Not going to lie- I will be glad when this month is OVER! It has been just one thing after another it seems. On top of being 9 months pregnant, which I of course expected and anticipated, it's been ridiculously hot and humid. That makes it so much harder to do anything.
The month started with a bang. Or more like a slow leak. The bang came later. On the way out to St Louis one day, the "tire pressure warning light" thingie came on. Basically it tells me my tires aren't even. My tires are relatively new, and filled with nitrogen. Since I was going past the tire shop anyway, I thought I would stop and get them filled/checked. Well, it was Saturday and they weren't open. I tried to stop at a gas station and fill them, but they didn't have an air compressor. Why don't gas stations have those anymore? So I kind of forgot and went on my merry way. We got home and all seemed well. Sunday, we start to leave for church, and hear this weird noise. The tire is utterly flat. We didn't even get to the end of the street and then back to the house, but by the time we got back, the damage was done. The tire was destroyed. That one was my fault. After a lot of drama, including ordering a tire from the east coast and trying to find a substitute, we got a new tire on Tuesday.
After that, I have just been rather irritable. Claire has been playing tee-ball, which she liked, but it was slightly tough on me. Just another random scheduled thing to throw in the mix. And it's been hot. Did I mention that I don't do heat well on a regular basis, let alone when pregnant? Claire has been exceedingly trying lately as well. She has just been pushing the boundaries often. And usually dragging Alex along with her.
And then last Friday, driving on the freeway, we hit some random junk and blew yet another tire! (That was the bang.) I just sat there and cried while Alann changed the tire to the spare. Again. At least we had some practice in the driveway from a few weeks ago. Then I called and they were able to get a new tire relatively quickly this time for some reason. I took the car in Monday to get the new tire and the poor guy was so confused. He kept looking for the tire and asking for some verification that I had called. Apparently, in the confusion of calling form the car on the side of the freeway, I had called the other shop, not the one I had used the first time. It wasn't too big of a deal, I just drove down to the other shop, and they changed my tire. And checked out the car. The power steering is leaking, probably from the belts blowing up a few months ago. Yay. Another repair. Ugh. So frustrating.
My OB appointments have been going well. She made it sound like she would induce me this last week- on the 18th. So we talked to Grandma and got her to come out a bit earlier so we would be covered. And then, I went in, and she had changed her mind. I was so distraught. Tuesday the 19th I had contractions starting at 3pm until about 10am the next day. And then they stopped. And haven't started again. Baby will likely be born on the 27th, when I go in for induction, or at the latest on the 28th when they give me a c-section. I'm okay with that, because I REFUSE to have a July baby. Nothing against July babies. I just refuse to still be pregnant come July.
And then there is Alex. My poor boy. I always thought Claire would be my emergency medicine kid. Nope. The score is currently Alex:3, Claire: 1. Thursday evening, Alex and Claire were jumping on the trampoline with Grandma and the neighbor girl. Grandma was sitting and the kids were running around and the neighbor girl got a little overly excited. She is 15, but often makes me think she is 5. She bounced very high and Alex got caught in the rebound. He flew about 2' in the air, landed on his feet and immediately fell onto his stomach. When he got up, he was crying and I thought he had bonked his nose. But he kept saying his leg hurt, his knee hurt. So I held him and got him some ice and figured he would be fine. But he refused to walk on it and just wanted me to hold him for about an hour. Then he started using it a little bit, but was still favoring it. This morning (Friday), he got up and was still not using it. I called the doctor and described the problem and she wanted us to come in. We made the trek out to the doctor. She said it was probably a toddler's fracture and referred us to an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in kids. Only problem: appointment was at 3pm, about 15 minutes away from where we were, and it was only 11am. So we came home and ate lunch and headed out yet again. It was a lot of driving! Alex did pretty well at the appointment. At the pediatrician's, he wanted me to hold his hand and wouldn't let me leave him. But at the orthopedist's, he let me leave the room while they did the x-ray. He was pretty interested in what the guy was doing anyway. After the x-ray, we talked to the nurse and then the doctor. He laid still and let them look at his leg. They couldn't see a fracture on the x-ray, but the bones are pretty soft so they tend to break and then line back up so you can't see them until they start healing. He recommended a cast, because these kinds of fractures are common in kids. So we let them put him in a cast. He will be in a cast for 3 weeks. The doc said that if it is a fracture, than just having the cast should make him feel better because it won't hurt anymore. And after the cast was put on, he did seem a bit happier. He's been understandably cranky today. He even came down the stairs without help (or asking, because he had already been put to bed). On the way home, we stopped for dinner since it was such a LONG day. We had Chick Fil-A and they played in the play place a bit. He is being really really needy too. He wants me to carry him and help him with everything. It's only the first day, but I am encouraging him to do things for himself. Sometimes, I have to just set him down and give him a toy and walk away. If he wants something else, he finds a way to get it. As far as his cast goes, we got the waterproof cast, so he can bathe and get wet. He will have it for 3 weeks, then they will x-ray again and take it off. We will know then if he had a fracture or just a sprain. The healing bone will show on the x-ray where the new fracture didn't. Alann is teasing me that I won't get to hold Elizabeth for the first few weeks of her life, because I will constantly be holding Alex. It's probably true. I'm trying not to be upset about the whole situation. Honestly, this week has not gone the way I planned. I wanted to have a baby, not a toddler in a full leg cast. It's been nice having Grandma around, but I always feel guilty about having her around without having the baby. Why can't my babies cooperate, just once in their lives?
Anyway, it's been a long day. I'm going to go to bed, and hope and pray that the baby will come soon.
Showing posts with label car. Show all posts
Showing posts with label car. Show all posts
Friday, June 22, 2012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Another ultrasound and car failure
So yesterday was an interesting day. It started out fairly normally. I had my 28 week doctor's appointment. the doctor ordered another ultrasound after the first one because the technician was rather rushed and didn't get a good picture of the ductal arch (artery where it comes up and over the heart). I was actually rather frustrated with the first ultrasound. The tech really was rushed. A nurse came in and told her in the middle of our ultrasound that she had another person waiting and you could just tell she was pretty stressed. It was definitely different than any of the other ultrasounds I've had. The other techs I've had with the other kids were really talkative and would describe everything we were looking at. This tech was just quiet and just kept printing pictures and didn't even try to really explain or talk to us. She also didn't try to do any of the 3D stuff, which I've never actually had with the other kids. I was excited to see that, but it didn't happen. So that was the first ultrasound. After all that, she missed the heart picture so the doctor ordered a second ultrasound. This time it was just me and the tech. Alann stayed home and watched the kids. She was still pretty quiet, but was a little more talkative. She didn't really tell me what was going on, but we talked a little bit. She did say a few things which I thought were funny. "Oh, she's an active little thing isn't she?" "Were your other babies big too?" (She's measuring almost 2 weeks bigger than she "should".) And most importantly "Did I say girl last time? Still a girl." She did try to get a 3D picture of her face, but Ella was being uncooperative and kept her hand in front of her face the whole time. We did get a somewhat decent picture of half of her face. Alex LOVED the picture so much I had to make him a copy because he wouldn't give it up and Claire wanted one. It was getting all wrinkled. If he gave me the picture or set it down, within minutes he would come back saying "baby? Baby?" So we have several baby face pictures now floating around.
The tech also told me that the baby has hair. I'm not surprised. I just want to know what color. Alann and I think it would be really funny if baby had red hair and green eyes. We might just need to stop having kids after that, because I wouldn't want to ruin the utter mismatched nature of our kids. Claire is brown hair brown eyes. Alex is blond hair blue eyes. If Ella has red hair and green eyes, that would just be hilarious. I can just imagine as they grow up people wondering- obviously Alex is ours. He looks so much like Daddy. But what about the girls? Are they adopted? I wish I could pop forward in time 20 years and see what they all look like.
