Oh the joys of a capitalist society . . .

We bought a new minivan last week. You know, they didn't even have minivans when I was learning to drive and was picturing the dream rod I would have when I finally became old enough to get a real job and drive a real car. So it should come as no surprise that how weird I think it is to see me as a member of the minivan set. Nevertheless, I am going to forego any semblance of pride and masculinity and admit that I don't really mind driving a minivan that much.

Anyhoo, the main crux of my post today centers around the latest trend in car sales these days. It goes by different names: "Nice Price", "No-dicker sticker", etc. but the truth is that dealerships are tired of people who do their research and are better at negotiating really good prices for their cars than the salesmen they hire. So . . . they come up with a marketing idea that they think actually fools us. "We've saved you time and effort by refusing to negotiate the price of your vehicle." They make it sound like they're actually doing us the favor. What a bunch of hooey. Its like the time manufacturers introduced the "new" concentrated dish and laundry soaps and charged us more for it. The difference? the "concentrated" formula has less fillers. Meaning--"we've been watering our product down for years and charging you for it, but since the price of water is going up, we'll just get rid of it and pass the savings on to ourselves. "

We bought a new minivan at a local dealer. (the no-dicker sticker kind) the asking price was 8900. we agreed and paid 1000 down and we were set to make payments of 250 a month. We got into the "sign the stuff" room and somehow got talked into a comprehensive warranty and maintenance plan that ended up costing 4000 more. The confusing thing is that we actually lowered our payments to about 240 a month and lowered the interest rate by like 6 points, but turned our 8900 dollar van into a 1300o dollar what-the-heck-did-we-just-do. As long as I live, I don't think I'll ever get the spine to just buy a freaking car. I was so frustrated that I went home and washed the dishes with our concentrated dish soap.

More to follow . . .

One more day . . .

Its interesting how life can change in a single moment and rearrange perspectives. I don't spend as much time as I should with my kids. I don't appreciate my wife as much as she deserves. I'm not as thankful as I should be for the things I have.

I had an accident on my way to work yesterday. It was on a two-lane US highway with a bad reputation for its hazardous conditions. There are several fatalities per year on this highway for various reasons. The accident was my fault. I simply made some wrong assumptions based on what the driver was doing and rear-ended his vehicle. Mostly we're both fine, although I think he got injured the most. I have a dislocated thumb, a sore chest where I hit the steering wheel, and a really stiff neck. The other driver was already feeling pain in his back and neck by the time the paramedics arrived. I was traveling at about 70 miles per hour when I hit the brakes, so the only real van we have is totalled. As bad as I feel about the entire situation-- Me hitting another vehicle, the other driver getting hurt, me ruining my families main mode of transportation along with the only way for me to get to work, I was able to come home and hug my wife and kids again. I was able to say one more prayer to God for all the blessings I have. I was able to spend another night lying next to my sweet wife and hear her breathing as she slept. And finally, I was able to wake up today and make waffles for my son's birthday (its his seventh, but who's counting) and smell the rain of spring for one more day.


More to follow . . .

Did I mention that I'm not very consistent?

Its obviously been a little while since I posted. I have this problem that only I can relate to: I have great intentions and minimal follow-through. I was thinking the other day about what I could post and nothing came or I ran out of time. There's a great line in a song by the quirk-rock group "They Might Be Giants" that sums it all up nicely: "Now its over I'm dead and I haven't done anything that I want--or I'm still alive and there's nothing I want to do."

My son was sick last Saturday night. I hate when my children are sick. I hate the helpless feeling I have when my son can't move his head without it hurting, or cries because he hurts so badly. I hate the feeling I get when he says " I hurt" and I am powerless to keep him from going through this alone. I stayed up all night with him and held him and gave him more tylenol when his four hours were up. I don't want to assume that I know exactly how it is, but everytime this happens I feel that I become closer to God. As I stayed up with Matthew and rocked him gently, I ached for him. When he cried out in pain I silently prayed that if it were possible, God would let his pain pass to me so he wouldn't have to bear it. When his fever ran high and his pain was greater, I pleaded with him to please take the medicine that would make him better. I know it sounds cheesy, but maybe if you have kids you know what I'm talking about?
I think about God as a loving Father in Heaven. I think about him knowing how much this life hurts at times and how important it is to Him that we go through this life and face those pains and challenges and grow from them. I can picture Him giving us the Savior and pleading with us to please take the medicine he has offered. As I htink about my life's choices and the effects those choices had on me and others, I wonder how many times I cried out in pain that my Father wanted to take from me and the times I refused to take the medicine that my Father offered because I didn't think I'd like the taste.

More to follow . . .