Your Daily Dose of Una

More work on the BMW

2010-03-08T07:52:00.002-07:00

Well haven't worked on it a TON but got alot accomplished. We got a new starter installed. Double checked the timing. Etc. She fired up, AWESOME!!! She only stayed running for a very short while (needs carb adjustment and me to use the choke properly). But boy did she sound AWESOME!!!! Ran super smooth, sounded healthy, so *YAY*.

I also started the body work. Basically started grinding out all of the rust spots. Most of it is all surface rust, but there were a few more spots than I thought that are turning cancerous. For the time being I sanded the whole thing, roughly, so I could paint it all one color and get the cleaned up spots covered with paint. Flat white. After I get all the rust taken care of I will actually start the real body work. Cut out the spots that couldnt be ground out and replace them with new sheetmetal. The spots I had to grind down a little bit, put a little filler in them to smooth the body lines. Then do the real paint. But I have to admit, she is looking ALOT better now.

One of our neighbors even told me he is jealous of my car.

Update on Eva, the BMW 2002 I got!

2010-02-26T08:16:00.003-07:00

OK these updates are over several days of working on her. But thought I would give you an update to the progress on her!!

I didn't have much time to do anything last night, but wanted to see what the seats looked like clean. So I used some leather wipes and cleaned off the passenger seat. It still needs more cleaning, some scrubbing and plenty of conditioner. But they are pretty nice. I even like the color. I still am unsure if I will be keeping the stock seats in her, or storing them in the garage and putting in newer seats or race seats or something...

More Update...

Got some more accomplished on Eva last night with the help of Stevie (the BF) Oil Changed. Her oil was poopy. Her oil filter was on there so tight it was ridiculous. Freeze plug installed. Radiator has a couple of plugged fin things and some rust. So we will see how that goes after coolant is installed (tonight). Found a performance aftermarket (Mallory) fuel pump on her. The fuel line (I think the one out of the fuel pump) was kinked hella bad (ie no fuel to motor...). So cut the line shorter and fixed the kink. And I think that is it. The goal is tonight to put in coolant. Put in new fuel, prime her. Jump her and try to make her run, or at least get more of an idea as to why she isn't running, if she won't start. Unless there is too much snow from todays supposed snow fall. I didn't take any pictures last night but I will take some tonight if I go out there to tinker with her.

More update...

Worked on her some more last night. Her gas tank was empty so that was a bonus. Put some new gas in there. Took off the air cleaner lid and primed it. Threw coolant in there. New battery. And tried starting her. She cranked, and overall sounded healthy with the exception she didn't start. Steve did some investigating and come to find out the distributor isn't turning. Dunno if the shaft is broken or what because the gears looked solid. He's bringing it into work today to look at it better considering we were out in the snow. So that would be pretty amazing if thats all I need to worry about, get her timed, and then drive the snot out of her. And boy oh boy am I excited to drive her.

More update...

Got a distributor for her because the one she had, the shaft was broken. Got it installed. Tried firing her up and she backfired so loud our neighbors came outside (mind you it was 9pm or later). Decided to wait until the next night (yesterday) to try again. Tried starting her. She sounds good cranking. But she wouldn't actually fire up. Timing is good. She sputtered a little when you put gas in the air cleaner/carb but that's it. Steve (bf) checked her spark, it was there but weak. So today we will probably be installing plugs, wires, cap and rotor (provided they get to me today before I leave work). See if that makes a difference.

If she doesn't fire up I am going to first check that electric aftermarket pump, and the fuel lines from the tank to the engine. Then work my way to the carb. Maybe even take the carb off and try cleaning it out.

We pulled a plug out last night and it looked really good considering. However there was an old spiders nest in the plug hole. EWW! Stuck to the socket. I don't do well with bugs, LOL.

So right now Eva sits in the driveway, on a charger. With no cap or wires. Waiting for some more fiddling tonight. Or I hope tonight.

I got insurance activated on her last night. So other than emissions test and registering her, I am ready to go once she is running!!!!

Some bad news though. I was cleaning out her interior and sat on the passenger seat and the leather split wide open. So now I have to figure out what I am going to do in regards to seating with her.

More update...

Alright more accomplished. Cap & Rotor installed. PLugs & Wires Installed. Electric pump was frozen. Banged on it and it started right up (I thought this only worked in the movies?). Let the fuel spray up to the engine with the line disconnected to make sure air and debris was cleared out. New fuel filter added. Carb cleaned out a bit (not rebuilt but got fuel flowing through it). Throttle makes the fuel come out, sweet. Choke works fine. Timing good. Cranked some more. Now it's trying to fire on every compression stroke. HUGE improvement. Didn't actually start up. I ran out of time so couldn't tinker anymore. But I think if I advance the timing a little, maybe, JUST maybe... I will get her going. Well, we will get her going.

The fuel lines were all rough at the ends, so I cut all of those already last night so they were nice straight, smooth ends.

Ran into a lot of little things that I need to fix due to being an@l about how my car's are put together LOL. The wire to the coil is just twistied with the wire that goes to the resistor, then bolted onto the stud on the coil. So I need to add an actual connector for power and ground there. Among other little things that just need some fixing to be right, instead of half-arsed.

Project Eva is Underway: 19172 BMW 2002 (aka Duece aka 2k2)

2010-02-12T07:58:00.003-07:00

Tuesday: After some "new" wheels. A dry cleaning (wiped her down). Fixed the trunk latch. Still need to take apart driver door to get that latch working. After I took the pictures, I cleaned most of the leaves out of her crevasses. Tried taking the bumper mounts out. Got the bolts and such undone, but couldn't get them to come out of the bumper. It was dark and freezing out though.

Thursday: Took the air gun and blew all of the leaves and dirt out of the engine bay, wiper cowl, trunk area, etc. I found quite a few wasp nests. SCARY!!! Thank goodness it is still winter out and they were all dorment or dead.

I cannot wait to get the driver door latching, so I can give her a good bath. I REALLY cannot wait to get her running so I can drive her.

I got a freeze plug for her yesterday, so need to install that. Get some coolant in her. Change her oil. And then go from there :)

Enjoy the cleaner pictures of her. The engine bay pictures were before I cleaned it out.

Meet Eva, my new (old) 1972 BMW 2002

2010-02-10T09:35:00.002-07:00

Meet Eva
My 1972 BMW 2002
121k miles
Shock towers are all solid. Not a whole lot of rust anywhere to speak of. Don't get me wrong there is some, most surface and a few spots are a little more owwie. Glass is good. Trim is all there (needs some TLC). Interior is in GREAT shape minus being dirty (that can be said about the whole car though). Dash is cracked. Which is fine. Maybe I will make a cool aluminum one.
She has been sitting in a garage for the past 12 years, because she stopped running (I am guessing/hoping ignition) and the owner didn't want to fix it or find out what was wrong. The freeze plug is missing, but I am hoping that is from it sitting for so long, in Colorado winters in a garage and the water finally froze and popped it out, wish me luck there.
Trunk, driver door and hood do not latch but that is not a big deal, easily fixable.
They had tried selling her previously with no interest (just a sign in her windshield, no ads placed) for $1,500. They called the junk yard whom told them $350 if they brought the car in. I found out about this car through a vendor at my work (was his sister's car) and he said if I come get it he will take $300 for her. I could NOT pass the deal up. Picked her up on Sunday.
I thought Eva (pronounced like eve-ah) was the perfect name. Classy yet ladylike.
Plans are to keep it pretty much stock, at least for now. But fix her up. I plan on flat white paint (I am going to try and add a pearl in the flat, we will see how that comes out... it worked awesome on the 2009 SL63IWC). Black wheels. And that's all you are getting for now
After I clean her up I will take better pictures. I was sick of messing around in the freezing cold and snow after getting her off the trailer to get alot of pictures or even to get my camera out, so these are just from my phone.
Enjoy my first collector car!

The cash for clunkers program. C-A-R-S was the acronym.

2010-02-03T07:32:00.002-07:00

The following was written by a dear friend of mine, David Brodd. And I cannot agree with him more, truthfully.

The cash for clunkers program. C-A-R-S was the acronym.

What was it intended to do?
Stimulate the economy? By doing what? Helping poor people buy better cars so that they could get to work on time and pollute a little less and drive a safer car?

Problem is, POOR PEOPLE cannot make car payments. Even if they had a qualifying vehicle, they could not make the payments after the rebate was applied. So who really bought cars through this program? Middle class shmucks who allowed their greed to smash any sense of ethics or morals. People who were probably going to buy a car next year, but the program caused them to buy it now.

So, who buys the cars NEXT year? NOT the people who were GOING TO buy one next year, but bought it during CARS....

Again, if this program was supposed to help people who need better cars, why on earth would you do something which causes all used car prices to skyrocket? (as in - a lot of good 1000 to 2000 dollar cars got turned in because they were now artificially 'worth' 3500 to 4500 dollars)

You do not 'help' any people by getting rid of the decent middle-lower price range cars.
You do not 'help' the economy by artificially moving sales forward in time.
You do not 'help' the environment by causing running engines to belch smoke as the government mandated concoction destroys the engine as it runs for it’s last hour.
You do not 'help' the economy by taking a running vehicle (a mild polluter) and melting it down (HUGE polluter) to manufacture another vehicle (more pollution) or send the scrap to China or India, where they pollute about 80 gazillion times more than we do.

I have never seen so many government programs that do the EXACT OPPOSITE of their stated goal.

It is either stupidity, or it is on purpose.

The three main cars you see in these photographs all get better mileage, have better tires, are in better condition, and pollute less than any of the vehicles I own. These photos were taken yesterday - September 9, 2009 - in Fremont, NE.

This program was a vote-buying scam. At best.
God have mercy on the USA.

Jury Duty Today

2009-09-29T17:54:00.002-06:00

Well, I had jury duty today @ county court.
What a clusterf*ck.
For comments throughout the entire day go here: http://twitter.com/OFRD_GRL

I get there at about 7:45, I needed to be there between 8am-8:30am. Got all my stuff handled. They didn't even talk to us or what have you until say 9am at minimum. Fawk around a little more.

They let 73 people go home because one of the 2 court cases was canceled. I was NOT in that group.

45 people left. Civil Hearing (couple broke up, seperated, beat each other, etc.) Watch stupid video. Get juror number (#10) however I was 7th in line when they lined us up somehow.. that didn't make much sense?

Group interviews. I was a biotch and showed my disapproval of the dude's actions... and my feelings towards abusive men. Then lunchtime. Cafeteria non useable in courthouse.. I thought they were supposed to feed you anyways? OK off 2 McDonalds...

