The making of four fathers (a rather lengthy story)

I was going to give this story the title, "How we went from two cars to one car to no cars to a borrowed car to one car to two cars in two months," but this title is much more fitting.  Either way, here is the longer version of our story.

Many years ago I was an English teacher in Utah.  My internship year immediately followed my senior year at BYU.  With a half hour commute into nearly rural Utah, I necessarily acquired a car and a cell phone for convenience and as safety precautions.  The Dodge Stratus was dubbed "003" since it looked like it had been a secret agent car in its former life.  (It was purchased at a government auction.)  The car has always run smoothly, and I really haven't had any big problems with it.  It became "our" car when Daniel and I married, and we planned on having just that car until we had to get something else.

When we moved to Texas, one of Daniel's acquaintances was moving to Japan and wanted to get rid of his old car (a '93 Honda Civic).  We didn't push the offer since we weren't eager to pay more insurance and extra gas.  However, he gave us an amazing offer and we found out that the insurance wouldn't be too much more than what we would already be paying.  We felt very, very blessed to have two cars--one for Daniel to drive to work and one for me to go wherever I needed or wanted while he was gone.

The car situation was pretty awesome, and we saved what would be our car payment each month towards some day when we would need to purchase a car.

Fast forward a couple of years. 

In the more cosmopolitan parts of Texas, each year the law requires that vehicles pass a safety and emissions test to be legally driven.  We hadn't had the oil changed in either car for a while, and the Stratus started making strange noises.  We took it in and the lube shop declared that we would need a new engine, which is not cheap.  We took it to other places and Daniel tinkered with it, but things did not look good for my beloved 003.

My parents have been planning on buying a new car this upcoming summer.  They wanted to trade in the minivan that they had inherited from my grandfather when he passed away.  My being privy to this information, I decided to ask if they would be willing to sell the minivan to us.  They were!  The one issue was that we didn't know when (and exactly how) to transport our new transportation from Arizona to Texas, since I was in the third trimester of pregnancy.  We decided to make the transfer around the time that Nancy came, my dad so kindly willing to drive the minivan out himself.

 

my Dodge Stratus, 003, and the Civic in the back

 

So, February 1st of this year, since registration on the car expired on January 31st, we sold the Stratus, 003.  The morning of the deal, I told Seth that we were driving the car to sell it to someone, he went and pulled his Lightning McQueen magnet from the fridge and said he wanted to sell his car.  Fortunately for McQueen, Seth changed his mind while at the buyer's desk.  :)

{Sidenote:  We probably would have just settled with one car if it had been the more reliable one, but since the 17-year-old car that we would NOT feel comfortable driving on trips was the one that was working, we felt we should go ahead and replace the more reliable vehicle.  Sometimes life has little ironies.}

Down to one car.

February was the magic month of our annual safety and emissions test for both cars.  Well, now only one car.  Daniel took the Civic in, and it failed.  Last year it had had problems, and the testing station had tried some fuel injection cleaner that worked like a charm.  They tried it again this year, and the car still failed.  We had two weeks to fix the problem and pass so that we could legally continue to drive the car.

Daniel changed the oil.

Daniel changed the fuel filter.

Daniel changed the spark plugs.

Daniel gave the car better fuel for a tank or two.

We still failed.  The station recommended that Daniel change the catalytic converter.  Since the two-week time limit passed before Nancy and our minivan came, we were car-less.  Daniel's parents kindly lent us their 15-passenger van.  It actually felt kind of cool to be driving the huge van around while being nine-months pregnant.  My hugeness was in a way validated. 

No cars to a borrowed car.

We drove the borrowed car to the hospital when we had Nancy.  By then my mom had come, bringing her own wheels, and kindly chauffeured us to lots of places.  Also, my dad drove the minivan down from Arizona the day Nancy was born.  The days after we returned from the hospital, we did the purchase and the paperwork, and became the proud owners of a minivan!  (And returned the van to the Wildings.)

Back up to one car!

While my dad was here, he helped Daniel tackle the catalytic converter in the Civic.  They had to completely jack up the car, and it took a few hours to get the part off, then to put the new part on.  They, relieved and anxious, quickly drove the car to the testing station, and it failed.  So disheartening!

 

 

Over the weekend, my dad had the idea of checking the oxygen sensor.  So, Monday morning they checked the engine computer and the oxygen sensor, and it was indeed faulty!  They ran out a bought a new part and tool, only to come back and have the part break into itself.

The next weekend Daniel and HIS dad spent several hours here removing the part that the tool had fallen into, and replacing the oxygen sensor.  During the week Daniel had most gratefully been driving the minivan to work and to wherever else we needed to go.  They finished the project late enough in the evening that  testing would have to wait until the next week.

 

 

Monday morning Daniel drove the car to the testing station and right back home again, stating that he saw smoke coming from the oil tank.  After his half-day at work he changed the oil, and drove the car to get it checked.  This time--yes, THIS time (#6, actually)--it passed.  True story.

Back up to two cars.  All within two months.  And not just two cars.  One of those cars has clean oil, a new fuel filter, new spark plugs, no check engine light, a new catalytic converter, AND a new oxygen sensor.  We don't anticipate failing the emissions test next year...

Now, why do I title this lengthy story, "The making of four fathers"?  The first reason is probably evident:  1.  Daniel knows cars so much better now than two months ago.  Not only has he used and developed skills to help and serve his family, but he also has built so much confidence in himself.

The next two reasons also make sense, most likely:  2. and 3.  Daniel spent several hours with both my and his dad--hours that they talked cars and other things, hours that were spent working together with a common goal, hours that they spent being men, the rabbit-hunters and the protectors.  Such hours benefit and build both sides: fathers and son.  I feel immeasurably blessed to have such fathers and role models in our lives.  Indeed, I have learned much about my Heavenly Father from my relationship with my own dear father.

The last reason may not be as obvious:  4. Seth, as a future father, was, in a way, built.  One morning when Dad and Daniel were out working on the car, Seth was running crazy around the house.  He had just become a big brother, and didn't know how to share attentions.  He kept doing things that he knew would grab our attention (as in, things he knows he is NOT supposed to do).  The dads came in and declared that they would need to go to the store.  Someone recommended that Seth join the party.  He went to Auto Zone with them, and even got to hang around the car when they got home.  The difference in his behavior, before and after "helping" with the car was night and day.  He was so entirely pleasant after "fixing" the car.  Fortunately for everyone, he helped Daddy fix the car on other occasions as well.  This kid is happiest when he's helping Daddy, especially if it's something that involves tools.

 

 

Thus the story of vehicles:  Two - one - none - borrowed - one - two, all in two months.  And vehicles for becoming.