Monday Listicles - First-timer

Here is my first run at the Monday Listicles.  I read them regularly from my up-up-line Wendy Coffman at Stamping Rules and they are always so wonderful and full of love, joy and just every day stuff with her three boys, hubby and their adventures!  Be sure to check out her list this week also!!  She makes me laugh AND feel human!  She also has a contest running you can enter for some FREE Close To My Heart products.....!!  Check it out...

This week's Listicles are about 'cars' and oh boy do I have stories about car(s)...  so here goes:

#1 - My main commute vehicle is a green 98 Chevy Blazer and just turned over 300,000 miles, MAMA NEEDS A NEW CAR!  Thank goodness

#2 - She's been paid off for a long time now....  Did I tell you that our primary vehicle has 300,000 miles on it, so is well worn in and almost (really!) ALMOST knows the way to work and home again by heart!  Thank goodness!!

#3 - She carries me every where I need to go...  and only has broken down once!  The injectors went bad while hauling two horses for my daughter to/from a riding/jumping lesson.  We sat on the side of the road for about 1-1/2 hours until I FINALLY got the boyfriend on the phone and he came and got the horses (in the trailer) while I rode in the tow truck to the repair shop.  We were sitting on a windy, narrow country road and it's still amazing we were not hit and that my sweet daughter kept her crazy thoroughbred, Denali calm during all of this!!  The morgan, Hott Shot really didn't much care...  Thank goodness!!

#4 - The reason Mama doesn't have a new ride is cause she just towed (yet AGAIN) the Big Black Beast ('03 Dodge Cummins 4WD) away from the auto dealer service department not having enough $ to fix it!  (no thank goodness for #4)

#5 - We only have 8 or 9 (I'm afraid to look) payments left on the Dodge we bought used!  Thank goodness

#6 - We now have a 2nd mortgage on the Big Black Beast for parts, repair (NOT!) bills and towing to break it out of jail at the service department of the local dealership!  Thank goodness!!

#7 - We are thankful for a very close, wonderful (albeit extremely busy) mechanical friend who can rebuild just about anything that has a motor!  Thank goodness!

#8 - Husband is (I hope) running out of curse words when it comes to anything vehicular...  Thank goodness!  This is after the lawn mower broke first, got rebuilt twice and still doesn't run - hired a landscaper to mow for him (he has a heart issue, so this was a double benefit!).  Second was my Harley motorcycle when he went to go change the oil and stripped the plug in the oil pan - had to replace, thank you very much!  (NOT!)  And third, the Big Black Beast - which the dealer 'fixed' NOT! earlier this year by replacing a fuel pump that did NOT need replacing...  and now same problem, different day - I'm sorry but ALL of you injectors (I'm seeing a theme here!) are bad and you have to do the fuel injector pump too...  and a few other parts...  Yeah, thankful not!

#9 - We (hubby and I) have different philosophies when it comes to vehicular devices.  He likes to have his truck all clean, orderly and AT LEAST a 1/4 tank of diesel at all times.  If it gets under 1/2, he's stressin...  I, on the other hand, have coffee spills all over my console, candy wrappers on the floor from our favorite Mexican restaurant Los Dos Compadres, and safely holds my spare hard hat and vest in case we have an emergency like an earthquake so I have to go inspect bridges or something goes really wrong on a construction site - after hours... (civil engineer - bridge & construction).   I also have spare water because the heater core constantly (already replaced twice) leaks water and needs refilling (along with the overflow) about every 3-4 days which my loving husband religiously does!  Yet another thing I'm thankful for - especially when the temp is 108F outside...!!!  And a map of the county (I work for) just in case...  And I RELIGIOUSLY run my car 'under' 1/4 tank of gas (often on 'E' for EMPTY when I get home...) and when the hubby gets in it, almost always has to fill it up for me!  (did I tell you how much I LOVE my husband - my rescuer, care-taker and chief cook and bottle-washer...  whom I LOVE very much!)

#10 - We order the parts today to fix the Big Black Beast and have the friend on standby to help.  In the meantime, hubby will be headed to the All Harley Drag races where he is the pit crew chief for said mechanical friend...  Thank goodness for big boy bonding time!!!

So, I'm thankful for my vehicle that still gets me to/from work every day.  I'm thankful for my co-worker who is ready and able in a jam to take me to work if needed.  I'm thankful for a patient boss when I tell him the truck died and won't restart 3 times...  I'm thankful the parts are ordered (you know who you are - that helped us do that!) and I'm thankful for my husband learning about patience.  I am thankful for wonderful friendships and I am most appreciative of my husband who keeps this all together.... now about that lawnmower...  LOL!!  JUST KIDDING!