Back from lunch.. they excused some people.. not me though.

Back to courtroom. I move from juror #10 to juror #2. You know what that means? I'm on the case... well after they seated everyone where they wanted us... they could do their peremptory challenge... AKA each side (plaintiff and defense) get to boot up to 5 people from the current Jury. Guess who was booted first by the guy's lawyer? Una was :-) My plot to make them hate me worked.

It wouldn't have been so bad if it was a one day trial, but it would have been 4 flipping days. And I cannot afford that time or money missing.

Anywho. I'm off, back to work tomorrow. Thank goodness, I have alot to do.

So get there 7:45am. Get dismissed about 2pm. Accomplished? NOTHING. Being good at being a bitch when needed? Priceless.

Snake Cage is DONE!!!!!

2009-07-27T20:27:00.003-06:00

Well its pretty much done. Some small finishes to do on the outside, but the snakes are living in it and LOVING it :-)

I had to throw in a pic of the JCP (Jungle Carpet Python) eating... because he is a hog, and not even moving phases his appetite.

This is the heating element. it's called flexwatt. I threw some linoleum on top if it and it was snake ready.

Hey There!!! Huge post!

2009-07-12T23:07:00.004-06:00

Well.. Its been a little while. I only have 1 month left till my parents & brother come out to visit. I can't flippin wait!!!!! Darryl is super excited too.

My horse has gained weight, and is doing well. So I'm happy about that.

Work has been steady & good. No complaints there!

The dogs are doing great.

Darryl & I have been going on walks (3+ miles) a few times a week. We have a great wildlife preservation center (plains area) right by the house and walk over there. We have run into garter snakes & a rattlesnake (western diamondback). I even caught a pretty large garter snake and brought it home and let it loose in my garden! Lots of bugs there for it to take care of.

The yard is looking great. My flowers are all bloomed & now dying (so sad).

Darryl & I have been tearing the house apart re-organizing it and cleaning it. We literally have been taking every single piece of furniture out of each room, steam cleaning the carpet, vacuuming, cleaning everything else & then reorganizing it so it works better. We switched our bedroom with the girls bedroom. The girls old bedroom (our new bedroom) has a closet & ceiling fan & is on the upper level instead of the basement. We have cleared out a bunch of stuff we just don't need anymore too, it's great! We still have the computer room, kitchen, laundry & living room left. But the girls room, our room, spare room & upstairs bathroom are all done.

We have worked on the enclosure for the snakes more too.. with good reason, which you will see below soon enough LOL. Got ALOT more done!

Other than that... I have taken in 2 snakes that the owners could not keep anymore...

Well I was picking up a carpet python today that the owner needed a new home for. Got him for free. She didn't know what subspecies or anything.

Only thing she told me is that he is 5 years old and 4ft long.

I thought he was healthy by everything she said (never got pictures.. But hey its free right!)

Well he apparently got loose today and they had to cut him out of drywall... (arghhhhhh secure snake enclosures are a MUST!!!!) So that delayed pickup time by 6 hrs......

I got there and was expecting a 4 ft healthy carpet python of some sort...

I saw a very small, undernourished GORGEOUS jungle carpet python... They wouldn't pick him up out of the cage because he was agitated from the days events... No biggie I rubbed him let him know I was there and picked him up. No striking, a total sweetheart. Definitely wants to roam tho! Fast little feller. I could feel all his bones.. I mean there is no fat on him at all.. And he had no heating lamp/pad/heat of any sort. Put him in a pillowcase. And off we went.

Went to my favorite local reptile store where they sexed him for me to make sure he really was a HE... And the guys there even were like OMG that poor snake needs to EAT! It's a good thing you took him.

So got him home... Bleached & cleaned the HECK out of the enclosure he came with before I even brought it in the house... Including all the stuff that was in it.

Got it all setup (with a UTH & therm). Gave him warm water because I am hoping he will soak (he's super dry). Covered his cage w/ a damp towel and left a rat pup in there (pre-killed).

I know you're supposed to wait a week before trying to feed, but this is no normal circumstance.... He was only getting small mice every 2-3 weeks (if lucky.... They weren't sure when the last time they fed him was...)

He ate it no problem.

So he is 100% segregated from all animals in my house and under observation. (Thank goodness for a 4bedroom house, because I got another freebie today that needs segregation as well! - post coming soon for that...)

So enjoy. I have named him Lucky.

Oh ya... He weighs 459 grams.
Should be at minimum 6ft and much heavier.

Someone got in touch with me that needed a home for their redtail. I said sure, no prob. They brought her over tonight. She is just about 6 ft and SUPER healthy. Nice calm girl too. Her name is Leelah. Haven't weighed her yet. Next weekend I will do that. Just wanted to share some pics!

She is segregated from all the other animals to make sure she is healthy...

Enjoy!

Fun Stuff!!!

2009-06-23T09:03:00.003-06:00

I am SOOO excited because my parents & brother are coming out to visit me! August 13-18. I haven't seen them in almost a year, and by then it will be over a year. So far the plans are to go up and over Mosquito Pass (tallest mountain pass in Colorado, 4x4 access only), and also the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (and other things in the area). Depending on how much stuff they want to do, we might do more, but I don't want to overwhelm them without their agreement LOL.

Also this weekend Darryl & I started building a snake enclosure I drew up. It will look better than random tubs & stuff around the house, and will free up some space too!
I am pretty proud because this is my first attempt ever doing anything with wood.

Cut wood

Side 1

Side 2

Before Bracing

After bracing

With me for size

There is alot left to do, its going to be fully enclosed with locking glass doors and some nice stained wood. But this is a good start!

Tornado's, Mountain Views & More!

2009-06-09T15:29:00.003-06:00

Well some awesome pics and stuff to share with you guys!

I will start off with some more pics of my snake Meerah, and my NEW snake (yet to be named.. because I don't know a gender yet).

Meerah is a Normal Ball Python, 3 years old & Female:

This is my new snake, an Aberrant Albino King Snake. He is a baby still. Well I use "he" loosely because I'm not sure what gender it is yet. It's not "people tame" yet but that will come with handling. So I expect to have 100+ snake bites this year by the time he is tamed. But he is teeny tiny so they won't hurt, and he isn't poisonous. He is 2 feet long, but will get to be about 6ft long.

I gave Tonka a bath last weekend, so hes looking pretty good, well not anymore since it has been monsoon season here LOL

This past weekend we had 5 tornadoes touch down in Colorado. All in the Denver area. We actually had one touch down & damage alot of stuff within about 5 miles from our house. Luckily we just had some hail & wind at the house. Darryl & I were actually in the mountains when it happened so didn't experience it. But I bet the dogs were flipping out.

These are the pictures from our drive through the mountains on Sunday... We went over Hoosier Pass all the way to Mosquito Pass (Highest Mountain Pass in Colorado, non paved 4x4 access only). Couldn't make it all the way over due to snow but some beautiful pictures none the less :D

Hope you enjoy the pictures and updates :)

Oh and Happy B-Day again Dad :) (Even though it is belated this time).

WOW Busy Last Couple of Weeks!

2009-05-30T18:30:00.005-06:00

Well between working late, helping friends and the gym, I have been ridiculously busy.

I haven't even been out to the barn in almost 2 weeks, I feel pretty guilty! I'm just lucky that the place Tonka is at, is amazing :).

I had to shoot a couple of events for work, so I had to work late those nights. If you want to see them (and my photography) here are the links:
Dinan Performance Event
Too Hot Cool Event

A friend of mine had to move pretty far away for a new job, and the new job is a live in position. They would not let her take her snakes with her. So I got one of them. I got all of her habitat/heaters and everything! She is a 3 year old, female ball python... spans about 3 feet long. And is a complete sweetheart!

I also helped a friend who runs a breeding farm, get her horses ready for a photoshoot! And then helped her video and take pictures for the photoshoot (technically, Darryl took these pictures, I did the video) as well!

This fellow was my favorite of all teh horses, he was a total sweetie, and his coat matched my hair LOL.

I redid my entire photography website as well. It needed a makeover. I also added the ability to purchase my photography online! (If any of you want a printed copy of any of the pictures, let me know and I will make sure you get them for cost!)
Flash Forward Photography

Also, I painted Darryl's truck. It looks pretty badass now! It was black to begin with... and now it is Arctic Camo.

BEFORE:

During Sanding:

Almost All the Way Sanded:

Partially White:

Taped off the first set of spots:

Grey Spots Painted:

Finished Truck:

I think that is all my updates for now LOL. Enjoy and let me know what you think of my pictures, website, snake, etc!

~Una

Painted My Truck's Wheels this Weekend...

2009-05-27T19:53:00.001-06:00

I decided it was time to paint my wheels. They were originally polished aluminum, and through the 3 years they have been on my truck.. They have seen alot of stuff, including road salt, mud, rocks, etc. So they were VERY dull and VERY pitted.

I started out with a somewhat clean FJ Cruiser:

And a hard wroking Darryl:

Ugly Wheels Up Close:

Wheels after a good cleaning & scrub pad:

Tape off the tire so you don't get too much paint on them:

A wet, painted wheel:

Let the wheel dry, and then put it on the FJ:

Repeat to the next wheel:

Other side of the truck... WHile I was doing this job, I also cleaned and painted the underbody of the truck... there was a TON of mud inside my frame that I finally washed out, and some rust and scratches and paint chips..:

You Know Your a Redneck If...

2009-05-10T19:40:00.004-06:00

Well today during our drive out of the mountains, Darryl & I came up with a new "You know you're a redneck if" list, that kind of applies to us LOL.

It all started when Darryl made the comment regarding the jeans I had on. The jeans happen to have a hole in the back and the front... Darryl said "Your jeans have dual climate control, front AND rear. Which turned into "You know you're a redneck if... when your jeans have a front & back hole, they go up in value due to the new dual climate control feature installed".

So inform the blue collar comedy tour, we are available as soon as they want us to start!

