Whew, what a week! My head is still spinning. Less than a week ago, Alfredo, my dearly beloved 1999 Nissan Altima, was running like a gem. Today he's someone else's car, and I'm the owner of a 2008 Honda Civic.
Seriously - when things happen in my life, they happen fast.
So, let's bring you up to speed: Friday morning, Alfredo started running ragged. If I got above 20 mph, he was fine, but below that was rough. I called my mechanic and described the symptoms, asked if I could get through the (busy, busy) weekend alright? He said I'd be fine, the car wouldn't die on me.
He was wrong. SO wrong.
Saturday morning I went to run a bucketload of errands, starting with Wal-Mart. Well, Alfredo wouldn't start right away, and driving to the post office was so scary. But he started up just fine after that errand, so, being my sometimes-not-too-bright self, I figured we were good to go and hopped on the freeway.
BIG mistake. HUGE!
Next thing I know, I'm crawling at 15 mph along the shoulder, hoping and praying I can just make it to the Nissan dealership where my friend Andy works. Thankfully Alfredo made it - and when Andy's colleague who was assessing the situation said "Wow, I've never seen that before," I knew we were done for.
Sure enough, it seems the hose that takes coolant to the engine leaked fluid into the engine, warping or cracking the head gasket. The mechanic opened the fourth cylinder, and there was coolant boiling and steaming. My car had been running in failsafe mode! Scary stuff.
Anyways, it all worked out. I went car-shopping Monday night with my super-car-savvy friend Lincoln and fell in love with my cute red Civic. Tuesday I listed Alfredo on KSL (which is bigger than Craigslist around here), got offers almost immediately, and sold him off Tuesday night, hours after I picked up the new car.
Isn't she a beauty?!
I need some help in naming her - if you don't mind, please click over to the blog (yes, that means you, Google Reader-ites) and cast your vote. Polling closes at noon May 5th. If you have other suggestions that aren't in the poll, chime in and let me know! I'm abandoning my recent car nomenclature (three Altimas = Al, Allie, and Alfredo) in favor of something that gets to the spirit of this sassy red car. After all, "Honey" was the best I could do within the constraints of "Honda Civic." Lame. Not gonna happen.
Meanwhile, although the whole experience was unexpected and, honestly, somewhat traumatic (I thought I was fine but was physically trembling through the weekend - don't even ask how many times I dropped stuff!), I feel like I learned a lot. Here are some of the top takeaways:
- Lean on Me - I have a surprisingly good support system here in Utah! Usually I feel like I have more friends in Orange County still than I do here (and those friends are from high school / college / OC anyways), but this opened my eyes to how not true that is. Of the six angels / knights in shining armor who stepped up and got me through this mess, five came from the ward I've been in for the last eight months (although some I'd met earlier through Christina). My visiting teacher and roommate even let me borrow their cars. That kind of generosity is phenomenal! I feel immensely and incredibly blessed to have such great people in my life!
- Love and Marriage - The older I get, the more I see just how genius and inspired an institution marriage is. Cheesy as it might be to say, throughout the whole ordeal, all I could/can think is, "A husband would be soooooo handy right about now." Living a mere 8 miles from home in Orange County, I could lean on my wonderful dad for any car issues. Living 676 miles away, however, that's not really an option anymore. Dad was soooo helpful in giving advice, and my guy friends were gems to be there for both transactions (seeing as I use "thingy" "thingamajigger" regularly when discussing cars - kinda shreds my credibility), but still. It'd be nice to have someone else materially invested in major decisions - and, frankly, who could give me a hug. I miss hugs.
- I Am a Child of God - This isn't a new revelation, but yet again I was reminded of how things always work out. This whole situation worked out so marvelously and so quickly, it just blows me away. I know my Heavenly Father really is involved with the details of life, and it's sooooo comforting to know that even when I feel alone, I'm not. Things might seem like mountains in the moment, but they're not. God is greater than all - it's just a matter of trusting and not always worrying. He sees the end; I just need to hang on for the ride.
7 comments:
I like how that deep red, and the spoiler too!
I'd go for Cammy. Keep the A = Altima, C = Civic thing going. :)
Unless you want it to be a male, then I'd say Carlos. It's spicy like a tamale!
Well, it's a definite "she." Plus Carlos is the guy who bought Alfredo, oddly enough! Nice guy and all, but it's been a bit of an ordeal, and the name "Carlos" now has a negative connotation in my book. :P I'll have to think through some fun "C" names, though. That's where Candy came from in the first place (plus she's candy apple red!).
Yay new car!!! Drive it in good health good friend! Ok, NAMES!!!!
The following names mean "red" and are representative of various cultures and religions:
Agni: Hindu, means "fire" after the fire god
Akane: Japanese, means "deep red"
Altan: Turkish, means "red dawn" which I like b/c it's like the start of a new era with your car :)
Clancy: Irish, means "son of Flannchadh" and Flannchadh is Gaelic for "red warrior"
Edom: Hebrew, means "red"
Flann: Irish, means "red" can also go Flannigan or Flannery
Kamala: Indian, means "lotus" or "pale red" in Hindu
Phoenix: Greek; means "deep red" and obv after the bird
Poppy: English; means "red flower"
Pyrrhus: Greek; pronounced "Pier-us"; means "flame-colored red" and in reference to the son of Achilles.
Rohit: Indian; Sanscrit for "red"
Ruadh: Scotch-Irish; "red" in Gaelic; you can also combine it with "ir" for Ruadhir which means "red king" in Gaelic...don't ask me how I know all of this...
Shani: Hebrew; "red" in Hebrew
Wapasha: Native American; "red leaf"
Or simply Cinnamon or Ginger. But Ginger's my car's name. But you can use it if you want to. Or OR!!!! Marschino!! As in the cherry! But I never know how to properly spell it.
Personally I like Ruadhir the best. Or Shani. :)
I saw it ant thought Roxy. Sorry. I suppose Lola or Ginger may suffice, but I would reconsider your options. ;o) (In the spirit of full disclosure, my red truck was named Roxy. But I still think it fits this car perfectly.
@Mishy - Oh my gosh, LOVING these!!! Poppy and Shani are going on the list.
@Rebecca - Well, my first car ever was Roxcy (the white Accord I had in college?). The spelling with a C is after Eliza R. Snow - the R is for Roxcy. Strong, amazing woman. So... hmmmm... she could be Roxcy 2? I had no idea that your truck was Roxy!!!
Ok, so I have to say it:
COPY CAT!
Now that that's over with, I am jealous if the names! I named mine Sasha although that has nothing to do with color, it is what JD named his scooter in Scrubs and we all know how awesome that show was.
Even though I voted for Ruby (c'mon, that's freaking adorable) I was thinking CiCi would be cute for your Civic. If you like.
Oh my goodness, you all keep having such great ideas!!! Anne, I LOVE CiCi! That just might be the winner. When running errands after reading this last night, I did find myself thinking of the car as CiCi. :)
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