I Want My Break!!!

Since Nathan and I got married 3 1/2 years ago, we have had a string of bad luck that feels like it never ends. We have both long felt that a break from the bad luck is overdue, and yet it just keeps coming. So of course our trip to Utah couldn't go by uneventfully.

For the week I was there and the couple days that Nathan was there, it was wonderful. I got to visit with my sister Lindsey and her family for a few days, and we were able to spend time with Nathan's sister and brother. All of that was great. And then it was time to drive home.

A little background: The big reason we went to Utah was to pick up the car we had to leave behind. We only have need of one car, so the idea was to pick up the Dodge which only has 100,000 miles on it and sell the Camry which has 180,000. The Camry is also a couple years older and has an oil leak as well as a few cosmetic issues. So, with a few fixes to make it more marketable, it just seemed like the best choice to sell.

So, we are driving merrily on our way back to Utah. Along the way in Nowhere, Nevada, I notice that the check engine light is suddenly on. Now, I have driven LONG ways with that pesky little light on, so I wasn't unduly concerned. I did make a phone call to my dad, who knows a little about cars, to just make sure we were okay to drive. We decided it really wasn't anything to worry too much about at the time.

Then, about 1 1/2 hours away from home (this was a 14-hour trip), the light starts flashing and the car started running funny. NOW I am worried--I have never had this happen before. Nathan and I sat and worried about the right thing to for some time. On the one hand we were sooooo close to being home. It was about 11 PM, so obviously there wouldn't be anywhere open to take it. We could stop and stay at a hotel, but the next day was Christmas Eve, then Christmas, then the weekend. We would likely be stuck in the hotel for days on end, which we didn't have money for or the desire to do. On the other hand, I didn't want to cause further expensive damage to the car or, even worse, get into a unsafe situation.

After A LOT of praying, I remembered that cars come with these useful things called an "Owners Manual." We looked in there and it said that when the light flashes, it means that there is something wrong with the catalyitic converter (whatever that is), and that you need to stop driving immediately because you could lose power. Well, this scared me into calling my dad again, even though it was about 1 AM Texas time. He said that the problem probably wasn't actually quite that serious and since were so close to getting home we should be okay to keep driving. And that's what we did.

Luckily, on a wing and a prayer, we arrived home safely. We still have the Camry, so the Dodge will be sitting in the carport until I can get a couple paychecks under my belt and save up enough to fix it. We're not sure how much it will take as I haven't had anyone look at it, but until we get a little extra $$$, it doesn't really matter anyway. We do have a lot to be thankful for, but it really, really stinks that we now have one more thing to deal with that we really don't have the funds for. It drove perfectly for 6 months, but of course as soon as we get it back it breaks down. We are hypothesizing that some bad fuel is causing the issues since our problems started after a visit to a gas station that had a hard-to-use gas pump. (Kind hard to explain in a blog.) And before anyone suggests it, the gas cap was the first thing I checked, and I checked it multiple times! :) So I guess this story will have to be continued after we get it looked at...