Our "New" Ride

Okay, so I know many of you have already heard my news, but I thought it was rather fitting for this post to be about our new-to-us minivan, seeing as how the last post was about needing one! :)

God is so good, and He has yet again wow-ed us with what He's done.

We had been praying for wisdom to know what to do about our car situation. After a little thinking and talking to each other, we took some of our friends' advice and called our church. We have heard of people getting help and also of people receiving vehicle donations from the church, so we thought we'd go this route first. This was quickly a closed door, as we were informed that we were one of 200 people asking for a vehicle and that car donations had slowed down because of the economy. This was frustrating, but we definitely understood and were determined that there was another way.

So we had a few more friend referrals, one of which seemed viable, the other could help us if we wanted to get into monthly payments - which we didn't. So, we kept the first one in mind, but still wanted to see what our other options were.

Then it was on to Craig's list searching. We looked at vehicles on CL every day and emailed each other with ones that looked appealing and ones that we could afford. We made a list and planned to call the ones we were interested in. So, last week on J's day off, we called and set out to look at a minivan in Rockwall. Yes you read that right - Rockwall! For those of you that don't know, this was an hour drive. Crazy? Maybe a little. But this deal looked good and we thought we'd probably buy it. We were sure that there was little that could make us turn away.

So, it was a great family drive out there. Let me back up and say that when we first called this man about our interest, he was a little rude on the phone to J. He basically didn't want to have his time wasted and let us know that he lived in a nice neighborhood and didn't want to mess around. We didn't let this phase us because we figured that it could still be a great vehicle, even if the owner wasn't friendly.

Later we found out that this guy had his dealer's license and was retired, and his interest in selling the car outweighed his need to know anything about the car. Seriously. Through the course of the time we were there, this man tried to get me to not buckle in Noah because it was a short drive (I was having a hard time fitting the carseat into the captain's chair), didn't know how to work anything (moving seats back and forward, how to work the dvd/vcr player that was apparently broken we figured out), shrugged off the fact that there was a broken headlight, a not working tail light, and a nail in the tire, and told us there was a spare, which there wasn't. Again, this man didn't actually drive this car since he was only selling it, however, don't you think you should know something about the vehicle (or anything else for that matter) that you are selling?

Well, what's funnier is that he tried to tell us that the dvd/vcr probably worked and that we probably didn't know how to work it, so we should take it to the mazda dealer and find out that way. He also said that the nail in the tire wasn't a big deal because it wasn't obviously affecting the tire pressure. Did he not know that the tire could blow at any time, and that we'd be stranded without a spare? Haha! And he wouldn't budge on price, saying that that's what you get with older cars. :::Sigh::: We told him we'd discuss it over lunch (down the street) and that we'd call back. ....... And if it wasn't already obvious to you, we did not take the deal. :) Although all of those things I wrote about were not as blatantly obvious until we were able to bring it all to each other's attention over lunch. But basically this man wanted to sell this van to get it off his hands and he didn't know/didn't care about the condition of it.

Again, we were not shaken. We knew that God had us go there for a reason. Even if that reason was to know what we were looking for... and not looking for. :) We went home, enjoyed some sno cones, and enjoyed the rest of our night.

So the next day, after I came home from Bible study, we set out to go to 3 other places we spotted on CL.

The first place was a local salvage yard. This was our first indication that we probably weren't interested. That and the fact that the lady on the phone was more rude on the phone than the guy the day before! J test drove this one without me because 1. It was a little beat up on the outside, indicating it had been in an accident, 2.It was SUPER hot outside and I didn't want to take the kids out of the car. So I got J to look at it and test drive it while we waited in the car.

After talking with the lady some more and taking it for a spin, we told this lady the same thing - we were going to decide over lunch. I don't know about you, but I always think more clearly when food is in my belly! :) So, we got to talking and the interior of the van needed major major professional cleaning, but J said that it drove awesome. However, they had just put a new engine in it (which made for a smooth ride, but questionable as to why they'd have to change it out already). When he asked the lady why, she was pretty sarcastic and side stepped the issue altogether. He also asked her if it had been in a wreck before. She told him that whether it did or not does not have any affect on how it drives today. Okay! Talk about avoiding important information! While we were a little undecided, we made the decision that if we were supposed to get it that it would be there the next day.

On to our next stop, a nearby car dealership. When we got into this minivan, we could literally taste the cigarette smoke and there were burn marks on most of the interior. It drove alright, but not that great (wasn't real smooth), and we decided to keep looking.

Okay, I promise you there is a point and I'm getting to it pretty quickly. Thanks for sticking with me this far!

So, knowing our last stop wasn't for a few hours (we were waiting on this man to get off work) we drove up and down the same road and found other dealerships with cash cars and we test drove 1 more. It was very clean and drove alright. But it just wasn't right. We didn't know why.

