Let me tell you a little story.... Not having a car is the worst thing ever. Well, almost the worst thing. It is almost as bad as spending half a summer in a leg cast twice, and having two of those weeks being on crutches. Now that was a very miserable time, and while this may not be quite as bad, it is coming in a fairly close second to it. I have gotten so used to having a car and just being able to go and do anything whenever I need to or feel like it. Having to adjust to such situations in such an opposite manner without any type of warning is very difficult. You see, my parents were awesome enough to let me bring the "kids car" to college with me, you know since I'm the youngest and all and no one else was at home to use it really. Plus my mom got a new car out of it too so I think it all kind of worked out well for everyone ;) Anyway, so I have gotten so used to relying on my own mode of transportation that I may have just taken it for granted that I am in a position where my parents can provide well enough for me that I have pretty much everything I want or need, including a vehicle that runs very well given the circumstances of being 11 years old, driven by FOUR teenagers, who I might add may not have always been the most gentle of drivers ha, and having 129,000+ miles on it. It has been through quite a lot over the years but has come through and been able to support all of the kids in my family and their needs of transportation since each has turned 16. It's been so great. I have never really had to experience not having a car to drive, even when I was in that awful cast, because I just swapped cars with my parents. I realize now it is not really a necessity that I need, but a privilege and luxury that I get to enjoy on a daily basis. My dad asked me the other day if I had to choose which to go without between the car and my cell phone which would I chose and I quickly answered that I would much rather have a cell phone than a car and this week that is definitely my reality. See, this is what happened.....
On Sunday I was at a fireside that my Uncle was speaking at. My home teachers were supposed to be coming over at 9 that night so I left at about 8:45 and since I was by the temple I decided to drive around it real quick since I had a few minutes before I needed to be home. I got to the top and came to a stop sign so that I could turn left and head back down the hill to Canyon Road when all of a sudden my car shutters a little and dies. Since it was a manual I thought maybe I just wasn't paying attention or something and just stalled it but when I reached down to the gear, it was in neutral. I tried to start it and it wouldn't go. I figured maybe I didn't have the clutch in all the way or something because sometimes that happens. So I turned the key back, waited for a second then tried again. Nothing. I thought maybe my battery is dead and I just need a jump so I sent my home teachers a text asking if they had jumper cables and if they could meet me at my car instead of my house. Luckily they did and they came up. After I knew they were coming and I called my mom, I realized it couldn't possibly be the battery because the lights and radio were all still working. Plus I just got the battery in August so by now I was really starting to freak out. My home teachers got there and hooked up the cars and nothing happened. We tried multiple times and nothing. So we decided to wait a few minutes and maybe just let the car juice up or whatever and still nothing. By this time we decided we should try to find some back up. So Tyler, one of my home teachers, call Richard who is the EQP in my ward and he said he would call around and see if he could find anyone who has a truck or something that can tow a car. Meanwhile, I was on the phone with Nana and then Eric seeing if they knew anyone who could help. Then came the waiting. We kinda just sat there for a second thinking well crap, now what when one of them suggested we say a prayer for help. I just had this feeling in the pit of my stomach that it was going to turn out bad though. As hard as I tried to fight it, it wouldn't go away. So then we sat in my car for maybe 10 minutes or so when Richard calls back and says he found someone with an Explorer with tow cables that could help us and said they were on their way. This whole time that the car was still not starting I was seriously doubting the prayer and losing all faith that things would work out. It took me until today though to realize that answers to prayers are not always what we ask for or what we want most or what is most convenient. After another 10 minutes or so, more boys show up. Richard brought along two other guys, Trent and Bryan. Bryan is the Elders Quarm
