Dear Riley,
It’s Dad’s birthday so you know we’ve eaten well. We had Swedish pancakes this morning and of course enchiladas this evening. He blew all the candles out on his German chocolate cake and should get his wish, hurray! Grandma and Grandpa came to dinner. C, who is allergic to something he ate at dinner, is conked out on the couch after a dose of Children’s Benadryl administered to combat the hives and rash he broke out in after eating.
We’ve quite a week and I’m full of gratitude.
The van started acting up just before Christmas. The power steering was obviously distressed. Hoping it was brittle lines reacting to the cold, Dad put in power steering fluid that was supposed to stop leaks, but I noticed a puddle of oil under the car when Cambry parked on the driveway for just a few minutes. Man. We took it into the shop for a diagnosis. But I had been praying about the problem and felt that it was time to look for a new car.
So a good part of this week was spent puzzling about this problem. You remember that I purposely bought the Hyundai trying to spare the van miles so it could make it until we didn’t need the van… I knew whatever we did, I didn’t want a car payment. And we still need a people mover… When the shop called to tell me the repair would be $700, I still didn’t have a plan of action, but our van is worth about twice that and has cost $750 additionally in repairs over the last year. I spent a couple days looking at different car solutions. I decided we still needed eight seats in a car and set a mental mileage cap. I decided to pay cash because I don’t want a payment and I set a maximum price.
After looking at many listings, I decided to spend a morning car lot hopping. The prospects weren’t good. The cars in my budget and criteria were awful, trashy. I looked at the mileage on our van and it is 154,900. We bought the car with 40,000 miles and have had it 14 years. I realized we won’t put a ton of miles on any car and we had options to have someone in the neighborhood work on the van for 40% less than the shop… maybe our van could make it another 30,000? So Friday morning, I just left the problem alone. I felt no more stress, but felt assured that the solution would present itself in time. And if I had to drive Cambry around a little longer, no big deal (in truth, C took half of that burden or more away for me bringing her home and taking her to work).
Dad invited me to come to Tucano’s for his work birthday lunch. We had a great time, Josie was in heaven, and I was just so satisfied with my life and my situation.
After getting Josie down to nap, the house was quiet and I was trying to decide what to do. I had a little whisper in my head to check for cars on KSL. I spoke back in my head that I have lived on those sites and there simply wasn’t anything to look at. “Just check…” I heard. So I opened my computer and entered my search, which was a little different, as per a whisper, and found a 2007 Honda Odyssey right at my planned price, seating for 8, 136,000 miles just listed by a private individual. I called Dad and told him I thought I’d found our car, it felt the same as when I found his truck, and asked if he could come test drive it with me. Just like when I found Dad’s truck, I was the first to respond to the ad, the first to test drive.
Within a couple hours, we were owners of a deluxe model, leather seats, seat warmers, DVD player, snow tires and the regular ones in the back, plus a file folder filled with all the maintenance on the vehicle which had only this one owner and has been meticulously cared for. Oh I am so grateful. It drives so well and will serve our family well until we no longer need it and can bless another family in a similar way.
The Caravan is still in front of our house, but I will list it this week and get it off our lot. Dad says we should throw the camper in as a bonus to the buyer.
We’ve had snow again, this is a real winter.
But I found a wonderful ointment at Costco this week and my hands no longer feel like sandpaper! I think of you every time I check them, how you didn’t want me to brush the cut hairs off your neck with my hand because it hurt. That also made me grateful.
I’ve been reading a book I got at book group last time called The Lincoln Hypothesis. I’d read about it (while I waited for you to get your wisdom teeth out, actually) but I didn’t really get excited to read it. I guess I’m always skeptical reading a “history” book written from my own belief standpoint, concerned I’ll be swayed more easily than I should to any arguments. But we’re reading the books we each got this month and then making a plan for the group reads next time. And I’m glad this has caused me to open the book because reading it has confirmed my own feelings and understanding about this promised land. And I have pondered about the way a person who is willing, though that willingness may come through deep trial, can be used as a great tool in the hands of God. I’ve read scriptures with new eyes and have a deeper appreciation for my LDS American heritage.
The kids have the day off school tomorrow for Martin Luther King day.
One quick Josie story: She came up to Cambry first thing one morning this week and said, “I have to tell you about my dream. I dreamed that C kissed me! And I looked at him and said, ‘Wait, you’re supposed to be with Cambry.’”
It was so nice to get a picture of you from Sis B today. I hope you are doing well, listening and working hard. Keep it up!
Love,
Mom
At family prayer last night Josie put on my granny glasses, necessary to counter my contacts when doing close up work. She called out, "Careful, guys! Everything is tipped over."
Thinking of you:
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