A temporary setback...a momentary loss

Day 1.... where do I begin?

Thursday, June 10th, I finished packing up the van, saying goodbye, and heading out of Davenport on my way to pick up Brittny. It was a tearful and a very rainy start, but I had my speaker going, playing my favorite playlist ~vibes~. I was sad to leave home but so dang excited to get on the road. We had plans to pack Brittny's things up and head straight to Indiana Dunes for the night. I was excited to say the least.

I was living in pure bliss for about 10 minutes when my speaker died. About 5 minutes later, I got a notification that my phone was under 20%. Minor difficulties. I could have easily pulled over to plug them in...but I was already running 2 hours behind when I said I would be there. If you know me, this shouldn't surprise you.

Driving in silence, I did a little bit of day-dreaming the weeks ahead, audio recording the list of things I already realized I forgot, and talking to Jesus.

1 hour and 20 minutes from home and about 45 minutes from Brittny, I could no longer accelerate:) The minor difficulties were instantly one-upped by some major difficulties. I started making my move for the shoulder as clouds of smoke surrounded the car. I safely got to the side, grabbed my phone, purse, and put some shoes on. Tears filling me eyes, I did what I do best... called Dad.

I had 45 minutes until Brittny would get there, 8% battery on my phone, and about a gallon of sweat pouring off my body. I plugged my phone in the van and waited, hanging out on the interstate. Another perfect time to send up some prayers...

A truck pulled up to help and my mind immediately went Criminal Minds mode. He was just one of those highway patrol people, though... and very very kind.

Brittny and her dad helped me grab some of the essentials from the van and we dipped. Ended the night with some fish tacos, popping some campaign, and wondering what to do next.

The mechanic called the next morning and informed us that we would indeed need a new transmission... not off to a great start. We did a little bit of looking on other sites for other vans, but nothing compared to the iconic pink interior 1994 Ford Econoline. The van just screams, "Let's Go Girls"... and the van now had a name: Shania.

For the time being, we transferred the essentials into Brittny's family's Mazda 3 and headed north. We spent the week in Minnesota while we waited for Shania to be fixed. All prayers and positive vibes that the pink machine will be running better than ever would be greatly appreciated!

I did say this wouldn't be a smooth ride... and its been anything but smooth.

~ Abs