TheDivaDanielle
Living the Dream
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2014
- Threads
- 34
- Messages
- 1,655
- Reaction score
- 683
- Location
- Washington DC
- First Name
- Danielle
- Vehicle(s)
- 2016 GTPP Vert / 2016 Focus RS
- Thread starter
- #1
Hello, I've been around for a bit, but never actually introduced myself.
I'm Danielle. 33 years old and married, living with Leukemia for the last two years. To introduce myself, I need to fill in the blanks of where I am, where I was, and where I'm going.
I had always been a Chevy/GM girl, and never really cared for the Mustang, but always appreciated them. But the 2013 model refresh, especially the new taillights totally sold me on the car, and I decided I wanted the combine the best of both worlds in the two cars I owned. A modded to the gills cammed '05 GTO and a stock (other than radio upgrade) '04 Beetle Convertible.
So we decided to custom order a '13 Mustang GT Convertible in Grabber Blue, as the dealerships weren't budging from their 20-25k markup on GT500 convertibles. It had everything but navigation (which I later regretted not getting). 401A, Shaker Pro, Brembo Brake Package (no GTPP on verts) the interior with the Grabber Blue inserts, etc.
It was my first brand new car since the GTO, so even before it was built I had a huge pile of parts for it. Enthusiastic isn't even the word. This was the pile of parts laying in my office for it:
This was it less than a year later in May of 2013:
So by the time I was done with it, this was the full build list:
California Special Upper and Lower Grilles
GT/CS Foglight kit with DDM Tuning 4300k HID bulb conversion
Roush front splitter
LED Switchbacks
black sidemarkers with white LEDs
White full-body LeMans Stripes
20% window tint
3D Carbon Spoiler
Boss 302 rear diffuser
Staggered 20" American Racing/Shelby Torq Thrust M wheels on 275/295's.
Originally had the GT500 axlebacks, but switched to a Borla S-Type catback.
FRPP K-Springs
Koni Orange Shocks
BMR panhard bar
Barton Shifter
JLT Intake
CDC Convertible Roll Bar
LoveTheDrive Wind deflector
SpeedDawg Grabber Blue/white striped shift knob
Billet Fuel Door
Bama tuned via SCT x3
Cravenspeed Stubby Antenna
Then roughly about $3000 worth of stereo upgrades. Polk Momo components all around, a single 12" sub from zenclosures replaced the stock Shaker Pro Sub, and a Kenwood 991-HD Navi deck that interfaced with the car to do various sensor outputs, TPMS sensors, etc.
I'm sure I'm leaving something out, but basically no stone was unturned, and the only thing left to do was a blower
Unfortunately I was diagnosed with cancer (leukemia) on February 19th of 2014, and everything changed. Little did I know that by the end of the year I'd pretty much be unable to work due to the effects of the chemotherapy on me, and the crap in general the leukemia did to me.
Late in 2014 we kinda realized that while we had gotten on for a long time with just one car and one motorcycle and we really needed to add something more practical to the family. "Practical"
Thankfully I was done with the Mustang until it was paid off, so we bought a Tangerine Scream 2014 Focus ST that was loaded with every option.
So I diverted my attention to the ST, which was good because I was having a really hard time with chemotherapy and so much had been taken from me physically. I had dumped a lot of money into the Mustang that summer on the audio build, and something new was great.
As it sits, this is it's build list:
CP-e Cold Air Intake
CP-e (Depo) Intercooler
Hottexhaust 3" Downpipe
Magnaflow Catback
Cobb Accessport with Protuning by PandaMotorWorks
Aftermarket taillights (the brand name totally eludes me at the moment)
Dipped stock wheels
Breedt Sound Symposer delete
Breedt Short Throw Shifter Arm
CravenSpeed Stubby Antenna
SpeedDawg Yellow Shift knob with black stripes
Then shortly thereafter, i finally had to face what my leukemia was taking from me. My life, my energy. I finally threw in the towel on my working career, I just couldnt' sustain it anymore, and needed some serious mental therapy to deal with my leukemia and the fact that I could die.
