While our trip out west for Lacey and Travis' wedding was smooth and uneventful, the trip home was anything but that!
We left on Sunday afternoon and made it into the western part of Wyoming without any trouble. The problem started about midnight about 15 miles outside of Evanston. I had just gotten off the phone with my mom giving her an update, and we were headed up a hill when all of a sudden the car started loosing power and just wouldn't drive anymore. Our Dodge Grand Caravan had been a great vehicle for us, but it also was approaching 170,000 miles and we knew we probably wouldn't have it much longer, but we were hoping it would be under different circumstances that it decided to die.
Jeff, being the handy guy he is, was able to take a look at everything and determine it was probably something to do with the alternator. Luckily, we were able to call a tow truck from Evanston that made it out in about 30 minutes. We were so grateful we weren't further out in the middle of nowhere, as we easily could have been. We were also grateful that the tow truck was the type that just lifted the entire car up onto the back of a truck and drove us back to town- that way we were able to let everyone just stay in the car and sleep instead of dragging everyone out and cramming them into the tow truck.
The tow truck driver dropped us off at a motel that was near a car repair shop. Jeff helped me get the kids and our bags situated in the room, then he rode with the tow truck driver to drop off the car and came back when he was done.
Jeff got up early the next morning and went to the repair shop to see what needed to be done and wait. The kids were entertained with some morning cartoons until about 10am when Jeff came back to get us. Apparently the main problem was not just the alternator, but some other issues with power sources. There was only one shop in town that could work on the problem, so we loaded everyone up in the car and drove to this other repair shop where we dropped off the car again.
The repair shop wasn't the greatest place, and the guy was pretty grumpy. He didn't really want to listen to Jeff, and instead wanted to start by cleaning all sorts of different things- which was great, except it wasn't causing the problem and just took up more time. I ended up going over to a nearby gas station that had a little section of grass and trees, and spent about the next 4 hours coming up with games and creative ways to keep the kids entertained while the repair guy continued to try and figure out things with the car. We played games, I let the kids take some turns playing games on my phone, and let them pick out a special treat from the gas station, but after 4 hours it starts to drag on. Especially when you know you still have a good 12 hours of driving ahead of you. Needless to say, it was a pretty long day. I'm sure people thought we were probably homeless or something, we got a lot of looks of pity and at one point the gas station owner asked if all the kids would like some free slurpees. They were pretty excited about that.
Finally, about 4pm, Jeff came back with the car. They figured out that the problem was the internal computer that controls the power between the battery and the alternator. The only solution was getting a new computer which was located in Salt Lake City. When we realized the car was drivable, we thought- no way are we driving back to Utah to fix this problem. We decided to just continue back to South Dakota and get it fixed there.
The only problem was the issue of power. We had to limit our speed to under 70mph (a real sacrifice when know how Jeff likes to drive on those long trips!) but the real kicker was that the battery was getting too much power. So we would have to stop about every 40 minutes to unhook the battery so it wouldn't have too much power and get fried. You knew it was getting to that point when it started to stink-like awful rotten egg/sulfur stink. It was pretty bad and we would try to stop before it got to that point. So we would pull over and unhook the battery, then we would drive for about 45 minutes again until we could see that the battery was starting to run out of power. You would know it was time when the lights started getting dimmer and you could tell the power was getting low. At that point, we would pull over to hook up the battery to the alternator again. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. It was a very long drive home! We couldn't help but feel grateful though that we were able to drive and at least do something so we could get home.
We ended up pulling into our driveway on Tuesday morning at 6:30am. We unloaded the kids and Jeff tried to get some sleep before he had to leave for work at 8am. I didn't end up going to bed. Because we had been out of town, this Tuesday also happened to be Jacob and Caleb's very first day of school! What a way to start out the year. So I was trying to get everything ready for them so they would be ready. It definitely makes for a funny story.
My friend asked me later if Jeff and I were still on speaking terms when we got home. I can honestly say, I am so grateful for Jeff. Even under these extremely stressful circumstances, we draw strength from each other. I couldn't honestly say we were frustrated with the situation, but certainly not with each other. I don't know what we would have done without each other. It seems throughout our lives that we have had a number of these crazy, stressful circumstances and experiences. Sometimes it's almost comical. But even in these happenings, it's also so easy to recognize the blessings and the good. We were so fortunate to have broken down where we did. The whole events of getting the car where it needed to be was a huge blessing. And the fact that despite the process of getting back, we were still able to make it home safely and in just enough time for work and school was such a blessing. It was a very humbling experience, but again a great testimony strengthener and a reminder that our Heavenly Father is aware of us and always looking out for us.
When we got back, we were able to get the car in and get things repaired and working again just great. However, we had been getting to the point where we knew we'd need a new car. There was a new member in our ward without access to a car to get to his job and we ended up just giving him the car for which he was so grateful.
For the longest time, I really wanted a suburban. I actually always said that I would never drive a minivan, but during our last year in Philadelphia, things just worked out that way which was why we had the Dodge Grand Caravan in the first place. So when we got back, we started looking around for a new car. Jeff found the 'perfect' suburban for us. But something happened, and I started wondering if that was really what I wanted. After the test drive, my mind was made up. I told Jeff, "You're not going to believe it, but I actually don't want a suburban, I just want another minivan." Minivans are significantly cheaper, and get much better gas mileage than the bigger suburbans. Plus, they are really much easier and kid friendly. They are easier to drive, you don't have to worry about kids opening doors and hitting other cars. And what I really love is the convenience. I love having automatic doors that I can open with the touch of a button. I love that the kids don't have to climb up into a huge vehicle and climb over seats, etc. Plus, knowing that we would have a new baby in a couple months, it's much easier to put a carseat into a lower minivan than a big, tall suburban. Yes, I have officially embraced being a minivan mom. One of our main concerns was having a vehicle that would do well with South Dakota winters. We finally decided on a Toyota Sienna- that has the option of all wheel drive, and the searching process began. I still think we'll have a suburban someday, but not till the kids get older.
Once again, I know the Lord has a hand in everything we do. Jeff looked around for a while without too much luck. Even newer minivans can be pretty expensive. Finally one afternoon, I decided to sit down and look online at different places. It just so happened that I came across a listing for a 2004 Toyota Sienna XLE (the deluxe version) limited edition. It had just been traded into a local car dealership. It was a one-owner vehicle that had been used as a corporate vehicle with only 65,000 miles. It was the perfect, neutral taupe gray/brown color. It had the all wheel drive, leather seats, power features, and all the great extra deluxe features like pull up shades and heated seats, etc. It had been maintained with regular maintenance, and had a perfect history. The only thing it didn't have was a DVD player, which was fine with us. Some of the vehicles have 8-passenger options, which this one didn't either, but that was also fine. The best part was that we wanted to pay under $12K for a minivan and this fit the bill perfectly. Jeff and I went to go see it the very next day and after looking it over and test driving it, we knew it was perfect! We were able to fill out all the paperwork and take it home that afternoon. It was great to be able to find a great car, and pay for it so we didn't have any car payments. The timing was perfect too- there were already other people wanting to come and see it/buy it when we took it home. It had only been at the dealership for about 2 days- the timing couldn't have been better. We were counting our blessings on this one.
It was pretty fun to pick it up, the kids were so excited and yes, I love driving the new minivan. It makes driving fun again to have such a smooth riding, nice new car. We felt blessed and were so excited to have a new car. Hopefully it will be a good car for many years to come!
