What the...

Ok, so yes it has been a long time, but who cares. It happens. I've been very busy lately and honestly just don't think about spreading my brain all over a page all the time, but I do want to get back involved with this because its nice to get things out there. So anyway a brief update since last post. My car is officially gone, it was a rod knock that would have cost nearly 5 grand to rebuild the engine, and it just wasn't going to be worth it for a 10 year old car. After a lot of the car sitting in front of my house with me wondering what to do about it... Jen and I decided to really start looking for a new one. We had been talking for a good while about a Dodge Nitro, and had looked at several at the dealership I bought my Sebring from. As God would have it, we found basically the exact one we wanted for the exact price range we were looking for almost. I got to thinking and just decided it couldn't hurt but ask... so I mentioned my old car and talked about trade-in value. They said they wanted to see the car and such before they could make a decision and I said well I can't drive it here and I can't afford to tow it out here and possibly have to tow it back. So they thought about it and ran some numbers... came back and said we will give you $500 for it without seeing it and tow it at our expense and if its worth more we will cut you a check. I said deal, because honestly it needed to go. So we went forward with the Nitro purchase. Let me just say, Jen and I both LOVE this car. It's exactly what we wanted and it just was perfect timing for us. I'm a bit nervous because for the first time in my life I will have a car payment, but I know we'll be able to make it work. So there's that. Also, Jen and I have begun the first steps in the In Vitro process, so prayers there please. It happened at the time my job sent me out of town, naturally, and is an incredible burden on Jen and I can't wait to be able to start helping her more. So for upcoming events, be prepared for frustration, tears, stress, and all the good stuff. On a more positive note, last night I have officially had enough and am ready to take getting into shape seriously and to work on it very hard. I do not want to bring a child in this world to a father that is unable to take care of himself. It's just time. I need to get back in step with God... I have fallen and slipped and its always hard to get back up, but luckily we have the ability as long as we have the faith.

Divine Intervention

So I recently started a devotional on my phone that was related to DEBT. I thought it was a pretty solid place to start due to the fact that I have been feeling very overwhelmed by money lately (or lack thereof). So as I'm reading all of my passages, I'm secretly thinking about my own debt in the back of my head, and I got to really thinking you know what... its not so bad. I'm 24, I own a house, 2 cars, and everything is going to be great. Enter phone call in the morning on Thursday from Jen. "Hey your car is making a really bad noise... like a grinding metally type maybe fan needing oiled sound." Well that is enough to make anyone sit and wonder what is wrong, but I cannot diagnose anything over the phone even with the oh-so-vivid description of the sound. Then she proceeded to tell me that she really felt that at any moment the car would die, and there it goes... DEAD. She had just gotten into a parking spot luckily, but the car would not start. There is a loss for words to describe what I was feeling, but I assure you that anger and worry were primary. I called my good buddy Justin who helps me out a lot with car stuff and talked to him, and we decided after work we would head out and see what the deal was. So after work, I headed home and Justin met me at my house and we rolled out to the car. I got in and it started right up, but had a TERRIBLE knocking sound and Justin looked at me and just shook his head. So we decided the best bet was going to be for us to come back the next day, tow it to a mechanic, and let them see what the deal was. So we did, and they still havn't gotten back to me, but the owner of the shop told me it did not look good. So I've spent the better part of the day working on Jen's car with Justin, and we're trying to get it up and going. Things are going well and we are just waiting on the rotors to be finished at O'Riley's and then we can put everything back together. Alas, I digress from my original intentions... talking about debt. So my theory of how not too bad off I was is out the door based on my assumptions of what made it seem like I was fine, the fact of owning two cars. But taking this to God, I realized that I am beyond rich due to the fact of the debt of mine that was erased by Jesus. So I'm going to hold my head high regardless of what comes, realize I have a great partner to walk through life with, great friends surrounding me, and a God who is merciful and amazing. So don't feel bad or feel like saying "Oh bummer, that sucks man" because I'm all right with it all at this moment, and if people start feeling bad for me it will make me want to feel bad for myself. I want to take time out to bid a farewell to a car that has been a friend and companion since I was 16. Whether the fix is easy and cheap, or not possible, this experience has opened my eyes to the realization that it is time to move on. Advice is not needed, condolences are not required, but prayers for wisdom in future choices would be much appreciated. Thanks.