My amazing wife was working at the White House and obviously had a demanding job, so she wasn't around as much as she would have liked to be. In an effort to find better healthcare and to get me somewhere more "paradise-like" she accepted a job with the Walt Disney Corporation, and we sold our house and moved to Los Angeles, but we were just on her income.
Well long story short, LA sucked us dry financially, and our house in the DC area wasn't selling fast enough, so we needed to face reality, and well I wasn't working anymore, so my dear Mustang had to go.
I cried about it (real tears) for days. I still miss it even now. It was way ahead on the loan, so we didn't lose anymore money, but it started the tone of 2015, and it carried through the whole year. I hated California, I hated being stuck at home, I hated not having my Mustang, I hated the traffic, I hated the lack of rain ever, etc. There was plenty that I liked about the area, but so much more that I didn't, and her job @ Disney wasn't as exciting for her compared to her old White House and DoI gigs.
So we moved back to DC, she got a great job in a leadership role @ the Treasury Department, and she is finally happy again with her career. We're saving for another house, and financially, even though the salaries are close, the dollar goes SO MUCH FURTHER here in the DC burbs than it did in the LA burbs.
So this gave me an opportunity to get another Mustang. I'm still not working anymore, but the dollar goes that much further that we can afford it. I still need to figure out what's next for me in life. My leukemia unfortunately is a kind that doesn't go away, it's chronic, so for me there is no remission. What there is though is "having it under control". Thankfully it is in control, and I feel so much better than I once did, but working like I used to, just isn't going to happen, as much as I want it to.
So we ordered a 2016 Mustang GT Convertible. Ruby Red with the Redline interior. 401A, Nav, GT Performance Package (finally all the good shit in a vert!) OTT stripes, etc. every option available except for the ACC. I just didn't want to give up the fangs in the lower grille for it.
So this concludes my "intro" post. and now I can move into my first pictures of the Mustang and where I'm going to go with it.. (it arrived, it's here, just need the check from the bank to come in)
I'm Danielle. 33 years old and married, living with Leukemia for the last two years. To introduce myself, I need to fill in the blanks of where I am, where I was, and where I'm going.
I had always been a Chevy/GM girl, and never really cared for the Mustang, but always appreciated them. But the 2013 model refresh, especially the new taillights totally sold me on the car, and I decided I wanted the combine the best of both worlds in the two cars I owned. A modded to the gills cammed '05 GTO and a stock (other than radio upgrade) '04 Beetle Convertible.
So we decided to custom order a '13 Mustang GT Convertible in Grabber Blue, as the dealerships weren't budging from their 20-25k markup on GT500 convertibles. It had everything but navigation (which I later regretted not getting). 401A, Shaker Pro, Brembo Brake Package (no GTPP on verts) the interior with the Grabber Blue inserts, etc.
It was my first brand new car since the GTO, so even before it was built I had a huge pile of parts for it. Enthusiastic isn't even the word. This was the pile of parts laying in my office for it:
This was it less than a year later in May of 2013:
So by the time I was done with it, this was the full build list:
California Special Upper and Lower Grilles
GT/CS Foglight kit with DDM Tuning 4300k HID bulb conversion
Roush front splitter
LED Switchbacks
black sidemarkers with white LEDs
White full-body LeMans Stripes
20% window tint
3D Carbon Spoiler
Boss 302 rear diffuser
Staggered 20" American Racing/Shelby Torq Thrust M wheels on 275/295's.
Originally had the GT500 axlebacks, but switched to a Borla S-Type catback.
