Saturday, June 4, 2011

Rites of Passage & Amazing Coverage

Hello!
This week has been full of fun rites of passage for my daughter Calli. And some not so fun adult responsibilities.
First... Calli turned 9 last month. And her brother gave her money to go get her ears pierced - with a card that said, "I'll be right there to hold you hand, as tight as you need!"
Well she got them pierced on wednesday!! woohoo!! (VERY BIG deal to a girly girl!)
Today, we enjoyed one of her other birthday gifts. Her grama gave her a certificate to go horseback riding for the first time. (lol her birthday wish list read more like a bucket list!)
And... the only stables around, require that a parent accompany any child on the ride.
So guess who got to go? :D
**Let me just say here... that i got off that hour and a half ride feeling a heck of a lot older than i actually am!! LOL I knew my tush would be a hurtin! But ohhhh my knees! Streaking pain! Not quite sure why they hurt so bad?? The last time I rode for 2 hours and my knees were never an issue. But today... toooodayyy was a different story!! hahaha!**
Anyway, it was a wonderful ride, through one of the local state parks at the base of the gorgeous summer mountains! Calli's first time on a horse, and Bailey's too! (and of course the 14 year old tougher than nails "stud" says his butt doesn't hurt one bit! Aaahhh to be 14 again! :)
Mine and Calli's do tho! LOL)
My mom was recouperating quickly from her surgery, and then ran into a snag. Back to the doctor's we went yesterday, with the possibility of them squeezing her into the early morning surgery line up. Praise God, they didn't have to!
On the way home from the surgery center, my car decided to act up. We pulled into my mom's house, her with her car door open... finishing up saying good bye, and my car starts dinging like crazy. Oil light. Turn it off, and we heard the weirdest sound! Gurgling, sounded like serious boiling. Opened the hood, and sure enough, it was BOILING like mad! Spilling coolant everywhere, and it looked like it was almost empty!
----> woman who knows nothing about cars <----
calls husband. can't get ahold of husband.
thinking i should just add water to the radiator? that's not so hard, right??
calls close family friend (it's 8:30am) should i just add water? or should i walk to the convenience store and get coolant??
friend says, how far out are you? (by the grace of God i was at my mom's only about 5 miles away) He says, i'll come on over. I feel bad for pulling him away from his breakfast, and say just tell me what i should do, i'm perfectly capable :)
LOL no!... he says .. don't touch anything. I'll be there in a few!
---->really folks - I am NOT THAT inept!! <---
But God had me covered!! In his perfect grace!!! I am soooo thankful He was watchin over me!
There was a reason it just "happened to happen" at my moms... and not 20 miles away on the busy highway! Or on the way back! And there was a reason I wasn't supposed to get ahold of my husband. (who also knows nothing about cars lol) And there was a reason He had Al come take a look. Someone that DOES know about cars!
Had I driven even two more miles... even after adding water... I would have cracked a head.
---> this woman DOES know what that means! <---
Funny thing is... now don't shake your finger at me... had i not sat there for those 2 minutes, I would have been halfway home. And had it dinged at me then... i would have just finished driving the last 3 miles to home! I thought it was an oil light. And i had JUST put oil in it a week ago, when that same light had come on. So i WOULD have driven those 3 miles.
And God knew that.
ugh.
No, Brenis. That was not an oil light. That was a temperature light.
I was paying such close attention, can't you tell?
Turns out my thermostat was broken. Therefore not opening to let the coolant into the engine. Engine was bone dry and hotter than steaming hot. So no amount of water or coolant would have done any good - cuz it wasn't getting to where it was supposed to go!
Alan was an absolute ANGEL. He figured that out. And fixed it right there in the parking lot. Replaced the part, retested it, gave me a humongous bear hug and patted me on my way!
Oh man, i was sooo thankful!!
Praising God over and over!!
And realizing that today we were going to be traveling on e-470 to the foothills, which would have been disasterous!! Had we not caught it yesterday morning- it would have broken on the way home, and IF by the grace of God, it hadn't, the kids and I would have been stranded on the freeway- with a broken head no less and a $3,000 bill!
Can you say PROTECTION??
OK... sorry to be so long winded - but one little "add on" to this story.
Everything's good. Right?
So... I went out last night to drop Bailey off at bible study, and buy Alan a nice bottle of tequila (his favorite) as a thank you, since he wouldn't let me pay him.
Bible study, 1.5 miles from home. Liquor store another 1.5 miles. Came home (3 miles) told the girls to pack up their stuff and I would take Calli's friend home. Then went to Alan's ( 1/4 mile) to drop off tequila. Back home (1/4 mile) and sat waiting for girls for... oh... 3 minutes.. with car running, then ran her to her house - literally 7 houses away, and back home. So that's what? 6 1/2 miles total?
Turned off the car.
Guess what I hear??
MORE BOILING
Open the hood - and the FULL TO THE BRIM tank of coolant is down under minimum and boiling like a son of a gun. Again. :(
All in 6.5 miles??
And thinking all was good - i would have driven it today to the resevoir. On that honkin highway. 30 miles away.
Had i not gone out to get that thank you gift for Alan, last night (and almost put off to do today), i never would have known, and would have been in a heap of trouble!
OH man. The Lord's hand of protection was sure on me yesterday!!!
No ifs ands or butts. (even sore horsey butts! lol)
My mother in law loaned us her car this morning, and we took the van to Al.
It's some sort of fan switch, or fan issue, he thinks. Something he can't determine without a scan or just replace all those parts, which would be stupid. So off to the shop it goes tomorrow!
All I can say is, PRAISE GOD!!!! PRAISE GOD!!!
Sooooo many chances. Soooo many variables. Soooo much protection!!!
I feel soooo incredibly loved and protected!!
Isn't He AMAZING??!!
:D
Bright blessings to you friends!
xo
Bren - who will be walking like a cowgirl for the next day or two! :D