Anyway, so the ultrasound went fine. Everything still looks good. Afterward, I got to drink the glucose drink for the diabetes test. Am I strange that the drink doesn't really bother me? All the nurses and other pregnant women I've talked to about it always are sympathetic about how gross it is. But it really doesn't bother me at all. I met with the doctor and it was a really quick visit. I really don't have any complaints. My ankles/feet swell on and off. Ella's starting to get so big that she hurts me when she kicks. It's funny how similar this pregnancy is to Claire's. I haven't had as much heartburn or bloating as I did with Alex. But I do get an upset stomach a lot. She seems to be way high and kicking my ribs a lot. Like I said, my feet are swelling a lot more than they did with Alex. But she does seem to have gotten a LOT bigger lately. I feel huge. I'm a little scared since I still have 11 weeks to go. I've been trying to explain to Claire lately that I can't do things I've always done with her lately. She wanted me to sit on the floor with her this morning, but she was back in the cave formed between the two recliners in the living room. They like it because it's pretty small. Anyway, she wanted me to sit on the floor with her in the cave. I tried to tell her I couldn't because I wouldn't have enough space to get back up. She really didn't understand and wanted me to sit. She kept telling me she would show me how to stand back up. I also can't really carry her too much anymore. She's 35 pounds. I definitely can't carry Alex and Claire together anymore. They are almost 70 pounds together.
Then I waited a few minutes and had my blood drawn. I went over and pre-registered at the hospital. The doctor told me that if I mailed in the form, it probably wouldn't get put into the system in time. So I just headed over and gave them the form while I was there. Then I headed home.
While we were eating lunch, Alann told us he had to go to St. Louis but didn't have anything to do that we couldn't go with him. So we loaded up the car and started to head out. That's when things got interesting. The air conditioner wasn't cooling off at all. And Alann says "the battery light is on". Then the rest of the engine lights started flashing on and off. We hadn't even made it to town. Since it was 85 degrees, and the kids were already flushed, I told him to turn around. There was no way I was going to make them stay in the hot car all afternoon. So we came home and the kids were very upset. Claire was especially vocal about not going with Daddy. She didn't really understand that the car wasn't working right. They both had major breakdowns when I put them down for nap / quiet time. Alex laid on the floor and cried "no no no" for a good long time and Claire threw a fit. Then Alex finally fell asleep and Claire actually took a nap too. (Big mistake. She didn't got to bed until almost 1030.) I called the mechanic and he said it was probably an electrical issue of some sort. After naps, we went outside to water the garden and I checked on the car. It started fine, but the battery light was still on and the ac was still not working. After dinner, I did some more research on the car. All signs pointed to battery or alternator. After talking to Alann, I decided to take the kids with me and go to AutoZone in town. As we were turning onto the road with the AutoZone on it, the car almost died. But we made it to the parking lot. The AutoZone guy came out and tested the battery and alternator. He had to jump it, but it started right away. He said together they were putting out 8 volts, but the car shouldn't be running with that low of volts. But the battery seemed to be working right. So we decided to take the car and drop it at the mechanic's. I called my visiting teacher to come get us since we don't fit in the truck. She called her companion and Sherry was kind enough to come pick us all up. As we tried to move the car to the mechanic's, I barely made it two parking spaces and barely pulled back into the spot. I went in to get a tow truck number from the AutoZone guy and he came back out. He ended up changing out the battery for us and that worked. He said that probably meant the alternator was bad. With a lot of dread, we headed over to the mechanic's. After switching the kids to Sherry's van, we left our van and came home.
This morning, I talked to the mechanic. Thankfully, it was NOT the alternator. The mechanic said and I quote "the belts blew apart". So they just replaced the power steering belt and the alternator belt (and changed the oil since it was there anyway) and voila, all is working just fine. I have to say, I am so grateful. I know, it's easy to say "why me, why did the car have to break? why couldn't it just keep working." But I know it could have been much much worse. We've put new alternators in Alann's truck. It's not cheap. This was relatively cheap. Funnily, I pulled out $150 when we went to AutoZone Monday night and our bill at the mechanic this morning was $149.83. So I am totally thankful and recognize the blessings of the Lord in this situation. I just kept praying that whatever it was would be cheap and easy to fix and it was. Definite answer. So this afternoon, Alann went to get the van and left the truck at the mechanic's. We went back all together and when we started the van to leave, there was no squeaking! The air conditioner has squeaked when starting the car for...ever. It was getting worse lately. It would squeal for a lot longer. And the heater even started doing it towards the end of winter. I thought it was the air compressor. (That's what the mechanic told me last year when the overheating issue erupted.) But now, no more squeaking! Apparently, the a/c is powered by the alternator, so when the belt went out, the air went out too. New belt, no squeaking. I am in heaven. That squeal honestly was annoying, but it was also embarrassing. It always made me feel like a bad car mom, like I was neglecting some sort of maintenance issue that it had. But the mechanic had said before that he didn't know what was causing it. He had tried adjusting the S-belt last year but that didn't fix it. So I just lived with it. But no more. It is a great weight off my shoulders. Like I said before, I am so grateful that this didn't turn out any worse than it did. It could have. But thanks to wonderful people who will leave their homes and families and come rescue me, and a simple fix, we are back to business as usual.
The tech also told me that the baby has hair. I'm not surprised. I just want to know what color. Alann and I think it would be really funny if baby had red hair and green eyes. We might just need to stop having kids after that, because I wouldn't want to ruin the utter mismatched nature of our kids. Claire is brown hair brown eyes. Alex is blond hair blue eyes. If Ella has red hair and green eyes, that would just be hilarious. I can just imagine as they grow up people wondering- obviously Alex is ours. He looks so much like Daddy. But what about the girls? Are they adopted? I wish I could pop forward in time 20 years and see what they all look like.
Anyway, so the ultrasound went fine. Everything still looks good. Afterward, I got to drink the glucose drink for the diabetes test. Am I strange that the drink doesn't really bother me? All the nurses and other pregnant women I've talked to about it always are sympathetic about how gross it is. But it really doesn't bother me at all. I met with the doctor and it was a really quick visit. I really don't have any complaints. My ankles/feet swell on and off. Ella's starting to get so big that she hurts me when she kicks. It's funny how similar this pregnancy is to Claire's. I haven't had as much heartburn or bloating as I did with Alex. But I do get an upset stomach a lot. She seems to be way high and kicking my ribs a lot. Like I said, my feet are swelling a lot more than they did with Alex. But she does seem to have gotten a LOT bigger lately. I feel huge. I'm a little scared since I still have 11 weeks to go. I've been trying to explain to Claire lately that I can't do things I've always done with her lately. She wanted me to sit on the floor with her this morning, but she was back in the cave formed between the two recliners in the living room. They like it because it's pretty small. Anyway, she wanted me to sit on the floor with her in the cave. I tried to tell her I couldn't because I wouldn't have enough space to get back up. She really didn't understand and wanted me to sit. She kept telling me she would show me how to stand back up. I also can't really carry her too much anymore. She's 35 pounds. I definitely can't carry Alex and Claire together anymore. They are almost 70 pounds together.
Then I waited a few minutes and had my blood drawn. I went over and pre-registered at the hospital. The doctor told me that if I mailed in the form, it probably wouldn't get put into the system in time. So I just headed over and gave them the form while I was there. Then I headed home.
While we were eating lunch, Alann told us he had to go to St. Louis but didn't have anything to do that we couldn't go with him. So we loaded up the car and started to head out. That's when things got interesting. The air conditioner wasn't cooling off at all. And Alann says "the battery light is on". Then the rest of the engine lights started flashing on and off. We hadn't even made it to town. Since it was 85 degrees, and the kids were already flushed, I told him to turn around. There was no way I was going to make them stay in the hot car all afternoon. So we came home and the kids were very upset. Claire was especially vocal about not going with Daddy. She didn't really understand that the car wasn't working right. They both had major breakdowns when I put them down for nap / quiet time. Alex laid on the floor and cried "no no no" for a good long time and Claire threw a fit. Then Alex finally fell asleep and Claire actually took a nap too. (Big mistake. She didn't got to bed until almost 1030.) I called the mechanic and he said it was probably an electrical issue of some sort. After naps, we went outside to water the garden and I checked on the car. It started fine, but the battery light was still on and the ac was still not working. After dinner, I did some more research on the car. All signs pointed to battery or alternator. After talking to Alann, I decided to take the kids with me and go to AutoZone in town. As we were turning onto the road with the AutoZone on it, the car almost died. But we made it to the parking lot. The AutoZone guy came out and tested the battery and alternator. He had to jump it, but it started right away. He said together they were putting out 8 volts, but the car shouldn't be running with that low of volts. But the battery seemed to be working right. So we decided to take the car and drop it at the mechanic's. I called my visiting teacher to come get us since we don't fit in the truck. She called her companion and Sherry was kind enough to come pick us all up. As we tried to move the car to the mechanic's, I barely made it two parking spaces and barely pulled back into the spot. I went in to get a tow truck number from the AutoZone guy and he came back out. He ended up changing out the battery for us and that worked. He said that probably meant the alternator was bad. With a lot of dread, we headed over to the mechanic's. After switching the kids to Sherry's van, we left our van and came home.