So here's our list:
You know you're a redneck....
..when your jeans have a front & back hole, they go up in value due to the new dual climate control feature installed.
..when your back yard & garage have more tires than ANY of your cars could use, and NONE of them fit any of your cars.
..if you have a road closed sign in your garage.
..if you have a "thou shalt not park" sign in your garage, and you don't park there.
..if ALL of your cars have oversize mud terrain tires.
..if your horn doesn't work and you are OK with it because you can just drive up on the car in your way.
..if you leave your car's doors at home when the weather is nice, like, for the whole summer.
..when you are too lazy to put your doors on the truck when its cold out, so you wear a blanket instead.
..if you have a truck that you still make payments on, that is soon to have a rattle can paint job.
..when ALL of your trucks have, or are soon to have rattle can paint jobs.
..if you only date people that can poop in the woods... WITHOUT a toilet.
..if you think a high class drink is Sunkist Orange Soda & White Zinfandel.
..when you don't worry about cleaning up your backyard after your dogs, because your dogs clean up after themselves.
..if you have more cans of room deodorizer, than rooms.
..if your girl can and does belch more than you do.
..if your girl knows how to use all the tools in your toolbox as good as you.
..if you sleep with a loaded gun under the mattress... on BOTH sides - his & hers.
..if you skip the gym for a day because you got MORE of a workout wheeling in the mountains.
..if you find tree stumps in the garbage somewhere and take them home to decorate.
..if you keep a recovery kit in your truck 24x7 so you can make money off people stranded in the snow.
..if you have on-board CO2 and tire patch kit so that you can fix your tires on the go.

That's it for now, but watch out for more in the future!

Workout Updates...

2009-04-27T19:59:00.003-06:00

Well I started at 133.5lb. I have been doing alot of swimming mainly for now. Its a great workout and doesn't hurt my joints too bad LOL. Boy that makes me feel old.

I weighed myself before workout: 132.5lb
I weighed myself after workout: 131.5lb

So that is pretty cool!!!

I am enjoying myself, and getting to spend time with Darryl at the same time!

I promised bikini pics, so here you are. Not as fit as I want, but obviously that's why I'm going to the gym :)

Started Working Out

2009-04-24T23:30:00.001-06:00

I just got a gym membership today (along with Darryl).

I am not fat or anything (in case you've seen pictures LOL) so don't think that I am crazy and think that. I want to get rid of the teeny belly weight I have and then tighten up my body as a whole :D

I used to go nearly daily to the gym over a year ago, but I haven't been to the gym in about a year. I figure this will help me get my riding muscles more toned too!

I don't have a tape measure-er but Im gonna get one ASAP. (last time I measured I was about 36"-28"-36" and 5'6" tall)
I started out today at 133.5lbs

I can take bathing suit pictures if anyone is interested in watching real results LOL (I think Im gonna do it for myself as a reference anyways)

Couple Weeks worth of a Post.

2009-04-19T18:54:00.007-06:00

Well it's been a couple of weeks since I have posted. Things have been pretty busy.

Lets see, where to start...

Well I will start with my horse. The place he was at before, although some of the place was great (where the owner kept HIS horses).. The area allocated for my horse was complete shit. He literally got out at least once a week. It was a complete mudhole, and he was able to get into moldy hay. Among MANY MANY other things, and the fact the owner of the place is a complete prick and treated me like garbage. Not to mention I was doing all the work at the place for the barn owner, every day. Not what I signed up for when I first brought my horse there.

So I moved my big guy, Tonka, to a new barn, literally right down the street. I actually walked him there from his old place. Didn't even need a trailer.

He has settled in great. The owners are really good people and really care about the horses. Not to mention the facility itself is super nice!

Darryl's girls & Tonka

Me & Tonka

Me & Tonka

Me & Tonka

Tonka meeting a Horsie Buddy

Some of the place

Tonka in the Roundpen

Other than that, I have been working hard, and relaxing in the evenings. Darryl & I are planning on camouflaging both of our trucks. Well, I will be the one doing the painting, but Darryl gets to help me get the trucks ready :-).

Oh ya, I got my hair done too, what do you think? I love it!

The weather in Colorado has been CRAZY! It goes from 70 degrees to snowing and blizzarding to 65 degrees. Its nuts. Don't get me wrong we REALLY need the snow, but it cracks me up how different things are from one day to the next.

For example, this past Thursday was raining, Friday was blizzarding, Saturday went from Blizzarding to raining, and today (Sunday) was about 65 degrees and sunny.

Some pics from Friday's weather:

The house:

My tire tracks:

Today Darryl & I went to the Denver Zoo. I love the zoo. Besides there being a bazillion animals there, you can take some great photography, which is something we both love to do. These are just a few of the pictures at the zoo, if you want to see them all (in a larger size) just let me know!

Downtown Denver view with snowy mountains in the background. Took this while Darryl was driving to the zoo.

My Flickr (Photo Gallery).

2009-03-30T10:17:00.008-06:00

My Flickr Account.

I just learned that one of my cousin's has a Flickr account, so I thought I would share mine as well! All of my favorite photography is in there (well not all of it yet, you can only upload so much per month). But I am constantly updating it if you ever want to see my photography projects :).

I also have a photobucket account, which has unlimited upload space basically, and use that one for all the pictures I put in my blog & other random pictures too. But if you want to check that out, you can find it here: My Photobucket Account

Enjoy the pictures! And I am always adding more!

~Una

Another Blizzard!

2009-03-30T08:18:00.003-06:00

Well I woke up this morning to another snow storm. I knew it was supposed to snow, but it is blizzarding again.
According to the weather channel... Supposedly its supposed to stop snowing mid-morning.
According to wunderground.com... which is normally alot more accurate... snow throughout the day...
I say, if it's going to snow, let it SNOW!!! I can't get any work accomplished anyways if its snowing sooo... and a little snow just makes stuff wet. Alot of snow is much more fun to me, except the shoveling part anyways.

My drive to work:

The employee level of the parking garage:

The Blizzard and our Dogs!

2009-03-27T09:22:00.003-06:00

Well Darryl & I both got sent home early yesterday because the storm was so bad almost everywhere was closing. I got home before Darryl and played with the dogs in the back yard. Then when Darryl got home, we went across the street to the big fenced in doggie park (aka big baseball field LOL). The dogs were LOVING IT!!!

Aisin, Chance & Jester

Aisin, Chance & Jester

Jester

Chance & Jester

Chance

Aisin & Jester

Aisin

Aisin

Aisin, Chance & Jester

Jester

Aisin & Chance

Aisin

Aisin

Aisin

Aisin

Jester

Full album is here (with larger pictures):
http://s516.photobucket.com/albums/u321/unaschade/Animals/Dogs_03-26-09/

Videos of them playing!
http://s516.photobucket.com/albums/u321/unaschade/Animals/Dogs_03-26-09/?action=view¤t=MOV07558.flv

http://s516.photobucket.com/albums/u321/unaschade/Animals/Dogs_03-26-09/?action=view¤t=MOV07559.flv

http://s516.photobucket.com/albums/u321/unaschade/Animals/Dogs_03-26-09/?action=view¤t=MOV07560.flv

http://s516.photobucket.com/albums/u321/unaschade/Animals/Dogs_03-26-09/?action=view¤t=MOV07561.flv

http://s516.photobucket.com/albums/u321/unaschade/Animals/Dogs_03-26-09/?action=view¤t=MOV07633.flv

http://s516.photobucket.com/albums/u321/unaschade/Animals/Dogs_03-26-09/?action=view¤t=MOV07646.flv

http://s516.photobucket.com/albums/u321/unaschade/Animals/Dogs_03-26-09/?action=view¤t=MOV07647.flv

Amazing Photography I Stumbled Across!

2009-03-26T09:37:00.002-06:00

So I stumbled across this really cool photography page today. Basically this guy (Alan Sailer) does high speed photography of pellets being shot through things. The effect looks really cool.. and the photography is truly amazing!

Enjoy!

Pellet shot through a Christmas Ornament filled with Orange Jello

Pellet shot through a Christmas Ornament filled with Cake Sprinkles.

Pellet shot through a Row of Crayons.

Pellet shot through a Christmas Ornament filled with water.

Pellet shot through a Tube of Red Dye.

Pellet shot through a Pane of Glass.

Pellet shot through a Grape.

Pellet shot through a Concord Grape.

Pellet shot through a Pile of Orange Jello.

Pellet shot through a couple of M&M's.

Pellet shot through a Paintball.

Pellet shot through a Ball of Playdough.

Pellet shot through a Razor & the Pellet is Split in Half.

Pellet shot through a Strawberry.

Pellet shot through a Tomato.

Pellet shot through a Tomato.

Pellet shot through a Walnut.

Welcome to My House!

2009-03-22T21:28:00.003-06:00

I know I don't get to see my family as much as I want to, and I am sure the reverse can be said (they don't see me enough either). I have so many things I would love to be able to do with them, like have them over for a BBQ or just show them where I live. But since I can't do that I had to do something else. So I decided to make a movie of our house! That way my family & friends can all see where I live.

Just to forewarn you, I am not a professional videographer, nor narrator LOL. So ignore the amazing video & voice over :)

What a Lovely Saturday!

2009-03-21T19:57:00.002-06:00

Darryl & I had a really nice day. Slept in, went to the Home & Garden show (lame - see previous post), got Aisin, went to the barn, then went to Cherry Creek State Park and took a great walk/fetch. Aisin is finally loving water play! So thats cool.

Seeded the yard, and am watering it now. Hopefully there isn't a water ban this year or the growth effort will be a waste.

Having a few beers, gonna sit out on the back patio, and hang out. Eating some amazing Alfredo for dinner too! Its froma box but is SOOO yummy. I'm addicted.

I was sick all week. Ended up taking Wed. & Thurs. off, went in Friday. I'm feeling ALOT better now though. Still have a cough and sore throat. But not dizzy/nauseous/headache/etc. anymore.

Tomorrow we will probably go to Cherry Creek State Park again, bring Aisin for sure. Maybe Chance (he's not good off leash around other dogs, he runs off and doesn't come back he gets so excited). Then probably heading over to a friends for a few beers and conversation.

Hope everyone has a nice weekend!

~Una

Denver Home & Garden Show 2009

2009-03-21T19:53:00.003-06:00

Well Darryl & I went to the Denver Home & Garden Show today.. We got discounted tickets ($8, normally $10) online.. Paid $7 for parking.. Bought a set of REALLY nice sheets (1000 threadcount) for $30.. and thats about it.

The show itself truthfully was NOWHERE near as good as last year. Last year it was held at a different venue, this year it was at the National Western Complex. The booths were lame, the setup was lame, and I didn't really enjoy myself at all.

Last year, the whole place was covered with gardens & little parks & benches (I took a ton of pictures because it was so pretty). The booths were put together nicely. Just the whole feeling was great.

Oh well, lesson learned. Maybe someone will read this and not bother wasting their money going.

Insane Weekend!

2009-03-16T21:01:00.004-06:00

Well this weekend, a friend of mine was in town from California (used to live in Denver but moved to CA to stay with his brother). He has stage 4 cancer and has no hope for recovery, unfortunately. He is an amazing guy, and it was soooo good to see him again, although it is probably the last time I will ever see him. There was a party for him while he was here so we could all show our support and love.

