Today Murphy decided it was time to pay me a visit. It wasn't all bad, there were some small miracles and blessings, but Murphy sure let his presence be known.
It really all started yesterday afternoon. I left to go over to my mom's house around 5:30 p.m. Traffic was pretty bad, and I ended up getting to her place close to 7 with minimal gas. It was enough gas to get me to a station in the morning, so I wasn't worried.
I watered the trees, ate supper and did laundry. I thought about heading back home before the morning, but by that time it was 9:30. So, I decided to stay the night.
That was blessing #1.
I got up about 8am this morning, ate breakfast and put on my grungy clothes (clothes I wear when doing laundry.) My plan was to drive straight from my mom's house to my place, take a shower and get dressed, then head to church.
I decided to eat a slightly larger breakfast than usual today.
Blessing #2.
About 9am I loaded my car up, turned on the house alarm, and got in my car.
Murphy #1 - The car wouldn't start. The engine wouldn't even turn over.
Hoping that the problem was just that there wasn't enough gas to get the engine to go, I called AT&T's Roadside Service.
About 9:30 the auto rescue guy shows up with a couple gallons of gas.
After he puts it in, I asked him to stay another minute so I could be sure my car would start.
Blessing #3.
The car didn't start. So, I realized then that it had to be that my battery was dead. I asked AR guy if he could jumpstart my car. He told me it would be a separate invoice, and I would need to call Roadside again so they could give him the invoice number. Which I did. He then jumped my car, and told me not to turn it off for at least 20 minutes.
My roadside assistance plan gives me 4 free service calls a year. I had not used ANY of the calls this year. (My new year begins Sept 23.)
Blessing #4.
So I started driving down the road. I passed the first gas station because I'd only been driving for a few minutes. I kept going for about 8 more minutes. My fuel light started flashing. I knew that there was only one more gas station in the next 10 miles. So, I pulled into the 2nd gas station. And turned my car off.
I tried to start it. It was dead.
Murphy #2.
So I went into the gas station while my car was filing up to see if anyone had jumper cables and would jump my car. No one had jumper cables, but they did have them on sale.
Murphy #3, and Blessing #5.
So, I bought the jumper cables. One of the clerks knew how to jump a car.
Blessing #6.
Unfortunately, the first start didn't take. So he had to jump start it a third time.
Murphy #4.
Finally I'm on my way. At first I had my air conditioning on, but then about 10 miles down the road I decide to turn it off to conserve battery power.
Two seconds after turning my ac off, lights on my dashboard start going crazy, and a terrible rackety noise fills the car. I pull off quickly onto a large shoulder and come to a stop. I don't turn my car off, but it dies. Completely.
Murphy #5. Blessing #7 (wide shoulder.)
I call roadside for the third time. I am told that it'll be about an hour before a tow truck can come get me. It is roughly 95+ degrees. My windows won't roll down because the electricity wasn't working.
Murphy #6.
The tow truck arrives in about 50 minutes.
Blessing #8.
I have a full bottle of water in my car and my cell phone fully charged.
Blessing #9.
There isn't a Honda dealership within the free 9 mile towing distance, but there is a Firestone. So, that's where I have him tow me. His truck is very nice and cool.
Blessing #10.
Firestone Guy(FG) tells me my battery is shot and they can't figure out what's wrong without battery power. He tells me the battery will cost $99 + tax and labor. I tell him that my battery has a 5 year warranty. He comes out 5 minutes later and tells me it is now only $69.
Blessing #11.
Even with the new battery, they can't get it to turn over. So they have to run a diagnostic test. $79.95
Murphy #7
The diagnostic test can't run because two circuits keep shorting out. Finally, they unplug the EMC??(brain/computer of car) and they can get it to work without the two cirucits shorting.
FG comes out and tells me that the EMC is basically fried. A remanufactured one with labor and taxes will cost $1,049.
(FG said he thinks that the EMC fried due to the multiple jump starts.)
Murphy #8.
I call my dad and he tells me how much he thinks Firestone stinks. That I should not authorize the work, and take time to figure out the best plan of action. So, I tell that to FG (except about what my dad thinks of Firestone :grin
. He understands and gives me his business card so my dad can call him to get better specifics.
Blessing #12. (My dad is great!)
FG calls local car rental place (Enterprise). They are closed. (about 3:45 p.m. at this point.)
Murphy #9.
I call my friend T and get her voicemail. Then I call another friend B, and get his answering machine. I was going to see if they could pick me up and take me home, then I could take my time finding a rental car.
Murphy #10
I called the airport Enterprise (about 10 minutes away.) They said that the airport one did not pick people up from outside the airport.
Murphy #11.
A lady was sitting near me and overheard much of my dilemma. She spoke up and told me that her son was there getting his car inspected, and that if it passed inspection, she'd be willing to take me to the airport's car rental.
Blessing #13.
The kind lady took me and my laundry over to the airport and dropped me off. I managed to figure out how to get to the level where the car rental places were located.
Budget was the first one I saw. I decided to stop there. At this point, I was very sweaty, exhausted, frustrated, and plumb worn out. (Wearing ratty shorts, a shirt that clashed with the shorts, legs that needed shaving BAD, and hair that needed washing. At least I had fresh breath, right?)
I told him my story. He first quoted me a price of $400 for a one week rental. I asked him with beseeching eyes if there was *anything* cheaper. He found a discount which made the price $375. We talked for a good bit. He was really sweet.
When he found out I had a Honda Civic, and that my car was at Firestone where they were quoting $1k, he was like, "Oh No! Don't do that!" Then he told me that HE has a Honda Civic (95) and that he'd had to have it's EMC replaced. The guy that did it, did it for about $300! He gave me the guys name and number, as well as the name of a guy who would tow it for less.