So, our last stop was in the evening. We were tired, HUNGRY (there is a whole 'nother story here, but I'll just say that we looked for somewhere to eat and then ran out of time), and just wanting to be done.... and so were the kids!

This van isn't my ideal color, is a '98 and doesn't look too special. In fact, the only thing that we found to be appealing was the fact that it looked clean on the inside (from pictures) and that it only had 38,300 miles on it! Yes, and it was a '98! So we wanted to know the story and why it was priced so low. Again, there is a long and great story here, but to shorten it, this guy was the second owner. The first one got into a tiny fender bender that left the front fender damaged and decided to get another vehicle. This man, working at the dealership that the first owner took it to, asked to take the van from him as a fixer upper. The man obliged, gave him the van and bought a new vehicle. So, the new owner fixed it up and was so proud, only to find that his wife and kids wouldn't be caught dead in this minivan. haha! So, he was told that if he didn't get rid of it, she would.

After a test drive and after finding out some funny and crazy things we had in common with these people, and realizing that this was too good of an offer to refuse, we took the deal. (Enter Hallelujah chorus here)

While there were many things that made us laugh - (for instance, Bekah calls cats "meow meow"s and when we went into their house she naturally said "meow meow!" The little boy said to Bekah, "That's his name! Really!" Also, J and this man's wife have the same profession.) we just felt peace about it altogether. Not only was this van well taken care of and with low mileage, but everything worked on it and our family fit comfortably in it!

We know that God worked it out for us, and we are grateful and beyond relieved that our problem is resolved. Who knew it would happen this way? Two rough days of car shopping were definitely worth our treasure of a find. Thank you, Lord!

Now, for pictures!


paint still looks good.


The seller had replaced the hubcabs on it with some wheels from a Dodge Grand Caravan.




It was so clean, and it still smelled new!


No cd player, but not a big deal. We are just thankful for a great engine, a working radio and cold a/c!

The Lord was faithful to answer our prayer, and we are so blessed to have a new-to-us minivan for our growing family! We are so happy that we don't have to stress about this as we wait on our newest addition to get here!

Do you have a faith story where God showed up in a way you didn't expect? Please share! I wanna hear!

Totaled

Disclaimer: This post is SUPER long. Continue reading at your own risk and don't say I didn't warn you! :)

It has taken me a while to post this .... partly because it's been hectic around here, and partly because I wasn't sure what to say. It's nothing crazy, but I still want to share ... especially because this is the closest thing I've got to a scrapbook right now for our family.

Let me start by saying that the Lord is Good and is truly enough for me. His mercies are new every morning. The Lord has provided for my family in ways that I cannot explain, and for that I am grateful.

Without going into too much detail, the past several months have been an emotional roller coaster ride. We have been pressing into the Lord to try to figure out what to do (on many levels) and which way to go. It's been crazy and frustrating and peaceful all at the same time. Again, I can't explain it, but I know that God will provide and is providing for our family. He has reminded us of this through many people and many places lately, and through everything we have gone through.

What I wanted to share is what happened to us last week.

The four of us were supposed to go to J's dad's house. His dad was on vacation, and the rest of the family had decided to deep clean and spruce up his home so that he would be blessed when he returned from his trip. We stopped by and grabbed lunch and when we were a mere 4 minutes away from arriving to his dad's house, it happened.

We had gotten over in the shoulder to turn right at a stop light, and a car pulled out in front of us. Jason said it was like slow motion - he knew we were about to hit, and there was nothing he could do about it.



CRASH.



After prying ourselves away from the other guy's car, we met him at a fast food restaurant's parking lot, since that is what we were closest to. Immediately after hitting, Noah started crying, so you can believe me when I say that I pulled the two kiddos out of the car as soon as our car stopped. We were all fine. Shaken up, but fine. Frustrated... but fine. In fact, we were so fine, that Rebekah's only complaint was that we couldn't eat our lunch yet!

The other guy's car. What the heck? Only minor damage.



Our car...




Now, I know that many people have been in car accidents. This one was certainly minor compared to a lot of accidents I've seen and heard about. But something in me just wanted to cry.

I was so frustrated that this stranger paid no attention to who was coming when he decided to pull out in front of us. I was frustrated that we were not his priority. (He seriously asked the police officer if he could go into the restaurant and order since he was on his lunch break and he didn't want to be late!) I was frustrated that I had no control over the situation. I was frustrated that he had no insurance. I was frustrated that this was so inconvenient. I was frustrated that this was our only car. What now, a rental? And what was it going to cost to get it repaired? And what if we couldn't afford it?


