Day 600 -- The Van is Back!

I never thought I would be so happy to have my dumb van back.

Remember how I told you about all that gas leaking everywhere last week, and how it was going to cost over $1200 to fix the van?

Remember how once I told you that Rob Sharp is the bomb-dizzle

**Mental note: never use that phrase again.  Especially in front of Rob.

Well, one thing that I didn't really think about as I was contemplating that sticker shock of fixing the van's leaky gas tank was how much I would miss all of the space and convenience that the van offers.  In the Saturn, when we go anywhere as a family, it means that either Colby or I are sitting in the middle of the backseat between two kids in car seats -- this is the opposite of comfortable, if you're wondering.  Add in the fact that getting the kids in and out of the car requires the opening and closing of suicide doors, and you've a got a first class pain in the you-know-what.  Literally.  The middle of the back seat is not really a seat, so it hurts.

But, today the van is back and it's better than ever.

Thanks to Rob, the grand total of getting the van fixed was not $1200, happily.

The bill was for $260.  So, we are most definitely thankful for that.  We are thankful the van is a safe place to be.  Included in that $260 was fixing our muffler as well, so now we are grateful to have a nice quiet ride as well.

We are very thankful for all of the room we now enjoy in the van.

But, the cherry on top is that my dad surprised us by getting the van DETAILED.  I wonder what those poor suckers thought when they first got a look at the inside of this beast!  I'm sure they charged double and will now need therapy.  The inside looks brand new -- no more petrified french fries or Goldfish crackers in various states of decay.  It's beautiful!  During that detailing, my dad also had a new front bumper put on to replace the old, cracked, nearly-falling-off one that we had before.

If you are getting the impression that the van was an embarrassing, unsafe, piece of junk eyesore, you'd be dead on.

But, it doesn't matter, because now it's back and it's safe and it's quiet and it's clean.  The Sharp family is ready to roll.  I would say "in style", but I don't want to press my luck.

Thank God the van is back!

Lord, thank you for happy surprises, like things costing less than you'd expect and turning out better than you'd hoped.  Thank you for our van and for it's spiffy new condition.  Thank you for all the people who helped us get back on the road in better shape than we started.  In your name I pray, Amen.




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