The day started off well enough. I woke up around 0800 feeling very rested and much more normal than yesterday. I was a little stiff, but that's normal after flying. I read blogs, watched the Today show, chatted with Melissa for a while and played with Jasper. After a while, I decided I needed to get dressed, have lunch and head to the commissary. As soon as I remembered that it's a four day weekend and they're having a case lot sale at the commissary, I regretted having not gone to the commissary yesterday. Oh well. I had lunch and got ready anyway.
Finally, I was headed out the door. Shut the back door, got in my car, turned the key and....click, click, click. Attempted to turn it again... {maybe hoping it was a fluke!?} click, click, click. Dead battery. FAIL.
At first, I was rational. I picked up my phone immediately and called Annie to see if she could come jump my car. Luckily, she was planning on going to the commissary too and she said she'd head over in just a few minutes. I got out of the car and started doing things around the house until she got here. That's when the panic set in. Oooh, yes. Thoughts like:
"Is it really just the battery?"
"What if it's the starter? That will be expensive."
"If it's the starter, we'll have to take more money out of savings."
"If we take money out of savings, we may not have enough to go to NC when Joe gets back."
"Why didn't I have Annie start the car while I was gone?!!?!"
"If we can't go to NC, Joe is going to be soooo upset."
"Why isn't Joe here to deal with this?!!?!"
Eventually I called my mom... Unfortunately, she isn't as great at talking me down as she used to be. I was still partially upset when I got off the phone with her. I texted Melissa which helped but I was still freaking out. After all that, Annie pulled in. Since my neighbor {who I share the garage with} wasn't home, she was able to pull in next to me and jump my car.
Success!! My car started and we both headed off to the commissary. We strolled through the case lot sale and then the commissary. It was nice to have a grocery shopping buddy for once!! =) We checked out a little later and then parted ways. Got the groceries in my car, got in and turned the key. click, click, click. Yep, dead again!!! Fortunately, Annie hadn't left the commissary parking lot and we jumped my car again. Yay.
It seemed a little weird to me that it would die after being charged and driven from my house to the commissary. Like any good girl {who has a deployed hubby}, I called my dad to see how long I should leave the car running. The alternator charges the battery, so I figured that all I'd need to do was leave it running. Makes sense, right?! Well, immediately Dad says, "You need a new battery." What?! *sigh* After I talked to Dad, I texted Melissa to see what her hubby thought. For some reason, I keep forgetting he's a mechanic... Anyway, her hubby agreed with my dad. *sigh*
So instead of putting it off like I always do, I called the place I take my car to get oil changes to see how much a new battery would cost. The answer? A fortune. Well, $150 to be exact. That's Hawaii for you, right? The guy checked to make sure they had one in stock {they did} and I got in my car {which was still running because I was afraid it would die again} and drove straight there. I asked if they would check to make sure it was the battery before changing it... Turns out it really was bad. The mechanic had the nerve to ask me if I wanted it replaced. Seriously?! Did you not see that my jumper cables were in the back seat?! No, I'll just keep jumping my car for the next month and a half. Gah. Anyway. They replaced it in about 10 minutes...and I paid them $150. *sigh*
This would happen right after I get back from a trip. I'm glad I didn't attempt to go anywhere yesterday because this really would have put me in a foul mood. Not that it didn't today...but I would have been a complete wreck yesterday.
I am seriously done with Mr. Murphy and this deployment. Especially since all this comes after my husband told me his return might get pushed back a few weeks. Days I can handle. Weeks? Grrrr. I just want my husband back.
I sure hope the rest of this holiday weekend is uneventful. I don't think I can handle much more.
