Overall it's Been a Good Week

The week started out rough, with the car accident and stress of Greg's physical fitness test and my English/Language Arts exam. With lots of prayers and love from up above it all ended just as it should have.

The auto body shop was able to acquire some recycled parts for my car, which lowered the cost of the repairs and the insurance company is going to pay for the repairs! This is such a huge relief! Praise God that no one was hurt, we have good insurance, and we've been blessed with sound minds and the ability to work that has allowed us to prepare (save) for emergency situations so this does not pose any additional stress of if we pay to have the car fixed we won't be able to buy groceries this month. I just can't give enough glory to God! He really does keep us all in the palm of His hands.

I passed my test yesterday! Well, half of it we know for sure. I scored a 293 out of a possible 500 on the multiple choice portion. I'm not entirely please with my score, but I only needed a 270 to pass so it'll do. The essay will take a few weeks for the scores to come in. I was rushed, so I know that the intro and conclusion are pretty weak, but I think my thesis and body are strong. I did miss some major historical context stuff due to my lack of prior familiarity with the work, so we'll see how I do. I am allowing myself one week off then it's back to the books for the second test which encompasses classroom management, lesson planning, and all that practical application stuff. I have until July 12 to prepare for and take that test.

Greg passed his test today! I haven't talked to him, so I don't know all the details, all I know is that he passed and he's relieved! He was pretty stressed out about it and "crammed" as much as you can for a fitness test, so hopefully he learned his lesson and will make more strides to stay in shape year round. We could both use that. He has a marksman qualification test next month on a gun he's never shot, so please keep him in your prayers for that.

Waiting For The Call

We are currently waiting for a call from State Farm Insurance to inform us whether our car is a total loss or not.

I was in an accident yesterday afternoon that was 100% my fault. I rear ended another vehicle that was yielding to on-coming traffic to make a left hand turn. My attention was focused on the two trucks and the men on the right shoulder repairing a fence and my concern was for swerving far enough to the left to give them enough room. My eye caught a cat running across the road ahead of the car in front of me and when my attention turned back to the car right in front of me it was too late. I was on the phone talking to Greg, so he heard the brakes and the impact. I really can't imagine what was going through his head.

Thankfully, no one was hurt. The airbags didn't deploy. None of the 100 mason jars I'd just purchased broke. And there was not a scratch on the other vehicle. My car is a much different story. Their trailer hitch demolished the front bumper and headlight assembly and their spare tire rumpled my hood and pushed the mounting bar into the motor compartment at least an inch if not more. The preliminary estimate from the body shop is nearly $3,000. The car's suggested retail value from Kelley Blue Book is $4,500.

There is a good chance that they might total the vehicle, in which case we have two options. One, we would take the money and walk away from the car. Trying to find another used vehicle in good condition with excellent gas mileage that's within our price range would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Or two, we could take the money and purchase the car back as a salvage and pay out of pocket to repair the vehicle. This option would be even more appealing if we knew the "right" people who were able to do these kinds of repairs in their home garage with pick-a-part replacement parts.

Since we just decided to put $1,200 into some overdue maintenance in faith that the car might last us another 3-5 years, our hope and prayer is that they will fix the car. In which case we would pay our $500 deductible plus a 15% increase in our policy over the next three years, totaling $275, and we'd basically have a new car.

However this ends I have been very fortunate. No one was harmed in this accident - not even a mason jar! I bought this car when I was 17 for $8,995 with 32k miles on it. It now has over 132k miles and has never once left me stranded on the side of the road. It has never not started when I needed it to. God has been very good to me and for that I am truly very grateful. I know that He will continue to be a good God and that He will provide for us as He sees fit.

This morning in my office this song came on the radio and it just feels so true.

"Sounds Like Life To Me"
Got a call last night from an old friend’s wife
Said I hate to bother you
Johnny Ray fell off the wagon
He’s been gone all afternoon
I know my buddy so I drove to Skully’s
And found him at the bar
I say hey man, what’s going on
He said I don’t know where to start

Sarah’s old car’s about to fall apart
And the washer quit last week
We had to put momma in the nursing home
And the baby’s cutting teeth
I didn’t get much work this week
And I got bills to pay
I said I know this ain’t what you wanna hear
But it’s what I’m gonna say

(Chorus)
Sounds like life to me it ain’t no fantasy
It’s just a common case of everyday reality
Man I know it’s tough but you gotta suck it up
To hear you talk you’re caught up in some tragedy
It sounds like life to me

Well his face turned red and he shook his head
He said you don’t understand
Three kids and a wife depend on me
And I’m just one man
To top it off I just found out
That Sarah’s 2 months late
I said hey bartender set us up a round
We need to celebrate

(Chorus)
Sounds like life to me plain old destiny
Yeah the only thing for certain is uncertainty
You gotta hold on tight just enjoy the ride
Get used to all this unpredictability
Sounds like life

Man I know its tough but you gotta suck it up
To hear you talk you’re caught up in some tragedy
Sounds like life to me
Sounds like life