FRPP K-Springs
Koni Orange Shocks
BMR panhard bar
Barton Shifter
JLT Intake
CDC Convertible Roll Bar
LoveTheDrive Wind deflector
SpeedDawg Grabber Blue/white striped shift knob
Billet Fuel Door
Bama tuned via SCT x3
Cravenspeed Stubby Antenna
Then roughly about $3000 worth of stereo upgrades. Polk Momo components all around, a single 12" sub from zenclosures replaced the stock Shaker Pro Sub, and a Kenwood 991-HD Navi deck that interfaced with the car to do various sensor outputs, TPMS sensors, etc.
I'm sure I'm leaving something out, but basically no stone was unturned, and the only thing left to do was a blower
Unfortunately I was diagnosed with cancer (leukemia) on February 19th of 2014, and everything changed. Little did I know that by the end of the year I'd pretty much be unable to work due to the effects of the chemotherapy on me, and the crap in general the leukemia did to me.
Late in 2014 we kinda realized that while we had gotten on for a long time with just one car and one motorcycle and we really needed to add something more practical to the family. "Practical"
Thankfully I was done with the Mustang until it was paid off, so we bought a Tangerine Scream 2014 Focus ST that was loaded with every option.
So I diverted my attention to the ST, which was good because I was having a really hard time with chemotherapy and so much had been taken from me physically. I had dumped a lot of money into the Mustang that summer on the audio build, and something new was great.
As it sits, this is it's build list:
CP-e Cold Air Intake
CP-e (Depo) Intercooler
Hottexhaust 3" Downpipe
Magnaflow Catback
Cobb Accessport with Protuning by PandaMotorWorks
Aftermarket taillights (the brand name totally eludes me at the moment)
Dipped stock wheels
Breedt Sound Symposer delete
Breedt Short Throw Shifter Arm
CravenSpeed Stubby Antenna
SpeedDawg Yellow Shift knob with black stripes
Then shortly thereafter, i finally had to face what my leukemia was taking from me. My life, my energy. I finally threw in the towel on my working career, I just couldnt' sustain it anymore, and needed some serious mental therapy to deal with my leukemia and the fact that I could die.
My amazing wife was working at the White House and obviously had a demanding job, so she wasn't around as much as she would have liked to be. In an effort to find better healthcare and to get me somewhere more "paradise-like" she accepted a job with the Walt Disney Corporation, and we sold our house and moved to Los Angeles, but we were just on her income.
Well long story short, LA sucked us dry financially, and our house in the DC area wasn't selling fast enough, so we needed to face reality, and well I wasn't working anymore, so my dear Mustang had to go.
I cried about it (real tears) for days. I still miss it even now. It was way ahead on the loan, so we didn't lose anymore money, but it started the tone of 2015, and it carried through the whole year. I hated California, I hated being stuck at home, I hated not having my Mustang, I hated the traffic, I hated the lack of rain ever, etc. There was plenty that I liked about the area, but so much more that I didn't, and her job @ Disney wasn't as exciting for her compared to her old White House and DoI gigs.
So we moved back to DC, she got a great job in a leadership role @ the Treasury Department, and she is finally happy again with her career. We're saving for another house, and financially, even though the salaries are close, the dollar goes SO MUCH FURTHER here in the DC burbs than it did in the LA burbs.
So this gave me an opportunity to get another Mustang. I'm still not working anymore, but the dollar goes that much further that we can afford it. I still need to figure out what's next for me in life. My leukemia unfortunately is a kind that doesn't go away, it's chronic, so for me there is no remission. What there is though is "having it under control". Thankfully it is in control, and I feel so much better than I once did, but working like I used to, just isn't going to happen, as much as I want it to.
So we ordered a 2016 Mustang GT Convertible. Ruby Red with the Redline interior. 401A, Nav, GT Performance Package (finally all the good shit in a vert!) OTT stripes, etc. every option available except for the ACC. I just didn't want to give up the fangs in the lower grille for it.
So this concludes my "intro" post. and now I can move into my first pictures of the Mustang and where I'm going to go with it.. (it arrived, it's here, just need the check from the bank to come in)
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