First of all, a question. For those of you with blogs, does it bother you when your number of Followers on Blogger goes down by one? It shouldn't bother me. I mean people do decided not to do the blog thing and delete their accounts I guess. But I wonder did they stop following for a more personal reason. Like I don't have OTHER things to worry on lol.
Ok, so here's what happened! The day the head honcho was supposed to be at Christopher's store, he didn't show. He told them he had to reschedule and he'd be there the next day. UGH! While it was good they had more time to get ready, it just meant postponing the visit and making the stress last longer. So, he got off work at dinner time and didn't have to close thank goodness. But they had him scheduled to go in at 9am the next morning, and the other two would be there at 6am again. Well, at 8am there's a call... Good News! The BossMan wasn't going to make it afterall. Can't remember what the reason was, but the visit was cancelled, and they didn't need Christopher to come in til noon, so he could get some more sleep. YAY!
So, of course we were SO happy! I did ask him to please not let the store get so bad that this would be a worry next time and he chuckled. Apparently I live in a dream world.
So, without the looming dream of losing his job and 2/3 of our income, we felt safe enough to go ahead and buy the vehicle we'd looked at. We have CRAP credit, so had to use a Buy Here Pay Here place, but the salesman is actually a guy I've done business with for years in other places. He knew I was never late with my payments at the other places, and was glad to do business with me and even ended up asking how he could get on where I work cause my job sounded cushy LOL. I get asked that a LOT haha. Anyway, he worked out a good deal on the vehicle. A 1994 Ford Explorer with on-demand 4x4, luggage racks, and the big bar across the front and a towing package. A rough and tough vehicle for my destructive family. Perfect. He also got the AC fixed, had the power window that was off track fixed, and had a new Kenwood stereo put in that has a remote that Christopher thought was very cool. Boys and their toys.
Now, I did have a hard decision to make. I had to wait til Friday if I wanted the Explorer because I was using my bonus money from work which comes on a debit card, and there's a limit to the amount you can get off at once. So, I got half on Thursday when I went back to test drive it and see what things he'd fixed since we test drove it etc. I also gave him $100 to hold it which was non refundable and went on the down payment. Then went home and slept on it, knowing the next day I either parted with the rest of all our spare cash at all (and then some actually - praying we don't go into overdraft really deep this week), and got a good well-cared-for reliable hardy vehicle for our family.... or I cut my losses, apologized to the guy, and lost the $100, but kept the rest of the money for bills and savings.
It was not easy. I was still wishy washy the whole way there, but I knew the van had little time left before it died altogether and the truck was just too old and too dangerous to haul the kids around in and needed a lot of expensive work still to do, .. and we'd already discovered we can't rely on renting a car. Enterprise had run out of cars due to the storms and, we couldn't get one, even to just go to Rhiannon's chorus concert out in the country. Plus, I know our track record. When there's money in the bank, we spend it. I had a real fear I would cover a few bills, yeah, but the rest of that money would go toward things we didn't really *Need*, and then we'd have no money once again and nothing really to show for it. So, I did it. I bought the Explorer.
I did my grocery shopping in it that evening, and it was so wonderful to be able to open the back window and door and put the groceries in it. (The van's back doors have been broken and locked closed for a couple years now.) I also took the kids to the store to see dad and look around etc. And it felt SO great to walk back to a vehicle I wasn't embarrassed to get into! Even the kids said something like that. It is a really pretty Explorer, especially with all the bars and racks on it. Looks kind of butch lol. They had it detailed too, so it's all clean and smells good and I am NOT letting them mess it up! And I'm not letting ME mess it up. No more leaving trash in the car.
Saturday, we all piled into it (except Faelyn who was at her boyfriend's ROTC fund raiser), and went to pick up Rhiannon's boyfriend at the top of a steep gravel driveway, and had no trouble yay! Then headed off to the chorus picnic at the state park and had a great time, and she got a couple of awards, and my banana pudding was a huge hit and was gobbled up lol.
Saturday night was Doctor Who night, and we all sat around and watched it and laughed and cried. I doubt many of my readers here are fans or even heard of it for that matter, but oh I think it may have been the best episode ever or at least the top 3. So good. Anyway!...
Today, I wanted us to get out of torn, together. Christopher and I had gone to the bigger town for his Dr appts, and Rhiannon had gone places with her friends, but for the most part, we'd all be stuck in our town for literally months. The van's transmission has been shot for I can't even remember how long now, and before that it was the alternator, and even now the radiator is still shot. So, it was time for a road trip. I decided to pick somewhere I'd never been and it had to be within 1-2 hours drive, and hopefully have some sort of destination that didn't cost anything cause we were broke. So, we headed off to Elizabethton TN to see Fort Watauga and the Carter Mansion.
