The car needs HOW much work done to it?

Armed with full bellies, and riding high on my interview hopes (and armed with lots of cash) we headed to Columbus to sign our lease and make other arrangements for the move.
Before we left town, we decided to get the oil changed. I'm a firm believer in changing oil and fluids either every three months or 3000 miles...and I had passed the 3k mile mark the week before. (While I commuted back and forth to/from Columbus, I put almost 1300 miles on my car..a WEEK!) while we were getting it changed, one of the guys working on the car asked me if I knew I had an oil leak. I told that yes, I knew and that I had taken the car to three mechanics and two Ford dealerships and NO ONE could pinpoint where the leak was. Mark (the oil guy who is also a mechanic) told me that he thought it was a leaky valve cover, and that the oil was leaking out and running down the exhaust pipe. Then he told me that it would most likely cost $600-800 to have it LOOKED at, and to have the leak fixed (provided someone managed to FIND it!) it could be double that.

Bleh. Sorry, I'm NOT spending $1600 to fix a leak on a car that blue books at not quite double that amount. Nope. Noway. Nuh-uh.


We picked out furniture for the living room and master bedroom, called the utility companies to have things switched over, and mapped out the new apartment. I think we might have a problem getting the living room suit, the dinette set and my office in one room, but I don't think we'll be staying in that apartment for long anyway. Which leads me into...

WHEN will the townhome be available again?

The apartment is nice enough, but it's just over 1000 square feet...which isn't a whole lotta room for three people, two home businesses and a music studio. The townhome is 2400 square feet, three stories, has a garage and a full basement. But there won't be any available til August, and since we can't wait that long to move, we'll have to make do with the apartment for now. At least it has two bathrooms...but the townhouse has 2.5. It also has a price tag of almost $850 a month...which is a whole lot of money, and kinda scary. But, we'll see.

Moving on...

I made an Outback waiter VERY happy!

We left the apartment (I took some measurements for drapes and walked off Taylor's bedroom so I could tell her how much of her stuff she could bring) and wandered around town for a while. Soon we became hungry and decided to get dinner before we headed back to WV. We looked at several restaurants, then decided on the Outback, cuz we hadn't been there for a while and I had a hankering for a big 'ol steak.

So we go to the Outback, and after being seated in three different places (first the patio, but then the weather turned chilly and windy, then in the nonsmoking section (which wouldn't have bothered me too much, but was making my chain smoking husband crazy) the finally at a table in the smoking section), we ordered, got and ate our food. We left the money for the check and tip on the table and left.

When we stopped to get gas, I noticed that I was missing $50. My best guess is that I mistook a $50 for a $5.

UUUGGGGHHHHHH! I HAD JUST GIVEN A WAITER A $60 TIP! Even *I'm* not that generous! So, I'm kicking myself and screaming that I'm an idiot and shouldn't touch money, cuz when I do something invariably goes wrong. Meanwhile, we're driving home in the thunderstorm that drove us from the patio inside at the Outback. Lou hasn't said much during all this, guess he figured there was nothing he could say to make me feel worse than I already felt. When I finally stopped raging, Lou quietly said, "Look honey, it was a boneheaded thing to do, but in the scheme of things, it's not that big a deal. Maybe he was meant to have that extra fifty. Maybe he needed it more than we did."

"So, youre thinking this was just my way of paying it forward? I mean, the money was pretty much a gift from the state...and this might have been my way of giving back?"

"Stranger things have happened, and I've never known you to make a mistake like that with money."

I shrugged and thought about it. Maybe Lou was right. Maybe it did happen for a reason.

"Okay, so maybe your right...but a sign would be nice." I said, more to myself than Lou.

For the second time that day, I didn't have to wait very long.

The other end of the rainbow.

The rain had started to subside, and we could see sunlight looming ahead. As we drove over a rise in the road, we saw part of a rainbow.

"Wow, that's one of the birghtest rainbows I've ever seen," Lou said.

"Yeah, it's gourgeous." I said. I really wasn't paying much attention to it, I was still consumed with losing $50 that I could have used for many other things.

"Uh, honey?" Lou said, his voice registering a level of awe I hadn't heard since we saw Pink Floyd.

"What?" I asked scanning the highway for a sign of what caused his awe.

"Look...dead ahead."

"Oh My. GOD."

The rainbow we had been following was now fuly formed...and in full color. It was absolutely BEUATIFUL! I've always been in wonder of rainbows, and I am more than aware of their significance. But this rainbow was even more of a wonder for me because I could see BOTH ends of the rainbow as it spanned the sky.

"This is the first time I have EVER seen a rainbow's full span. That is absolutely incredible," I said, by now the awe in my voice surpassed Lou's.

"You wanted a sign," Lou said. "I think you just got it."

Amen to that.

Okay, that's it for now...the rest I will fill you in on either later today, or when I get home from the interview tomorrow. Oh, and if you leave comments, I will reply to you in the comments box..so check there when you get a chance.

Wish me luck tomorrow!




- posted by Kim @ 11:06 AM