Demo Derby - Glory Days

Tonight is one of the nights I look forward to every year...going to the Demolition Derby at the fair. One of the reasons being because it has been an annual event for our family but the other reason being because I actually got to participate in it about 11 years ago (isn't it terrible that I can't remember exactly which year!?)Back before I even knew Duke and while still going to college, I worked at a little bar & restaurant called the Riverboat Depot. A few of the friends that I met while working there ran Demo cars and when I mentioned that I thought it would be fun to do it some day, they took me seriously and offered to help me build a car.
Thinking back, it is even a surprise to me that I actually went through with it. I NEVER would have been able to do it without their help though. There is A LOT of work that goes into building a Demo car and there isn't much reward other than the adrenaline rush you get from smashing it up!
The guys thought it would be funny to put their nick-name for me on top of my car when I wasn't looking. Very funny!!!
And the bumper said 'Freeze This' because there was a fellow bartender that said I would 'freeze up and never actually go through with it.' Well, I was determined to show her!
And that is just what I did! I was in the heat with the mid-sized cars to start off but I ended up getting stuck up on the railroad ties and couldn't get unstuck so I didn't get to smash the car up too much.
But I was able to get into the consolation round (anyone that could get their car running was able to get in and try for a chance at the feature).
I ended up winning the consolation heat and I made it into the Feature...against the 'big dogs' aka all of the veterans that stick a lot of money into their cars and actually know what they are doing. I can't recall who actually took these pictures but that was my car right in the middle of that smoke.
I lost reverse and my car started on fire (like big flames that took the fire truck to put out, not just the fire extinguisher) but I ended up getting 3rd place overall and boy was it FUN! 1000 times more fun than the bumper cars :) I get excited just thinking about it.
The next morning we went back to the fairgrounds to pick up what was left of my car.
Isn't that just CRAZY!
This is one of those things that never even had the chance to make it on to my Bucket List and was more fun and exciting than I ever could have imagined.
It does seem a little surreal looking back, especially now that I am a mini van driving mother of two. And the whole thing is a little a lot redneck but absolutely no regrets! Can't wait for tonight. Just hope the weather holds out.
The END!

Senior Portraits Sneak Peek - Chloe

This is my absolutely stunning cousin, Chloe...And I had the honor of spending an evening with her to shoot her senior portraits.
I ended up shooting somewhere over 800 photos and, of course, not all of them turned out, but we sure did manage to get some keepers.
I have only gotten started on editing the masses of pictures but I wanted to make sure to share a few of my favorites so far.Let me tell you we had so much fun searching for cool places to shoot and trying out all sorts of different poses.
Of course it didn't hurt that I had an gorgeous model to photograph!
Isn't she a natural!?
I did learn one very valuable thing from this photo shoot...
DO NOT drink a 44oz fountain pop while driving all over town doing a photo shoot! I went about 4 hour without hitting a bathroom and let me tell you...NEVER again!
We sure did get a lot of giggles out of my discomfort though :)
We actually made a ton of fun memories that I know I will cherish for years to come!
I'll let you view the rest of the photos without commentary (mostly because I am tired and running out of things to say :) Enjoy!!!

Getting closer by the day...

The long awaited 'Shop Update' has arrived!This building sure has been keeping us busy (and our pockets empty) this summer!

I will spare you the step by step pictures that led us to the inside being (almost) done.
The pic below is me standing inside the overhead door and to the right. In front of me are two 'pits' where motorcycle lift tables will go. The room in front of that is the 'fabricating room' aka the 'dirty room' where Duke will have his grinder, machining tools, welder, etc.
This is a look inside the fab room. He has started to move some of his equipment in since this pic was taken but that will have to be for another day.
To the left of that is the hallway (duh!) and then further to the left is the 'dyno' room.
The dyno room that is filled full of JUNK, that is! While the electrician has been working this room has become the catch all for all of the stuff. If you look close you can see that the walls are made of peg board (there is also a second wall with sheetrock behind the peg board) and the hope is that it will help to muffle the sound while running a bike on the dyno. Let me tell you, Duke sure put a lot of thought into this shop...like 20 years of dreams that are finally coming true, that is!
The ever exciting hallway. The door on the right is an access door into the fab room, the first door on the left is the mechanical room and the second door on the left is the bathroom.
Inside the mechanical room, where some day there will be boiler to heat the infloor heat.
And the bathroom. It is hard to see from the pic but our friend Keith stained the concrete floor a reddish-brown and let me tell you, it looks pretty darn cool!
This is the back area aka 'cold storage'. It has the option to be heated but for now it is going to serve as a big (34' x40') garage with pallet racking and room for all of Duke's 'toys'.
Another angle of the cold storage.Looking from cold storage back into the shop.
Oohh, there is the front garage door and the front service door.
Another view of the front shop, which is also 34' x 40'.
And these last two pictures are a little more recent. Last Friday, Duke and his friend Doug began building a workbench and the desk area for the front shop.
We are going to have to wait another week or two before the counter tops are in to finish it though. Oh, and you can see there is now electricity and ceiling fans! I can hardly contain myself!!
I am also proud of myself because I have been watching the Menards ads and I managed to get a toilet for $39 after rebate! Woo Hoo for cheap toilets. I also picked up a faucet for the sink the other day and today I found some roller shades for the windows.
It will be nice when we can FINALLY clean out our garage and shed at our house. I just have to keep reminding myself that it is getting closer by the day!