Turbo

I can't tell you how many times I have pulled up to a stoplight with Rus at the wheel, next to some teenage kid's junked up car and Rus has said something like this: "If this thing had a v8 and a turbo, we would smoke that guy." And then I remind him, "Rus, this is an Astro van. It's not cool. Or fast." And he inevitably goes on to regale me with his dream of owning a "sleeper car/van," a crazy super fast vehicle with a hot engine that can go faster than anyone else, and no one expects it because it looks like a piece of crap van/vw bug.
Well, the stars aligned and Rus was able to buy his dream engine for his vw bug a couple of months ago. He found it on craigslist, a monster engine with a turbo. For the record, he bought it using part cash and trading the gun I bought him for our first Christmas. Also for the record, he asked me if I minded that he sell the gun I bought him before he ever offered it to the guy selling the engine.
Anyway, I think you can see here just how excited he was about the new engine:

Bekah, stop kissing it!

I made sure the kids new how important that day was. We celebrated by watching the movie Turbo as a family and making colorful swirl cookies (in honor of the star of the show being a snail).
I'm sure Rus' memories of the acquisition are more deep and poignant than my own thoughts...but this account will have to do. Call Rus if you need the juicy details, like what size engine it is an all that...
So here is a shot of the "before." So long, gutless!

 By an amazing turn of luck (actually it was a carefully calculated act of thoughtfulness), Rus' sister Carla took ALL of our kids for an overnight stay at her house. Rus and I went out to dinner, watched a movie at the theater, stayed up late, slept in a little, and then went to work taking the engine out of his bug. This picture was for Jakey. He desperately wanted to see what the bug looked like without the engine.

 And here I am - happy helper. Honorary bearer of the title "Tool Hander," after a long line of great forebears like Clint Mortensen, Dave Hartman, Tom Hartman, Jacob Payne. Rus said I was much better than all of them, but I think at the time he was looking at my butt...

And now after many long nights including a boys' night with his brother Jake and brother in law Doug, the new and improved Turbo Bug is now running. It's not running great, and it's the loudest car ever known to man, but it runs! I can hear Rus coming from miles away...which really helps me to know when to get dinner on the table, or for the kids to stop fighting and do what I asked them...But I'm sure with another zillion tweaks and late night garage sessions, it will be the perfect hot rod Rus dreamed it would be.