Wasn't expecting that...

Here I am driving to work like I do every morning. I've mentioned it before, my 43 mile one way trip down HWY 75.

The only difference this morning is that I was trying to get to work early and traffic was fairly good. I was minding my own business and having a good morning. Listening to the radio and looking forward to seeing if the HOV "Enforcers" had caught any single drivers trying to get a quick ride. Just as I was getting my hopes up to see some violators, my car decided to sputter. Traffic came to a stand still and I stopped "safely". As traffic began to move, I stepped on the gas. My engine roared and my car stood still. I messed with the gear shifter and stepped on the gas again. My car went nowhere. "NOT GOOD!!!". I was now that guy who was stalled on the highway.

I quickly put on my hazard lights and then proceeded to stair in my rear view mirror to see cars flying up on my rear. I decided to try to get my car to the far left lane (next lane over). I was able to push it and steer it over. This lane was the feeder to the HOV lane so not to many cars were in it. However, there were enough to freak me out when they came up on me. After calling my roadside assistance to get a tow truck, one of Plano's finest placed his truck behind me to protect from traffic. The tow truck arrived and I was ready to head to the car dealership to find out what was wrong.After getting to the dealership I was able to find out that the transmission pump was out. Again, NOT GOOD!!! So then came the next bit of excitement. 1) I now needed a new transmission - Honda has a 3 month waiting list, 2) They were having issues finding a rebuilt transmission 3) Once they found one they gave me a quote...$5000!!!!! Luckily, our good friends the Booths have family connections to a repair shop in Frisco. Called Allison's dad's shop and he quoted me well below this price in order to rebuild MY transmission. Who wouldn't take that. So thanks for the diagnosis Honda, it's off to someone who will take care of me and for less $$$. Ok, got this taken care of, now I need to get to work the next two days. Cool, I just need to get a rental car. A lot easier said than done! After calling a few companies and finding they were SOLD OUT or the had 1 car left and wanted premium pricing for them, I was clueless as what I would do. Finally I got a call from Lisa saying that she was able to find a rental car in McKinney for a decent rate! My wife working her magic. Thanks to her and her brilliant work, Hertz was able to get me a car so that I could move on with my day and get to work.So, after trying to get to work an hour early, I actually showed up about 3 1/2 hours late. Why is it that sometimes life gets in the way of life? (ponder that for a moment).

When I woke up this morning I thought that maybe I would spend a couple of bucks on a drink or something. I ended up spending about $200 before 10am. Then hearing that I would be out a few Thousand before the end of the week... GREAT!!!So happy birthday Lisa you are getting a new transmission for my car!! Woo Hoo!!!What stands out most in my mind about this morning is the exchange between myself and the tow truck driver as I was getting out of his truck. He said, "bad way to start the day, a sick baby at home, and a broken down car...I hope it gets better." My response to him, "It could be worse." Let's remember, it could always be worse! Also, let's remember the joy of car ownership!

Enjoy!

JB