Is It Just a Car?

One day last week the 'Service Engine Soon' light illuminated in my car. I was a bit perplexed since I had been out of town and hadn't driven my car in about 3 weeks. (Funny how those things just pop on, right?)

Being the independent woman that I am, I proceeded to pull out the owner's manual to troubleshoot the problem myself. Since the light wasn't flashing (which meant if it was I should take it to a dealership ASAP and not drive over 45 m.p.h. - whew!) and was a solid light, it appeared the problem could be less severe. The manual suggested to check the gas cap to insure it was on correctly and tightly. Certainly that must be the problem since I had gotten gas the night before. Well...

That didn't appear to be the problem. After 'driving several trips' the light did not go off as the owner's manual suggested it might. So off I was to contact the dealership service department and probably get taken for a real ride.

Now is probably a good time to point out that my car is 10 years old with 140,000 miles. For the past 5 years I have driven it less due to my current job, but let's face it, the first 5 years were probably pretty tough on it. I take good care of my car - I wash it, take it in for scheduled maintenance and when it's sick (like now) take it to the dealership service department.

Since I am celebrating the Big 4-0 this year (that's another story!) purchasing a new car has been on my mind as a presant to myself. BUT, I want to purchase a new car when I am ready to purchase a new car. NOT because I am faced with a high auto repair bill and I will make a rash decision to 'fix' the problem. So I began to do my research...

I found out what the Kelly Blue Book trade in value and private sale value of my car would be. Then I came up with a make it or break figure for the car repair:

1. If the car repair was over X dollars, I wouldn't get it fixed and would negotiate with the dealership for a trade in towards a new vehicle or

2. If the car repair was under X dollars, I would get the car repaired but begin working on selling the car myself.

Fortunately the repair was under my break figure (whew!). I really didn't want to make a rash decision about purchasing a car and I have been without a car payment for soooo long that I am really not that excited about having one again.

The real thing that I realized through all of this is what my car means to me...this car is the first brand new car that I purchased all by myself. I purchased the car while I was married (in my name only) and I was able to afford the payments after the divorce and without anyone's assistance. I have been able to pay for the maintenance and repairs. For me this car represents my independence and what I can do on my own. I'm not so certain that I am ready to trade that in to someone else just yet.

But if someone showed up with this and a red ribbon tied on it, I think my new love affair would begin:

Another Year Older...

As many of you should know, I recently celebrated another birthday! Now, I won't go into detail about which birthday this was, but 35 sure feels good again! And for those of you who didn't send presents, it's never too late!

I had the pleasure of sharing my birthday with my family (Dad, Cindy, and Sharon) and friends in Dallas. I'll stress 'in Dallas' because I have been on assignment for work continuously since the first of the year. So needless to say, this sistah was ready for a break!!!

The week started with Sharon arriving first. We did the sisterly bonding thing - meeting some of my friends (Lavonya and Diane at the Grand Lux Cafe - yum!) and getting our hair did. My sister still doesn't understand that getting one's hair did is a process (sometimes a looong process) but well worth the end result. And I have to say that she went home with some cool looking hi lights! Watchoutnow!

Dad and Cindy arrived, and let's just say the eating REALLY began! We hit some of my favorite spots (Blue Mesa Grill, Dickie's Bar B Que, Pappadaeux's) and a new favorite, Del Frisco's. An AWESOME steak house, and I'll go on record to say that I am glad it was MY birthday and that someone else was picking up the tab! In between all of the eating, we did check out a few sites: a Texas Rangers game, the Dallas Arboretum, and First Monday's in McKinney. But most of all, we had a great time just being together.

And I cannot forget the presents...one of the best things about a birthday! Some of my presents traveled far to be with me: a special friend sent me two dozen beautiful red roses, I received a GPS system (great for traveling to all of my exotic locales!), a Tassimo coffee/cappuccino/any kind of drink you want maker (great for guests who want java in the morning), a Target gift card (that's MY spot!), and a tons of birthday phone calls and emails.

Over all, I had an AWESOME birthday...I wish that everyday could provide the same great feeling that I get from my birthday being my special day. Even if things go wrong, you can count on something great happening within a few minutes!

Until next year....