A great time with amazing friends. And some insane amounts of alcohol. And the theme was 70's. SO some great costumes too!

One of my friends brought the most expensive beer ever made. And the highest ever alcohol content beer ever made. (They were the same beer). It is called Sam Adams Utopia. Its 25% alcohol by volume, non carbonated, and comes in the coolest bottle, ever. The bottle is $250 if you happen to find it at a store, or MUCH MUCH more if you get it from Ebay. There are very limited quantities made per year. You can read more about it here. Anyways, I was hammered to say the least. It was really good though. But REALLY strong!

I thought I would share some of the pictures of the party for you to see. Courtney, this post is for you. You will always be a part of my life and one of my dear friends. A great friend & an even better man.

Courtney & Karen

The whole group

Courtney as the center of attention

"70s bush"

The party continues...

Sam Adams Utopia

More party!

The Colorado 4x4 greeting (the offroad forum we all met on.. and our special hello to each other)

Al & Courtney before..

Al after...

Courtney

Twins?

One Happy Pupp...

Party Hosts...

Courtney & the only present he COULDNT drink...

Sam Adams Utopia

A Very Sad Day....

2009-03-02T20:57:00.004-07:00

Well I haven't posted in a little while, and this being the reason I post just doesn't seem fair...

(Details might not all be 100% accurate... so forgive me if slightly incorrect...I was blown away when hearing about it...)

Today, my cousin Sophie and her husband Andrew went home from their shop (they own a shop in South Africa together) for lunch today. Andrew walked in the front door of their home, saw their cleaning lady dead on the floor, shut the door in Sophie's face so she couldn't go in and locked it. He hit the alarm's call police button and got attacked by the intruder/burglar... Sophie heard alot of struggling and fighting, and then heard Andrew yelling RUN SOPHIE, JUST RUN!!

She ran towards the gate to get out of the yard but before she could get it open, the intruder came out and stabbed her in the back by the shoulder and hit her lung... Andrew came out of the house to try and fight the intruder off of Sophie...

Andrew is dead and Sophie is in the hospital in critical condition basically drugged asleep all the time.. They told her that Andrew died but I'm truly not sure if she knows it or not... Shes completely out now...

They caught the bastard who did this... but I beg of you to pray for my cousin Sophie, her husband Andrew, and all of their family. As well as their cleaning lady.

Sophie and I were born on the exact same day only a few hours apart. Although I have never met her in person, we communicate regularly and I feel so close to her. My goal is (and has been for quite some time) to go there to meet her and spend a good amount of time with her and really get to know each other more...

I am still in shock and having a hard time believing this is real or even happened. I am so torn apart...

All I ask is that you just keep everyone involved & their families in your thoughts and prayers (if you are religious).

I am Roman Catholic.. but I also believe in Karma... However this just doesn't seem fair. Sophie & Andrew are good people. They didn't deserve this. Not in the slightest. How can good people be brought down like this, in their youth.

That son of a bitch is really lucky that I am not around to learn who he is. This is one instance where I would not feel guilt causing another person pain, grief or giving him his just dessert.

I hope that Sophie can find the strength to keep on going. And I hope she knows that she has a great support system. If I could afford to be there right now, I'd be on the next plane.

Sophie, I love you... I am here for you.. and I am pulling for you!

~Una

Tonka Made a New Buddy!

2009-02-16T19:12:00.004-07:00

Well Saturday, Tonka & my friends horse (the new one at my barn) met and played. They are absolutely in LOVE! Too bad they are both boys HEHE. Tonka actually was going to let Fort (the grey horse) mount him to breed, and NO I did not take pics of that... Did I mention they are both boys?

Anywho they got things figured out and are now bestest buds ever.

Enjoy the pics!

Inspirational Posters...

2009-02-16T18:59:00.002-07:00

Well they aren't truly inspirational, but they are a spin off of those nice office posters that are inspirational :)... I found them highly amusing.

Click on the picture for a larger version.

Friday the 13th!

2009-02-13T21:29:00.003-07:00

Well today was Friday the 13th. My parents 28th wedding anniversary. Today completed my first week at work too. I'm loving the job, it's really nice. The days go by fast, the cars are great, and photography is good too!

My friend Susannah moved her horse, into the barn I am at, today. He is adorable. Such a sweetie pie. His name is "Fort" and he is an Andalusian Stallion. I would love to have a nice sporthorse mare to breed to him. Maybe someday LOL.

I have decided if I had the money to drop on a new car right now, it would be a BMW 135i. Its basically a VERY small car and super sporty, with the same motor (v6 turbo charged) as the 3 series cars. The BMW x6 is pretty cool too, its a crossover SUV type thing.

Darryl works tomorrow, I will probably visit him there. I will be going out to the barn too, to hang out with Susannah & her horse. We are gonna let Fort & Tonka meet tomorrow so they make buddies. I cannot wait to sleep in tomorrow morning. I'm so used to the sleeping in from not working, and now getting up early has been rough LOL.

Anyways, more pictures!
You can find ALL the pictures here...

Fort

535i

x6

x5

650i

135i

x5

Thursday the 12th...

2009-02-12T19:28:00.003-07:00

Well, tomorrow is Friday the 13th. I can't wait for this weekend. Get in some daylight time with Tonka and work with him, hopefully. My friend Susannah is moving her horse into the barn I have Tonka at tomorrow. That will be nice! A horse buddy at the barn :) Well, Gary (barn owner) is a horse buddy too, but our schedules don't always mesh LOL.

Anywho. This weekend will be a nice break from the stairs and walking around. Tomorrow a guy is meeting me to see the old wedding ring set that I no longer need. Get some money out of it hopefully... That would be nice. Spoil myself on some asshole's money :)

Work is still going well! Photographed another 10 cars today. All Mercedes again. I will probably be shooting the BMW's tomorrow.

Anywho I'll get going. Have a great day!

All of the pictures from today.

A Work Update.

2009-02-11T20:12:00.004-07:00

Well the new job is pretty awesome! Everyone there is great, and the day doesn't drag, I really enjoy what I'm doing. However, with all the walking, stairs and squating/standing I do, my legs are on FIRE! HEHE I thought I wasn't in THAT bad of shape, until now :) I'm getting quite the leg workout.

I thought I would give an example of what I'm doing at work, and show you a car I fell in love with, at the same time :) It's a 2009 CLK350 Coupe. It's pretty pimp. I could see myself driving one daily :)

Enjoy the pictures!

Started Work Today.

2009-02-09T19:51:00.002-07:00

Well I started at work today. It was a long day, but it didn't drag. Everyone is super nice. I forget half the people's names that I met.. but I guess that is to be expected :) Learned alot. Took pictures of 5 cars (4 BMW's and 1 Mercedes). I can honestly say I can't remember the last time I climbed that many stairs in one day, except maybe at the Statue of Liberty, or waiting for rides at Cedar point.. LOL

Tomorrow I should be more on my own, instead of working with someone. I feel more comfortable driving these cars by myself anyways LOL. Whats funny is I prefer my FJ over the Mercedes... However I would definitely enjoy a BMW as a secondary vehicle :) Hehe. I'll pass on the Mercedes though, unless its a McLaren :)

Anywho, here's a picture of the C300 (Mercedes) I took pictures of.

This Weekend...

2009-02-08T20:17:00.003-07:00

Well Friday Darryl & I picked up his girls, because this was one of their weekends with us. Friday night we hung out, had KFC for dinner and watched TV/Movies.

Saturday during the day, we went to Cherry Creek Reservoir (state park w/ water reservoir) and took Aisin. We walked him for quite some time (off leash because he's the good one out of the boys). Had A&W Root Beer Floats. And then watched movies before bed.

Today, Sunday, we went to something that was supposed to be pretty cool... "The Wildlife Experience" in Denver. We thought it was somewhat like an indoor zoo/animal exhibit thing... Got there, paid $21 for all 4 of us (we had a "free admission coupon" so didn't have to pay for one of the adults). Walked around the place, and ALL of us determined it was pretty lame. Including Kira, and shes an 11 year old. Basically it was designed for toddlers - kindergartners... NOT for adults or kids over say... 6/7ish. After that we ate some lunch. Then we went to the barn so I could clean stalls & feed the horses.

Darryl & I dropped the kids off... picked up Taea's "new" car (I can't believe she's in drivers ed classes already...) and Darryl drove that home so he can take it to work to start fixing it so its all ready when she actually turns old enough to start driving.

After that I finished filling out all my employment paperwork so I'm ready to go tomorrow morning, when I start my new job. I don't remember if I have given too many details on my new job yet, so here goes:
Company :: Murray Motor Imports
Description :: BMW & Mercedes New & Used Dealership
Job Title :: Lead Photographer
Job Description :: Photograph all New & Used cars to put on the website to improve sales.

I am pretty excited & nervous all at once. I hate starting new jobs. Hence why I was at Stylin' for over 6 years I guess LOL. So far everyone seems really nice though.

I picked out some pictures to print tonight so I can make my desk feel homey. Got a binder ready so I can keep all my employment paperwork in it, and a notebook in there so I can take notes (and write down important names since I suck with new people's names..).

I am really excited for the extra income now too! Be able to more easily take care of all bills AND have play money afterwards. I think the first thing I am saving for is a trip back home :) I can't wait to see my family. Let everyone meet Darryl. And get to show Darryl where I grew up. Not to mention take him to Cedar Point LOL. Will have to try and convince the whole family to go with us too!

Anyways I'm gonna get going, I think I typed enough for one night. Gotta finish watching "Extreme Home Makeover", and then get some sleep so I can wake up early tomorrow, which is something I haven't HAD to do since October..

Night!

Today was a Busy Day.

2009-02-05T20:08:00.005-07:00

Today... Drove out to Slaughterhouse (offroad trail) and did that, then went to the barn.

We will start with the barn though...

Well all 4 of the kids were out front today... I have never seen Barbie & TJ so animated and they were loving life.

The other 2 of course needed some piccies too LOL

Got some good pictures of Gary riding TJ again.

Vicki

Tonka

Tonka

Tonka

All Tonka & Vicki pics fullsize

Barbie & TJ (barbie is the one with rear leg socks)

TJ

Barbie & TJ

Barbie & TJ

Barbie

Barbie & TJ

Barbie

TJ

Gary Riding TJ

Sophie hanging out

All Barbie & TJ pics fullsize

So Darryl & I drove out to Slaughterhouse Gulch today in his truck. We wanted to get out into the mountains, and that seemed like a good place. It is a 4wheeling trail. Moderate/Difficult to drive. Some GREAT scenery, as you will see, for sure. Good way to spend one of the last "free days" before Darryl's vacation is over, and my new job starts.

