Zach's Going Snowballing

We are pretty excited because after we have fun with the families here in North Carolina during the Thanksgiving holiday, we're going to head to Pensacola, Florida for the Snowball Derby. Jennell's brother Zach got a call late last week asking if he would be interested in running the Snowflake 100 at Five Flags Speedway during the Snowball Derby weekend.

The Snowball Derby is the biggest Late Model race in the country. The Snowflake 100 is the 1oo-lap Late Model race that runs Saturday night before the Derby on Sunday. Its becoming just as big as the Derby. There are almost 70 cars trying to make the Snowflake itself.

Zach is racing for 5K Motorsports and will be crew chiefed by our friend Deon Deneau. Zach and Deon work great together. And Deon crew chiefed for Zach when he won the Nashville race in the NASCAR Elite Division (also the same race me and Jennell started our close friendship).

So we're excited. And we'll update the blog a couple of times during the Snowball Weekend.

Fun At The Racetrack Again

So it's been a while since we made a post (well, really only since last Friday, but it seems like forever). Now, our families are coming into town for Thanksgiving (our new family tradition... Thanksgiving here in North Carolina), so it might be a while before we post again, although we are sure to share some photos from Thanksgiving.

But we wanted to post and tell everyone how much fun we've had in the last couple of weeks at the racetrack with the Stroupes. The Stroupes are a great family that we've met through racing. Mike, Camie, Zach and Nick are typical southern family... they are just so friendly, nice and will do anything for you.

The boys are both racers... and great racers at that. They raced for another team for the last couple of years, but Mike and Camie pulled them out of that situation because it wasn't too good for the boys or any of them. And we supported their decision 100%. And we couldn't be happier for them in one bit.

Now, they are back to racing and they are having a blast at it. Zach, who is 16, hasn't raced as much at the end of the year, but will get to race quite a bit next year. Nick, who is 13, has been racing a Legends car and been doing a great job since going back to the family-owned car.

We recently traveled to Rockingham Speedway to watch Nick race on the road course there (all the pics here are from there) where he finished third in his first road course race. Not bad for the kid. Then, we went with the family to the open practice at Lowe's Motor Speedway for the Winter Heat series, which runs in December and January here (yeah, in North Carolina you can race all year round).

We just love hanging with the Stroupes. Like we said, Mike and Camie are just great parents and good people. They will do anything for you at anytime. And the boys are so funny. We just love hanging out with them. They can always make you laugh. And being brothers, they really enjoy each other. They don't seem to bicker (too much).

we plan on being there all year long for the boys and for Mike and Camie and will be helping out and having fun the whole way. We can't wait for the racing to start! And you can click on the boy's website on the side of the page to see more about them.

The Stroupes even put 2 Dudes Designs on the back of their Legends car. It looks BAD ASS!

Mike talks with Nick after the race in Rockingham. And even if Nick had finished last, the two would have been smiling as they are having fun again at the track.

I like this picture I took of Nick. It makes him look... well, kinda cool!

Go Buckeyes!!!!! Michigan Hate Week

It's that time again. Ohio State vs. Michigan. And the Wolverines SUCK big time this year, so I'm fully expecting a huge blowout. And I will be loving every minute of it. There is nothing more I love to see than Michigan losing and Ohio State laying it on them.

GO BUCKEYES!!!!!!!!

Fence Update #4

Well, the fence is now starting to look like... well, a fence. And it is nice to see the completed project. So we are getting more and more excited about it. The only bad thing is that it is taking them longer to finish than we thought it would. They said today it would be either next Tuesday or Wednesday before it was all done. But, it will be worth it when it is done! So we are excited. And Brutus is already showing he is really loving the fence. And let me tell you, his parents are going to love it too!!!!!

Wii Love Wii

It’s pretty funny, because before we started this blog, we really didn’t think we did that much. Now, it seems like there are a hundred things we could write about. We still haven’t said anything about going to Rockingham with the Stroupes yet. And some of the posts like “Go Ohio State” and “Go Ball State” have been short and sweet.