This morning, I talked to the mechanic. Thankfully, it was NOT the alternator. The mechanic said and I quote "the belts blew apart". So they just replaced the power steering belt and the alternator belt (and changed the oil since it was there anyway) and voila, all is working just fine. I have to say, I am so grateful. I know, it's easy to say "why me, why did the car have to break? why couldn't it just keep working." But I know it could have been much much worse. We've put new alternators in Alann's truck. It's not cheap. This was relatively cheap. Funnily, I pulled out $150 when we went to AutoZone Monday night and our bill at the mechanic this morning was $149.83. So I am totally thankful and recognize the blessings of the Lord in this situation. I just kept praying that whatever it was would be cheap and easy to fix and it was. Definite answer. So this afternoon, Alann went to get the van and left the truck at the mechanic's. We went back all together and when we started the van to leave, there was no squeaking! The air conditioner has squeaked when starting the car for...ever. It was getting worse lately. It would squeal for a lot longer. And the heater even started doing it towards the end of winter. I thought it was the air compressor. (That's what the mechanic told me last year when the overheating issue erupted.) But now, no more squeaking! Apparently, the a/c is powered by the alternator, so when the belt went out, the air went out too. New belt, no squeaking. I am in heaven. That squeal honestly was annoying, but it was also embarrassing. It always made me feel like a bad car mom, like I was neglecting some sort of maintenance issue that it had. But the mechanic had said before that he didn't know what was causing it. He had tried adjusting the S-belt last year but that didn't fix it. So I just lived with it. But no more. It is a great weight off my shoulders. Like I said before, I am so grateful that this didn't turn out any worse than it did. It could have. But thanks to wonderful people who will leave their homes and families and come rescue me, and a simple fix, we are back to business as usual.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
My swagger wagon!
If you haven't seen this video yet, go check it out. It cracks me up!
This is my new van:
Isn't it awesome? It's an 04 Toyota Sienna LE. I have to say, it is a total blessing to have this. WE were looking back in Dec to get a van, but it never happened. So it sat on the back burner and we figured we would get one some day. Well, that day came a little sooner than we thought. About a week ago, maybe more, it just suddenly came to me that we should start looking again. We talked about it, figured financing and how much we could afford and how to do it. We also lowered our standards. In Dec we were looking for a newer model- 06 or newer. This time, we decided any van would be better than no van, within reason of course. So I was looking for anything I could find under $4k. That basically meant the early 2000 models or really high miles. I talked to an ex-coworker of mine that I knew might be interested in my Matrix, and we worked out a deal for him to buy the car from me, contingent on my getting a van. Tuesday, I decided to just check KSL without putting in price restrictions, because there couldn't be too many new vans right? Well, we found this one. It was more than the $4k we had originally thought about, but everything else seemed to click. We ran out Tuesday night and test drove it right before they closed. Runs great. Looks great. We talked about it, and Weds, we went and picked it up. The best thing about this: we have no more car payment! Thanks to a tax return we hadn't spent, we were able to pay off my Matrix and pay cash for this van. We are planning on paying ourselves back over time, but we owe no one for it! I am so excited. I'm just waiting on the title from the CU for the Matrix so I can sell that. It's a really nice van, much nicer than the older models. I just feel like this is right. We humbled ourselves, chose not to take any loans for it, and the Lord rewarded our decision. It's got stow and go, so it has a REALLY deep trunk and the back seats fold flat if we want. The captains chairs are removable, or they can be rearranged to sit next to each other or with a space between. Right now I have the space. I might change it for our CA trip next week. We got it in time for our trip, which will be great. And the move. I was not looking forward to two dogs, two kids, and two adults in my matrix for two days. No thank you. This will be MUCH more comfortable, and we can actually pack stuff and dogs.
This is my favorite part:
That's right. It has a tape deck. Seriously toyota. A tape deck? In an 04???? My 03 matrix doesn't even have a tape deck. Are moms that behind the times??
Here's the inside with the car seats in it.
Claire just loves the swagger wagon (which is how it shall be known for time and all eternity). She loves that she can sit on the back bench all by herself. She loved climbing in the two front chairs until I put the car seats in. The door by her seat is power, which is nice. I'm actually thnking of maybe switching the kids sides again. It might be easier to load them all through the power door, then go around to the other side and put her in her seat. Right now I seem to walk around and around and around the car. I guess I could just climb in with them too. That's the point of a van right? I'm sure we will get it worked out. I've driven it a bit the last two days and I just LOVE it.
This is my new van:
Isn't it awesome? It's an 04 Toyota Sienna LE. I have to say, it is a total blessing to have this. WE were looking back in Dec to get a van, but it never happened. So it sat on the back burner and we figured we would get one some day. Well, that day came a little sooner than we thought. About a week ago, maybe more, it just suddenly came to me that we should start looking again. We talked about it, figured financing and how much we could afford and how to do it. We also lowered our standards. In Dec we were looking for a newer model- 06 or newer. This time, we decided any van would be better than no van, within reason of course. So I was looking for anything I could find under $4k. That basically meant the early 2000 models or really high miles. I talked to an ex-coworker of mine that I knew might be interested in my Matrix, and we worked out a deal for him to buy the car from me, contingent on my getting a van. Tuesday, I decided to just check KSL without putting in price restrictions, because there couldn't be too many new vans right? Well, we found this one. It was more than the $4k we had originally thought about, but everything else seemed to click. We ran out Tuesday night and test drove it right before they closed. Runs great. Looks great. We talked about it, and Weds, we went and picked it up. The best thing about this: we have no more car payment! Thanks to a tax return we hadn't spent, we were able to pay off my Matrix and pay cash for this van. We are planning on paying ourselves back over time, but we owe no one for it! I am so excited. I'm just waiting on the title from the CU for the Matrix so I can sell that. It's a really nice van, much nicer than the older models. I just feel like this is right. We humbled ourselves, chose not to take any loans for it, and the Lord rewarded our decision. It's got stow and go, so it has a REALLY deep trunk and the back seats fold flat if we want. The captains chairs are removable, or they can be rearranged to sit next to each other or with a space between. Right now I have the space. I might change it for our CA trip next week. We got it in time for our trip, which will be great. And the move. I was not looking forward to two dogs, two kids, and two adults in my matrix for two days. No thank you. This will be MUCH more comfortable, and we can actually pack stuff and dogs.This is my favorite part:
That's right. It has a tape deck. Seriously toyota. A tape deck? In an 04???? My 03 matrix doesn't even have a tape deck. Are moms that behind the times??
Here's the inside with the car seats in it.