You can find all the pictures fullsize here.

A very sad sight... a completely mutilated deer, half missing, on the road..

And now you know why I love Colorado so much :)

Very Exciting Day!!!

2009-02-04T20:43:00.006-07:00

Well my day started off with a call from my new employer, telling me everything is good to go. I start on Monday.

Then Darryl & I spent a long day at the barn. Got stalls cleaned and everything "work" wise done.

Gary (barn owner) rode his 2... and then offered to get on Tonka & take him through his gaits because he was being ROTTEN from the ground..
And with my seat being so bad since I haven't ridden in quite awhile.. and the fact I have no health insurance till the new job starts... made me nervous LOL

Anywho... Lunged Tonka and he was rotten. He was even rotten tacking up. More interested in getting back to his girlfriend than doing ANYthing I asked him to do (tie, stand, etc).

Gary got on and Tonka was a good boy. I got on and Tonka was a good boy. We worked on mainly giving to the bit, walk and trot transitions. Today was Tonka's "real" first ride in quite some time.. and before that he's had MAYBE a handful of rides.. in which he was taught nothing other than go and stop LOL.

All in all a really good day!

Some pics and videos!

Gary riding his 4 y/o QH gelding, TJ

Video of Gary riding TJ (first ride in 6 weeks)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5oopFlg6Kw

Me & Tonka

Video of Tonka being lunged (and being rotten.. he was FULL of himself..)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tPKEfRal-s

Video of Gary & Myself riding Tonka
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cu1dsN_mJQ

Gorgeous Day at the Barn

2009-02-03T19:46:00.004-07:00

Today was a busy day at the barn. I was going to saddle up Tonka & ride, but decided to do that tomorrow...

Went to the feed/tack store... which the "new" one I went to is my favie by far Smiley
Then went to the barn.. unloaded...
Gave Tonka & Vicki their new mineral block, they were some happy ponies...
Put Tonka in the arena & chased him for 15 minutes to really get some energy out (he's been hyper the last couple days LOL).
Lead Tonka on a "trail ride" minus the riding part LOL... He isn't afraid of mailboxes, or garbage cans, cars or trucks driving by... but let me tell you LLAMAS/ALPACAS ARE SCAREY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hehe it was cute/funny. He just wanted to escape them sooo bad. But he was still a gentleman not pulling hard on me or running me over, just wanted to get away bad while staring at them.

Then hosed him down when we got back to the barn (just legs/chest/buttcrack) because he was a sweaty monster.

And let him hang out and drink for awhile while I cleaned stalls.

THEN came his favorite part, a haircut LOL. His bald spot is driving me crazy in his mane... so I trimmed the rest of his mane to be shorter/even and be a closer length to the bald patch so it takes less time to catch up. He as really good. Stood very patient and like a gentleman. Even let me trim his bridlepath (with scissors, not clippers) without putting his head way up there. I first used regular scissors to get the length all semi-equal.. then thinning shears. Not done yet, still needs some work, but it is a little better anywho Smiley

Anywho, enjoy the pictures. Darryl was my camera man for the day Cheesy And got some sweet pics.

These pictures and MORE, fullsize!

Barbie wanted tot alk on my phone..

TJ Being beautiful

Barbie givin me some kisses

Barbie & TJ hanging outside

Darryl's favorite part of the day, me working hard LOL

TJ being cute or thinking of trouble to get into

Getting the tractor ready to spread poop

Spreading poop

Meet Sophie, the barn dog

Mane before cutting

Mane after cutting with regular scissors

Mane after cutting with thinning shears (still needs some work)

Tonka & I

Tonka kisses

MMMM mommy tastes good..

I Think I Got a Job

2009-02-02T17:23:00.000-07:00

Well I finally found a GREAT job (thanks to a person I know from an offroading forum).

It is a great amazing wonderful job. Its a BMW/Mercedes Dealer. The job is lead photographer.

Talked to the guy last week, gave him all my credentials/etc.

Went in for an interview today. Things went great. He told me he has never met a candidate more fully qualified, and he was afraid to hire me because he knew I would get promoted very quickly. Said nothing but good things, about my resume and writing, my personality etc.

He offered me the job.. not as much money as I was making, but its a good, solid job with GREAT benefits. And the possibility for bonuses depending on amount of pictures taken/etc.

So now waiting for the background check, drivers license test. And after that the drug test.

*big sigh of relief*

My Parents House is Buried in Snow!

2009-01-29T11:12:00.002-07:00

My dad sent me a ton of pictures of their house, which just happens to have a ridiculous amount of snow. And here I am in Denver with no snow LOL. The pictures of their house is a nice sight, I miss seeing them, and it, ALOT!

Anyways, heres some snowy pictures.

Huge Una Update

2009-01-26T21:50:00.000-07:00

Well the weather was GORGEOUS last week, got the house cleaned & the garage cleaned out. Worked with Tonka some. Really turned crappy yesterday though. Truthfully its a good thing though because we need more snow for the summer melt, so we don't have a draught.

Yesterday, my friends Moorea & Craig came over. We hung out, went to the barn and worked on Craig's truck. After that had a nice time just hanging out watching movies and talking.

Darryl only has this week left over work before his vacation. I don't know if we are going to go anywhere or not, but he needed the time off of work. If money allows we might go down to Moab just for a day & night to see the sights and get away from home. I have never been to Moab, and it is a HUGE offroading place. It's only about 5-5.5 hours from our place to Utah. Even if we don't go this vacation we will for sure go this spring or summer.

It has been snowing like mad today, but its really small powdery flakes so not a whole lot of accumulation yet. I am hoping for 4ft or something LOL. Darryl & I are going to go to Olive Garden for dinner. I cannot wait, they have AMAZING potato & sausage soup. Not to mention the rest of the food they offer.

SO I have decided that my dogs have relentless nostril decaying powers... No matter what I feed them, ONE of them gets horrid gas and completely stinks out the ENTIRE house. Its mainly the little guy, Aisin, though I think. I'm sitting here waiting for Darryl to get home from work and WOW it's hard to breathe LOL.

Tonka is gaining weight, so I'm glad with that. He seems like he will probably be easy to keep once he is back at a good weight. It's only been 2 weeks and people have told me that they even see the difference. Makes me feel really good. It was so cold today that I put both of his blankets on at once. It was only 6 degrees at about 4pm, so tonight is going to be brutal. I gave him alot of extra hay to keep his tummy warming him from the inside out. I feel bad for his paddock mate, she has no blankets what-so-ever. Shes plumper than he is though.. So at least she's got that going for her. I had to carry water buckets to fill all the water tanks for all the horses. That was tiring. The ground was too covered with snow to be able to drive the tractor out to dump the horse poop, so I had to carry the muck buckets to hand dump outside. That kinda sucked too.

I went on a job interview at a Missouri Fox Trotter breeding farm last week. The lady didn't give me a call back, which is OK. Even if she offered the job, I am not sure if I would have taken it. Her "perfectly behaved studs" were no where near even being somewhat OK behaved... And teh rest of her horses, there was something to be desired as well... So I am still without a job. I am keeping my eyes open, but will not jump into something I will be miserable in just to make money. Unless for some reason things change and Darryl & I really need the extra income.

I have been trying to sell my old wedding ring set, and wedding dress and such. To no avail. I am not willing to sell the ring set to a pawn shop though... The ring cost $1400+ new, and they only offer about $300 for it. Stupid if you ask me. So I will hold out for craigslist.org to find me a buyer. I tried EBAY, 3 times, and it didn't do me any good (even at STUPID low prices), yet I still got charged for my listings. I thought EBAY used to let you list until sold for one low low price. Doesn't seem that way anymore. I paid $30+ to NOT sell my items. Oh well. Lesson learned.

Darryl & I have been trying to clean the house out of things we no longer need. Clear up some space, and get fun money at the same time. I can't believe how much stuff I have and he has that we just don't want or need. It's bonkers. From China, to a China Hutch to extra differentials from my truck to radios and cd changers and so many other things. I can't wait till it is all gone.

Darryl's girls are taking our cat next weekend. I am pretty allergic to him, I cannot breathe at all if he gets into our bedroom when I go to bed. Darryl has asthma and with how much hair the kitty loses (he is a VERY longhair) its brutal on him too. I typically try to vacuum and shampoo the carpet every 2 weeks... if you could only imagine the amount of hair that gets laid all over the house in those 2 weeks, you would die LOL.

Well, I think that's enough of an update for now :D Hope you enjoyed! Hehe.

Have a nice one.
~Una

Tonka had a Playdate...

2009-01-21T18:40:00.003-07:00

Well I decided since the ground had dried up really well in the front pasture area to let Tonka & Vicki out to run and play... that was uneventful LOL I had to chase them to get them to go at all, other than Tonka's first trip down the driveway to check out the horses across the street. Anywho, you get to see him run, or as he thinks, gallop in video.... and some nice pictures too :D

I still can't get over how big he looks compared to Vicki LMFAO

All the pictures in large size are here: PICTURE GALLERY 1-21-09

Video is here: TONKA & VICKI VIDEO

Saddled & Rode Tonka

2009-01-17T18:36:00.004-07:00

So I decided to saddle up Tonka to see how my tack fit... After some test fitting and stuff of all my bridles/saddles. Found the best match for the time being :) a western bridle & my dressage saddle. I started out with one of those half pads under a regular pad since he has no topline and HUGE withers... Worked him, and he was getting mad. Took out the half pad, and he was much better. And the saddle fit him pretty well considering his awesome physical stature and his HUGE withers ;) LOL...

Worked him pretty hard, poor boy was sweatin with his winter coat in the summer weather we had today. Alot of walk, trot, canter transitions instead of consistently in one gait. He's a SMART fella, picks up on everything fast. Learned he CAN buck when he wants to LOL.

Then I was feeling brave and decided to hop (more like climb a ladder) on to him. I didn't have reins hooked to the bridle so I just had Darryl hold him while I got on (he had his halter under the bridle). He stood like a gentleman. Then I had Darryl walk him around. Then I asked Darryl to let the lead really loose and basically just walk with him but don't try and control him or anything. He halted when I sat deep, went when I gave a little leg pressure, didn't freak with spurs (just wanted to see his reactions), not dead sided at all which is awesome :D

When I was all done I untacked him and left him in the roundpen to roll (he was DYIN to roll with the saddle on LOL). And he rolled like a madman :D Then spent some QT time getting scratched.

