Every single day, we make a choice. We can let life get the best of us and be stressed, or we can appreciate what we have and make the best of things. More often than not, I let myself get stressed beyond recognition and wear myself thin. Over the past week, I let life wear me thin to the breaking point until I was reminded that things aren't so bad.
Last week, the a/c and heater in my Highlander just stopped working. The worst feeling in the world for me is when I feel like I've failed my son. When he had to tell me that he was cold last week on the drive home, I wanted to cry. On top of that my low tire pressure light was on, so my car was irritating me to say the least. On Friday morning, James took my car in to be looked at while I took his truck to work. Cullen could not have been happier about the arrangement.
He had his blankets and doggie pillow, AND he was riding in Daddy's truck! We got caught in some really bad traffic, but it didn't dampen his spirits a bit. He was just happy about being in a big truck. I felt awful that James was stuck in my car with no a/c, but I was so thankful that he is such an awesome husband and dad. He didn't want us driving around in a car that we had questions about.
Friday night, we found out that my car was in need of a litany of repairs. As James listed off the wrongs my car was committing, I was freaking out. The total wasn't an amount we had on hand since I've just finished Christmas shopping, and we have our recently increased HOA dues coming up at the end of the month.
We picked up my car on the way to James' company Christmas party with the intentions of dropping it off with a family friend who owns a car repair place. We knew we could get a better deal, and they would help us out where needed. While I waited for them to pull my car around, James said something he may have come to regret. "Why don't we just get you a new car?"
So I called a lady I work with over at Fred Haas and told her what I'd like and how I don't really want a new one since spending that much money on a car makes me want to puke. And then the owner's wife turned in her demo later that morning with the exact specifications I had asked for. With even lower mileage, but they were still willing to sell it to me for the used invoice price. And then we somehow got the car below invoice.
Cullen was a trooper through the whole process. He played with my wallet, he colored a wedding invitation, he made animal noises, and he threw a tantrum in the parking lot when we left "Mommy's car."
We were there as a "family" member of the lady I work with, and we were treated incredibly well. I realize we got some special treatment because of it, but I would still recommend that anyone should look at Fred Haas for their next car. It was a great experience.
All of that to say, I have a new Sequoia. It is beautiful. It is big. It is my Christmas present (and probably a birthday). Cullen now loves riding in "Mommy's Big Car," and he's going to love it even more when he finds out we have a DVD player. I love that I have leather seats. I love that they are heated. I love that my side mirrors have their own defrosters. I find it hilarious that it barely fits in the garage and will only be there in emergency situations like hail and bad storms. I am a lucky girl.
Photos to follow maybe next week. If I am ever actually home during day light.
In more important news, Cullen has become quite the vocalist. He sings along to just about anything. He breaks out into song even when you don't expect it. We were making gingerbread cookies the other day, and he was helping me stamp out the stars. When I asked him what shape it was, he told me it was a star and started singing. He knew every single word to "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." James taught him "Jingle Bells." Last night, during the drive home, we listened to "Valerie" by Amy Winehouse on repeat. Cullen apparently loves that song, and he knows most of the words. See below for video examples of his vocal prowess. Such a verve for life. :)
Last night, Cullen insisted on eating his dinner (an entire box of mac and cheese, an apple, AND a banana) while wearing his jacket. I pulled out this precious hand-me-down from his cousin this morning to find out that his only other jacket doesn't fit. I guess I need to do laundry tonight. Because I'm a good mom, I sent him to school in this one, because the sleeves aren't THAT short, and his shirt covered the gap between the bottom of the jacket and his jeans. I just love this picture, because it reminds me of the Gorton Fisherman.
Tonight we have a fun Christmas party and prep work for a Christmas cake contest I entered. I'm interested to see how my cake stands up to the competition.
xoxo ashley
No comments:
Post a Comment