Fluxxy Weekend

When counting one's blessings, we must also look at some trials. Some blessings do come as trials. Others just show up and are just blessings.

Prince and Princess number 1 were coming down for the long weekend. They brought Prince's car. Of course, they hit the "dead zone" and their car engine blows up. This isn't the first time this has happened over the 17 years we have lived in the "Dead zone" area. 

I was just about to be worried when Princess 1 called and said some wonderful people stopped and rescued them. It was later in the evening and it was COLD. They have AAA but since it was the dead zone and late, dark and cold, they decided they had better just get a ride to where I could pick them up and we could deal with the car during light and warmer hours. 

I went to pick them up in a nearby town after they arrived. The people that picked them up are restoring an old car. It just happened that my brother-in-law owns an auto-body and paint shop and that the man that rescued them was about to finish up his restoration and needed some detail work done. They exchanged information so they could contact him for some work. 

The next morning, I called my mechanic and he suggested I call the tow place directly instead of going through AAA as we may not have to drive the hour to the car, wait and then have them meet us and then come back. I called the tow place and he drove to the house, picked up the key and got the car and delivered it to the mechanics. All without anyone leaving the house. What a blessing. 

Monday, the mechanic looked at the car and found metal shavings in the oil. Not a good sign. Prince and Princess decided that fixing the car wasn't an option.It was drivable so we took it to my tire place to see if we could transfer their newer tires onto Princess two's car. They said they were a bit too big. 

While we were there, we called the recycle place asking for a quote on what we could get if they recycled it and I called the junk yard. We could get up to $300 if I delivered the car to the junk yard. $160 for recycling it. I asked Prince if he wanted to put an add in the paper for someone to buy it for parts. He just wanted it out of their lives and to not have to worry about it. While at the tire place, one of the workers heard me calling the junk yard. He told me he would give me $200 for the car. I told him I could get more from the junk yard. He told me he would give me $250 and put two used (but better) tires on the back of Princess 2's car. I talked him up to $275 and to give us the tires and mount them for free. 

He agreed and gave us the cash right then. I gave him their key and told him I would get him the title next time we went to visit Prince and Princess. 

We cleaned out the car we bought and fixed up for Princess 2, and sent them on their way home. We were grateful that we had the car to lend them. We are lending my suburban to a family member out of the area so with Princess 4 in drivers education and Princess 2 and I home, we are short of cars. We have had to coordinate with only one car and a few times I have gone to go somewhere only to go out and find I don't have a car. 

My sisters in-laws gave them a wonderful custom van for Christmas that is in great condition so they returned a car that my father had helped them get and use in the past. My dad in turn said we could use the car for now. We just need to get a ride up the three hours to pick it up. 
 
My mechanic didn't charge them to look at the car and I am taking him some treats tomorrow. The entire thing could have happened when they went to Disneyland in January. They took that car! I am so grateful that it happened where I could help them and that we had just gotten that other car and made sure it was in good condition to help them out. It made me realize how blessed I am to have a mechanic I can trust and a tire place with people I know and trust. I also had my brother-in-law look at it. It is nice to have people I know and trust for years now. We are blessed. 

Funny aside story. Princess number 2 showed up one day while attending elementary school with a little girl from school. She hadn't asked her mom to come. I took the girl back and her mother was freaking out looking for her. Since then, the girl and my daughter have been friends. The day after Prince and Princess left, this girl comes to the house with her new baby to visit Princess number 2. She tells my daughter that her husband just got a new job at the tire place and bought a car the day before for $275 and thought he could fix it up and sell it for $1500. It was Prince 1's car! I thought the guy that bought it was familiar but he just started working there and I had only met him once. What a small world. 

We played games and enjoyed the weekend even thought there were some sad and crazy events. God blessed us and others through a trial. Princess one collects "Oz" things and someone gave them "Fluxx" for Christmas. We enjoyed learning how to play and remembered we had played a different version before. If you haven't played it, you may enjoy it. We enjoyed some other games as well. I hope you have a "Fluxxy" weekend!