Blessings #14 (discount), #15 (Name and Numbers).
I drag all my stuff out to the garage and find my car. It's one of those behemoth ugly looking SUV type cars. Uh uh. No way, no how.
Murphy #12
So, I drag all my stuff back to the rental counter and after waiting for him to finish with a lady, I tell him I can't drive that car. (due to its size.)
He tells me another car that is more the size of my Honda. He tells me that the lady at the booth will take care of switching out the info.
I take off dragging my stuff. Shortly I realize that I should have asked him what he meant by "lady at the booth." Because the only booth I saw was unmanned.
So, I drag my stuff back to the counter. In front of me is this family that was taking *forever.* Finally I get up there, and he tells me he meant the lady at the EXIT booth. Okay, cool. So he goes ahead and calls her to let her know I'm coming and what was happening.
My new car is at the *VERY END* of a lane of cars. Finally I make it into it. I drive to the exit booth and the lady there switches out the info.
(It's a little red Mazda. Not sure of the model. Kind of cute.)
I somehow manage to find my way out of the airport and head on my way home. I'm just pulling in to my apartment complex when I realize three things:
1. My apartment key and mailbox key are on my key ring that is with my car at Firestone.
2. I don't have a parking tag for the rental car, so will have to park it in the visitors parking area until I can get a temporary tag. (Or, it WILL get towed.)
and 3. My toll tag is in my Honda, and my toll tag is associated with that license plate. (This though I think I can fix pretty easily by calling the toll tag place tomorrow and having them switch the license plate temporarily to my rental car.)
Murphy #13, 14, 15.
As soon as I pulled to a stop, I called my apartment office and left a message on the emergency line (for lockouts.) Not too long after wards, a maintenance guy came and let me in my apartment. He also went and made a copy of it so I'd have one.
Blessing 16 and 17.
I got all my stuff out of the car and into my apartment. Then went back out to my car and moved it into an available visitor's spot. The very fact that there was an available spot on a Saturday evening (around 6:30 p.m.) -- Blessing 18.
I got into my apartment and headed towards my bedroom (after stopping in the kitchen.) My computer was dark. I couldn't get it to turn on.
Murphy #16.
The idea came to me that maybe unplugging the power source in the back and then replugging it might work. I tried it. It worked!
Blessing #19
So, now I am here at home finally, sitting at my working computer, and eating some much belated food in a very cool apartment (temp wise at least.)
Blessing #20
Throughout this day I spent a lot of time on the phone with both my mom and my dad. My dad is going to make some calls to find out the best way to deal with this.
He also has told me that he is going to help me out financially with this whole thing. I told him I appreciated it very much, but really didn't feel comfortable to keep on taking money from him. He told me to accept it as a gift from his heart. What could I say?
I'm glad I wrote this out like this, because as exhausting and frustrating as this day was, I can see just how richly blessed I was throughout the whole ordeal.
God is good. And Blessings had a clear victory!
Who wins? Murphy or Blessings?
August 16th, 2009 at 01:15 am
August 16th, 2009 at 01:28 am 1250386108
August 16th, 2009 at 01:34 am 1250386482
That first time I dragged my stuff out and saw the behemoth vehicle, I stomped my foot a bit in frustration.
August 16th, 2009 at 01:40 am 1250386820
August 16th, 2009 at 01:50 am 1250387419
August 16th, 2009 at 02:22 am 1250389340
August 16th, 2009 at 02:23 am 1250389405
August 16th, 2009 at 02:57 am 1250391473
Wow, if you lived in my house we'd give you a Huge Gold Star and a round of applause for being able to handle the day with grace. (We do that here to inspire better, rather than worse behavior.) I, however, probably would have had several tantrums along the way if I were you.
Well done!
August 16th, 2009 at 02:59 am 1250391587
August 16th, 2009 at 04:54 am 1250398452
Glad you are home, cool, finally relaxing and getting your action plan together. And what a sweetie your dad is. His presence in your life is a huge blessing.
August 16th, 2009 at 05:09 am 1250399383
My dad is pretty sweet.
I remembered something I left in my Honda, which is going to make packing pretty difficult tomorrow. 10 packing boxes. Of course, I couldn't have carried them all over the airport rental car place along with my laundry, so it couldn't have been helped.
August 16th, 2009 at 01:38 pm 1250429899
August 16th, 2009 at 01:50 pm 1250430638
August 16th, 2009 at 04:41 pm 1250440863
What a day!!!!! ((HUGS))
August 16th, 2009 at 04:54 pm 1250441665
August 16th, 2009 at 05:21 pm 1250443278
Joan,
I know! You would think that getting laid off would be enough Murphy for one year. But, really, I'm still much better off than many other people who've lost homes and had cars repossessed or are sinking under boatloads of debt. So, can't really complain too much.
August 16th, 2009 at 08:03 pm 1250453022
Nice job handling this situation!!!
August 16th, 2009 at 10:02 pm 1250460156
August 17th, 2009 at 12:54 am 1250470445
August 17th, 2009 at 01:24 am 1250472242
Good point about the bad luck running in 3's.
August 17th, 2009 at 01:30 am 1250472609
For future reference, I hope that you will carry a jumper cable and a plug-in tire inflater in your trunk from now on! Also, please make sure that your spare tire and especially the tire jack is in workable condition.
August 17th, 2009 at 01:33 am 1250472786
I used to have a complete car emergency roadside kit - jumper cables, flares, emergency windshield thingy, etc. Have no idea what happened to it. Somewhere in the last 12 years most of its disappeared. You are right though, I really should make sure I have all that stuff. Got the jumper cables now at least.
Yep, my dad is pretty darn great.
August 17th, 2009 at 10:11 pm 1250547093
August 17th, 2009 at 10:22 pm 1250547751