Claire just loves the swagger wagon (which is how it shall be known for time and all eternity). She loves that she can sit on the back bench all by herself. She loved climbing in the two front chairs until I put the car seats in. The door by her seat is power, which is nice. I'm actually thnking of maybe switching the kids sides again. It might be easier to load them all through the power door, then go around to the other side and put her in her seat. Right now I seem to walk around and around and around the car. I guess I could just climb in with them too. That's the point of a van right? I'm sure we will get it worked out. I've driven it a bit the last two days and I just LOVE it.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
the car saga
The car saga is finally over. I used to really like my mechanic. I felt like the guy listened to me. Recently, the shop changed management and possibly ownership. The new manager doesn't listen to me. I feel like he thinks I am just a stupid girl and I don't know anything about cars, which is true to a point, but when I tell you the history of a problem that I am having, it is for a reason. I called the week we got home from MO about my moonroof and talked to him and told him the story- no power, probably just ripped out the power, aftermarket install. I didn't end up taking the car in until the following week. I told him the history again. He kept it for two whole days. They decided that it was the switch that had gone bad and they needed to order a new part. They said they should have it early next week. I waited. And waited. Friday of the following week I finally called. They said that they had received the wrong part and were waiting to get another part. Then, Alann got a call saying that they needed my VIN number for Toyota to send the right part. This is problem #1. When I dropped off the car, they said is this the best number and read off Alann's. I said no. Call the other number you have in the system. He said ok, we will. And the first few times, he did call me. Then he started calling Alann. Which isn't a big deal, it happens a lot. But Alann wasn't home so I wasn't getting pertinent information in a timely fashion. I told them to call my number when they needed to talk to me. He said he would. So then when they called Alann for my VIN number, I called them back and said "you are still calling my husband, and why are you ordering from Toyota. I told you it was an aftermarket part." The manager was very apologetic, he didn't remember me saying that, on and on (and he finally fixed my phone number too). So then they wanted my car again. I took it in, he had it for a couple of hours on one day and less than 2 the next day and voila, the car was fixed. Not surprisingly, the previous owners had ripped out the power supply when they de-pimped my car. What? The exact same thing that I told you I thought the problem was, actually WAS the problem?!? Shocking. You could have fixed it the first day I brought it in and I wouldn't have had to cover the moonroof to keep it from leaking for 3 weeks?!? Shocking. So I am a little frustrated. Obviously, he didn't really listen to me when I told him the history of the car. Twice. When he actually did listen, he was able to get the problem fixed almost immediately. But it is finally fixed. I think if I don't have any more major repairs, I will continue to use the shop for oil changes, because they are even cheaper than Jiffy Lube and we can't change the oil ourselves (too low to get under). But if there is a major repair, I will really have to consider my other options first. But for now, the moonroof is fixed and actually opens. It's nice. And they fixed my parking brake so that it actually holds the car still. And I got to wash my car after the road trip. It looks much better, outside. I still need to clean out and vacuum the inside, but I'm not feeling terribly motivated to do that. I did pull out the car seat the second time they had the car because I noticed some previously unknown deposits from Claire that needed to be cleaned up. I washed the cover again and it doesn't smell at all, and I cleaned vomit out of every nook and cranny I could find in the plastic base. It was disgusting. But it is as clean as I could get it. Hopefully, any remaining smell in the plastic will dissipate before summer.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Lots of Claire
I realized I hadn't posted any pictures lately. So here they are, from newest to oldest, just because Blogger still posts them backwards to how I load them.
This is her happy face! It is a silent laughter almost. She does laugh, a lot, but this is her most common happy face.
In her Halloween costume. She was an octopus.
Grandma, Great Grandma, Mommy, Sick Claire, and Aunty Teene on Columbus Day.
This is her playing with Jocee and the ball popper. She loves to put her face in the wind.
On the airplane to Grandma's house.
Standing in her crib
Her first attempts at standing.
Claire just changes all the time. It seems like every day she is doing something new. Yesterday, she took her first VERY tentative steps without holding onto anything. She fell down almost immediately, but she is thinking about it. She crawls VERY fast now. It's incredible how fast she can crawl. She just books it when she sees something she wants. She stands on just about everything. She can stand for several seconds, almost a minute, without holding onto anything and she walks around all the furniture. She is starting to walk if we hold her hands. She still isn't too sure about that one. She has just started giving things to people. She will hold onto something, then give it to me, then take it back, then give it to me. It's a start at sharing I guess. She just loves to laugh and play. She is a very happy girl. She has started holding her arms up to be picked up. She started that a while ago actually, but she does it consistently now. And she snuggles a little bit when she is tired. We are working on getting her sleep schedule back to normal. Being sick for so long really threw her off. I get a full night every 5 nights or so. Otherwise she is up usually in the early morning hours. Sometimes she eats and sometimes she just snuggles. I think we have finally kicked the illnesses. Alann and I have been better for a while, but she had that ear infection that wouldn't quit. I am hoping it is gone now. She finished round two of a different antibiotic on Monday and the doctor will check her ears tomorrow at her 9 month checkup. I can't believe she is 9 months already. The time has just flown by. I wouldn't trade it for the world. It's hard to believe how much you can love one little person, especially when that person keeps you up at night and gives you stinky presents and whines and cries at you most days. But she is just so dang cute I can't help but laugh at her most of the time.
She has also decided that for the most part, she doesn't want to be spoon-fed. If she can't eat it herself, she doesn't want it (unless it's breakfast. She will still eat her cereal and fruit for breakfast). She's been on the sippy cup full time for a while now and she loves it. I love it because she can hold it herself and she is learning that if she looks somewhere, sippy can go with her. She loves playing with Daddy. She is definitely Daddy's girl. If she hears him talking, she wants to see him. They roughhouse together and she just laughs the whole time. He swings her around and "tosses" her on the bed and she just laughs. She crawls to him when she is sad or wants to be picked up more than to me.
All in all, October ended on a better note than it started. We have some exciting things going on in our lives. Alann's parents sold us a new fridge. It's way nice. (Okay, they haven't sold it to us yet. We are waiting to sell our fridge to give them the money for it.) So we are trying to sell both of our fridges. We are selling the smaller one because really we just don't need it anymore and we are giving that money to the in-laws. We are trying to sell the bigger one so that we can buy an upright freezer. I've realized that we really don't need or use the fridge part very often on our second fridge. I've shoved it full of flours and baking supplies just so that it runs more efficiently, but mostly it holds milk. Our new fridge holds 6 gallons of milk at once, which is usually more than we buy at a time. What we really use and need is more freezer space. I would love to get into once-a-month or freezer cooking, but we just don't have the space. (Not that I see myself cooking for a month at a time, but I can definitely see myself doubling some recipes and freezing the extra meals or parts of a meal.) So if we can sell the big fridge, we can afford (both space and money) to buy a new (probably just to us) freezer. I am way excited. I want this to happen, like yesterday. I've only had 1 bite on the fridge though. Maybe I am asking too much. Not sure.
The other exciting thing is we have decided to buy a minivan. When we bought my car, we thought we could easily transport a baby, maybe two, and the dogs in it. Well, yes and no. For a short drive across town, they will accept the cargo space as accommodations, though usually one or both of them hop the back seat and sit there. But for a long drive, like to go to Phoenix or Missouri, it just isn't really feasible, even with the hitch box we bought last year. When my car died in Page last year on the way to Phoenix, we ended up with a Toyota Sienna minivan and we REALLY enjoyed it. The dogs had all the room they wanted, we could have slept in it if we so needed, it was great. So that planted a seed. We knew that eventually we would buy a minivan but we kind of dreaded it. This showed us that it wouldn't be so bad. So this year, things have been crazy for holiday plans. We planned on flying out to MO for Christmas but the frequent flyer tickets didn't work out. So we decided we would drive. At the time, we didn't have a dog sitter, so we looked at renting a van. No vans to be found. Now we have a dog sitter, so driving my car is feasible again, but we thought about it and talked about it and agonized over it and decided you know what, we just need a van. It will make things so much easier. If we do for some reason end up taking the dogs with us for Christmas, we will have the space. Even if we don't, we can sleep in a van easier than in my car, especially with the little one. So now we are in the process of shopping for an 04-present Toyota Sienna, somewhere in the 50k-80k miles range, preferably the 8 seater. We are picky no? We want it to last. That is why we are saying the Sienna and just the Sienna. We can get a Dodge a lot cheaper, and they do have some perks (second row stow and go for instance) but they also have a poor reliability rating. We anticipate driving this car until the wheels fall off. So we have the financing lined up (thanks Grandma!) and are just waiting for the right one to come along. It's so hard to wait...
So that's it. Stay tuned for another exciting episode, probably this weekend some time. (Dun dun DUN!)
This is her happy face! It is a silent laughter almost. She does laugh, a lot, but this is her most common happy face.
In her Halloween costume. She was an octopus.
Grandma, Great Grandma, Mommy, Sick Claire, and Aunty Teene on Columbus Day.
This is her playing with Jocee and the ball popper. She loves to put her face in the wind.
On the airplane to Grandma's house.