***** ********** ******** ************


Let me back up a little. Recently, in an effort to take care of our finances and try to get out of debt, we got rid of our Jetta. It seemed to be the better car of the two we had - after all, it was 8 years newer than the Honda. But, we had put so much money into it getting work done on it, and it was still having some issues. Plus, we had a monthly payment on it. So we got rid of it in an effort to help our bills. And then we poured money into the Honda. It was a good car, really. Never gave us many problems. But, it did need maintenance work done on it that had been overlooked for some time, and we wanted it to be up to speed if it was going to be our only car. So then came new tires, tinted windows, and a slew of other repairs. We had just gotten it up to speed before this accident.

* ********* ************** **** ********** ****

So let's fast forward back to the accident. The officer found us at fault, although my husband referenced traffic codes which would prove the other guy at fault. The officer did not waiver. Looking back, there were a lot of things that the officer said to make us believe he wasn't really listening to us. After looking at a copy of the accident report, not all of the facts were straight about what happened. And there's not much we can do about it. However, since the other guy didn't have insurance, we have been able to talk it out with our insurance company, and we are pretty sure that we are not going to be considered at fault where our claim is concerned. This is at least one upside. That and the fact that we weren't issued a citation and the other guy did receive one for not having insurance.

We were able to get into a rental car the same day as the accident. Our insurance rocks and there were no problems with that. And we've been spoiled by it, honestly.








This thing is a beast! And I can only imagine what this short mama looks like driving it! haha! But it is so fun!

************* ************* *******

Here's the bummer - we just received word that our Honda is indeed totaled. Yep, that's right. Totaled. We had already made up our minds that it was probably going to be, but it's so different when it's actually confirmed! Man!

So our only car is totaled and we only have the gas guzzler that is our rental for a few more days now.

:::Sigh:::::

But God is good. He is our Provider. Let me share with you that Jason and I were discussing what our car would be worth before we had heard anything from our insurance company. We wanted to figure out what would be a good amount for the insurance to offer in case it was, in fact, totaled. We thought that this would help us haggle, for lack of a better word, with them if we needed to.

So, we added together the repairs we've made on the car... we looked at similar cars online, and got an estimate on the Kelley Blue Book website. And do you know that the insurance offered us more than what KBB estimated and almost the exact same dollar amount as what we had recently put into the car? Now, that's God. I am sure of it.


If you have gotten this far, then thank you for reading. I like to be detailed so that I remember things how they happened. And I write how I talk, so I guess I write too much sometimes. Haha! But I digress.

A family member is going to let us borrow their second car. We had it put in the shop to get some minor things repaired and overall just looked at before we take it on as ours. While we were waiting on it to be fixed yesterday we browsed at a local used car lot. We immediately were met by a friendly car salesman, and we figured out fast that this place was out of our price range. Funny thing is, I know that the Lord sent us there. This guy told us that we needed to just trust God and that He would give us favor. Yes, that was the car salesman that said that to us! Haha! He said we were probably wondering why the Lord sent us to a preacher at a used car lot, but that we should just trust the Lord. I teared up upon hearing him speak blessings and encouragement over us. I am truly amazed at how the Lord has been reminding me of these two things: 1 - Trust Him and 2 - He will provide. I mean, don't you think we need that reminder if he is using a car salesman to tell us this? haha.


Okay, so the rest of the story is that this car that we are borrowing is only temporary. With our growing family of almost 5, we need a suitable vehicle that will accomodate us and our soon to be three car seats! We only have what the insurance gave us for the Honda to spend on a "new to us" car. We technically have until the baby comes to make our purchase, however we do not want to borrow this car longer than we need to and we want to feel settled with our car situation.
So, please pray that the right opportunity will come along. We need wisdom and discernment as I know that there are some dishonest people out there! We need to find an SUV or van or something of the like that can hold up for awhile. We cannot afford car payments, and we want to get out of debt, so we'll need this car to be around for a long time! So, if you know someone who is wanting to sell right now, please let me know!

Either way, your prayers are coveted! We know that God is in control and that the end is going to be good.... it's just the middle part that's frustrating sometimes. We don't know how we'll get there, but we know we will. And we pray that we can make the right decisions along the way! We're also VERY thankful that none of us were hurt! So glad that the car and finances where it is concerned is our only problem we're facing right now!

Again, I know this must be the longest post EVER! And thank you to the handful of people that actually read this!

Be blessed!

100th Post

Well, it's been a while since I last blogged, but things have been really fast and furious around here lately. However, to be fair I'll at least ask you one little question to let you in on part of what's been going on around here......



Ready?

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Guess who's excited about NOT being the baby around here anymore?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!



(and just turned 8 months old yesterday!)



That's right! We have one very proud Big Sister and (little) Big Brother who are pumped about our growing family!



Mama is due around the end of March ...... and we couldn't be happier or feel more blessed! :)

Happy 100th post!

Random Fun

Favorite Things

Abby and eating... what other combination could be better in the life of a 2 yr old?