I learned that he REALLY needs work putting on the bridle... as soon as you try to put it over the ears... forget about it. He gets MAAAAD.. took someone pinching his side to get his attention off it. So that will be a daily routine, with the halter if nothing else... on & off till hes calm about it. He had no problem with the bit though.

I feel pretty accomplished, and really happy that things are going so well :D

No pics of me on him cuz my photographer was my leader LOL but some under saddle, and one other funny pic of me on the tractor for your amusement :D

Oh, and I have to say how COMFY he is :D

me and my tractor/poop spreader

with the half pad... angry "pony"

somebody likes changing directions at random.. not allowed :D

half pad coming out... so then i removed it so see if that was the problem
(and it was

MUCH happier pony

Had a Job Interview Today

2009-01-16T21:40:00.002-07:00

I had a job interview today at a breeding farm, as a farm manager. It was the hardest interview I've ever had. But at the same point, I got paid for it, so that was pretty cool. Basically I did 3 hours of farm labor, working with the horses & showing how I handled everything. I think I did well. There are a couple other people she is meeting with before she decides whom to hire, so I am waiting on a call back. We shall see. Whatever is meant to be, will be.
I'm pretty pooped though, because I went from there, to my barn & cleaned stalls & such. I'm sore too. If nothing else my butt is getting worked back into shape!
Wish me luck.

An Update on the Horse!

2009-01-13T11:58:00.005-07:00

Well, I have settled on a name. Tonka. Hes doing great! Still need to get him to gain some weight, but hes getting really good feed now and it should be no time before hes fattened up and happy!

His personality is so amazing, he is just SOO calm, which is surprising for his age, at 4. I have a feeling he will perk up some after he gains the weight, but I think he will till be calm overall.

Enjoy a few more pictures!

My New Horse

2009-01-11T12:08:00.006-07:00

Well, I have been working at a barn in the evenings, cleaning stalls & feeding, along with training the owners QH's. He is letting me keep a horse there for pretty much nothing. So I decided to adopt a new horse! I found a wonderful 4 year old Thoroughbred, he is very sweet & calm. He is 17H tall (which equates to 68 inches tall at his back). I am 5'6" (66") tall... LOL. He's built more like a warmblood than a typical Thoroughbred!
He needs some training, which is perfect for me :D, I like a good challenge. Hes pretty smart and calm, so I think it will be easy to do!
The barn I am at is great, its just a "small" private residence. 5 acres, 2 barns, outdoor arena, round pen & indoor arena.

My horse's name is "First Year", I haven't decided on what to call him yet though. Here's some pics, enjoy!

Driving through Boulder to Caribou, Colorado

2009-01-05T17:12:00.005-07:00

Darryl and I went for a nice Sunday drive. Its a great way to spend time together, and for me to see more of Colorado.
We started out in Boulcer, CO and made it up to Caribou, CO which is a silver mining town, well used to be a town, its a ghost town now! But they still do silver mining there.

Anyways, enjoy the pictures!
VIEW ALL PICTURES, LARGER HERE

Driving through the mountains from Boulder up to Caribou.

Stopped on the way to see Boulder Falls

An old building on the way

A water reservoir on the way to Caribou, Boulder gets all its water from this (runoff snow from the mountains make this man made reservoir fill up)

One of the silver mines

a coyote

Some of the leftover ghost town at Caribou

Scenery at the top of Caribou

A tunnel on the way home

Happy New Year!!

2009-01-03T17:15:00.003-07:00

Well, it is the start of a new year. And I most definitely started it off right. With Darryl, and some other great friends.

We went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner, and then stayed downtown in Denver for the midnight new year fireworks.

We had a blast. And the weather was gorgeous.

Now that the new year has started, I feel as though its a fresh start. Nothing can drag me down! My goals this year: Live life to the fullest, get out in teh horse showing world more, and maybe get a new better career or start school again.

What about yours?

Ringing in the New Year

2008-12-31T10:47:00.002-07:00

Well today is New Years Eve. Darryl & I, and 2 couples we know are all going to downtown Denver to ring in the new year. We are hopefully going to Cheesecake Factory for dinner, then hanging out downtown on the 16th Street Mall for fireworks at midnight.

Should be a nice time.

This past year was a rough one, so I will be glad for it to be over. Start anew in 2009. Not sure what my new years resolution is, but overall to be happy and a better person.

Have a great new year, be safe!

Christmas Eve & Lookout Mountain

2008-12-25T20:29:00.005-07:00

Darryl took me to Lookout Mountain on Christmas Eve. It is in Golden, CO. We went at night so we could really see the lights of Colorado (and by Colorado, I mean it, you can see SOOOO far from the mountain. Its gorgeous.

Enjoy!

Here is a panorama of the view we had, click on it to get a HUGE version!

And then here is me playing with the camera, long exposures and the night lights!

Just another update!

2008-12-21T20:36:00.002-07:00

Well, I re-did the way my blog looks and feels (not that you can actually feel a blog LOL). Hope you like it!

I went out to the barn today to see the new horse (I will be working her under saddle for 30 days) she is really cute! A really cool color, I will have to remember to get some pictures of her next time I am out there.

I got a new myspace account, because my old one I couldn't control to swell since it had an old email address on it, and I couldn't change that. My new myspace account can be found here.

Gave Chance and Aisin a bath today, Jester will get one tomorrow. MY GOSH did they smell horrid. They get baths all the time, but somehow find a way to make themselves smell ungodly (in a bad way).

Thats about it for today. Thanks for reading!

Went to Red Rocks today...

2008-12-20T21:10:00.003-07:00

Well Darryl, Myself and Taea (his oldest daughter) drove out to Red Rocks today. Red Rocks is a natural amphitheater that there are tons of concerts and such at. And its absolutely gorgeous. Enjoy the pictures :)

Its Been Awhile...

2008-12-19T15:24:00.003-07:00

I haven't posted in quite a while.. So here's some brief updates! More detailed posts will follow.

For Thanksgiving, Darryl and I went on a lovely drove through Estes Park and National Park Land through Colorado.

The dogs have been doing AWESOME!

I am on the search for a horse.

December 1st, my divorce was finalized, December 6th, there was a HUGE party, I drank too many free shots LOL.

Darryl & I had a cold for almost 2-3 weeks, but is finally gone *thank god!*

We have been having snow on and off, which is about time because it's pretty late in the year considering our normal snow action here in Denver Metro.

I am still without a job. Darryl has been supporting me and my bad habits. Poor guy LOL.

Thats it for now, but I will be posting up more detailed posts, with pictures and such :)

~Una

Aisin Got Neutered...

2008-11-26T18:37:00.005-07:00

Well today was snip snip day for little baby Aisin (my boxer puppy). I dropped him off at 8am at the shelter. When I went to leave, he cried and cried and pulled to be with me. Which made me feel really special. I had to actually walk him into the room and close the door and sneak out he was so upset. Then when I went to pick him up, he was in the main front office on a dog bed, under a desk. The lady there called and called him to get him out from under the desk and he looked at her like, ummm I think NOT. So I had to go into the office area and call him, and as soon as he saw me, he swaggered over like the poor little drunk puppy he was! But none the less it made me feel AWESOME! He has bonded with me that much in only a couple weeks :)

I had to keep the other 2 locked up though because they were sniffing him and being really rough with him (probably because he smelled like the shelter). Jester is still locked up because he was trying to lick Aisin. Chance has mellowed and is sleeping on the couch next to me. Aisin is snoozing on the big comfy dog bed on the floor!

My Trip to Cave of the Winds

2008-11-09T18:06:00.004-07:00

Yesterday Darryl and I went to Cave of the Winds (near Colorado Springs, CO). The cave is beautiful however the little switchback road up to it nearly gave me a heart attack. Thank god I was not driving! We took the regular tour, which was pretty awesome. The scenery is gorgeous, the formations were amazing, the tour guide was a little dry. None the less we had fun!

Enjoy the pictures!

~Una

Got My Hair Done

2008-11-05T16:42:00.002-07:00

Well I decided to get a change today, I got my hair permed. Its a medium curl. I think it looks pretty good! It will settle down in a couple days considering I just got it done today. My hair still smells funky from the solution they use. So I can't wait till I can wash my hair!

Enjoy :)

Update on Aisin & Myself

2008-11-03T21:14:00.006-07:00

Well, Aisin has been home for a few days now. He is doing really well, hes a smart little fella. He goes potty when I say "go potty" or "go poop". He just doesn't let me know when he needs to get out to go potty. So I have to take him MULTIPLE times a day. Hopefully soon he starts to let me know when he needs to go. He only had one accident today.
So far he sits, almost 100% of the time I ask him. Walks great. Loves to play. His energy levels grow daily. He has gained 1 lb. already. I am working on getting him to shake now.
Tennis balls are the coolest toy ever in his eyes :D

I have been applying to jobs, with no success yet. I am still enjoying the time off. Getting alot done around the house, and the extra time with the puppy is definitely a good thing.

Here are some pics and a little video of Aisin.

Have a great day :)

Una

VIDEO

My Good Deed

2008-11-01T14:37:00.005-06:00

Well, I found this little guy at the Aurora Animal Shelter. He is a 4 month old purebred Boxer puppy. I named him Aisin (a parts division of Toyota) He weighs 34lbs and should weigh about 50lbs. He also has Demodex Mange and Kennel Cough, so is on a ton of meds. He was never in a house until yesterday when I brought him home. He is a lover and I cannot believe anyone could do that to a puppy. He is already learning to sit next to me if we are on a walk and we stop, he lays next to me wherever I am in the house, he walks better than my big trained dogs on a leash and he already has started letting me know when he needs outside for potty. He is a smart little bugger. I cannot wait till he is all healthy again and in top shape.

Right now he is getting Yogurt and Puppy food in large quantity to help build himself back up. Along with his 4 different medications. He is also segregated from our big dogs so they do not catch the Kennel cough. The mange is not contagious though.

I feel lucky to have found him and am glad to have the opportunity to give him the home he deserves. How could you not just love this face?

Gas Prices

2008-10-29T16:53:00.002-06:00

I would just like to say that I saw gas for $2.36 today. That is the cheapest I have seen gas for in a LONG time. Its awesome. Although I have a feeling after elections, prices will be going back up again. Which sucks. Because I filled my gas tank for under $40 which I don't think I've done since I owned the truck.

Lately I have been going to the Cherry Creek State Park (its a reservoir & state park) with Darryl to take our 2 mutts for walks. We did over 10 miles in 2 days. The dogs were beat afterwards. It was nice.

The weather has been really nice here lately too. I'm just waiting for the Halloween weather change to snow, or something of the sort.

