Jonah Days

Ever have one of those days where in order to escape the storm, you jump in an ocean of sharks and whales and octopus and jellyfish and other big fish...only to be swallowed by one of those said "big fish" and then later spit back up on dry land? Then you have to walk through the desert to a town of really mean people to talk some sense into them? Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah...aren't those the days?!!?

Though we have had it much better than this Old Testament prophet, we have felt some "Jonah Days" in regards to our vehicles.

When we first moved here, we knew we would have to get the truck's transmission rebuilt. We held off as long as we could, but then one day we had to take the truck to a mechanic. After it was fixed, we happily drove it until the transmission messed up again---about 6 months and one day later. One day past the warranty.

yeah.

The mechanic was great and never charged us again for working on the truck...however we really had the truck only about 4 days out of 3 + months it was worked on. We got the truck back around the first week of June, left for the beach in the van, returned to Dana driving his truck around blissfully for about two weeks when his transmission goes AGAIN. We decided to take the truck to a different mechanic, getting it back just a day before we leave for a quick visit to our old home.

Kids, suitcases, snacks, movies, tv, etc... were all loaded in the van...and then, the van wouldn't start. After working on the starter, Dana figured it must be the battery, so we charge it and !!! are able to head out. We travelled quickly and well until we get across the Mississippi River and a huge truck that has to merge in our lane merges without seeing us. Dana slams on the brakes, swerves to the teensy shoulder, then gets back on the road. He heard a loud popand we are wondering and listening for other strange noises, thinking the pop was a tire, but we are not wobbling or thulumping down the hwy...and we are soon going to exit for a gas, potty and food break. After we all come out of the gas station, ask someone to jump start our van(yes...it died again!), Dana notices that it is hard to get the van moving...as if the emergency break is on. We are directed one way and then another and finally find someone to help us. We are afraid that we will have to stay overnight in Memphis, but fortunately (and thankfully), the mechanic there said that when we hit our brakes so hard, it locked the rear breaks up. Just a turn of a screwdriver and we were on our way again. Whew!!! Over the weekend we still had issues with our batteries (charging one battery while using the other), but we have made it home and are still holding our breath whenever we need to use the van.

Since the van dies while not in use, we are working at figuring out what could be draining it. We aren't moping under a dead tree right now (like Jonah did) but we are laughing around a crazy---sometimes dead, sometimes working fine---van.