Bugs Palace!

I bit late with my update. Normally like to do every couple weeks, but with the crazyness which was the holidays followed by the back to work rush, I’m a bit late.

As always, Christmas was fantastic. Time with the family and friends is my favorite parts. Holidays started out as always with the Shannon, the kids and myself out to get a tree. This years was a big one! I believe it measured in around 13-14′ feet. Was kinda hard to determine but it was HUGE.

Even though Shannons’ Mom and Dave were away this Christmas we still had no shortage of family fun! After church on Christmas Eve, we headed out to the Shoups for round one of snacks and jokes. This has long been my favorite part of Christmas. It’s the calm before the storm.  Home to bed and we slept while Santa did his thing. Woke up in the morning to find the fat man in a red suit stopped by and did his thing. Kids were beyond stoked. So we loaded everything up, and back to the Shoups we went for the crazy opening frenzy with the entire extended family. Still blows my mind that I’m now in my mid 30’s and this tradition has somehow carried on. Goes to show how close my family really is. After what felt like a millions presents were opened and everyone was sufficiently spoiled, we had a big breakfast and then loaded up for the next stop.

Next up: Off top Nana and Poppa Jeffs in Hamilton. Spoiling continued there of course. Still not sure where we are going to find homes for all the stuff the kids got but we’ll make it work. Dinner with the Woodalls was excellent. Some of Shannon’s cousins were in which made Joey and Abby’s day. Nearly had to drag them out of the house to head home at bed time. Once the festivities finished up, we all went home for a much needed sleep.

Boxing day: Back to the Shoups for yet another Christmas feast. Boxing day is not always a turkey dinner, ususally left over and some additional items depending on how many would make it out. Well, my favorite part of any family meal is the stuffing. Specifically the way my family does it. Yes, others are OK, but the recipe that i’ve been eating since childhood is THE correct way to make it. Now because we alternate Christmas dinners (one year my side, next year Shannons) I don’t always get my family stuffing. And being a Woodall year, I feared I would have to wait on the ‘good stuff’. Well Uncle Shoupie went above and beyond and made another  turkey dinner COMPLETE with the good stuffing. What better way could I finish off the Christmas dinner extravaganza?! Thank you SO much. The scale wasn’t happy, but I sure was.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this holiday a great one!

Part 2 –

New Years Eve was spent at Katie and Brians freshly finished house. Amazing to see how far the house has come in 8-10 months. Especially seeing how the work was all done while getting ready for their wedding. Did a great job guys. As for the party, was as to be expected. House full of loud and crazy family with great food. Just the way I like it!

Because Shannons Mom and Step Dad were away over the holidays, we had to postpone Christmas until they got home. It was  quiet afternoon with lots of laughs and yummy food.  It was just the 6 of us, so it was much quieter then most of the other festivities over the last couple weeks, but the quiet was welcomed.

Unfortunately after we left Shannons Moms place, late in the night, her Mom got the call that Grandma Bobby wasn’t doing very well. Mary Jane quickly went to her home, and shortly thereafter she passed away. I don’ really know what else I can say, other then she will be missed. Rest in Peace Bobby

After 8 months on sale, I finally sold the MINI. As awesome of a car as it was, I was simply bored with a car that came completely done. I realized far too quickly if there is a lot to be said about building the car up the way you want it and not picking one up that has everything done before you even buy it. So farewell MINI. With the MINI and more importantly the car payments gone, hopefully we can finally get around to building that new garage that I have been dreaming of since we bought this house.

The new bay should be about 1.5 bays wide and about 1.5 deep. The added space should allow for a nice, proper work area along the one side, and hopefully even enough room to have a small storage loft above the garage door as well as enough depth and height to allow for a 4 post lift to park the bug on, while parking my truck or motorcycle underneath. God willing we can break ground this spring. Finally.

Truck progress is coming along. Interior is finally nearing completion. Amps are mounted and wired in, sound deadening is layered on all flat surfaces, carpet cut and trimmed to fit. I’ve got new seats and door panels installed, but i’d like to find some in the proper colour one of these days. That way it will look complete and not so cobbled together.

The beetle and CBR600 are nestled all snuggly in my Dads garage. After tidying up the garage we parked the pair in his garage so I could pull the Silverado into mine and open the doors and work on it much more easily. Hopefully another week or so and I will finally be able to put the new beast on the road.

Like it or not, Christmas is coming…. I for one am kinda looking forward to it for the most part. Time with family and friends, some great meals and of course, seeing the kids faces in the morning after Santa Clause has been and gone. Still not sure what the fat man plans on bringing the kids for the Christmas this year, but I’m sure he is already stressing about having his elves make the best gifts ever. Christmas lights are up and ready outside. Looking good if I do say so myself. Skipped the upper ones again this year as my fear of falling from 2 story room was greater then the Grizwald desire for lighting. I’ve decided when we get the new garage built, I will have my uncle rough in some hooks in the corners so that I can install the lights without having to go up to the top roof.

Truck is coming along. Slowly  been tinkering with it an hour here and and hour there. So far, I’ve collected a bunch of parts and started roughing in all the wiring for the stereo system and other electrical upgrades which I have planned for the truck. If the stereo comes out the way I am planning, it should be pretty awesome. If you are curious about a work log for the truck, feel free to click HERE to check out the plan, and HERE to see the actual diary of work. Looking at the project and what I want to accomplish I realized this will be as big of a project as the beetle has been. Thankfully it will be cheaper over all and won’t take nearly as long.

Kids have been growing like weeds. And I’m not certain, but I believe they are both officially smarter then I am at this point. Not a tough challenge for them to conquer, but still I thought i’d have a couple more years before it happened. Loving them to pieces at this age. So much fun and caring, and always learning new stuff. Pretty blessed around here.

MINI is STILL for sale. Apparently the market on bad-ass German cars with go-kart handling isn’t as good as it once was. Starting to get impatient now. Shannon and I have decided once it goes, we can start looking at actually making the garage dream of mine a reality. With the purchase of the Silverado and eventual sale of the Cooper, I will be car-payment free for the first time in forever. Finally have a couple spare bucks to start the build. Fingers crossed this time next year the bay will be built. Fingers are crossed, but I’m not holding my breath.

Work has been chaotic but in a good way I guess. I like being busy, and that has been the name of the game. September-October are always very busy, but when you miss 1.5 weeks due to holidays, somehow you end up 4 weeks behind. Not sure how that happens exactly. It’s coming though. Should be above water in the next week or so. As long as I’m caught up before Christmas break, I will be happy.