The fort was pretty awesome, and it stopped raining though it was still muddy. Looked thru the visitor's center, read history stuff then headed down to the Carter Mansion which the website said opened today... and it was closed. Not a soul in sight to open it. Oh well, so we checked out the gardens and the cemetery. As we'd driven through town we'd seen an ominous looking abandoned building, so we decided to get a closer look since we had spare time. It had a huge smokestack that said Bemberg. So, we Googled it on Christopher's smartphone and found out the factory was apparently haunted. It was really a creepily gorgeous building.
When we got home, I did some more research and found out it made an amazing rayon that is used to make parachutes and it the best man made stuff you can get apparently. But 10 people had died in a strike clash, and then hundreds had died in a fire. Now it's mostly abandoned and the main building is condemned. But this is what it used to look like...
and this...
Those are two rayon factories, the far one is Bemberg and the nearer, larger one is North American Rayon. It's also now just an empty abandoned ruin. All that farm land is now strip malls and fast food places.
The buildings you can barely see at the bottom of the picture are the back edges of a Walmart and Lowe's plus there's tractor stores and grocery stores and you name it.
Sorry got off on a little history lesson there hehe, but that's what we were doing today. I made us all a sandwich and we took tea and 2 liters with us and cups and ate in the car after we saw the fort. So, other than gas, we had a very cheap day trip, and came home to bbq pork in the crock pot Mmmm.
Finishing up work now, and I thought it was going to be stressful with this new task we have to do, but I was assigned to it (just knew it would happen) and now I've gotten it out of the way and gotten the hang of it. Not too bad. Tomorrow starts back the work week for Christopher. he's sad we didn't get more one-on-one time this weekend, but was happy we had so much family time. He really needs a vacation.
Here's hoping the bank magically makes everything ok and float for 2-3 days longer than I know they will and the next paycheck comes in and takes care of everything and we get back on track... pfft well I can dream heh. I'll get my shovel and start shoveling out of the hole. But at least now we have a good vehicle and that's one worry off my mind. So, I'm happy.
Y'all have a great week! I'll try to get back and post more often and do a big photo post to catch up!
Patty
Ok, so here's what happened! The day the head honcho was supposed to be at Christopher's store, he didn't show. He told them he had to reschedule and he'd be there the next day. UGH! While it was good they had more time to get ready, it just meant postponing the visit and making the stress last longer. So, he got off work at dinner time and didn't have to close thank goodness. But they had him scheduled to go in at 9am the next morning, and the other two would be there at 6am again. Well, at 8am there's a call... Good News! The BossMan wasn't going to make it afterall. Can't remember what the reason was, but the visit was cancelled, and they didn't need Christopher to come in til noon, so he could get some more sleep. YAY!
So, of course we were SO happy! I did ask him to please not let the store get so bad that this would be a worry next time and he chuckled. Apparently I live in a dream world.
So, without the looming dream of losing his job and 2/3 of our income, we felt safe enough to go ahead and buy the vehicle we'd looked at. We have CRAP credit, so had to use a Buy Here Pay Here place, but the salesman is actually a guy I've done business with for years in other places. He knew I was never late with my payments at the other places, and was glad to do business with me and even ended up asking how he could get on where I work cause my job sounded cushy LOL. I get asked that a LOT haha. Anyway, he worked out a good deal on the vehicle. A 1994 Ford Explorer with on-demand 4x4, luggage racks, and the big bar across the front and a towing package. A rough and tough vehicle for my destructive family. Perfect. He also got the AC fixed, had the power window that was off track fixed, and had a new Kenwood stereo put in that has a remote that Christopher thought was very cool. Boys and their toys.
Now, I did have a hard decision to make. I had to wait til Friday if I wanted the Explorer because I was using my bonus money from work which comes on a debit card, and there's a limit to the amount you can get off at once. So, I got half on Thursday when I went back to test drive it and see what things he'd fixed since we test drove it etc. I also gave him $100 to hold it which was non refundable and went on the down payment. Then went home and slept on it, knowing the next day I either parted with the rest of all our spare cash at all (and then some actually - praying we don't go into overdraft really deep this week), and got a good well-cared-for reliable hardy vehicle for our family.... or I cut my losses, apologized to the guy, and lost the $100, but kept the rest of the money for bills and savings.
It was not easy. I was still wishy washy the whole way there, but I knew the van had little time left before it died altogether and the truck was just too old and too dangerous to haul the kids around in and needed a lot of expensive work still to do, .. and we'd already discovered we can't rely on renting a car. Enterprise had run out of cars due to the storms and, we couldn't get one, even to just go to Rhiannon's chorus concert out in the country. Plus, I know our track record. When there's money in the bank, we spend it. I had a real fear I would cover a few bills, yeah, but the rest of that money would go toward things we didn't really *Need*, and then we'd have no money once again and nothing really to show for it. So, I did it. I bought the Explorer.
