Our Second New-Old Brown Van!

We had a good Friday... we got two visitors! Grandma Barb, than Grandpa Jeff, 

Daves parents, but they aren't married, so it was an odd thing... I guess... 

Daves dad sold us his van which is just as old as our current van, but it is a back up in case one of our two other cars goes out on us, why not! The funniest part is that we totally fit into our "trailer park" living with 3 old cars, and full driveway! Least our place looks nice and we take care of our yard... or we would really look "WT"

 Barb, came first than Jeff. Barb needed to make the trip to Spokane and found out we were getting the van, and so Jeff asked her to drive it up for us, and than he would drive her home. 

After Sami entertained us and we got the paper work out of the way for the van we took it on a test drive to "El Rodeo" for a Linner... Lunch/Dinner. 

 The group with Grandma B... Ezra wouldn't go to anyone... 

 the group with Grandpa Jeff... 

 We went to the park after and Ezra had a good swing... and the girls chased a stray dog.. 

Here's our new-old used van... It was a good visit and we were glad to see them both... 

It's hard living this far away from the action of the family... but it suits us right now! Grateful that we aren't too far away to not have visits... 

The last time we saw Jeff was in March, and 3 days after he visited his wife passed away from cancer, and it wasn't until a month later we found out (he had flown out less than 24 hours from seeing us to be with her)... he has had a tough year... 

Barb bought a huge coloring book for the girls to share, and made individual peach pies for us all, 

love getting spoiled... especially with her cooking! 

Surprise, Surprise!

Ok... so I am going to hand you the biggest thrill of your adult life

(guess the movie?)

So... my dad decided to help us out and so he lent us the money to get our van fixed, we called around and got some quotes on transmissions. After going to Cheney Auto, and getting a diagnostic for $50 they said for the headgasket and tranny it would be close to $5,000 after everything. So we tried some other places. We found Dave's Auto (seems fitting), and they said $2,200 for the transmission and the head gasket wasn't something that needed to happen right away so we would focus on that later. But they would have only charged like $1,000 anyways... so we dropped it off last Monday!

Friday they called and said they hadn't gotten to it yet but would call us Monday. Monday they called Dave after there own diagnostic (which was free)... turns out it's not a transmission problem but a electrial (a scanner) problem. That would effect the tranny and the head gasket... $200...

So Dave said go ahead. Than he asked them to check everything else... the re-did the rear brakes, and replaced two tires and changed the oil and filter and we picked it up yesterday and paid $740... I can't believe it was so cheap for all work they did and it runs fantastic...

I can't believe I have my van back. We are going to my parents cabin for Memorial Day and so we wanted the van with the VHS player to keep the girls occupied... so excited.

SO today I took the girls on an errand. We celebrated a little. We hit up Taco Bell for lunch after getting a $2 meal deal it was only $4 I got a chesse roll-up for them and cinnamon twists.. so yummy. Could have done with out the strange guy staring at me that sat down next to us... AKWARD!!!

Than we went to the $1 store to get stuff for Sami's birthday. We are throwing her a party in Kennewick on the 13th of June in my parent's back yard. It's a princess luau party, it's gonna be awesome. Than we hit up the library to get my hold than after leaving through Daphne's tantrum, we than hit up the post office to mail some packages and our ticket... grrr and than came home. It's so nice to have my freedom again! So nice! My friend from Kennewick Siena is coming to Spokane to visit this weekend so we are going to try and hook up tomorrow so I am excited I get to go.. without the van I would have been unable. It pays to have such great loving parents...

What a LEMON!!!