Standing in her crib
Her first attempts at standing.Claire just changes all the time. It seems like every day she is doing something new. Yesterday, she took her first VERY tentative steps without holding onto anything. She fell down almost immediately, but she is thinking about it. She crawls VERY fast now. It's incredible how fast she can crawl. She just books it when she sees something she wants. She stands on just about everything. She can stand for several seconds, almost a minute, without holding onto anything and she walks around all the furniture. She is starting to walk if we hold her hands. She still isn't too sure about that one. She has just started giving things to people. She will hold onto something, then give it to me, then take it back, then give it to me. It's a start at sharing I guess. She just loves to laugh and play. She is a very happy girl. She has started holding her arms up to be picked up. She started that a while ago actually, but she does it consistently now. And she snuggles a little bit when she is tired. We are working on getting her sleep schedule back to normal. Being sick for so long really threw her off. I get a full night every 5 nights or so. Otherwise she is up usually in the early morning hours. Sometimes she eats and sometimes she just snuggles. I think we have finally kicked the illnesses. Alann and I have been better for a while, but she had that ear infection that wouldn't quit. I am hoping it is gone now. She finished round two of a different antibiotic on Monday and the doctor will check her ears tomorrow at her 9 month checkup. I can't believe she is 9 months already. The time has just flown by. I wouldn't trade it for the world. It's hard to believe how much you can love one little person, especially when that person keeps you up at night and gives you stinky presents and whines and cries at you most days. But she is just so dang cute I can't help but laugh at her most of the time.
She has also decided that for the most part, she doesn't want to be spoon-fed. If she can't eat it herself, she doesn't want it (unless it's breakfast. She will still eat her cereal and fruit for breakfast). She's been on the sippy cup full time for a while now and she loves it. I love it because she can hold it herself and she is learning that if she looks somewhere, sippy can go with her. She loves playing with Daddy. She is definitely Daddy's girl. If she hears him talking, she wants to see him. They roughhouse together and she just laughs the whole time. He swings her around and "tosses" her on the bed and she just laughs. She crawls to him when she is sad or wants to be picked up more than to me.
All in all, October ended on a better note than it started. We have some exciting things going on in our lives. Alann's parents sold us a new fridge. It's way nice. (Okay, they haven't sold it to us yet. We are waiting to sell our fridge to give them the money for it.) So we are trying to sell both of our fridges. We are selling the smaller one because really we just don't need it anymore and we are giving that money to the in-laws. We are trying to sell the bigger one so that we can buy an upright freezer. I've realized that we really don't need or use the fridge part very often on our second fridge. I've shoved it full of flours and baking supplies just so that it runs more efficiently, but mostly it holds milk. Our new fridge holds 6 gallons of milk at once, which is usually more than we buy at a time. What we really use and need is more freezer space. I would love to get into once-a-month or freezer cooking, but we just don't have the space. (Not that I see myself cooking for a month at a time, but I can definitely see myself doubling some recipes and freezing the extra meals or parts of a meal.) So if we can sell the big fridge, we can afford (both space and money) to buy a new (probably just to us) freezer. I am way excited. I want this to happen, like yesterday. I've only had 1 bite on the fridge though. Maybe I am asking too much. Not sure.
The other exciting thing is we have decided to buy a minivan. When we bought my car, we thought we could easily transport a baby, maybe two, and the dogs in it. Well, yes and no. For a short drive across town, they will accept the cargo space as accommodations, though usually one or both of them hop the back seat and sit there. But for a long drive, like to go to Phoenix or Missouri, it just isn't really feasible, even with the hitch box we bought last year. When my car died in Page last year on the way to Phoenix, we ended up with a Toyota Sienna minivan and we REALLY enjoyed it. The dogs had all the room they wanted, we could have slept in it if we so needed, it was great. So that planted a seed. We knew that eventually we would buy a minivan but we kind of dreaded it. This showed us that it wouldn't be so bad. So this year, things have been crazy for holiday plans. We planned on flying out to MO for Christmas but the frequent flyer tickets didn't work out. So we decided we would drive. At the time, we didn't have a dog sitter, so we looked at renting a van. No vans to be found. Now we have a dog sitter, so driving my car is feasible again, but we thought about it and talked about it and agonized over it and decided you know what, we just need a van. It will make things so much easier. If we do for some reason end up taking the dogs with us for Christmas, we will have the space. Even if we don't, we can sleep in a van easier than in my car, especially with the little one. So now we are in the process of shopping for an 04-present Toyota Sienna, somewhere in the 50k-80k miles range, preferably the 8 seater. We are picky no? We want it to last. That is why we are saying the Sienna and just the Sienna. We can get a Dodge a lot cheaper, and they do have some perks (second row stow and go for instance) but they also have a poor reliability rating. We anticipate driving this car until the wheels fall off. So we have the financing lined up (thanks Grandma!) and are just waiting for the right one to come along. It's so hard to wait...
So that's it. Stay tuned for another exciting episode, probably this weekend some time. (Dun dun DUN!)
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
This is the song that never ends….
Yes it goes on and on my friends. Some people, started singing it not knowing what it was, and they’ll continue singing it forever just because (big breath) this is the song that never ends….
I don’t know why the theme from Lamb Chop just popped into my head, but it did. It also perfectly describes how I feel about my car right now.
We made it home safe and sound. Later on, I will post about the actual time I spent in Phoenix, which was great.
We picked up the rental car at about 8:30 on Tues morning. Skies were bright, I was in a good mood because I was finally going home. We decided one way or another, we were going home, even if it meant driving the rental all the way to Salt Lake and coming back later for my car. We left sometime after 9. We have both been converted to the mini-van. The rental was a brand new Toyota Sienna minivan, and it was amazing. There was so much space and seating and it was just wow. We decided when baby #3 is on the way (or when I decide to shoot my car, whichever comes first), we will definitely shop around for a minivan. Alann even said he didn’t mind driving it (which is good, since technically, I never drove it. At least if Hertz asks…) The dogs were comfy, for the most part, on the floor. There was some serious “trunk” space back behind the third row. It was nice and deep, and the seats went flat with the floor when they were stowed. The middle row could either fold out of the way or be removed altogether. One of the doors was power. I’m not totally sold on whether that is necessary or not. Maybe once we have kids we will decide. But the windows in the sliding doors rolled down like a regular car. (Ok, maybe I just haven’t been in a minivan in a long time, but all this seemed new and awesome to me.) The only thing we really wished for was a separate hatch opening on the rear gate (ya know, the window opens on its own). I loved the way the important buttons, like lighting, were accessible to the passenger as well as the driver. And there was a little pop-down mirror so you could watch the kids or dogs in our case. Obviously, it was designed with a family in mind.
Anyway, the trip went pretty well. We made it to Page around 1:30 or so. We went to the mechanics shop and he said “another hour or so” so we went to a park and got some ice cream and relaxed and walked the dogs. We went to Walmart and tried in vain to vacuum out some of the dog hair. We went back around 3:30 and he said “another hour”. He promised we would leave yesterday. He said they would stay late if they had to. Their part truck was late that morning, so it put them all behind. We finally got the car at 5. After I had an infuriating conversation with Hertz (why do they only employ idiots?), we just decided to forget about returning it before they closed and just drop the rental in their drop box and deal with it some other time. She kept telling me the same information, and NOT answering my question. So we finally picked up my car at 5 and went over to the Hertz to make the switch of all the stuff back to my car. We couldn’t get Tanner’s crate in my car. It fit on the way down, but not this time. Totally irritating. We spent about an hour transferring stuff, then found a Burger King and got some dinner. On the road again at 6:30, we made an uneventful drive and got home around 12:30. The dogs enjoyed the break at the park, but I really just wanted to go home. Oh and Nicki almost chewed through her leash. I’m mad at her about that. That leash is only a year old and they are expensive because we buy the maximum weight ones so we don’t have to worry about which one is Tanner’s and which one is Nicki’s.
The stupid cat was glad to see us. She wouldn’t leave me alone. Though I think she also just really wanted to go outside. So maybe she didn’t miss us. Last night she woke me up but didn’t seem to want anything, just to be annoying. Tanner and Jersey had a yelling match just as we were going to bed. She kept attacking him and he kept growling at her and barking at her. I don’t know what was going on. I just wanted sleep. By now it was 1:30. I get cranky that late at night. So when the cat woke me up at 4:15, I was not a happy camper. I put the dogs out so that she would come running to the front door, then I locked all of them out of the bedroom and slept until the alarm went off.
