Just not in that order.
To tell this story I need to mix things up a little and start with The Bad.
After hitting Sacrament Meeting two Sundays ago we headed back to Tony Grove, located about 25 miles up Logan Canyon, to move camp. We needed to move everything from the campsite where we had Youth Conference down the road to the campsites we would be sharing with many members of Richard's family.
We loaded up the back of Richard's truck with various camping paraphernalia, Richard turned the key in the ignition starting the engine, and headed off down the road. In the back of my mind it registered that his truck didn't sound quite right, but we were in a hurry to get stuff moved before checkout time-- mostly to avoid paying for another day on a site we weren't really using and to get to that relaxing part of camping (ha, ha) after setup is complete. After he was gone I didn't think anymore about it, until he came back for another load and that bad noise was still there. I mentioned that his truck sounded like there was a hamster running on its wheel under the hood. Richard hung his head and said, "I know. I was hoping you wouldn't notice."
Why would he hope I wouldn't notice? Well, in his words, "I knew you would worry."
Yep, worrying. It's something I do VERY well. Which brings us to The Ugly.
On Saturday, after returning home from camping, Richard tried to start his truck to go to the local nursery to find it wouldn't turn over. He tried again on Monday morning with no luck- the hamster had quit running- and the truck was towed to the shop. After a bunch of automotive terms which included serpentine belt and compressor he told me the real damage-- it was going to be $700-$800 to fix the problem. That is one ugly number and the reason why I start to worry when it sounds like a pet store has been opened under the hood of one of our vehicles.
Where is The Good in this story? From all appearances it may not seem to be there, but it is. The Good is that the truck didn't come to a halt until we made the 2 hour drive home and it was backed up to be unloaded in our driveway. The Good is that the truck happened to be parked in the perfect position to be towed away for the deal of a lifetime fee of $60 compared to the hundreds it would have cost to have it towed back to Provo from Logan Canyon. The Good comes in having a savings account to pay for necessary repairs. The Good comes from a repair shop that had it fixed and up and running faster than fast. And finally, The Good comes in the form of a completed family vacation and successful Youth Conference all without being stranded with loads of camping gear and no way to get it home.
Yes, there is definitely good in my story. There always is; once I get through the bad and the ugly I realize different facets of it every day.
12 comments:
You are a MUCH better person than me. The house we were going to move into fell through today...and we're moving in one week. I'm hoping there's a good. Maybe the house we were meant to live in is still out there. And we, too have car troubles. Both cars. The good, they both are still running. The bad, we were quoted prices we couldn't afford but hoping the cheaper option will be enough. Life is fun, right?!!
You were very blessed... that's AWESOME! :D ~ There always is some good mixed in with the bad and the ugly... isn't there? Glad you found plenty of it! :D PS I just got back from camping too (yeah!); and I decided that showers and bed's aren't terribly over rated after all~ (just a little :)!
But! Look at that adorable middle son of yours!! He makes all the pain over money go away! Right? Maybe not but he definitely is very handsome! (so are your other children but...Dallin is my favorite!)
Wow! What a pain, but as you pointed out at least it got everything home before it "died." It sounds like you had a fantastic youth conference.
I am so glad that you found the good inside the bad and ugly which was there…many people would have focused on the other aspects instead.
Good for you!
i love those pictures! GOOD for you for taking them! :) i am SO GLAD your truck didn't die until you got home. that is very very GOOD. i am the biggest worry wart too. i love it that richard hoped you didn't notice the truck! that cracks me up! what a GOOD husband you have! :)
i am so glad you made it home! I couldn't have survived another day without you! But bummer about the car repair bill!! :0( Get better soon!
You are very blessed. And I'm very impressed you have a savings account! That is something I have only in my wildest dreams. You are doubly blessed.
Blessings for sacrificing so much for youth conf. perhaps? :D
So many silver linings and rainbows if we just look for them. I'm so glad for the blessings you recieved because you're right. It could have been really really ugly!!
If ever you need a towing....I know of a pretty large rig that could do it for free next time!! :D
Ah. Savings accounts. Dave Ramsey is such a genius.
Your pictures are lovely. Your outlook even more so.
This too, shall pass. Right?
Right.
Good for you, Nat.
One morning, when I went out to the garage for some freezer stuff, I noticed that there was a tiny drop of red liquid under the front of our old van. By that afternoon, we had an $800 bill for a new transmission - our goods lined up with yours, which is why I had worked my fingers to the bone to save over the years. What terrific luck that it happened at home on the flat, though, Nat. Shockingly merciful!
Oh, Lyndee - now I have something new to worry about. You didn't say anything about this the other evening, so I'm hoping it's been resolved!
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