Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Not So Lucky

Well, The Luck of the Irish didn't last long this year. Ryan and I were on our way up to Layton (about 20 minutes away) to see my doctor today when our car broke down. Our car is about 8 years old and not in perfect condition but we have never had any problems with it. We had to pull over on the exit ramp of the freeway only 1 exit away from the doctor. We were so close! When we stopped we realized that there was smoke pouring from the hood of the car so Ryan got out to check it out and determined that the car had overheated and needed more coolant. We had coolant in the trunk so we thought "no biggie, we will wait for it to cool down refill and be on our way". Well, after waiting about 20 minutes (I had called the doctor in the meantime and bumped my appointment back a half hour) Ryan refilled the coolant and we attempted to start the car. It started! But it made the scariest noises I have ever heard a car make and it shook violently. At this point Ryan decided we had better call a tow truck and I cancelled my appointment. We would have to wait about 30 minutes for the tow truck to arrive but once it did he could drive us all the way back to Bountiful, only a few blocks from home. At this point, my biggest concern was for my bladder. I had left the house thinking that in about 30 minutes I would have to pee in a cup so I filled up (not hard to do). I decided that while we waited for the tow truck I would walk a bit and find a place to pee. There was a Red Lobster down the street and I figured they would let me use their bathroom, even if I didn't order any lobster. They were very kind. I think it's hard to say no to a frazzled looking pregnant woman. It was so hot today and by the time I got there I was having a small contraction and I started to think, "Oh no! I am going to have my baby at Red Lobster! I don't even like sea food!" I tend to overreact about things. So anyway, I did NOT have my baby at Red Lobster, and we made it home safely (we had to carry my hospital bags home with us because we are so prepared that we already had them in the car). Unfortunately, we are now without a car until next week and we have to pay a sickeningly huge amount of money to get it fixed. Okay, so the whole point of this story is not to bore you all to death (it would be so much more dramatic if I told it in person) but to tell you that I learned something today.

Things I learned:

Always keep cell phones charged, they are the most AMAZING invention!
Keep bottled water in the car (thankfully we do)
Keep snacks in the car (we don't!)
Keep paper towels in the car (just in case you have to attempt maintainance on your own, or if you have to pee on the side of the road)

Things I am grateful for:

My hubby who knew how to handle the situation
Cell phones!
My wonderful friends Alex and Devin for letting us use their car for a bit
My parents who let us borrow money and don't charge interest
Red Lobster!!!!!
Heavenly Father, for always taking care of us, even though we can't see how everything is going to turn out.

Anyway, I am certainly not feeling very lucky today but I am definitely feeling blessed and I know that the Lord will always provide!

2 comments:

Mike and Heidi said...

Sounds like quite the experience! Good luck with everything. I hope your delivery goes well. And you never know what will happen; I thought there was no way that I would ever go early then my water broke 4 days early. I hope the same happens for you!!!

Janey said...

Heddy,

I am glad you used your sense of humor to survive this situation. Thanks for the laughs! I am also glad the 3 of you were kept safe!

Love,
MOM