So why is my car the song that never ends? We unpacked just enough for me to go to work this morning- removed the cargo carrier and all that jazz. I was talking to one of my coworkers this morning, when another coworker came up and said “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your tire is flat.” Sure ‘nuff, it’s flat. Oh well. At least we made it home. So this weekend, I’ll be the proud new owner of two new snow tires (because I’m tired of waiting for stuff to go wrong. I’ll just replace both the bad ones).
As for Hertz- it started out good enough. The girl was helpful and agreed to stay later than she should have so we could get the car. When we returned it in Phoenix, the agent there was able to get us the rate that she had quoted us and reserved the car for us again on Monday, then we pushed it back to Tuesday. But, he didn’t put the return as Page, he put it as Phoenix. There is a big difference in price apparently. Today, I called to find out what they were going to charge us, and the girl started giving me lip about the return place. You know what, this isn’t my fault or problem. I told him where we would return it. You people need to make the quoted price match the actual price. The girl tried calling the guy in Phoenix, and then told me that she couldn’t get a hold of him and they must be closed and it would have to wait until Monday. I asked why it was closed and she said “oh they must close for the weekend.” I said “But it’s Weds!!” And she said “oh, um, I’ll keep calling.” Resolution: they screwed up and aren’t going to charge us the long-distance rate, but the quoted rate. At least one thing is going ok.
All in all, I'm tired of the stupid car and when this trip becomes another (bad) memory, I will be only too happy.
On a happier note, everyone says my belly "popped" this weekend and I now officially look pregnant. Even Alann noticed.
I don’t know why the theme from Lamb Chop just popped into my head, but it did. It also perfectly describes how I feel about my car right now.
We made it home safe and sound. Later on, I will post about the actual time I spent in Phoenix, which was great.
We picked up the rental car at about 8:30 on Tues morning. Skies were bright, I was in a good mood because I was finally going home. We decided one way or another, we were going home, even if it meant driving the rental all the way to Salt Lake and coming back later for my car. We left sometime after 9. We have both been converted to the mini-van. The rental was a brand new Toyota Sienna minivan, and it was amazing. There was so much space and seating and it was just wow. We decided when baby #3 is on the way (or when I decide to shoot my car, whichever comes first), we will definitely shop around for a minivan. Alann even said he didn’t mind driving it (which is good, since technically, I never drove it. At least if Hertz asks…) The dogs were comfy, for the most part, on the floor. There was some serious “trunk” space back behind the third row. It was nice and deep, and the seats went flat with the floor when they were stowed. The middle row could either fold out of the way or be removed altogether. One of the doors was power. I’m not totally sold on whether that is necessary or not. Maybe once we have kids we will decide. But the windows in the sliding doors rolled down like a regular car. (Ok, maybe I just haven’t been in a minivan in a long time, but all this seemed new and awesome to me.) The only thing we really wished for was a separate hatch opening on the rear gate (ya know, the window opens on its own). I loved the way the important buttons, like lighting, were accessible to the passenger as well as the driver. And there was a little pop-down mirror so you could watch the kids or dogs in our case. Obviously, it was designed with a family in mind.
Anyway, the trip went pretty well. We made it to Page around 1:30 or so. We went to the mechanics shop and he said “another hour or so” so we went to a park and got some ice cream and relaxed and walked the dogs. We went to Walmart and tried in vain to vacuum out some of the dog hair. We went back around 3:30 and he said “another hour”. He promised we would leave yesterday. He said they would stay late if they had to. Their part truck was late that morning, so it put them all behind. We finally got the car at 5. After I had an infuriating conversation with Hertz (why do they only employ idiots?), we just decided to forget about returning it before they closed and just drop the rental in their drop box and deal with it some other time. She kept telling me the same information, and NOT answering my question. So we finally picked up my car at 5 and went over to the Hertz to make the switch of all the stuff back to my car. We couldn’t get Tanner’s crate in my car. It fit on the way down, but not this time. Totally irritating. We spent about an hour transferring stuff, then found a Burger King and got some dinner. On the road again at 6:30, we made an uneventful drive and got home around 12:30. The dogs enjoyed the break at the park, but I really just wanted to go home. Oh and Nicki almost chewed through her leash. I’m mad at her about that. That leash is only a year old and they are expensive because we buy the maximum weight ones so we don’t have to worry about which one is Tanner’s and which one is Nicki’s.
The stupid cat was glad to see us. She wouldn’t leave me alone. Though I think she also just really wanted to go outside. So maybe she didn’t miss us. Last night she woke me up but didn’t seem to want anything, just to be annoying. Tanner and Jersey had a yelling match just as we were going to bed. She kept attacking him and he kept growling at her and barking at her. I don’t know what was going on. I just wanted sleep. By now it was 1:30. I get cranky that late at night. So when the cat woke me up at 4:15, I was not a happy camper. I put the dogs out so that she would come running to the front door, then I locked all of them out of the bedroom and slept until the alarm went off.
So why is my car the song that never ends? We unpacked just enough for me to go to work this morning- removed the cargo carrier and all that jazz. I was talking to one of my coworkers this morning, when another coworker came up and said “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your tire is flat.” Sure ‘nuff, it’s flat. Oh well. At least we made it home. So this weekend, I’ll be the proud new owner of two new snow tires (because I’m tired of waiting for stuff to go wrong. I’ll just replace both the bad ones).
As for Hertz- it started out good enough. The girl was helpful and agreed to stay later than she should have so we could get the car. When we returned it in Phoenix, the agent there was able to get us the rate that she had quoted us and reserved the car for us again on Monday, then we pushed it back to Tuesday. But, he didn’t put the return as Page, he put it as Phoenix. There is a big difference in price apparently. Today, I called to find out what they were going to charge us, and the girl started giving me lip about the return place. You know what, this isn’t my fault or problem. I told him where we would return it. You people need to make the quoted price match the actual price. The girl tried calling the guy in Phoenix, and then told me that she couldn’t get a hold of him and they must be closed and it would have to wait until Monday. I asked why it was closed and she said “oh they must close for the weekend.” I said “But it’s Weds!!” And she said “oh, um, I’ll keep calling.” Resolution: they screwed up and aren’t going to charge us the long-distance rate, but the quoted rate. At least one thing is going ok.
All in all, I'm tired of the stupid car and when this trip becomes another (bad) memory, I will be only too happy.
On a happier note, everyone says my belly "popped" this weekend and I now officially look pregnant. Even Alann noticed.
Monday, December 1, 2008
You can't always get what you want
but sometimes, you get what you need.
I haven't quite figured out what it is I needed, but I have learned a valuable lesson or two. One, if your mechanic mentions a problem with your car, and you happen to be planning on driving said car on a long-distance trip, get the problem fixed BEFORE you leave. Two, if you are driving from Utah to AZ, take the twenty extra minutes and go through Page. At least then when you break down, it will have some facilities. (We have needed car repairs in Page twice now, once in the truck and once in my car.)
The mechanic said the clutch was going out, but couldn't tell me how long it would be. I did notice that the gears were a little more sticky than usual after they flushed the transmission, but I didn't worry about it, because he didn't seem too worried about it. Big mistake. The drive down to Phoenix was going just fine. We made it to Southern Utah without any problems. When we got to Kanab, we had to make a decision. Should we go east through southern Utah and then south through Page, AZ, or should we go south into AZ and then cut east across northern AZ? We decided to take the faster northern AZ route. When we crossed into AZ and started going east, the clutch started acting funny. Alann was driving. We lost 5th gear and then 4th gear. We drove for another hour or so until we got to a town that was actually on the map and consisted of more than a gas station. We stopped because it had been 2 1/2 hours, I had to go to the bathroom, Nicki was sick and upset and wanted out of the car, and it just seemed like we needed to stop. So we took care of business, I called my mom and let her know what was happening, the dog calmed down, and we said a prayer. I wanted/ hoped we would get to Phoenix, or at least Flagstaff, but we prayed that wherever we broke down would be the right place. I started driving, and about 15 minutes outside of Marble Canyon (where we had stopped), as we were going up a large hill, the car started smoking and smelling really bad. There was finally a pull-off, and since we were losing speed and not gaining anything in any gear, I pulled over. The car behind us sped off, but the truck behind them pulled over. The guy in the truck had a satellite phone. My cell phone coverage was very spotty. I could get my mom on the phone for a minute or two, then she would be gone again. Justin (the guy that pulled over) called his office and got some tow truck numbers for us and got a tow truck coming out. My mom called the Hertz Rental Agency in Page, AZ and talked the girl into staying half an hour later on her shift so we could get there in time to pick up a car. The tow truck driver showed up and it was a flatbed, thankfully. The dogs rode in the car and we rode in the truck. The driver dropped Alann at the airport to pick up the rental, and then we went to the shop. The shop was already closed. They remained closed until Monday. Sigh. We cleared everything out of my car, so that if someone did break into it, there wasn't any danger of ID theft. Then we drove the rental down to Phoenix. It was an uneventful drive after that.
