Unexpectedly Expected.

BIG news this weekend! Two major things, one from Sat, one from 30 minutes ago. So lets go back shall we...

When Jeff and I married and I moved to the US his dad gave me his '94 Achieva. Nice little car, ran great and the body was in perfect condition. There were a few issues I had with it, low seats and long heavy doors that made it hard for me to climb in and out of, but it was free and a wonderful gift. It was also the 3rd vehicle that I have owned that was a hand me down & 10+ years old.

Lately things have been going wrong with it. It started a couple months ago. I swear every time I got in this car something else would go wrong. "It's dying." I would say. First the heater core, then the battery, the glove box falling open, last month was the air conditioning..this was tuff with this heat wave we've been having. Then on Friday when leaving Michaels the steering went all wonky. Apparently the power steering line burst and the fluid was leaking.

Sigh.

It looks like all those "someday will look into getting you a more reliable car" talks were about to happen again. So Saturday after our weekly Pedro's lunch we decided to go "look" at what was on the market. We hit a row of car dealerships, looking at the used trade ins when I saw, for the first time, a Saturn Vue. I opened the door and sat inside that is when I saw this:



So most of you are probably thinking, "ya, so what" but for an arthritic like myself this was something to squeal at, which I did, quite excitedly and called out to Jeff to take a look. Most gear shifts, is that what they are called (?) are on the wheel or they have a thumb press, like my Achieva. The thumb press is hard for me and I actually have to use both hands to put the car in drive/reverse, etc. This however, has a button where the fingers are which I CAN DO WITH EASE!!! Teeheehee!

So we decided to hit a Saturn dealership to see what these Vue's where all about. Due to lack of time, I will skip ahead.... we found a 2004 Vue at a Toyota lot, test drove it...quite by accident as we were just "looking" remember and because I actually spoke to a dealer which Jeff had given me strict instructions NOT to do. But it's hard not to talk to someone, who follows you around asking questions! We then proceeded to head home and do some major, yet fast research online to see what kind of reviews this vehicle gets. To our delight it was above average in it's class, and the one we test drove, an AWD V6 is a hard vehicle to come buy. Turns out their asking price was about right, but still high for us. After much talking we decided to go back and make an offer, which I did and quite easily talked them down almost $2,000 + a full tank of gas! For the first time in my life I am the proud owner of an almost new car! Yippee! It only has 14,000 miles on it and still has the new car smell. Ha ha!

Here's my new pride and joy.





So, yes we went looking and bought a car in one day. Insane really. I am one who takes much time with big purchases. We did look around, and couldn't find any others like it. We are not second guessing our decision though. It's hard to find a completely Danea Friendly car. So far everything from turning the key (often a deal breaker) to comfy seats, shifting and door handles works for this crazy little cripple! I'm ecstatic! I'm excited! Uh, yes I just called myself a cripple. Happens often, get over it. But today's news, although also exciting, kind of bums me out. Read on...

I just spoke with the surgery scheduling department, and what may have been sometime in the next few months is on Wed morning, due to someone making a cancellation! What am I speaking of? My right wrist fusion and index/middle finger joint replacements. All at once! This is the BIG one. I have had my left wrist fused and with 15+ surgeries under my belt, the wrist fusion was the only one where the pain was unbearable. Not even the morphine gave relief. In comparison to the Advil that was all I took for marches joint replacements...LOL. That should help you gauge the pain ratio there! Am I scared, yup a wee bit, but just of the pain. Plus, it's my write hand so I really won't be creating for the next couple months...ugh! And, if you haven't put two + two together yet, it also means that I won't be driving my new purchase either! Instead I'll just glance out the window longingly, and maybe go sit in the air conditioning but that will be the extent of enjoyment.

So now i must bust my butt and get the spare room cleaned as my mommy is coming on Thursday to help me out for a week. :)

But I want to leave you with a funny story...my surgeon cracks me up, I have mentioned his humor in past posts. Well as he was examining my wrists he says

"I'm going to be quite forward so hopefully you won't take offense"..

"Uh, ok?"

"Does your jaw give you any pain?"

"Noooo?" Confused as to why that would offend me.

"Well there is this procedure. IT'S NOT COSMETIC so there are NO IMPLANTS. They slice and bring your jaw forward. I notice that you have a week chin and this procedure can help give you a stronger jaw line."

Trying not to laugh and giving him a curled mouth, gee thanks buddy look I replied,
"I've already had it done! Yup, looks like I need the implants" LOL

Now if you know me, you already know how I think about, almost daily, having a chin implant. It's my biggest insecurity. It's also no secret and I will have it done when I can convince DH to put it on the priority list.. Haha. So this whole conversation made me laugh, and made the Doc a bit embarrassed when I told him all this, how I think about it daily and all. He shyly turned to his computer saying " and there I go pokin' the wound with a big stick."..I about died laughing.

Good times.
Good times.