2 days left of this week. Not that it matters for me so much since I am not working currently. I have applied to numerous jobs though and hopefully will have something soon.

Have a nice evening, talk at ya later!

Una

Happy Tuesday

2008-10-28T15:04:00.003-06:00

Hello! Today is Tuesday. I have been a busy little beaver today. I went to Best Buy to get a wireless router, so now I have wireless at home! YAY! I took Chance to Petco, and everyone loved him to pieces, as always. I then stopped by Darryl's work with Chance. He had a blast with all the fun new smells and new people. Now I got the internet set up, and am typing this, and then doing more job hunting. Thought I would share some random photos though :) Enjoy.

Una

I also went to the Denver Zoo a while back and never put the pictures up here. Thought you would enjoy to see some :)

Hump Day

2008-10-22T15:16:00.003-06:00

Well today is Wednesday. I am sitting in the showroom lobby of Darryl's work (Go Toyota) stealing their internet because we don't have wireless at home and its easier to use my laptop than the desktop computer for all this job application stuff, since all my docs and such are on my laptop.
I was fired yesterday morning, due to my blog post. Why my boss has been searching to find my blog, I am truly unsure, but whatever. Their loss. I hope they have fun finding someone with my skills (auto and offroad knowledge, contacts in the offroad industry, web skills and photography skills), to work for the amount they paid me.
So now the job hunt really ensues. It will be a nice change though. Maybe will give me the opportunity to go back to school as well, get tuned up on web design, and learn more that I do not know.
Have a great day!

Una

What a WONDERFUL Day...

2008-10-13T12:40:00.000-06:00

Well, things have been going, not so well, for me lately. Mainly because of my job. Don't get me wrong, the concept of my job is great. Working in an all Toyota Off Road Shop has its perks, when you own 2 Toyota offroad trucks. However the company itself has been struggling the last few months. Even worse than I was led to believe. I had a paycheck bounce, but then it cleared so I thought all was OK, especially since my bosses said the company was fine. However this past Friday my boss sat me down as I was walking out the door, to tell me to not cash my paycheck because it would not clear. Friggin Awesome.

Then this morning (ya, I still came in, not sure why), they had a staff meeting to tell us how bad off they are. Would have been nice to know BEFORE they couldn't pay any of us, huh?

Soooo now I don't know when that paycheck will be good, the next one coming up obviously won't be any good either considering they can't even pay THIS one....

And they are "sorry" and are greatful for our understanding. Like I have a choice? Soooo Not only that, they tell us they might be calling us some mornings to tell us not to come in because there is no work for us.

Yet last week they got PISSED at me for not coming in for 2 days (that they couldn't pay me for ANYways) when my truck blew up and I had no way to get in.

Soooo I am looking for a job, unfortunately, and am going to have to use one of those "cash your check here for a fee" places just to get my money because my bank will just bounce their check. And I have my own bills to worry about. Their shitty business problems are none of my business and NONE of my problem because obbviously my life was of no importance to them either.

BLEH. other than that I had a decent weekend, cleaned out my truck, Darryl took me to breakfast and tried to relax with the impending doom of my job and finances because of it.

Beautiful Mountain Drive on Sunday

2008-09-22T19:26:00.004-06:00

Well Darryl and myself went for a drive in the mountains to get away, try to relax, and forget about the other things going on in life. Not to mention the Aspens changing colors. The drive was a little chilly, due to his truck only having tube doors (which will be changing soon with the weather changing), so I was glad I remembered a really toasty blanket! The drive was absolutely gorgeous though. THe views of course were spectacular, and ran into some wildlife (a deer) on the way as well. On the way home we even stopped in Tiny Town, a town that a grandpa built for his granddaughters, that has over 40 larger than life doll houses. It's pretty neat.

Anyways, heres the pictures, enjoy!

One of those days...

2008-09-03T15:02:00.002-06:00

Have you ever had one of those days that looking back at when you woke up, if you KNEW it would be this shitty, you just would have stayed in bed for a month? Ya, that's today.

I wake up, get ready, things aren't so bad. Drive to work is good, not much traffic. Walk in the door at work and my god did the day turn into a nightmare. For starters the guys were driving my truck around the parking lot in 4-low... then they used my winch for a good 10 minutes straight, while driving around in 4-low, to pull a dead truck into the shop. Alright, I'm already getting pissed. If they break the winch OR an axle thats at least $600 to fix (which I would have been footing the bill..)... Then they pull my truck into the shop and one of the guys is digging through all my shit making fun of what I have in my truck. Wait, WHY is he in there? Beats me... They only needed to borrow my truck to look at the sliders.

OK fine whatever. I blow up at the people I work with and go to lunch.

Come back from lunch and try to have a nice rest of my day. Yeah fuckin right. I go back to see the slider progress they made on my truck (they are using my truck to design sliders for a customer and a product to offer..). I notice that one is on and one is off, look closer and realize my frame is now messed up. I ask what happened. They broke off 6 of the 8 bolts in my frame holding on my sliders. Instead of coming to ASK ME what I want them to do after breaking say, 2 bolts, they just keep going. I wouldn't have even known about it had I not looked and asked WTF was going on with my truck.

Ok no big deal, well kind of. Say jokingly that I guess they are weld-on sliders now (since it is impossible to bolt them back on without A) screwing up my frame more or B) structurally damaging the truck). My boss, owner of the company, says he will not weld on the sliders because the brand they are. WAIT A FUCKING MINUTE. You screw up my truck and you're not even willing to fix it half assed because the brand, and instead tell me I need to BUY new sliders from HIM and let him weld THOSE on. For another +/- $700......

So, here it happens again, the nice guy gets screwed. I'm not even some random person, I work here. That's total BS if you ask me. How am I supposed to feel good about recommending the shop to other people if I don't even want to be here myself at the moment. Funny thing is I have felt like complete garbage all day but came in so as not to screw them over by being short a person, only to come into this...

Makes you feel awesome about being a nice/good person doesn't it?

Jenny Creek Labor Day Wheeling 2008

2008-09-03T10:07:00.002-06:00

Labor Day weekend was a busy weekend for me. Saturday night me and some friends built my 4runner and Monday went on a wheeling trip to Jenny Creek to test everything out. There was a pretty good group of rigs, including one jeep and even a nissan hardbody. It is not too extreme of a trail, however there is enough going on that you need pay attention the whole time. Everyone made it up the creek without problems, we even helped spot a Dodge Ram up the creek that wasn't with our group. The weather was gorgeous and the trail was fun. Overall a really good day of wheelin!

Full Gallery of Pics here: http://s516.photobucket.com/albums/u321/unaschade/Wheeling/2008-9-1-JennyCreek/

Clyde's Before Bio

2008-08-29T15:08:00.002-06:00

BIO:
1984 Toyota 4Runner
Stock Solid Front Axle
22R Engine
3" Lift with Leafs and Add-a-Leafs
Rough Country Shocks and Steering Stabilizer

To Come Tomorrow Night:
5.29 gears
Lock-Rite lockers front and rear
35" tires on alloy wheels

Before Pics:

To Come:

Meet "Clyde" My 1984 4Runner

2008-08-29T09:32:00.004-06:00

Well, I own a 1984 solid axle Toyota 4Runner whom I have affectionately named "Clyde". I got her about 2 years ago and haven't done much with her, but all that is about to change.

You may wonder why "she" is named "Clyde". Well I am big into horses. Clydesdales are a tank of a horse. She is a tank of a truck. Therefore "Clyde".

Tomorrow night I will be adding a front and rear third member to her that is equipped with 5.29 gears, lock-rite lockers and then redoing my front trunion seals. And of course putting her on 35" tires. Keep an eye out for pictures!

My Weekend Adventures

2008-08-27T10:44:00.003-06:00

Well this weekend was pretty jam packed. Darryl had his girls this weekend, so thats an adventure in and of itself! Friday night we just hung around and watched a movie and had spaghetti for dinner. Saturday we ended up doing the Coors tour, climbing a rock wall and having a late dinner. Sunday we went to the water park down the street and then had a nice dinner before the girls went home. Then Sunday evening Darryl and I went wheeling.

I ended up breaking the FJ bad enough it will be parked for awhile till I can re-do the suspension with the aid of my boss. We are going to totally redesign it and make it alot stronger so I don't have this problem again. So now I am driving the 4runner daily. This coming saturday it will be getting new gears, lockers and 35" tires. So it will look alot cooler, and perform ALOT better offroad too.

This week has been dragging by, unfortunately. I need a vacation bad I think. No rest for the weary though. Anyways, I've gotta go.

Hope you are doing well!

~Una

Carnage Boulder 8/24/2008

2008-08-27T10:42:00.003-06:00

We went to Boulder Carnage/Lefthand Canyon for a night run with a group of friends on 8/24/2008. We had 7 Toyota's on the run. It was a nice evening, and we all were in the mindset of pushing our rigs to the extreme, and when the night was over, it showed. 3 of us tried Guardian rock, most of us tried the harder lines on everything, and all in all had a good time. One of the guys had bought a new cab and bed for his truck and this was the last time wheeling it with the "old" stuff, so decided it would be fun to flop the truck (well, more like a friend decided it would be fun). When the truck owner didn't get it to flop, his friend did it for him. One of the Taco's busted a CV axle and got some dents. Another taco dented in the cab above the rear window. And Una's FJ really got hammered with a now "L" shaped lower control arm in the rear (when it should be straight), ripped out rear shocks and sheared off the swaybar link, not to mention her passenger side is pushed in even further. Everyone drove home though, so thats always a bonus. Not a bad run for the "last" run at Boulder Carnage before they close it. Check out the pictures and enjoy!

My full gallery is here.

Meet "George", My 2007 FJ Cruiser.

2008-08-21T14:07:00.006-06:00

As most of you know, I own a 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser. Most of you probably didn't know his name was "George" though. Why is his name "George" you may ask...

And I will answer you, 1 of 2 reasons.
1.) George, George George of the jungle, watch out for that tree!
This one for obvious reasons... Its an offroad truck and pretty fat... so its hard to watch out for trees sometimes.

2.) I will hug him and squeeze him and call him George.
I don't have a good answer for why this one fits, but it does. That and I like the name George. I had a fish tank full of George's (typically frogs though for me...)

Alot of people ask me what all I have done to "George", so this is a good place to answer all of those questions I think. George has the Toyota Package Option C if I remember correctly...