I'm trying really hard not to play "what-if". What if we had gone through Page? At least then we wouldn't have had to call the tow truck, but we are getting reimbursed from the insurance agency anyway (our policy has a AAA-type rider on it). What if we had the clutch done before we left? Well, we would have saved a lot of money, maybe, and wouldn't have lost so much time and had so much extra stress. What if, what if, what if.... the list goes on and on. But oh well. This is how you learn, right? I made a mistake in not getting the clutch replaced before we left, but there was really no indication that it would go out. I knew it was GOING, not that it was so close to being gone. Life goes on. It's just money. ($2000 once you factor in repairs and rental cars, in case anyone was wondering.) The important thing is our prayers were answered, we did break down in the right place. If we had to break down, at least Justin was behind us and caring enough to pull over, and we didn't have to spend the night or weekend in Page.
Alann did save us some money with the rental. Originally, we rented it for 5 whole days- Weds night to Monday night. Friday afternoon, Alann suddenly said "what if we returned the car and then picked it up again on Monday when we need it? We aren't using it." True, very true dear. So that's what we did.
I talked to the mechanic today. The car is a standard clutch, no surprises, it will be ready tomorrow at noon. I had to take two extra days off work, with no paid time off. But we already got our Christmas bonuses, so we aren't going to starve. Alann is missing school tomorrow and a class today. But overall, things are working out ok. (This is me being optimistic. Alann is being the "realist" and keeps shooting down my optimism. Butthead.)
I haven't quite figured out what it is I needed, but I have learned a valuable lesson or two. One, if your mechanic mentions a problem with your car, and you happen to be planning on driving said car on a long-distance trip, get the problem fixed BEFORE you leave. Two, if you are driving from Utah to AZ, take the twenty extra minutes and go through Page. At least then when you break down, it will have some facilities. (We have needed car repairs in Page twice now, once in the truck and once in my car.)
The mechanic said the clutch was going out, but couldn't tell me how long it would be. I did notice that the gears were a little more sticky than usual after they flushed the transmission, but I didn't worry about it, because he didn't seem too worried about it. Big mistake. The drive down to Phoenix was going just fine. We made it to Southern Utah without any problems. When we got to Kanab, we had to make a decision. Should we go east through southern Utah and then south through Page, AZ, or should we go south into AZ and then cut east across northern AZ? We decided to take the faster northern AZ route. When we crossed into AZ and started going east, the clutch started acting funny. Alann was driving. We lost 5th gear and then 4th gear. We drove for another hour or so until we got to a town that was actually on the map and consisted of more than a gas station. We stopped because it had been 2 1/2 hours, I had to go to the bathroom, Nicki was sick and upset and wanted out of the car, and it just seemed like we needed to stop. So we took care of business, I called my mom and let her know what was happening, the dog calmed down, and we said a prayer. I wanted/ hoped we would get to Phoenix, or at least Flagstaff, but we prayed that wherever we broke down would be the right place. I started driving, and about 15 minutes outside of Marble Canyon (where we had stopped), as we were going up a large hill, the car started smoking and smelling really bad. There was finally a pull-off, and since we were losing speed and not gaining anything in any gear, I pulled over. The car behind us sped off, but the truck behind them pulled over. The guy in the truck had a satellite phone. My cell phone coverage was very spotty. I could get my mom on the phone for a minute or two, then she would be gone again. Justin (the guy that pulled over) called his office and got some tow truck numbers for us and got a tow truck coming out. My mom called the Hertz Rental Agency in Page, AZ and talked the girl into staying half an hour later on her shift so we could get there in time to pick up a car. The tow truck driver showed up and it was a flatbed, thankfully. The dogs rode in the car and we rode in the truck. The driver dropped Alann at the airport to pick up the rental, and then we went to the shop. The shop was already closed. They remained closed until Monday. Sigh. We cleared everything out of my car, so that if someone did break into it, there wasn't any danger of ID theft. Then we drove the rental down to Phoenix. It was an uneventful drive after that.
I'm trying really hard not to play "what-if". What if we had gone through Page? At least then we wouldn't have had to call the tow truck, but we are getting reimbursed from the insurance agency anyway (our policy has a AAA-type rider on it). What if we had the clutch done before we left? Well, we would have saved a lot of money, maybe, and wouldn't have lost so much time and had so much extra stress. What if, what if, what if.... the list goes on and on. But oh well. This is how you learn, right? I made a mistake in not getting the clutch replaced before we left, but there was really no indication that it would go out. I knew it was GOING, not that it was so close to being gone. Life goes on. It's just money. ($2000 once you factor in repairs and rental cars, in case anyone was wondering.) The important thing is our prayers were answered, we did break down in the right place. If we had to break down, at least Justin was behind us and caring enough to pull over, and we didn't have to spend the night or weekend in Page.
Alann did save us some money with the rental. Originally, we rented it for 5 whole days- Weds night to Monday night. Friday afternoon, Alann suddenly said "what if we returned the car and then picked it up again on Monday when we need it? We aren't using it." True, very true dear. So that's what we did.
I talked to the mechanic today. The car is a standard clutch, no surprises, it will be ready tomorrow at noon. I had to take two extra days off work, with no paid time off. But we already got our Christmas bonuses, so we aren't going to starve. Alann is missing school tomorrow and a class today. But overall, things are working out ok. (This is me being optimistic. Alann is being the "realist" and keeps shooting down my optimism. Butthead.)
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Car update
So, my car is home. I wish that cars appreciated the amount of money that you put into them, because my car would be worth $500 more right now.
The good news is the oil has been changed, the belt installed, the transmission flushed, the water pump replaced, the coolant flushed and replaced, and the hitch is installed. We are ready to go for Thanksgiving. Why do I have a hitch you ask? So that we can use a cargo hauler. My car has a lot of cargo space, but not THAT much cargo space. Once we factor in babies and dogs and suitcases, we realized we would run out of room very quickly. So we bought a hitch and cargo rack. The maiden voyage will be Thanksgiving.
The bad news is my clutch is going out. Sigh. Another $600. But not right now. I can't say I am surprised. It sticks in the cold, and almost refuses to go into first gear. And reverse doesn't always catch. I took it into a transmission place for a check when I still worked at Granite and it was cold out, so it must have been shortly after I bought it. He said that without opening the tranny, he couldn't be sure, but it was probably the clutch. I'll just keep driving it until it gets worse or we have the money to replace it. Other than these issues, I haven't had any other problems or major repairs with the car. It's a good little car. I like driving it. So I won't complain too much about it. It was still a good deal when I bought it and it has all the features I wanted. So I am happy. We just need to work on beefing up our emergency fund again.
The good news is the oil has been changed, the belt installed, the transmission flushed, the water pump replaced, the coolant flushed and replaced, and the hitch is installed. We are ready to go for Thanksgiving. Why do I have a hitch you ask? So that we can use a cargo hauler. My car has a lot of cargo space, but not THAT much cargo space. Once we factor in babies and dogs and suitcases, we realized we would run out of room very quickly. So we bought a hitch and cargo rack. The maiden voyage will be Thanksgiving.