March 30, Wednesday 2011 I remember this day and how happy I was and how I was going to be a free woman and have my own momma van and be able to drive all over town and not have to make trips to Dave’s work to drop him off or pick him up whenever I needed the car. And that included not having to wake up sleeping children, I could make a normal dinner and have it ready and on the table when he walked in the door. I could go somewhere at the spur of the moment and not have to get dressed and out the door in the morning to take him to work when I wanted to hang out in my pjs and go somewhere a few hours later. Well apparently my hopes and dreams were not meant to be. Sunday March 27, 2011 we got in the van to go on a family drive and it abruptly got cut in half when the van lurched from 1st to 2nd gear in a small regret of not wanting to shift than purring and making noises... we made a turn home, and sat and talked it out... Now it’s Wednesday, after making plans for the family to drive into Kennewick to collect the rest of our belongings from our old apartment and grab our Suzuki, another plan presented itself about 8pm Monday night. A new family we have quickly made friends with had invited us over to dinner and as we were enjoying our brownies and ice cream we made the plan that I was going to drive to town with Lynn Ayling and she would than drive to her destination, Walla Walla where they moved from just 3 weeks ago. So bright and early Tuesday I took off to Kennewick with Lynn. I spent the afternoon in town. I went to lunch with my parents, collected my left belongings from my old apartment, turned in my keys, signed my leaving papers, thanked some great ward sisters for being such great friends and helping clean my apartment, and than I was on the road and home by 7pm. Dave spent the day home with the girls in hopes of getting things accomplished, and because he isn’t used to there naughty public behavior he gave up when it came to getting the van checked out. So today I geared up and took the girls to Cheney Auto Center to have the van diagnosed. Results... transmission needing to be fixed $1500-2000 head gasket needing to be replaced $1500-2000 plus labor $750 and $400 grand total.... more than we originally sunk into this thing we call a van. If I could go back in time I gladly would. Back to that day when life seemed to blissful the day we bought my first mom van, with our tax return... oh curses on that car dealership... they will be sorry the day they sold me a LEMON... I will make them pay I will I will! Lesson learned... you know I don’t know quite yet. After being so filled with anger and tears and pure loathing I just haven’t figured out what the moral of this story is. I know in Heavenly Father’s eyes it all makes sense... but I just hope he lets me know soon, but than again... I remember the conversation I had with my parents just yesterday having lunch in Kennewick. My mom and me were talking about me and Dave’s blessings since we have been married, and they have been numerous and my mom says... “You must be living right” and than my ever so faithful dad my hero, the man I look up to more than anyone, the man I trust as much as my David... says “if that were the case than why did there vans transmission go out...” and he snickered... I look back at that and I know today this whole mess just makes me so angry and sour at the world and the harshness that is cars and there expenses... but he’s right... he’s always right... but than again we thought we were living right, Wait we are living right.... The moral of the story that I have concluded is that... “Such is Life”. Yes this is hard so very very hard... lesson to learn when we are skimping by as it is, living in a teeny tiny apartment as I struggle to find places to put all our crap... (more stories of that to follow) we are poor poor college students. It doesn’t matter if I am 30 and Dave is 32 or that we have 2 kids... “Such is Life”. The jury is still out to whether or not the van’s final destination will be the scrap yard here in the next few weeks, but but... the teeny tiny sliver lining here is, all that weight I want to loose (20 pounds) I just may finally loose it... I will be buying a bike trailer and the weather is warming up and so that is how I will get to where I want to experience my Cheney adventures. Dave will be working for GNC until school starts in September and than hopefully he will be able to find a part time job here in town or being a game critic (more news on that later) and than we will be back to our little Suzuki until someday (hopefully soon) die and we will find the van of our dreams...( I was just kidding about the soon, unless we have a rich relative somewhere that is going to give us a bunch of money than we are lucky to have 1 working car) As to our life here in Cheney... I haven’t quite figured it out... but it’s true what they say... it’s the “City for All Seasons” it’s true because I experienced all 4 on Monday... woke up to a light layer of snow, than drizzling, than hail, rain, sun, and than wind... oh and I really don’t like spiders! It’s a good thing Dave doesn’t mind smashing them... Keep us in your prayers... for a miracle! And if you have 2 or more cars... cherish them... someday this just might happen to you.