we interrupt this day of cleaning house and making soup to share with you the following....
I just want to go on record and say
I am really exhausted of constantly operating in CRISIS MODE.
I know that cars break down and repairs are to be expected but I really think that we experience more car repairs than anyone else I know. And when they break down, they are not EVER
not expensive!
We have been blessed by the long life of Big Yellow, hubby's awesome work truck, which we bought 14 years ago from a u-haul rental company. It has served us well over the years but we have had our share of serious breakdowns!! The transmission going out as we were traveling over Steven's Pass one summer stands out in my memory. The thing is when Big Yellow can't move, everything else stands still as well. All of Bruce's tools are in the back of the work truck and if he can't take his tools to work, he can't go to work. This is the downside of having your tool storage and your truck being one and the same.
The breakdown is serious and we of course do not have the means with which to repair it. We also do not have the luxury of NOT fixing it or replacing it. Kind of stuck between a rock and hard place. Hubby has work to go to on Monday and this weekend will require some fancy shuffling of things in order to allow him to do that. Right now our best bet is to load as many of his tools into the funky little utility trailer and pull it with the (also needing work but still running) mini-van. And eventually make a decision about going forward with fixing Big Yellow or towing it home and retiring it while we shop for something else.
SIGH.
I was a lump of a bump on the couch most of yesterday as I despaired over our latest misfortune. I was not much of a voice of encouragement to my husband. Just too exhausted from yet another crisis. Even though I knew there were things I really needed to get up go do, I sat. Finally, with hubby's push, I got up and went to town to run errands. One of the things I had to get was ink cartridges for our printer. Those things are not cheap and it's been awhile since we bought any. We've put off printing anything trying to save money but the builder needed to send some hard copies of things to a prospective client so print them we must! I soon discovered in my wanderings around the office supply store, that it was going to actually save me money to just buy a new printer instead of replacement ink for the old one! Imagine that! Yes, they had a fantastic sale going on printers and it comes with ink and future purchases of this ink cartridge cost less than the cartridges the present printer take. AND, since our old printer is just that, OLD and constantly JAMMING and causing my poor husband to lose his FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT, it seemed the best thing to do was buy a new printer.
It's also a scanner. Which is something I have been wanting for a long time so I can scan my old photos and put them on my computer!! And it's a wireless printer which means I can be sitting in my room using my laptop and send something to the printer without having to get up and plug in any cables. WHoot WHoot!!
We stayed up late last night playing/printing with the printer/scanner and organizing the office space. Then I
slept in this morning and took my coffee and bagel back to bed to feast as I got caught up on emails and facebook. And despite the fact that the truck is still sitting in town at the repair shop waiting for a directive, things look better. As a friend reminded me yesterday:
HE works ALL THINGS together for my good.
Really, things could be so much worse. And even though I do feel like we spend a lot of time operating in crisis mode thanks to financial woes, it's all just a blip in the grand scheme of things.
Now, excuse me, I've got soup to make!
So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. 1 Peter 1:6-7
I love how through all of the ins and outs and crisis of life - you still keep such a positive vibe. (And sometimes being lump/bump is exactly what you need to recoup!
ReplyDeletethanks so much Nicole. it sure helps me knowing that you see me as positive. I feel like I've been doing a lot of whining of late. ;)
DeleteFirst time visiting/commenting on your blog. I truly do understand about car repairs; we call our son's Cadillac the $500 repair and the dog the $400 dog since visits to the mechanic and to the vet usually run that amount for them and they seem to occur more frequently than our pocketbook would want them to (son's car is a 1993 and I think we've replaced at least everything once, most things twice and the dog got cancer last year and we opted to treat him with chemo). Regardless, God did provide for all of our needs, but it does wear one down to be continually shelling out more money than what is coming in. Good luck with your decision on what to do with Big Yellow.
ReplyDeletebetty
Hello Betty and welcome! Thanks for coming to visit and leaving a comment! Car expenses are never ending I think. We are either making car payments or paying for repairs. Yes, our God is faithful!!
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