But we don’t want to overload the blog, because we don’t know how often people read it. But, then again, we need to write before we forget the details. Really, that was the reason for the blog to begin with… so we don’t forget to tell people things.

So if you don’t check this blog too often, get on it. Make it your homepage. Make sure when you turn your computer on, this is where you come. Pretend there is some free music on here, or maybe free crafts for some of you. Whatever draws you in, come here first.

Anyway, we wanted to talk about how much fun we had last Friday. We were FINALLY invited over to our friend Doug and Wendy’s house to have some dinner and play their Wii. Don’t know what the Wii is? Well, get a life. And then turn on the TV. Then go to your local electronics store and look for the product that is never in stock. Then, you will know what the Wii is. But if you still don’t know, it’s a new video game system that Nintendo put out that lets you be active when you play games. It is pretty tricky, but you have to move your controllers to play the games.

Well, after some pizza, it was off to our games. Doug and Wendy’s son Justin had been waiting for us to come over and we’d always told him we were ready to play. So he had me dive right into Guitar Hero. You play a guitar shaped controller to popular songs. Sounds easy? Well, its not. But it was a lot of fun. I mastered Metallica’s “One.” And Justin mastered about everything. And Jennell tried… but got booed off the stage (that is what happens when you don’t do too good).

Then, it was off to tennis. You actually swing the controllers like a tennis racket and it makes your player do the same. Its pretty amazing really. Well, Justin and Jennell played and had some fun, with Justin winning (he’s a kid, he beat everyone all night long). Then Jennell and Wendy played. Then me and Jennell. Only Doug kept his butt warm on the couch.

Then, we moved onto baseball (swing and pitch with the controller) and then bowling (way too much fun) and then boxing and then shooting, table tennis and golf. It was all so much fun! And man, it gives you a workout. Jennell actually said the next day, her arms were sore.

We wrapped up the night by taking a break from the TV and playing some cards. We taught them Texas Hold ‘Em poker and they taught us a game called “Scum.”

But we couldn’t stay away and played some more Wii. Before you knew it, it was 2am and we were beat. Jennell and I came home, put some Icy-Hot on our shoulders and headed to bed.

We never knew video games were such a work out. But man, we love Wii.

Justin pretty much killed all of us all night long! But it was still fun to even lose. Notice Jennell had to rest her sore shoulders by having a drink!

Jennell and I box. This game really really gets you tired. But I beat her this time. She normally kicks my ass when she boxes me at home though.

Fence Project Update #3

Are you getting tired of seeing and reading about the fence? Well, deal with it!!! We are pretty darn excited about it. So the fence is coming along quite nicely. This is the end of the fourth day that the guys have been working on it and it is finally starting to look like a fence. They now have all of the posts up and the top and bottom railings. Tomorrow (Friday), they should start putting the slots in the fencing. We're pretty excited about seeing what the finished product will look like.

On a side note... man we're glad we decided to get this done by professionals and not do it ourselves. We were planning on it until we found the company that is doing it. But I never put up a fence and our friend Doug who was going to head it hadn't really either... so if it is taking two "professional" guys this long, imagine how long it would have taken us "amateurs." NO THANK YOU!!!!!

Fence Project Update #2

So here is the second picture of our new fence and its construction. They got the remaining posts up on Tuesday and laid out where they are putting the gates. And they did it in freezing cold weather. Hey, we moved away from Washington and Ohio to get away from this cold weather... what gives? Anyway, they should be back on Wednesday to start actually putting up the slots and we should see our fence starting to take shape. Hopefully, it should be done by the end of the week. We'll keep you posted.

