Martha and Phoebe

Back in December, the 18^th to be exact, I was on my way to the dentist in Brigham City.  I was as far through Sardine Canyon as you can be when my car went nuts.  I was just listening away to the radio when all of a sudden I could hear my engine revving.  I had wondered if I had knocked it out of drive for some reason, but when I checked my dash, I was still in drive.  I noticed that my RPMs were all the way over.  Of course, after I see my RPMs freaking out, my oil light comes on, followed my engine light.  Thankfully my engine light wasn’t flashing so I could maybe just coast off the exit and pull over there.  Wrong.  My engine light started to flash.  DAAAAANGGGGG.  I knew that once the light started to flash, I had to pull over.  I was literally like ¼ of a mile away from the exit.  I was so close!! 

I know next to nothing about cars.  I can add oil and check my oil.  Put gas in it.  I could probably change a flat tire.  I’m even pretty good at using a blinker when needed.  I called Devin immediately.  I was so frantic and scared of being on the side of the road that I forgot to turn my car off. *face palm* Devin was so sweet and he says, “Honey, I can still hear your radio on.  Please turn the car off.” Haha.  Oops.  Devin called Toms Service Station from Wellsville and they came and got my poor Martha.  Devin drove down to pick me up.  I was hoping that I could maybe make it to my appointment still, but I just had to cancel. 

SIDE NOTE:  Dr. Brady Benson in Brigham is fantastic!! I had called his office and told them that I was on the side of the road and that my car was broke down.   I told them that I work for billing and I totally understand if I need to pay a late cancel fee.  They were so kind to me and told me I did not have to pay a fee.  I even got a voicemail from them the next day telling me that they were worried about me and thought about me all night and hoped that I was okay! It was the sweetest thing. 

While Devin was on his way down to pick me up, I called my dad.  Devin was on the phone with Toms and I was having a little bit of a panic attack being on the side of the road that I decided I’d  call my daddy for a chit-chat.  We all assumed that it would be some sort of belt.  I knew that I hadn’t lost any of my oil because there was no cloud of smoke behind me when all of this happened.  When Toms picked up my car, Gerald (Tom’s son) said that he thought it might be my battery.  I just had a feeling.  Turns out, we were right.  My timing belt BROKE.  That’s the worst.  We had it taken out to Accurate Automotive and Performance here in Logan and they said that it would be $800.00 to fix the belt and water pump.  BUT then there was a possibility that they would turn the car on, and all my pistons would be ruined.  That would be about $3000.00 to fix.  This was a hard decision for Devin and I.  Fix Martha?  Buy a new car?  Devin wanted to think about fixing her, but I’m someone who looks like 50 years into the future.  All I can see is Martha breaking down at the exact same time that D’s truck goes out.  Then we have TWO car payments.  It was so hard though because my parents and Devin’s parents have the exact same car, both with over 200,000 miles!  Martha only had 138,000! We could get so many more miles out of her!!  As much as I love my Martha, I was pretty sure it was time to let her go. 

We spent the next few days after Christmas, looking for a new car.  On December 30^th, we hit every car lot in Brigham City and Ogden.  The day before that, we had gone to nearly every dealership in Logan.  We looked at A LOT of cars.  My final two choices were between a 2012 Ford Fusion and a 2009 Hyundai Sonata.  My sister and brother-in-law have a Sonata, so we decided we were going to test drive their car, and then go test drive the fusion so I could get a better idea on which one I liked more.  Long, long, story short – we are now the proud owners of a 2012 Ford Fusion!  I’m still heartbroken over my Martha.  I decided though that Martha and I had a good run and she deserved to have her own name.  (I was just going to call the fusion Martha #2) My new car’s name is: *drum roll please* Phoebe.  Phoebe the Ford!  I was going to name her Monica (I took a ‘name your car’ test online and Monica was the answer.  That led me to thinking of F.R.I.E.N.D.S – which made me think of Phoebe.)   Devin negotiated Phoebe down, saved us a little bit of money, and on January 2, 2018 we officially got to take her home!!  

 The dashboard in Phoebe looks like a spaceship.  It’s blue and just looks shnazy.  In most places that Devin and I have lived, or cars we’ve had/borrowed, I usually have something that’s my “favorite” either at the house, or in a car.  For example:  My favorite thing in grandma and grandpas basement, where we used to live, is the light on the oven.  It looks like a light switch! (Not a button that you push on the stove.  You actually flip a mini switch to turn the light on.)  My favorite thing in Martha was the little clock that was above the radio.  My favorite thing in Phoebe is the button that turns my cup holder lights and floor lights different colors.  I saw it a couple of years ago when we thought about buying a car and I test drove a Mercury Milan (pretty much the fusion now) and it was just the coolest thing ever. 

Someone from Montana is going to come and take Martha either on the 20th or 27th.  I get attached easily to my stuff.  I don't want to see her go to Montana, but I'd hate to have someone local fix her up and then she's around town.  Haha.  Is it weird that I think this way?! 

Martha will forever be a part of me.  She was MY FIRST car.  But I am learning in life, that there are just somethings you have to let go of.  I know that the day she leaves—you mark my words – I will cry.  I’m grateful that Devin and I are in a situation where we could buy a “new” car.  Phoebe’s not Martha, and she's got big shoes to fill -- but I think she'll do.

Day we bought Martha! January 28, 2014

Day we bought Phoebe! January 2, 2018