About 10:30 or so Monday morning, I got a phone call from Scott, the mechanic working on my car. He was in total shock that he even got the car to start in the first place, and then began to explain to me that the timing belt was just completely shot and needed to be replaced. Don't worry though, it would be done that night after dishing out about $500. I about had a heart attack, but not as big of one as I would have later that day. So then around 1:30 he calls back and says that while they were taking out parts to get to the timing belt they noticed a plethora of other major problems that had to be fixed. I needed new motor mounts because mine were pretty much gone which explains why they car would vibrate so loudly when it idled. I also needed a new valve cover because when they took it off, it basically just disintegrated into multiple pieces because it was so corroded. Next, I needed a new serpentine belt because mine had multiple chunks out of it and could snap at any moment. At this point I just was thinking it would be easier to buy a new car! haha. So after $769.40 spent to repair all of these vital things, I drive away. After about 6 blocks, I came to a stop light. I was very excited because they car sounded great and as soon as I thought that, BAM! The RPM's shoot to 3500 and it sounds like I am revving the engine in a very terrible way. Heart attack number three. So I drive in to the neighborhood and do multiple starts and stops to see if it would go away and nothing so I turned around and went back to the shop. I went in explaining the problem and they just looked at me like what the crap are you talking about. So I waited for a few minutes till someone could come and look at it and at a dead stop, my car idles at 3000 RPM's give or take and is screeching awful noises. I sat there for maybe 10-15 minutes or so while they tried multiple things to make it stop and to see what was going on and it just got worse. So we decided it would be best to leave it there over night and they would look at it more in the morning so Paul, the owner, took me home (he is friends with Nana and Eric). At this point I really just want to die. Going one day without a car was bad enough but now I had to go another? Not my idea of a good time. Paul told me to call Tuesday when I was done with school but when I did they were still working trying to figure out what was causing the problem. A few hours later Garrett calls me to explain the situation. I now have a broken idle air filter. When idling, the valve filter thing is supposed to close but mine was broken now causing it to stay open which allowed way too much air in to the area causing the noise and problems and could lead to further complications. They were going to go to some junkyards to see if they could find a part that would work so that it would only cost about $50 instead of $360 for a new part. No dice. So they call back after going to multiple junk yards and say we have to order it and it is probably going to be safer not to drive the car until the repair can be made. But, they were able to find a part in after marking for closer to $200 instead.
So, now here I sit waiting until Friday or Saturday for a car and it is killing me. I am extremely lucky though to have good friends though. Camille has been my taxi the past couple of days and has agreed to be for the rest of the week. I am so grateful for that. And to Nana for also helping me out when Camille is needing to be at work. The more I thought about this whole situation though, the more I realized that I did get an answer to the prayer from Sunday night. Sure, we wanted it to be a quick, easy, cheap fix, and even though its not it's okay. I have parents who are so understanding about the whole situation and willing to pay whatever needs to be paid in order for the car to get fixed. I have friends and family and are more than willing to help me get around for a few days. I had awesome home teachers and guys in the ward who came at moments notice to help me even though we have never met and it was raining. It has made me more grateful for what I do have and the opportunity I have to even have a vehicle while at school. I am also grateful that this happened now instead of in a month when I am driving home to Colorado. We prayed that things would work out, and while I didn't think that they really were, they are. Just at a bit of a cost. Our prayer was also answered because we were able to get the car to the shop safely without further problems or getting in an accident or anything, even in the pouring rain by that point. Even though this is not the situation I would chose to be in, it's okay because it is all working out. .
We may not always choose to be in the situations that we are put in, but it's okay because in the end, things work out one way or another. Even if they don't go the way we want them to, eventually we will be able to see that the way they worked out was the right way. I wish that I didn't have to learn such a lesson as gratitude for things such as convince and luxury of having a vehicle at such a steep price, but I am grateful to be reminded of how extremely blessed I really am. I hope that I can always be grateful and appreciative of this and not have to be reminded in such a harsh way.
**When it rains, it pours because not only am I having car problems, I also had to get a new computer a couple of weeks ago, plus Bryan's car got totaled plus a number of other things that when added all together just cause for a downpour of life. I am grateful my parents have been able to provide enough for me though to be able to have everything repaired when it needs to be. I guess things are always better after the storm but for now, I just need to learn to dance in this rain**
