So I have a confession....

I have a crush on my car!!!! 

 I know totally ridiculous huh?  

We bought my car and liked it so much, Josh bought himself the exact same car!  (YES I KNOW!!! RIDICULOUS!!! My thoughts too, still to this very day!)  

I knew I loved my car, but it wasn't until a couple weekends ago that I realize just how much I REALLY love my car.  Josh had been telling me to take it in to get the oil changed in it, but I kept putting it off.  

Hello!!! I'm a girl what do you expect?  Other things are more important on the weekends than sitting at the car place waiting for an oil change...

A couple weekends ago, I was out shopping, having lunch and just having a good time with my girls not thinking about car stuff!  On my way home, I was stopped at the exit off the freeway when my car just died! And I mean DIED!!!  I knew I didn't run out of gas because I had just filled the tank that morning. I happened to be on the phone with Josh at the time.  He told me to check the battery, and whatever else I could check...NOTHING!  I was stuck at the light at the off ramp blocking traffic.

MY CAR!!!

One thing I hate more than anything is people who leave their cars in the middle of traffic to go get help!  Well...this girl decides she's not going to block traffic and annoy other people, so what's left to do?  Push the sucker out of traffic and out of the way... 

Nicole was with me so I told her to wave her hand to the traffic in the next lane so I could steer the car closer to the curb and easier to get into a gas station where I could wait for some help.  As we were pushing, a couple homeless men came to help us push the car (I am very grateful to them).  It made it so much easier for me to steer the car around the corner.  Power steering is great when the car is actually running, not so much when it isn't!  Once the car was out of traffic, all I could do was try to figure out what was wrong.  I had Nicole call my mom to bring jumper cables or call AAA.  In the meantime, I'm on the phone with Josh...we didn't have very kind words to say to each other at that moment.  (It's hard when he is 1500 miles away and is helpless to help us.  We were both frustrated with what was going on)  

Mom came finally and left to go home to get jumper cables or whatever else we thought we may need.  In the meantime, Josh told me to walk over to Pep Boys.  I have always refused to do business with Pep Boys!  I tried to turn the car on again, it happened to turn on so I pulled into Pep Boys...I asked them to check my car because it just died on me...blah, blah, blah. Oh and while your at it will you change the oil?  I need something with Mobil?  So they do that and there I sit!  

Some guy kept coming out asking questions.  I said "I don't know, it just stopped!  No there wasn't a smell.  It was running just fine with nothing unusual!" 

So I had a meltdown!!!  Sitting in Pep Boys I cried like a baby!  I was so upset with myself!  All I could think about was I have ruined my car!  I don't have money to buy a new engine! Then the thought of me only having a couple car payments left and cars breaking down once its paid off were coming to my mind as well!  Having some guy coming out telling me my engine doesn't sound right wasn't helping either!  Also, just sitting in Pep Boys was bad enough!  I never, ever in my life thought that I would have anything to do with that business.  With all the automotive business that all my family has been in, I grew up knowing NOT to ever go there!!!  So that was running through my head too!  Also, telling Josh wasn't going to be a great experience either if the engine was gone!  

I sat there for hours just waiting!  They did tests, and this and that...I can't remember everything they did.  All I know is my mom was standing over them like a hawk watching everything they did.  It was time for them to close, but they needed their wiring specialist person to look at the car to determine if it was something else.  SOOO....my car spent the night there locked in the garage!

The next day, I had my mom call to find out what was going on.  I just didn't have it in me to find out what was wrong.  They said there was some bolt that was seized in the water pump?  I told her to tell them we're coming to get it to take it to my regular mechanic.  We were told it was drive able, but not for long distance at that point. 

 No problem, we just live up the hill.  But really that is a problem, because there are tons of lights and traffic between point A and point B!  So we head down...I am seriously praying that I can get my car home.  But first I ask my mom to drive past our usual mechanics to check the hours.  Just our luck!  Brent the mechanic comes walking out the door!  I told him I would be bringing my car over in the morning and a gist of what was going on.  It stopped running, over heated, had the oil changed and was currently at Pep Boys...yes he even asked "Why is it at Pep Boys?"  It was just there at a time of need!  After talking to him, we headed to pick up the car...and I'm still praying!  I know how the lights and traffic are...it's never good!

I paid for what had been done to that point.  I was thankful it was less than what they had told us on the phone.  I didn't complain, I just wanted out of there! I told my mom to follow me just in case anything happened. I started the car and prayed again that I could get home quickly and safely without any problems to the car.  I pulled out of the parking lot and just drove 45 mph through traffic, which amazingly was pretty clear for me!  Mom was behind me for about a block, but got stuck at every light (I think)  I watched where openings in traffic were so I could slide my car in and out of any of the crazy traffic to make the green lights.  I wasn't speeding or driving crazy!  I stayed at 45 the entire drive home without having to stop once.  I got really lucky when I got to the church on Charleston because church was just getting out!!!  Mom called me just as I was turning onto our street. I said I'm pulling up to the house now!  She was still at the church!

Once I got home...I again said a prayer of thanks!  

The next morning, we took the car to the mechanic.  I left it with him knowing it was now in good hands.  He has worked on my car and knows it well.  I called him late in the day and it wasn't ready because he had been so busy. (I get it, that happens plus I wanted it done right!)  The next day I called again in the afternoon.  He told me he has done all the tests he could possibly do on it.  He had it running for hours with no overheating issues.  No seized screw...the only thing he could see what a missing fuse!  So he replaced the fuse and it has worked beautifully ever since.  He told me to watch it for the next few days, which I have been doing.  If anything is out of the normal I will be knocking on his door!

So I learned a huge lesson!  I will faithfully get my oil changed when Josh tells me to!  Or as soon as I get my notice that it's due!  Also, little blessing were given during that time too!  They didn't go unnoticed and I am so blessed!  I know my car is a material possession to have a crush on, but I/We have worked very hard to have the car.  I am extremely proud of my car and am thankful everyday for it!!!

Proof there's two of them!  My car is the one on the left...