baseball this summer. And it was fantastic. Abby’s u17 girls team and Joe’s u13 boys teamS kept us hopping! The girls played well all summer. We ended up with 14 girls on the team which was challenging to get everyone equal playing time, but was a fun team made up of a bunch of great girls. Hoping to see most if not all of them back next year! Abby really sorted out her bat. Started a bit slow for the first half, but the second half things started clicking and she started making some decent contact. Her defensive play was fantastic as always. Hoping next season, now that she’s more established at work, she can schedule her shifts around the games so the poor kid doesn’t have to miss so many.

Joe’s house league and also his rep teams played well all year. Really grew as a group to play some decent ball. Joe even started pitching! Lots of power, but the consistency needs some work. Time and practice will solve that. His bat on the other hand was on a new level. His physical growth over the winter coupled with his non stop trip to his batting cages paid off. He crushed all summer. Can’t wait to see where his skills take him if he sticks with it and really pushes himself. One extra bright spot this summer was the Field of Dreams. Joes team had the opportunity to play in an exhibition day. Bunch of the rep teams sent players, who were divided into teams and played a day long tournament. Was super cool and gotcha right in the feels. Definitely one to remember.

Only downside to the summer was I sprained my ankle — badly. It happened on July 30th and I’m still struggling pretty bad. Looking like ligaments on both in and outside of the ankle were affected and I’m just now walking mostly normally. Still with a decent amount of pain/discomfort. Hoping the stiffness will eventually loosen and the pain will subside. At least I wasn’t doing anything stupid this time. Just rolled it stepping off the pool deck.

Since the last update, kiddos are both officially employed. Abby still working at Giant Tiger. And like every other VanDalen she struggles to say no to shifts so she spends a LOT of time there. And Joe officially started him umpiring career. Did a bout 10 games I believe. Little nervous at first, but I think he settled in as the season progressed.

Next up: NEW DRIVER ALERT. Abby has, after 8 years of counting down, officially passed her G1 and is licensed driver! Shes been doing awesome! She bought her own car (2002 VW Golf TDI) and has been be-bopping around every chance she gets. Starting to get pretty comfortable. Congrats baby girl! Very proud of you!

Doggos are amazing. Still roaming like the hippos they are. Lots of love, laughs and entertainment. Thankfully Boba’s seizure meds seem to be working. We aren’t down to zero, but thankfully far fewer, and far less intense.

Auto update:

• Golf – as mentioned Abby picked up a 2002 VW Golf TDI. He baby as she puts it. In very good shape for an older car. Runs like a top and treating her well so far. I’ve been daily driving it to keep it available for the days she is able to drive and to keep the MINI off the road as weather changes.
• Jeep – New Wrangler going strong! Just put the hard top on. Snow tires go on this week despite Shannons protests. Safety first! Its amazing how much smoother it is from the previous Jeep. Already hit 14K.
• MINI 2.75 years in and I think it’s time to start looking for replacement. Maybe. LOL. Still haven’t fully decided what to do yet. Leaning towards a new-to-me toy for summer use and a winter beater for next year. Time will tell.
• Bike – GONE. Just didn’t love it. Amazing bike, just not the one for me long term. Decided to sell it and it went quick! All the way to New Brunswick. Hope it treats the new owner well! Still haven’t decided what, if anything will replace it.
• Bug – Snoozing.

Garage is nearly done. Just need to finish the drywall (almost there!) and prime/paint it and the base project is done! Once that’s complete, I can start looking into heat for next winter and building some work benches for my tools. Little by little she’s getting there.