Anyway I took the Truck out the other evening and snapped some cool pics as the sun began to set. Driving that truck is probably one of my favorite things to do, even at idle it’s sheer joy, but wide open, there’s almost nothing better. Let me know what you think of the pics, and if you want a ride, then come on by. In case you’re wondering what mods it has, here is a list of the items that have been added, upgraded so far.

2001 Ford SVT Lightning F-150
Dyno’d @ 500hp (410 Rear Wheel)
575 ft lbs Tq

- Bassani Cat Back Exhaust
- Twin 90mm Throttle Body
- Air Raid Cold Air intake
- Upgraded Pulleys 15lbs Boost
- Re-programmed Computer
- Lowered Front / Back
- Triple Guage Pod
- Color Matched Tonneau Cover

Below are the pics, click any image to view larger and scroll through the gallery.

We’ll have to wait until after the baby is here to try out the rides since they are not recommended for preggy girls! But they looked like a lot of fun. All in all we had a great time and since we have passes we’ll be able to head out there a lot more times!!

Below are a few pics (click to view larger) from the day or you can click here to see all the pics from Sea World.

The only drawback to the day was that it was the hottest day of the year and we don’t have A/C…. so that’s a bummer. But hey that’s what summer is about, seeking the share, drink a cold one and BBQing it up. We had a great time with everyone that made it out and hope to see everyone who couldn’t make it, soon!

Here are some pics from the day (click the image to view larger) or click here to view all the images from this event.

After much weed whacking (thank you Mom, Phia and Brad!) the yard was dead but at least somewhat orderly. We tried watering the … dirt but really all that seemed to be growing back was crab grass and weeds. After a little research Phia found a gardener on Craigslist that seemed to be up to the task while remaining within our budget. We thought greatly about trying it ourselves, but if you’ve been to the house lately you know we’ve still got our hands quite full with a lot of other stuff. Better to let someone else handle at least some part of the remodel.

Joaquin was wonderful, and knocked it out in two days, including, pulling all the bad stuff, roto tilling and prepping the soil. He also installed some drain pipes, fixed any broken sprinklers and dailed in the sprinkler spray pattens. He was reasonable with his labor costs and we pretty much paid directly for all the supplies so the costs were what they were. I’ve attached some pics so you can see how it all turned out. I would recommend Joaquin to anyone needing yard work, he’s good, he speaks english pretty well, brings a team of guys with him and is very motivated. Let me know if you need his contact info. He does bigger projects like this or monthly maintenance as well. He also knows concrete.

Check out the before / during and afters below. Pretty awesome!! Should be all set for the House party BBQ we’re planning on having once we get the inside all set!

Before:

During:

After:

Back Yard

Before:

During:

After:

Bryan, his mom, and I went for the ultrasound today, and the Dr. showed us images of our little bundle of joy. She kept wiggling around during the ultrasound, but we were able to see images of her crossed legs, spine, head, feet, heartbeat, brain, and of course her little bum. Typically, they don’t give you a definite “it’s a girl/boy”, but in this case, the Doc said that she was 99% sure the baby was female. We all shed tears of joy, along with excitement and laughter. I know my husband was hoping for a little Jr., but he is definitely happy to have a healthy little Daddy’s girl.

We’re almost 100% sure we’re going to name her Isabella and she’ll probably go by “Belle” or “Bella”. You can see a picture of baby Belle above! This is the ultrasound pic we got today, if you look closely you can see her little head and part of her left hand! So Cute! Now I can shop for girl clothes, as if I needed a reason to shop at all! We’re so excited!!!

The house (pictured above) is a 2 story, 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom 1700 square footer, in Rancho Del Oro neighborhood of Oceanside. 2 car garage, yard, kid on the way, can you say American dream? Phia and I walked around the empty house tonight, something we’ve done several times before, only this time it was unequivocally, 100% ours. We were giddy like little kids.

So as we move ahead the challenges are many, but we’re excited. It’s a foreclosure home so it needs some TLC. On the agenda is a whole lot of demo this weekend, some bad wood flooring and a little tile are coming out, as well as a wall that was put up to create a make shift bedroom. Then after the demo, we’ve got a lot of painting, and new wood floors to lay down, some appliances to locate on Craigslist (washer, dryer, fridge) and some general scrubbing and cleaning. If all goes well we should be moved in, in a couple of weeks. It’ll will be a work-in-progress, but we get by with a little help from our friends. The offers have come in fast and furious from our loved ones who all want to help paint, garden, learn how to do wood floor, tile, you name it. You guys are all extremely wonderful and your help and moral support are invaluable to us!

The thing I look forward to most, is getting the big stuff squared away and inviting each and every one of you over for a bash like we’ve never had before! The beer will be cold, the stereo loud, the house warm and inviting. It’s just over the horizon I can see it already!

If you’d like to see more pictures of the house, I’ve got some shots posted up on flickr. click here to check them out.