Let the Good Times Roll
Five years ago, my sister gave me her Honda, thinking it wouldn’t last much longer. I had been praying that very day for a miracle, asking God to help me with a car. That evening, she came over and told me that she wanted to give me her car. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect! So, for five years I’ve been driving it. The water pump crashed and died last year, but all year, I’ve been driving it- overheating every two miles. Talk about trying your patience! It can be super stressful when you feel like you’re in a death trap.
Thankfully, my Frank O’Bannon award came in a few days ago: $1,800 that doesn’t need repayed. I’m buying a new laptop for school ($70 from Craig’s List- hey, it’s “new” to me!), a new camera (Canon t3i 18 MP body only for $255- brand new- a steal) and a new copy of the Helios 44-2 film lens- imported from the USSR. And, I bought this!
1997 Isuzu Rodeo
It sells for around $3,000-$5,000 used, but I was able to trade in my old car and knock a few hundred down. I gave the car lot guy $1,000 cash and drove it off the lot- I’m ecstatic. It drives smoother than butter and it’s a 5 speed, which I love.
Essentially, I still have 5 days left before the start of my semester, but I like to get an early start, so I’ll be ordering all of my books in the next hour and then loading up my laptop tomorrow: 5 neat folders- each class loaded with its respective syllabus, assignments, contact info & email instructions, and all of the other necessary bits. (You can never be too prepared.)
My son, “Bob-Brian”, is staying over with his little lady, Mandy Tator Tots, and I’m in the best mood I’ve been in ages.
Two-headed Monster- taken tonight in parking garage- crappy cell phone pic- Josh & I
I had just enough money left over to send a few hundred to my daughter and give $300 to my little brother to help him out. I think it’s safe to say it’s a very good time in our lives. Five days of freedom left!
Until we meet again. x
m o n o c h r o m e j u n k i e † 
That is utterly awesome. All hail the new wheels & new camera (which one is the t3i?). I’m getting a new lens at the weekend, a Nikkor AF-S 18-105mm & then in a few weeks I’ll be getting either a replacement 50mm or a 35mm which will complete my kit (although I am still torn over whether to buy a proper macro lens or just some extension tubes).
Enjoy your last few days of freedom & I hope you have a great semester.
August 20, 2014 at 9:24 am
Thanks so much! :0) It’s great to drive more than two miles without having to stop and let the car cool down- ha. You might want to consider getting a reversal ring adapter, also called a “coupling ring”. It fits onto the end of the camera and then you flip your 50 MM around backwards and attach it to the other end of the adapter. It then acts as a super macro and it’s absolutely awesome. You save about $400+ that way. I’ve done that for years. Go here and check this out: http://digital-photography-school.com/reverse-mounting-your-prime-lenses-for-affordable-macro-photography/
Let me know what you choose! :0)
August 20, 2014 at 9:28 am
Haha Could you BE ANY HAPPIER?? you look like you are at maximum capacity. One more happy thought may just cause your head to go KaBoom! Glad 4U. x
August 20, 2014 at 12:29 pm
ExACTLY! Josh and I took a country cruise last night at 4:00 a.m. (even though he had to be up for work only a few hours later). Hey, you gotta live a little! 🙂
August 20, 2014 at 2:49 pm
how very cool.
nice to hear good news 🙂
August 21, 2014 at 12:22 am
Yeah. Good to be the recipient for a change…heheh.
August 21, 2014 at 12:23 am
Yes 🙂
August 21, 2014 at 1:08 am
You and Josh look very happy and you did a great job getting some nice stuff from the award money. Good luck with school. My eldest son starts college next week and we are excited for him. He’s going to have to work his way through, but it will ultimately mean more to him when he succeeds.
August 22, 2014 at 3:05 pm
That’s right. The reward is that much greater when you trade in loads of hard work, sweat, and a bit of frustration! I have no doubt he’ll do very well. :0)
August 22, 2014 at 3:41 pm
Yay!! Congratulations! And you look so great in that “crappy” cell phone pic 😀
August 22, 2014 at 7:12 pm
Haha…thanks. 🙂
August 23, 2014 at 9:00 pm
Your happiness and hope in this post is contagious. I can literally feel it. So awesome.
August 24, 2014 at 7:33 pm
That’s what good ole money does, eh? I’m not even going to say it’s anything else this time after the year I’ve had- ha. That’s the warm, glow of an extra thousand dollars you see beaming from my eyes…haha…
August 24, 2014 at 10:22 pm