Today we were planning on 'attempting' to go ice skating with the other homeschoolers at our nearby arena. However, our family is still without our van...our only transportation. I had asked my sister and she agreed, but after thinking more about it I realized how much of a hassle it was going to be on her. She would have to come get half of my family (can't all fit into her vehicle at once), drop us off, then go back to get the others and drop them off. THEN, after staying for a bit at the arena, she'd have to leave to take my hubby to work and then come back to get us. Again, we would have to split the group up while half of us got dropped off at home while the rest remained with her hubby at the arena. Nope...not a good idea. Ugh. Oh well. Another time maybe. Also, since she cannot fit us ALL into her vehicle we are unable to attend Awana's tonight for a second week in a row nor co-op tomorrow morning.  The girls and I are all upset, but not much we can do about any of it.

We will not have our van back til at least NEXT Friday, when my hubby gets paid again. Ya see..he tried to work on our van himself, as he always has. However, he found out quickly that he couldn't do some of it and also that he is not as young as he used to be. He hurt his back while attempting this job. Oh, he's fine now, but thankful he doesn't have to do the work now. The bad thing is the cost. At the shop, the original cost was estimated at around $400, but then we found out it was something else wrong. Then it went well over $500. Next, we received a call from the shop about something else...then it was another $300 tacked onto that previous amount. Then ANOTHER call! This time they told us that the wire that had been broken off of the spark plugs couldn't be ordered singally...it had to be ordered as a pack, which was $135! By this point I was expressing to the shop how ridiculous the cost was getting and that my hubby would be calling to talk more to them about it the next day before he went to work. He called the following day and got the cost of the wires down to $100..no lower. This of course was including labor. But for wires!!! Geesh. THEN...yep, another phone call. They told us that the battery was now dead because it had been hooked up and no alternator running to keep it from completely draining all power.   So now, our cost is over $900. Luckily hubby has some overtime on his next check, extra pay from training a new guy, and back pay for their raise which just got put in their new union contract. Talk about God providing in just the right time! Otherwise, we'd be stuck without a van for much longer. I am still hoping we'll be able to pay some of our bills out of that check, else we will get behind...which I can't stand. Oh well. We'll see next Friday. Til then, we won't be going much of anywhere....at least not as a family.

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