Fence Project Update #1

So our fence project has started. Well, actually it started last Thursday, but the guys were only able to work for about two hours before rain shut them down. As it did on Friday. But at least they got the fence strung out. Finally, they were back on Monday to start putting up some of the posts. And its finally coming along. Although, we are beginning to think its going to take longer than the three days or four days they said... as they only got about a third of the posts up on Monday. So, maybe the fence will be done by Thanksgiving.

Maybe I'm in the wrong business!!!!

If You Aren't A Winner, You're A Loser

Well, on Saturday, we were able to head off to the racetrack for the final CRASHCar/Redneck Racer/Bootlegger Brigade (yeah, we can't come up with a good name that sticks. People call us everything anyway) of the year. It was the first time that JT got to race in the last few races. That's because Rusty gave JT's car away because he had a few other commitments and couldn't make it to the race track. Oh well. I drive what I can, when I can.

So lately, I've been driving the pink station wagon.... ok, I'll give you some time to make some jokes.... go ahead... The car is named Trouble. More jokes? go ahead.... It's always been the car that runs around the back or that Rusty just puts people in that want to have a good time. But I don't think anyone really knew the car had in it until they put one hell of a driver in it. And I've had a good run since I got in it.

Anyway, we went to race at Concord Motorsport Park on their little quarter-mile instead of the half-mile we normally race on. And if its a quarter mile... I've got some great beach-front property here in Charlotte you can buy. Its lucky if its a fifth-mile. So putting a bunch of big cars on the fifth-mile that was built for go-karts and Legends cars is something else.

But we got to practice and race. And both were something interesting. Once we all got used to the track, we all got fast. I kept telling Rusty I was faster than him and I was dogging him in practice. In fact, once I even got into him (visual proof of that below). But I was faster and I told him he would see it come race time.

Well, race time was not much fun. After starting fifth, I got to third after an accident. Then, I started outside of Rusty on an early restart. Then the fun started. Anyone knows me and Rusty is that we run hard and have a good time. But i don't think Rusty likes when I can beat him, which I've been on my way to doing the last four races.

Going into turn one after the restart, Rusty pushed high and I got under him. Going down into turn three, I started to pass him and down the front stretch, I had him cleared. Well, he didn't like that much and slammed into me going into turn one and pushed me all the way up into the wall. When I hit the wall, it broke something in the steering and after restarting in the back (with Rusty behind me after getting black flagged for rough driving... FINALLY). Then, we banged some more and finally something broke in the suspension and I had to pull of the track. I thought the tire was flat and I went to the pit area, jumped out of the car and fully planned to change the tire while still in uniform and helmet Days of Thunder style. "Change the tires. But Cole, the race is over...." Rusty can be lucky it was suspension damage.

Anyway, on Monday, Rusty all but apologized to me for getting into him. He said it was our bumpers locking up that caused me to get into the wall. But he knows he's got some payback coming. He just doesn't like me beating him, especially in the pink wagon.

My last four races, all in the pink wagon: Summer Shootout - led the whole race before spinning late and finishing second; Dirt Track - going for the lead when wrecked by the leader while blocking me; Dirt Track trailer race - lead most race before cutting tire with two laps to go; Concord - passing for lead before getting wrecked.

But you know what they say... if you are not a winner... you're a loser!

I had to do a lot more work on the car after the race than just this.

There were six of us in the race... and Rusty once again cheated by getting to start on the pole.

Yeah, I got into Rusty in practice, but I just knocked him sideways and let him gather it up. I've always called Rusty "RD". Now that stands for "reckless driver."

CJ came back in from practice with some new "white wall" tires. By the end of the day, every one of us had some retro "white walls."

Look... Our Dog is in the Movies

Ok. So not really. But you will get a kick out of this new movie trailer.

And you will see what we go through each day around our house.

Enjoy!!!! (Click the play button smarty...)

Our New Old Piece

So me and Jennell are pretty excited about the little project we did around the house last weekend. We got an old tv armoire from our friend Dale. It was a very big piece that he didn't want anymore and was going to give to Goodwill. He'd been wanting us to come over and help him load it up. He said that we could have it if we wanted it. He'd rather us have it if we wanted it.

