The Best Laid Plans...

Thursday, April 15, 2010

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray."
Isn't that how the quote goes? Sometimes I think that should be my theme song. A few other options would be:  Expect The Unexpected...or The Joke Is On You.

Eric surprised me with this 1986 Jeep Grand Wagoneer for an anniversary gift about 8 years ago, it is so cool...my dream car. Well, one of them anyway and I love it. It has not ran for several years and since we moved into this house nearly two years ago we have had it in storage. Me and the kids go out and pay our storage bill each month and we always drive by to check on it and often we park so they can get in it and play and we talk about how great it is going to be someday when we can really drive it. We recently decided that we were ready to see if it can become drivable again. Eric talked to the mechanic about looking into the possibility of fixing it and it was scheduled to be towed to the shop Wednesday morning. I was so excited about the possibility of actually being able to drive my Jeep again depending on what exactly is wrong with it and what kind of financial obligation is involved of course. This baby is old. You know where this is going, right?
So Tuesday night I left the house and literally got down the block when my car died. Totally broke down. Music went out, lights dimmed, car died. It was the alternator. Not good. So instead of having the Jeep towed to the shop yesterday morning, my car was towed instead. Four hundred dollars later I have my car back with a brand spankin'-new alternator. So the Jeep is going to have to wait a littler bit longer. I'm trying to have a sense of humor about it today but that was not the case Tuesday night. I wanted to throw a fit and cry about how unfair it is. Well, I did cry but I really wanted to throw a fit. Seriously. Then I reminded myself that I am in fact the parent here and you can't really do that in front of the kids. So I told them (and myself) that we will get it in there someday. And we might just get it running one day.
                                  But seriously now, ain't she a beauty?




11 comments:

  1. I had a friend who had one of these -- exactly like this beauty. I can see why you were heartbroken....We've always had a Jeep in the family. We gave up on one last August when it became to unsafe to drive, but we promptly went out and bought a new Liberty (which my son has now claimed for his own). If I had my druthers, I pick a cool woody like yours.

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  2. Oh I love it! I've always wanted one of them, too! Is that a Grateful Dead sticker in the window? I'm so sorry it didn't make it into the shop this week. Stuff like that is ALWAYS happening to us. Like we'll have $500 saved up for something and then something else breaks and it'll cost $500 to fix it...never fails! It's all about the life lessons and what we take from them! xo

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  3. Awww. Don't ya hate it when something old and beloved is laid to rest? And not just because it was killed. It just....died. Darn. Yep, she's beautiful. ;)
    I'm dreading the day my/our good old Procter Silex coffee maker bites the dust/ *sniff, sniff* I'll definitely be posting about that one.

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  4. p.s. I've got something for you over at my blog, whenever you stop by! ;)

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  5. Love that jeep! I've always wanted an old VW Thing or real old Land Cruiser.

    And I so know the pain of unexpected expenses. Last summer after my littlest finished pre-school, we were so excited that we were going to have an extra $1000 per month to factor into the budget. We had dreams of buying a few things, eating out more often, getting a housekeeper, and saving some money to go on a real vacation. And then our air conditioner died. Totally died. You cannot live in Texas without an air conditioner. $8000 for a new one, which is just like paying for another year of pre-school. It totally sucked. Now we're looking forward to when it's paid off and we can get to all those things on our list. I'm just crossing my fingers that something else big and expensive doesn't break!

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  6. That sucks. I hate being so stoked for something and then BAM! Blindsided.

    May the Gods of Engineering look down upon you and your baby can be up and running again soon.

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  7. My mother had one of those for a few years, and she LOVED it! I think they're such a fun looking car, so real and fantastic! Hope eventually it hits the road again.

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  8. We had one of those cars growing up! The family truckster, we used to call it. I will keep my fingers (toes too) crossed that she is up and running soon!

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  9. Is that a 1986-- it looks so old which means I'm getting ...old! It is a beauty, LOVE the wood paneling. :)

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  10. Actually it is either a 1984 or a 1986, '86 I think. It kinda makes me feel old, too! :)

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  11. That is very cool! :) My middle daughter was born in 1984...to show you how old I am! Good luck on fixing your dream beauty up!

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