I did my grocery shopping in it that evening, and it was so wonderful to be able to open the back window and door and put the groceries in it. (The van's back doors have been broken and locked closed for a couple years now.) I also took the kids to the store to see dad and look around etc. And it felt SO great to walk back to a vehicle I wasn't embarrassed to get into! Even the kids said something like that. It is a really pretty Explorer, especially with all the bars and racks on it. Looks kind of butch lol. They had it detailed too, so it's all clean and smells good and I am NOT letting them mess it up! And I'm not letting ME mess it up. No more leaving trash in the car.
Saturday, we all piled into it (except Faelyn who was at her boyfriend's ROTC fund raiser), and went to pick up Rhiannon's boyfriend at the top of a steep gravel driveway, and had no trouble yay! Then headed off to the chorus picnic at the state park and had a great time, and she got a couple of awards, and my banana pudding was a huge hit and was gobbled up lol.
Saturday night was Doctor Who night, and we all sat around and watched it and laughed and cried. I doubt many of my readers here are fans or even heard of it for that matter, but oh I think it may have been the best episode ever or at least the top 3. So good. Anyway!...
Today, I wanted us to get out of torn, together. Christopher and I had gone to the bigger town for his Dr appts, and Rhiannon had gone places with her friends, but for the most part, we'd all be stuck in our town for literally months. The van's transmission has been shot for I can't even remember how long now, and before that it was the alternator, and even now the radiator is still shot. So, it was time for a road trip. I decided to pick somewhere I'd never been and it had to be within 1-2 hours drive, and hopefully have some sort of destination that didn't cost anything cause we were broke. So, we headed off to Elizabethton TN to see Fort Watauga and the Carter Mansion.
The fort was pretty awesome, and it stopped raining though it was still muddy. Looked thru the visitor's center, read history stuff then headed down to the Carter Mansion which the website said opened today... and it was closed. Not a soul in sight to open it. Oh well, so we checked out the gardens and the cemetery. As we'd driven through town we'd seen an ominous looking abandoned building, so we decided to get a closer look since we had spare time. It had a huge smokestack that said Bemberg. So, we Googled it on Christopher's smartphone and found out the factory was apparently haunted. It was really a creepily gorgeous building.
When we got home, I did some more research and found out it made an amazing rayon that is used to make parachutes and it the best man made stuff you can get apparently. But 10 people had died in a strike clash, and then hundreds had died in a fire. Now it's mostly abandoned and the main building is condemned. But this is what it used to look like...
and this...
 | ||
| Photo credit: MR. CY CRUMLEY |
Sorry got off on a little history lesson there hehe, but that's what we were doing today. I made us all a sandwich and we took tea and 2 liters with us and cups and ate in the car after we saw the fort. So, other than gas, we had a very cheap day trip, and came home to bbq pork in the crock pot Mmmm.
Finishing up work now, and I thought it was going to be stressful with this new task we have to do, but I was assigned to it (just knew it would happen) and now I've gotten it out of the way and gotten the hang of it. Not too bad. Tomorrow starts back the work week for Christopher. he's sad we didn't get more one-on-one time this weekend, but was happy we had so much family time. He really needs a vacation.
Here's hoping the bank magically makes everything ok and float for 2-3 days longer than I know they will and the next paycheck comes in and takes care of everything and we get back on track... pfft well I can dream heh. I'll get my shovel and start shoveling out of the hole. But at least now we have a good vehicle and that's one worry off my mind. So, I'm happy.
Y'all have a great week! I'll try to get back and post more often and do a big photo post to catch up!
Patty
Such great news about Christopher's job and your new car!! Mmm...half the time I expect one of my little group of 4 followers to stop following! LOL!! Because we all have so many different thoughts in blogging, so...it wouldn't faze me that much. I don't tend to follow anybody; I put them in my sidebar when I like them!
ReplyDeletePatty I am so glad to hear about Chris's job and that everything is ok. As far as the followers go I would not worry about it to much lol you maybe right when fellow bloggers close their blog I guess blogger takes them off the list and if not who cares:) I am so glad that you guys enjoy lots of family time these last few days. I am also glad that you got the vehicle you wanted so now just enjoy it and God will help out with the rest of everything else that needs paying God know you guys needed a new car dear sister in Christ.....Things will get better just keep looking to him that his created us all because God knows all of our needs....I would have loved to seen the old abandon building it sound like fun, we may have to take a family vacation to make it out to Tennessee and get a look at that building. Have a blessed week dear friend.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much ladies!! Love <3!!
ReplyDeleteSo good to know things are looking up. Congratulations on finding a vehicle! God always comes through right when we need Him :)
ReplyDeleteMama, So true! I knew it was meant to be because my bonus plus what I had put aside for the vehicle was exactly the amount of the down payment he wanted.
ReplyDelete