So, we decided to keep it and eventually transform it. We did and we are pretty proud with how it came out.

We had to take off the back paneling first. It was all cut out for Dale's old tv to fit. It was cut up pretty bad, so we stripped it off and found a different type of paneling to put on there. We used a wall paneling that had a nice design in it.

Then we spent plenty of time at HomeDepot and Lowe's looking at the kind of shelving and brackets we could use to put in there. We found what we liked that would be ok to be screwed into the sides of cabinet without going through the side.

After we were done adding the three shelves, we cleaned it up and put stuff back in there and it came out looking really nice. We're pretty happy about it and it was a nice find for "free." So thanks Dale, its way better than the $15.00 Wal-Mart bookshelf we had there before.

Watch out Bob Vila... we're coming for you.

Those Fighting Cards

Just gotta give my boys from Ball State a quick shout out. They didn't play their best game last night, but they still won over Miami of Ohio. Now, they are 10-0 and have a good shot to go 12-0 in the regular season. They play a big game next week against Central Michigan on ESPN2 on Wednesday night.

Now don't fret.. I'm still a huge Ohio State fan. And I'm ready for another big win this weekend, and then another win over Michigan in a couple of weeks. Its just nice to see Ball State winning and getting some national attention. They normally SUCK!!! Go Cards!!! Go Bucks!!!

Man We Love Football

Ok... so i think we are officially "football" crazy here in this house. Why do you ask? Let me discuss...

- We named our dog Brutus, after the Ohio State University mascot
- We normally watch football on Saturday and Sunday. Then again on Monday. And this past week, on Wednesday. Then on Thursday. What the hell? Where is the Friday games?
- JT gets up every single Saturday and Sunday and goes out and changes the flags outside of the house (more below)
- Both JT and Nellie are addicted to fantasy football.

However, JT and Nellie are having two totally different kinds of football years. JT's Ohio State Buckeyes are ranked in the top-15 and are 7-2 and looking like a possible Rose Bowl. JT's alma mater Ball State University is ranked 16th and moved to 9-0 on Wednesday night (yes, JT sat and watched the whole game on ESPN2. The Carolina Panthers are 6-2 and first in their division and ranked as one of the best 5 teams in all of the NFL. Oh, and JT's fantasy football team (Cracker Please) is 7-2 and already qualified for the playoffs. Now, Nellie's year... not so good. Seattle Seahawks are 2-6 (still second in their division... weak); Washington State Cougars are 1-8 (constantly killed in every game); and the Outkasts (Nellie's fantasy football team) is 3-6.

Enjoy another weekend of football everyone!

Our house on Saturday mornings (no WSU flag yet)

Our house on Sunday mornings (notice the cheap see-through Seahawks flag! C'mon Seattle, get some quality products.)

Go Ball State... David Letterman talking about the "Fighting Cardinals" (I'm the second most famous Ball State alum behind Letterman)

Dude... That's Cool

Ok.. short post tonight. Just was playing around on the Internet, and I found this and I had to share it.

ESPN.com is putting up Joey Logano for its "NEXT" athlete. For those of you who don't know what that means... they try to find the up-and-coming athlete who will be the "next" big thing. Well, one of the nominees is Joey Logano, who is NASCAR's next big thing and been a friend of mine for some time, as well as 2 Dudes Studio's first client (me and Dale's new website company).

Well, ESPN.com posted an article with a bunch of links about Joey from around the web. They include cool videos, cool photos and great articles about him. Well, one of their links goes to Joey's personal website (http://www.joeylogano.com/) and says "Dude's personal site is just slightly sweeter than our own." They even played off of 2 Dudes Studio by writing it that way.

So its cool to get noticed by ESPN.com for our website design. HERE IS THE ARTICLE.