Right now, as of 8/21/2008, "George" has the following aftermarket add on's:
3" Skyjacker lift
~I wouldn't recommend it to anyone personally

33x12.50 R17 Mickey Thompson Baja Claws in rear & Baja MTZ's in front
~LOVE LOVE LOVE them. So far 35k+ miles and about 1/2 tread left, plus they do great on trail. I have not done the body mount chop, I do rub it some. You can run these without a lift, but don't expect to turn very well.

Panther EMR Wheels
~17" x 9" with 4.5" of backspacing. I wish I would have gone with a black steelie instead, but these will get painted eventually.

All Pro Sliders
~Really like them, the kickout has saved my rear glass and taillights a few times.

All Pro Front Bumper w/ Light Bar
~Really like it. It is simple, smaller than most, and effective. Plus it's alot lighter than most bumpers out there too.

Pro Comp Lights
~They blow out the first time I use them, EVERY time I change the bulb or light itself. Never lasts for more than an hour of continuous use, whether its a new bulb or whole new light assembly.

Bandi Antenna Mount
~Love it. Didn't have to drill holes in the truck or do anything special.

Cobra 75 WX ST Weatherband CB
~Love it. Its nice to have everything so compact and user friendly.

Warn M8000 Winch
~This thing has saved so many jeeps, I don't know what to tell you! It pulls fast enough for me and works time over time over time. I had 6 straight pulls on jeeps on one trail with it, not to mention pulling myself.. and it didn't bat an eye at the job.

A-TRAC/Locker Mod
~Who could live without it?

Magnaflow Exhaust
~This thing added low end power, like it alot. The sound is even better nowe that I accidentally ripped the tailpipe off on trail.

AFE Intake
~HOLY COW does this thing sound GOOD! Not to mention the low end power I got out of it was pretty noticeable.

Cal Trend Seat Covers
~They are neoprene, need I say more?

And I think that is it... There are ALOT of plans in the near future for "George", but they must remain a secret for now MUAHAHAHA. I will however be posting articles on each individual mod as of current with pictures eventually too.

It Finally Happened!

2008-08-20T09:42:00.001-06:00

Well yesterday, after much work, the site I re-designed for my work is up. It looks and functions great, so make sure to check it out. I am really proud of it. I have already had alot of people tell me it looks like a major corporation's site, not a small offroad shops. And I built it completely by myself. I think its pretty sweet.

So check it out!

Wheeling at Boulder Carnage

2008-08-19T11:17:00.006-06:00

Well, me and a group of friends went wheeling on Saturday. It also happened to be Darryl's birthday. Anyways, we had a blast. No-one broke anything, which is always nice. Some people got body damage, but nothing too major. And the trail was a blast. Gotta love being out in the mountains having fun with friends.

Here are some of the pictures, for the rest of them (and for fullsize ones) check out my gallery.

TGIF!

2008-08-15T11:44:00.002-06:00

Well, today is Friday, thank goodness. Tomorrow is the BBQ at ORS. I have to get here at 8am on a Saturday, that's just plain crazy! The weather is supposed to be rainy, so hopefully that does not make the turnout horrible, I know my boss is worried that people won't show. Either way, it should be a good time. I will be relieved when it is over with though. Lots of hard work.

Last night I went up to Darryl's work to hang out while he put a locker in his truck (its a cool thing you can add to trucks to help you offroad better and slip less). Hung out with him and some other friends, then went and grabbed some beers. We are all probably going out again tonight which will be fun.

Sunday there are a bunch of us going wheeling at Boulder Carnage. Its a moderate trail and its pretty local, so that makes it nice.

Have a great day and an even better weekend!

TGIF!

TGIF Tomorrow.

2008-08-14T09:47:00.003-06:00

Well things with work have been hectic. Getting ready for our big event on Saturday. We are doing a BBQ, sales promotion event. We have partnered with a local Toyota dealership (Go Toyota), and also the Toyota Trail Team. This event should hopefully bring in alot of business.

I cannot wait till its over though. Get my workload back to "normal". It has been cool helping out in the shop the last week though, that is kinda nice. So if that continues, I won't mind.

The Papers are Legal.

2008-08-13T16:05:00.000-06:00

Well, today Rich and I met to get the divorce papers notarized. I drove Darryl's truck today because I know how much it would irritate Rich. I pulled up and Rich was already inside waiting. Had to stand around for 10 minutes to wait for the notary to be ready. Once he was ready, we sat down at the desk, went over all the paperwork again to make sure everything was good, and it wasn't... of course... Mine was great, Rich didn't make all the corrections about me on the main paperwork I had asked for, so we had to fix that. Then started signing stuff. The whole time the notary was asking if we were sure we couldn't work things out, and when I said I was sure, he started flirting ever so casually.
Finished signing all the paperwork, the notary finished up and we were off. Rich walked out to his truck in front of me, and I just so happened to be parked right next to his truck, in Darryl's truck... Needless to say that didn't amuse Rich in the slightest.
So all in all, it was a good day for me!

Something I HAVE to touch on is that Rich was clean shaven (that never happens... well of recently anyways) and his hair was dyed a darkish brown. MY GOD did he look silly. Or thats my opinion anyways! Just another reason I felt better about the whole ordeal... he's not even that cute, what WAS I thinking? LOL.

Well at least now I know I don't have to communicate with him any longer, other than to verify he filed the paperwork with the courts. On with the rest of my life.. as Una Schade! And withOUT the Reno family! (*throws myself a little party*)

Work is Hectic.

2008-08-12T10:16:00.001-06:00

Well this coming Saturday, my work is hosting a BBQ. The purpose is to get customers in here, get awareness out there for our shop, and hopefully bring in some new business. Well, we have partnered with a local Toyota dealer also for the event.

I have been getting ready for this thing for quite awhile. And with it just a few days away, we still have lots to do. In specific; finish building my boss's truck. We have until Friday to finish the rear suspension, finish sanding the truck so we can paint it, etc. ALL by Friday. I think we must be crazy, personally.

Anyways, hope your work days are not quite as busy as mine!

Had a Nice Weekend.

2008-08-11T10:03:00.003-06:00

Friday night a friend came over to the house and we all hung out, and had some beers. Relaxed, chatted. It was nice.

Saturday I ended up working for about 7.5 hours to help a friend (my boss) try to finish his truck so it is drivable again. Man did we bust rear end, it's still not done, but getting closer. Saturday night Darryl had his girls so we hung out with them and I cooked a big dinner and watched TV.

Sunday, big breakfast, played video games, hung outside for a little while, went to the mall, played twister and then the girls went home. Then crawled on the couch, watched TV and went to bed.

Overall it was a really nice weekend. Busy but not busy at all, if that makes any sense to you.

Hope yours was nice too.

Una

Friday was Supposed to be "D" Day...

2008-08-07T10:51:00.007-06:00

Well, Friday I was to meet with Rich to sign the divorce papers, and get everything notarized. Some might think of it as a "bad" thing, however I see it as a real start to the divorce proceedings. Which is also a fresh start for me.

I have learned through all of my reflections that you should never change for anyone, be happy with yourself and if others cannot accept that then they are not worth your time. I have also learned alot about myself, my likes and dislikes in a partner, what I put up with in this marriage and will never do again, life is a blessing so enjoy it and do everything to smile and make the ones you love smile too. I have learned alot of other things, but I will not get into all of that ;-) .

And of course, for the "event" I got all dolled up and looking gorgeous just to rub it in a little how well I am doing without him, and how happy I really am. And make him think, WOW I AM AN IDIOT! Because, truthfully, he is. I am a catch, and he is going to have to live without me for the rest of his life!

Well, anyways he bailed. Not the first time, and boy did it piss me off. I have been nothing but pleasant and easy to deal with for all of this... up until Friday.

I gave him a piece of my mind, and I am pretty sure I got the message across that this is HIS divorce and he needs to get his act together to make it happen. If he didn't want it, he shouldn't have asked for it. Not only that, I am done being agreeable and working around his schedule/location/etc. At this stage it is all a big inconvenience for me and I am not going to inconvenience myself further to make the divorce easy on him. Because he most certainly didn't think of me when he asked for it in the first place.

So I have rescheduled everything for Wednesday, at a location of my choice, the time I want it, etc. If it doesn't happen Wednesday, he can forget about me cooperating for anything. This is all getting old, and fast.

Well, Off to work I am, have a lovely day.

~Una

It's Nice Being Myself Again.

2008-08-07T09:16:00.004-06:00

So through all my reflection after Rich asked for the divorce, I realized that I stopped doing alot of things, that made me who I am, to try and keep him happy. Which I felt was an impossible task anyways, or I feel that way now for sure.

I have started hanging out with friends again, going wheeling, I got a couple of piercings, and just having fun in general without worrying about him being upset or bored or someone rolling their eyes, etc.

Whats really funny to me is that we met due to 4wheeling, and I couldn't ever really go after we got married.

So here's my new piercings; the one on my chin is called a Labret, and the one on my upper lip is called a Monroe.

It's nice being happy and having fun again.

~Una

Moved Into my New Place.

2008-08-06T14:19:00.005-06:00

Well this past weekend, I moved into my permanent address. No more staying with friends, and bouncing around. I am in Aurora, CO, the south east portion, right next to Buckley Air Force Base. Sharing a 2 car garage, 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom house with a friend, and every other weekend, his 2 daughters. The person I am sharing the house with, his name is Darryl. Darryl has a cat and a Husky. This is great because I have Chance still and Chance is going to love having a buddy to romp with. However Chance is still staying with some friends of mine for another week or so because they didn't want to give him up yet. I am not completely sure how well Chance will get along with a kitty cat though, that might be interesting...

Anyways, I will post some pictures later on of the house!

Got a New Haircut.

2008-08-05T15:04:00.002-06:00

Well I wanted a change, so I decided to get my haircut. It went from below my shoulders, to now about chin length, maybe a little longer. Its cooler, I can still put it up out of my face, and its fun to style. And BOYYYZ is it easier to take care of in the mornings before work.

Welcome to my Blog.

2008-08-05T11:10:00.002-06:00

Well, I am not a newbie to blogging, however this blog is new. I had another one, but due to life circumstances decided to start fresh, and with a new address.

So here I am. Check out this blog for updates in my life, ramblings of random things I think of, etc. And there will be plenty of pictures to accompany everything.

A little about me:
I cherish my family. My parents are still married and I have a younger brother.I was born in 1982 (which makes me 25 currently). I was born in Ireland, spent most of my life in Ohio, and about a year ago (may 2007) moved to Colorado. I love horses, dogs, and truthfully any animal. I hate bugs. I love sunsets and stars. I use myspace and facebook.
www.myspace.com/OFRD_GRL
(dunno what my facebook "address" would be... but I am on there too!)

Enjoy.