Part 2 – Update on My Car Problems

If anyone has “Life360” on their phones, then you know how it can be a lifesaver, right. It certainly came in handy for me today, a lifesaver in a time of crisis. Thanks to paying $19.99 a month, to receive these services, I was able to get my car towed to O’reileys for FREE. There were no additional out of pocket costs for me. That was a blessing in disguise, especially when I didn’t have a penny to my name.

After contacting “Life360” and getting everything arranged, the tow truck didn’t get there until about 11am. Now mind you, my husband and I had already been broken down for over an hour prior to this. It only took about 10-15 for the tow truck to get our car hooked up to the truck and to arrive at O’reileys.

Shortly after my car gets to O’reileys, my father in law begins the long and tedious job of not only replacing our car battery but also replacing our alternator. Let me tell you, that was a very long and exhausting job for my father in law. Allow me to explain why. With where my serpentine belt is, he had to have a special tool to take off the bolts so he could get to the alternator and replace it.

Well, my father in-law had left that special tool at his house, which is about 45 minutes from here. So my father in-law asked O’reileys if they had that tool he needed and of course, they didn’t. So my father in-law tries to make do with what he had to work with. Roughly, an hour goes by and the tools he is using just aren’t getting the job done. Those stubborn bolts just aren’t coming off, then I hear the words,

“I’m gonna have to bite the bullet.”

I’m thinking, oh great, that’s just more money he is having to shell out for us. 🤦‍♀️ At this point, I’m already feeling bad enough enough that he had to come all this way to fix our car, now he has to spend more money to buy a tool when he has two at home already. So then, my father in-law came out of O’reileys with the tool he bought and things begin to look promising.

I watch my father in-law put this tool together,

(which I can’t for the life of me, think of at the moment, so please bear with me.)

Anyways, he begins digging down deep to loosen the bolts to my serpentine belt, I then see my husband give me the 👍 sign. *I breathe a sigh of relief.*

At this point, things were going smoothly and my husband and I would be back on the road and back home in no time. Finally, the time arrived. It was after 2pm. My car is all fixed up and everything work’s flawlessly. My car drives so much smoother now, thanks to the generosity of my father in-law.

This whole day has been a very long, stressful, and exhausting day. It may not have started out too well, but it ended well. My husband and I are forever grateful and thankful for my Father in-laws help. He could have simply said no to helping us, but with his kind and warm selfless heart, he came to our rescue. Took the time out of his day to fix my battery and alternator; which happened to be a very long and tedious task.

I also must mention a good friend of mine, who not only used his own vehicle and gas to come out to help us but who also took the time out of his day to try and do what he could to help us.

It’s times like this that having reliable family and friends who can selflessly turn a dark moment into a path that lights the path of Hope.

*ALWAYS CHERISH THE ONES YOU LOVE, ALWAYS TELL THEM YOU LOVE THEM, HOLD THEM TIGHT. YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN THE LAST TIME YOU WILL GET ANOTHER CHANCE. TOMORROW IS NEVER PROMISED. 

Car Broke Down and Stuck On The Side Of The Road 🥺

Not exactly how I wanted to start my day🥺

After taking my youngest daughter to her drivers Ed 15 miles from my home town, I make it there safely. But the drive back was something I did not plan on happening . Just as we get into town, my car begins to wig out on me and my steering wheel locks up.

There I am stuck at the red light 🚦. I then proceed to turn the car off, in fear of worse things happening. There I am stuck in the middle of the road and my car won’t start. 🙄 So I did what anyone would do and I tried starting it and with my luck it wouldn’t start. So then I tried turning the key until I could get it start.

Finally, I was able to get it started but my steering wheel was still locked up. So I cautiously drive it at a snails speed and pulled it over to the side of the road. There I am stuck on the side of the road without a penny to my name or any tools to at least fix the corrosion on my battery cable. I then call some friends I knew I could rely on, praying they would somehow be able to help us out.

After waiting for what seemed like forever, a good friend of mine shows up, takes a look at my car and at first glance says it’s definitely our battery. I’m thinking ok good. It’s not that big of a deal, we just need a new battery and we’ll be good to go. Yeah wishful thinking! After scraping off the corrosion off the battery cable and putting it back on, putting jumper cables on and charging it, I start my car. Ahhhh! What a relief, it’s starts and my steering wheel unlocks.

Just when I thought my husband and I were in the clear and thought I could drive home, my good friend takes the jumper cables off and surprise, surprise, my car shuts off. I throw my hands up in frustration and am wondering why it shuts off. Then I hear the words “it’s your alternator.” OF COURSE IT IS!! WHAT ELSE CAN GO WRONG!! That’s just my luck!

“I don’t have the money for an alternator!” “Now, what am I going to do!” Im thinking, I’m certainly not going to just leave my car here to be vandalized or broken into! With my father in-law already on the way here; forty five minutes out, we are stuck. We then proceed to wait and all I could do was laugh at the situation. If I don’t laugh, I will be a ball of tears.

Fast forward forty five minutes or so later, my father in-law shows up, takes a look at my car and sure enough, our alternator is shot! (Here comes the water works.) Life and life’s heartaches, finances, physical chronic pain, family issues, is already stressful enough. At this point, I can’t handle much more.

My stress meter is at its max peak, and rising. My anxiety is through the roof. I’m really trying to be strong and keep it together but with all these things, one after another happening without any sign of relief has got my feathers ruffled.

To be continued…I’ll update you all here soon.