The bad news is my clutch is going out. Sigh. Another $600. But not right now. I can't say I am surprised. It sticks in the cold, and almost refuses to go into first gear. And reverse doesn't always catch. I took it into a transmission place for a check when I still worked at Granite and it was cold out, so it must have been shortly after I bought it. He said that without opening the tranny, he couldn't be sure, but it was probably the clutch. I'll just keep driving it until it gets worse or we have the money to replace it. Other than these issues, I haven't had any other problems or major repairs with the car. It's a good little car. I like driving it. So I won't complain too much about it. It was still a good deal when I bought it and it has all the features I wanted. So I am happy. We just need to work on beefing up our emergency fund again.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Sick car
My car is in the hospital. Sad. =(
I took the car to the shop on Saturday to get the oil changed, the belt installed, a general check-over since we are driving it for Thanksgiving, and I asked them to tighten the bolts on the hitch. I wish I had known it would have cost me $20 less to just have the shop do the belt all together, instead of my buying it from the dealer and then paying the shop $36 to put it on. Alann said he wasn't going to do it though. While I was there, we decided to do the 90k maintenance schedule as well- transmission fluid changed, coolant system flushed, general check of systems. So far, $250.
My new buddy Tom called a little while later to tell me that in July when I had the oil changed last, my coolant was low. Now he knew why. The water pump was leaking, badly. He said I could keep driving it, but it wasn't going to last long. Since we already had the car there, I just told them to do it. I don't want to waste another weekend without my car. The pump is buried way down deep in the engine block too, so it isn't an easy home repair. Another $250. Sigh.
On the bright side, we found the problem before it escalated, and before we were somewhere in the high desert of Utah or Arizona. It wasn't terribly inconvenient to leave the car there for Monday. We won't have to stop in Page, AZ to buy coolant, like we did with Alann's truck the first time we drove down there. I think my car caught the water pump disease from Alann's truck. We just replaced that not too long ago- I think this summer, not sure. And, we have the car maintenance fund and the emergency fund, so no credit cards were harmed in the paying of this debt. Still though, cars suck when they break down.
I took the car to the shop on Saturday to get the oil changed, the belt installed, a general check-over since we are driving it for Thanksgiving, and I asked them to tighten the bolts on the hitch. I wish I had known it would have cost me $20 less to just have the shop do the belt all together, instead of my buying it from the dealer and then paying the shop $36 to put it on. Alann said he wasn't going to do it though. While I was there, we decided to do the 90k maintenance schedule as well- transmission fluid changed, coolant system flushed, general check of systems. So far, $250.
My new buddy Tom called a little while later to tell me that in July when I had the oil changed last, my coolant was low. Now he knew why. The water pump was leaking, badly. He said I could keep driving it, but it wasn't going to last long. Since we already had the car there, I just told them to do it. I don't want to waste another weekend without my car. The pump is buried way down deep in the engine block too, so it isn't an easy home repair. Another $250. Sigh.
On the bright side, we found the problem before it escalated, and before we were somewhere in the high desert of Utah or Arizona. It wasn't terribly inconvenient to leave the car there for Monday. We won't have to stop in Page, AZ to buy coolant, like we did with Alann's truck the first time we drove down there. I think my car caught the water pump disease from Alann's truck. We just replaced that not too long ago- I think this summer, not sure. And, we have the car maintenance fund and the emergency fund, so no credit cards were harmed in the paying of this debt. Still though, cars suck when they break down.
Monday, April 28, 2008
The car continues
So after speaking with several dealerships and car repair places, here is the verdict on my car.
1) I can (possibly) use the repair manual that says “excludes XRS” for everything except the transmission, which is the main difference. After doing more research on the differences, this seems to be true. The XRS is an upgraded “trim package” and higher horsepower engine, with the 6 speed transmission instead of the standard 5 speed. So theoretically, I could buy the book, pull out my sensors, have my coworker test them for me, possibly replace them and save some money. I did get an email back from the Haynes company. They said “No, we don’t have a manual for the XRS, but check back in January 09.” Thank you for being oh so helpful!
2) The error code that my car is throwing out usually means that the catalytic converter is bad. I did talk to one very nice lady who I could tell would have done anything to get my car in under warranty if she could have. BTW, if I ever decide to buy from a dealership, I know where to go. This is the same dealership that helped me with the windshield wiper fiasco. They are very knowledgeable and helpful. She also told me that the OEM part will last 3x as long as the cheaper, knock-off brand. Since I intend to keep the car until it dies, having a part last longer is probably a good thing.
3) It will cost anywhere from $400- $1300 to get the thing replaced. I don’t really trust that the “OEM equivalent” quoted by the $400 shop will be what they tell me it will be. We have had dealings with this shop before with Alann’s truck, and I don’t like them. I only called because they are close. The $1300 is a dealership, but I can get the same work done at the dealership that I actually like for $150 or so less. I will probably go with the “middle of the road” option at $850. At least the economic stimulus checks are coming sooner than they first said. I was hoping to smash the CC with it, and the tax return, but that isn’t going to happen now. The tax return we want to save until we know if Alann will need it for school or not. And the stimulus check will mostly go to my car. And then, I don’t know. The responsible part of me says to put the remaining money to the CC. The other half wants to use the money to get our front yard if not done then at least started. Alann wants it for his motorcycle. If he doesn’t sell it.
We fixed the washing machine. Again. This time it seems to be for good. We took the connection off at the back of the machine, taped the connection, and reattached the hose. No leaking in the laundry room anymore, after running several loads and leaving the hot water on. We still haven’t decided if the kitchen is fixed or not. We haven’t noticed any more water, but maybe it is drying as it leaks so it isn’t pooling. I just don’t know what to do about that. Maybe it was a one-time deal, but plumbing never seems to be a one-time deal in our house.
On another note, I HATE SALES PEOPLE!!!! How many times do I have to tell you that I am NOT interested before you get the hint? (Three, by the way. At least with this guy. Another lady this morning took 6.)
1) I can (possibly) use the repair manual that says “excludes XRS” for everything except the transmission, which is the main difference. After doing more research on the differences, this seems to be true. The XRS is an upgraded “trim package” and higher horsepower engine, with the 6 speed transmission instead of the standard 5 speed. So theoretically, I could buy the book, pull out my sensors, have my coworker test them for me, possibly replace them and save some money. I did get an email back from the Haynes company. They said “No, we don’t have a manual for the XRS, but check back in January 09.” Thank you for being oh so helpful!
2) The error code that my car is throwing out usually means that the catalytic converter is bad. I did talk to one very nice lady who I could tell would have done anything to get my car in under warranty if she could have. BTW, if I ever decide to buy from a dealership, I know where to go. This is the same dealership that helped me with the windshield wiper fiasco. They are very knowledgeable and helpful. She also told me that the OEM part will last 3x as long as the cheaper, knock-off brand. Since I intend to keep the car until it dies, having a part last longer is probably a good thing.
3) It will cost anywhere from $400- $1300 to get the thing replaced. I don’t really trust that the “OEM equivalent” quoted by the $400 shop will be what they tell me it will be. We have had dealings with this shop before with Alann’s truck, and I don’t like them. I only called because they are close. The $1300 is a dealership, but I can get the same work done at the dealership that I actually like for $150 or so less. I will probably go with the “middle of the road” option at $850. At least the economic stimulus checks are coming sooner than they first said. I was hoping to smash the CC with it, and the tax return, but that isn’t going to happen now. The tax return we want to save until we know if Alann will need it for school or not. And the stimulus check will mostly go to my car. And then, I don’t know. The responsible part of me says to put the remaining money to the CC. The other half wants to use the money to get our front yard if not done then at least started. Alann wants it for his motorcycle. If he doesn’t sell it.
We fixed the washing machine. Again. This time it seems to be for good. We took the connection off at the back of the machine, taped the connection, and reattached the hose. No leaking in the laundry room anymore, after running several loads and leaving the hot water on. We still haven’t decided if the kitchen is fixed or not. We haven’t noticed any more water, but maybe it is drying as it leaks so it isn’t pooling. I just don’t know what to do about that. Maybe it was a one-time deal, but plumbing never seems to be a one-time deal in our house.
On another note, I HATE SALES PEOPLE!!!! How many times do I have to tell you that I am NOT interested before you get the hint? (Three, by the way. At least with this guy. Another lady this morning took 6.)
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