Vehicles!

Last week was a pretty "interesting" week. On Tuesday evening I decided that I just did not want to cook (or do anything for that matter). I asked John & Betty if they would like to join us at MiCasita, a local Mexican restaurant chain, and they agreed to join us for the outing. Now, we don't all fit in my van anymore, which is the only vehicle with a car seat for Lucy in it (the middle seat in the 3rd row is rendered useless because the boys seats overhang so much). So, Betty & I and all the kids headed to the restaurant in my van. John was going to follow shortly after in another vehicle, as he was getting cleaned up from mowing lawns. The restaurant is only about 5 or 6 miles from our house -- a straight shot down a busy four lane road. We were about 2/3rds way there when I suddenly lost the ability to accelerate. All the lights stayed on and the engine seemed to keep running, but I just couldn't go anymore. I panicked for a moment and then things started working again. I decided to keep driving, as we were most of the way to the restaurant at this point. As I was waiting at the light to turn left into the restaurant parking light, it happened again. And this time it did not resolve itself. I was able to get it to coast at about 5 MPH across the road and into the parking lot. And once I turned it off, it would not turn on again. We decided to go in and feed the hungry kids and worry about the van when we're done (well, I worried about the van and everyone else enjoyed dinner). We called John & asked him to bring their Suburban, so that we had a working vehicle we'd all fit in (but we'd have to move those stinking car seats, which is no fun). Thank goodness we weren't all in my van, else we would have had to figure out how to get one of us home to get the truck!



When we came out, we were able to jump it and get it to, again, coast but it would do nothing more than that. John tried to drive it a bit, but then it died for good. The auto shop, which I was -- ironically -- going to take the van to the next day for some routine maintenance, was just down the road. This is where I have to say -- I LOVE AAA!!! They towed the van (fairly promptly) down to the auto shop -- in fact, they let me leave the vehicle in John's care so that I could take the kids home and get them ready for bed. I will NEVER go without a AAA membership again!

Now, I'm not a car person, so no one start asking me to explain anything technical. All I know is that they had to do something to the alternator and the battery needed replaced. All is in working order now. I am just so grateful that this happened last week and not this week. I'm leaving for Ohio on Wednesday. I cringe to think what would have happened if the van had broken down on I-77 in West Virginia!