road to hell and back

well....i thought I would give this blog entry a spicy title because i recently rated my blog on a website and it received a "G" rating....I figure if I put hell in this entry that it will make it edgy enough to at least get a PG, right?

Anyway, these last six weeks have been pretty hard on the kluge household. The wreck we had in may has sort of triggered a series of bad luck.

The guy who ran into us, first of all, gave us completely bogus info, and obviously didn't have insurance, and....the list goes on. Basically we are getting no money for that tragic occurance, and seeing that our choices are to pay $3800 on a car that is worth about $2000, or buy a new car which we don't have money for....we will be driving a piece for the remainder of steve's academic career. As I said before, Steve put the bumper back on, and it actually does look a lot better...but if you didn't know that it at once time looked worse, you would think it looks pretty bad.

So, I took my car in for a routine oil change, and needed to get new brake pads. Not too big a deal...$152.

The Friday night after this my service engine soon light comes on. We refrain from driving the escort for the remainder of the weekend, and I take it to the shop on Monday and they scan it, and it says that my variable retard blah blah blah is not working properly. It could cost as much as $400 just for the part that needs to be replaced...but, luckily enough I was told that it isn't an immediate emergency. My performance and gas mileage will be down until it is fixed, but it shouldn't actually do engine damage, or stop on me or anything like that.

Talk to Steve, and we decide to get it fixed in the next few weeks. Put off calling for a few days to set something up. Not driving much anyway since I am off work.

Saturday...Help Jay move. On the way back home, we are driving steve's car, and we get a flat tire. Have to replace all four tires on the wreck--$238.

Monday-go out to my car to go to the grocery store and the bank, and it won't start. Steve can't get it to start either. Must call tow truck to haul it away to the mechanic. Find out that the timing belt broke,....$250. Could be engine damage, and won't know until timing belt is fixed.

Luckily, no engine damage, and with a tune up the variable blah blah blah began working again. But needed new fuel pump. tune up and fuel pump and tow--$200 more dollars.

July 4th--driving home from the Logans'--in Steve's car--about five weeks since the last time we drove away from their house and had the wreck.....dash board lights, and tail lights go out. Drove home slowly with emergency lights on so that people could see us...broken fuse...fixed ourselves the next day. $3

It has been a long five weeks...the stress only compounded by the fact that Steve started school this week and is no longer working full time, and we owe over $2000 in tution for the summer and fall. We are lucky that we have a little emergency savings, and that my parents have helped us out a bit...blessed for so many reasons really...

We really couldn't believe it as each new thing happened. I think we are good to go for awhile...praying God's protection over us each day as we step out into the car and onto the road....We are living the poor life for awhile....but I thrive on tearing away the layers of unneccessity, and living simply (I would say the simple life, but that has a whole new meaning these days). I view it as a challenge. May become a bit more challenging in the fall when I am working at least forty hours a week, and have no desire to come home and prepare dinner...as well as cooking all the time--the weekends when we used to go out most of the time. Steve will be working weekends(really not much different than before..it will just be later on saturdays) now, and I am actually looking forward to the idea of teaching some lessons perhaps on saturdays, and doing some thing with the music to earn a little side cash. It's really pretty easy money.

Maybe I can't buy clothes every weekend, or fancy new things for the house, but in a couple of years we will be better off than we are now, and will be happy for the sacrifices.

We still have money in the bank....and a cup full of change on the counter, and no debt on credit cards, or anything else...except a little pre-marriage school loan debt....and they say if that is true that you are richer than 92% of the world...how can one complain with those statistics in front of you!

not to mention all the love that surrounds me in this world. I am one truly blessed sweet t.