A Note FROM Brutus

Yes, you read that right... it's a note from me, Brutus. My parents wanted me to write something as part of my punishment for my bad behavior on Saturday night. It's like writing "I will not be bad" on the chalk board 100-times... or so they say. They just wanted me to write in their blog instead. I figure they use my mug to make people go "awwwww" so I might as well write something.

Yeah, I got in trouble on Saturday night. I don't know what they expect though. They get to go out to the dirt track two nights this past week, and pass out candy to all the kids in the neighborhood (who all LOVE me by the way) and I get stuck in my room (which is the same room they use to pee and poop in and shower. They call it a bathroom I think).

So when they went to the track on Saturday night, they thought they would be nice and leave my bed in the room with me. Well I said "I'll show them" and proceeded to shred it to pieces. It was my stance. It was my way of showing them I wasn't going to take it anymore. No more keeping me in my room during all the fun times.

But they didn't find it so funny. They got mad at me and made me go to bed. But I had just ate that. So I slept on the floor, but I like that better because it feels good all nice and cool on my stomach.

Anyway, this is my punishment. To share my story. And if anyone wants to get me a Christmas present, I'm in the market for a new bed!

Brutus


Honestly, my mess didn't look that bad, don't you think?

Getting Dirty and Cold

First, I must say that I'm happily sitting here on the couch, watching the Jets play the Bills (my Panthers are off and the Seahawks don't start for a couple hours, so i'm watching my fantasy quarterback suck it up) and writing this blog. What does that mean? I didn't move my entire desktop PC out to the tv room.... no, I finally got a laptop. Man, football and a computer on my lap, life is good.

Anyway, its funny how sometimes me and Jennell sit around and think about how we don't do much. Then we start a blog and we look back on it and we do all kinds of crap. Once again, we had quite the busy week.

After going and getting a new computer on Wednesday, we were ready for some "dirty" fun. No... we went to the dirt track on Thursday night. There was racing going on four-straight nights there and we decided to go and check it out. Well, actually to kind of work.

Our friends the Moore's run one of the souvenir trailers for Lowe's Motor Speedway and go to all of the races to sell stuff. Wendy and Jennell have gotten really close and Wendy needed some help, so Jennell went to help on Thursday night. Myself... I got to go help my buddy Rusty. He has a close relationship with the people at LMS and works every one of the dirt track races and helps "pack the track." What is that? Well, we just drive old cars around the dirt track and help pack the dirt. That makes for better racing. Still dont get it? Just go with me on this one and drop it.

So we froze our butts off doing that on Thursday night and got to stay there nice and late. But it was still fun and we liked hanging out with our friends.

Friday night, we skipped the dirt track in favor of some trick-or-treaters here in our neighborhood. Last year, we didn't buy nearly enough candy for all the kids. And a year later and even more houses built, we bought a lot more. And guess what... even less kids this year. That makes no sense. So, we got plenty of extra candy. If any of you out there want some extra candy, come visit us and ring our doorbell, we'll pass some along. We got good stuff... really.

Saturday night, we got to go back to the track. Jennell helped out Wendy again for part of the night, I packed again for part of the night, and we got to watch some decent racing. It wasn't nearly as cold this time, but still just as fun. I finally got to take Jennell out with me while packing the track (although she now tells me that she has rode with me before, thats my great memory). I don't think she was too impressed. She's a huge racing fan, and she would probably be a pretty good racer too, but riding with me isn't her favorite. But that is understandable. I'm kinda crazy out there.

Sunday turned into another "chores around the house and football" day. Its really nice here today too, so we're going to grill out and figure out what this week has in plan for us.

Again, enjoy coming back and reading here and comment when you can. We love reading what you guys think.

JT and Jennell

Jennell and her friend Wendy got to work in the souvenir trailer during a couple of nights at the dirt track. They also had to keep each other warm! They really did have more customers then the picture shows. Honestly.

See the sweet blue van? That's JT's packer car. He looks fly driving it.