7 comments:

Sassafras and Winterberry said...

I am so glad to hear about Calli's great birthday! She's obviously feeling so much better! And new pierced ears--so special. I like horseback riding, but you do get sore afterwards! That's amazing about the car. Mine overheated the other day...long story and longer wait for AAA, but in the end, my poor car passed away. But, I, too, was lucky it didn't happen on some isolated road or the highway. And I'm also trusting that a new (or good pre-owned) car will manifest real soon!
Hope your Mom feels better!
Courtney

Jacque. said...

God is truly AMAZING! Talk with you soon.

Kathy (woolfind) said...

Praise, Praise, for sure Bren! I just love it when others realize it. Usually you hear, that was luck. When you know you are being taken care of, you recognize it more. Love the story and so glad it all happened the way it was supposed too.
Glad your daughter is using her gift cards and STILL enjoying her Birthday :)

Rugs and Pugs said...

Bren ~
Happy birthday to Calli! What unique presents - what fun!
I haven't been on a horse in 40+ years and each summer I say I want to go riding. Maybe this will be the year.
So glad all is well with your mom and the car troubles weren't catastrophic.
Hugs :)
Lauren

Joanne said...

Hey Cowgirl -hope today brings you and Calli some relief! What a wonderful birthday present for her - ears pierced - what a great brother! And horseback riding (and too funny about the bucket list!)

Oh I can relate right there with you about the car troubles - past 6 months things like that have been happening to me and I keep thinking if it had been 5 earlier or this and that - one time after telling the mechanic where i was driving and where I had been and going he said I wouldn't have been there talking with him had it happened 4 miles prior on the other road (they call it the Shore-Kill expressway for a reason ) So happy you are safe and sound!

Julia said...

Happy Birthday to Calli, I'm so glad that she had a great birthday with special gifts and that's she feeling better and that God was there with his protection.

Have a terrific week. JB

~Michelle~ said...

That whole horseback riding thing? Well, you need the muscles in your thighs to stay on those darn things, and those muscles connect to the knees. Give it 3 days, it will be better. And use Icy Hot/Bengay. :)

Been there, done that! :-D