Hi, friends!
It’s been quiet here in blog land because life has been incredibly LOUD. Almost two weeks ago, things started falling apart. Literally. Our van window fell apart. The window itself was fine, but the mechanism that rolls it up and down broke. The timing was not ideal because we kept getting random downpours. Something in the rear axel was also broken and had to be repaired.
If you don’t know, we are a one-car family. We have to take really good care of our one car. The day after the repairs were finished, we were driving to see my mom-in-law and return her car. She let us borrow hers so that we didn’t have to rent a vehicle, which has been such a blessing. I was driving our van, and right when we got into her town the van quit. It would move in reverse, but the moment you put it in drive it jerked, puttered, and died.
Of course it died 30 miles away from home. We left it parked in a CVS parking lot, and I cried. The next day, a trailer was rented and my dad towed it to the place that had worked on it before. Fast forward to Monday after they look at it, and the whole transmission needs replaced. We still owe on this van. A USED transmission is thousands of dollars.
Let’s just say I have cried a LOT. We have been in the situation where we had to eat PB&J sandwiches for days while waiting for a paycheck. We have moved in with family because of job loss. We have hit really low points, but nothing has felt as hopeless as this situation. We either put thousands into a van that’s not worth all that much anymore, or we buy a new van and still pay for the old dead one. Go ahead and look at the cost of a used minivan..
We are so incredibly frustrated. We have been working really hard to get out of debt. We just took on MORE.. We are getting our old van fixed because it’s really the only option. We are also praying that since it’s a remanufactured transmission, this van will last for many more years for us. (Side note: if you live in Oklahoma DO NOT buy from this dealership. They sold us a terrible car. They won’t even return calls and just pass us around.)
My mother-in-law had the kids over for a slumber party this past weekend and took them to a play. She graciously picked them up early and allowed us to finally get the car situation squared away. We were also able to go to the farmhouse and paint several rooms, get Harper a birthday present, and just get a little time to breath. Scott and I are passing ships most days, so figuring out a plan is not the easiest. We had been texting back and forth and leaving notes for each other. We’re glad to have a plan, but still so very frustrated and overwhelmed. We are clinging to God’s promises and what we KNOW is true, even when it doesn’t feel that way.
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28