Bugs Palace!

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.

M.I.C. K.E.Y. — M.O.U.S.E!!!!!! Ahh Florida, we miss you already. That’s right folks, the long awaited family trip to the great state of FLA has come and gone. The entire crew went and we all had a great time. Could certainly have used a couple more days, but all-in-all it was excellent. Kids and dogs (and wifey) too the road trip in the Jeep like champs! No bickering and generally seemed to enjoy it. However, if you ask them they will all say they want to fly next time. I can’t say I disagree. Not that I don’t enjoy the drive, but with flying you can about 2.5 days on your destination time.  Disney World was excellent. We spent 3 days at the parks. First day was Hollywood Studios. Did as much as we could there. Both kids checked out Star Tours (Star Wars ride) and Abby even went on Tour Of Terror with Shannon and I. I was a bit nervous on her behalf, but she came out giggly, so it’s a good thing I guess.

The next 2 park days were both spent at the Magic Kingdom. The first trip with the entire family although fun, was WAY too busy. Apparently the USA now has Fall Break, and of course, our trip ran through the middle of it. We did what we could, but given the staggering number of people, everything took forever. On our final day at Disney Shannon and I went with the kid back to Magic Kingdom. Thankfully it was MUCH quieter and we were able to see pretty much every single ride we wanted to. Also had time to meet some princesses.

Aside from Disney parks we spent most of our time at the pool. a little bit of shopping and also got to check out Katie/Brians honeymoon hotel and more importantly the cool pools at the Grand Floridian Disney Resort. I certainly see the appeal, but man  I’m glad I didn’t have to pay those prices to stay. Trip would have been 1-2 nights instead of a week 😉

Pictures of the Trip are HERE