Yesterday we had our second dose of Good Samaritans.
We woke up in the hotel and started doing our research to lay out our options. A rental car was going to cost us around $55 a day. We might have even had to get two rental cars because our local options were not looking so good. We also didn't know how long we would be in Baker City, Oregon so our stranded situation may might lead to booking another night in the hotel.
Then, just like the day before, the blessings kept coming and coming.
A co-worker of Tim's offered to drive the two hours up to Baker City to rescue us and take us home. She even offered to let us borrow her extra car until the van was fixed! Mind you, she wasn't just laying around the house bored and looking for something crazy to do. She worked the WHOLE DAY and sacrificed hang out time in the evening with her two-year old, to take a four hour round trip. She's amazing by the way.
Since she couldn't get us until the evening, we thought we were going to have pay for another night at the hotel. After explaining our situation, the hotel manager said we could stay as long as we wanted that day with no charge. NO CHARGE.
We are home safe and sound now, just waiting for the van's transmission to be replaced. My dad pointed out to me today that we are also saving money by breaking down in Oregon. We could have broken down in Washington or Idaho. If that would have happened, we would be paying sales tax on the mechanic bill. Since we broke down in Oregon, we are saving a few hundred bucks. Awesome.
This whole experience has made me so thankful for all the people who went out of their way to help us. Most of them didn't have any idea who we were, but they blessed our lives by going above and beyond.
If any of you out there ever need anything, just know that the Pell's are ready to be on the giving end this time.
Showing posts with label Swagger Wagon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Swagger Wagon. Show all posts
August 9, 2010
August 7, 2010
Bad News and Good News
I'll start with the bad news: Six hours into our ten hour drive home from Camano Island, the transmission in our minivan went out. I was driving, but it's NOT MY FAULT, I think...
Tim and the boys were all snoozing while I was cruising down the highway. The cruise control was on (all responsible, respectable long distance drivers use it) when the van started to decelerate. My blood pressure rose as I tried to gently wake Tim up. Imagine an urgent whisper and a sharp poke on the thigh, "Sweetie, wake up. Wake up. I can't acCELERATE!"
Just as the stress level began to top out, the good news came. And it kept coming and coming and coming.
I pulled to the shoulder. Tim and I whipped out our phones. Tim called the first tow truck company that came up on Google. Did I mention I love my Blackberry? I called all the hotels in the area to find the one with the best price-to-dinginess ratio which also took dogs.
When the tow truck pulled up, Cecil greeted up with a smile and four bottled waters. The van got easily loaded and we were on our way. We told Cecil two of our hotel options and he wrinkled his nose at both. He drove us from hotel to hotel finding us a good deal. Eventually he got us an extreme discount at a really nice hotel. He talked the ladies at the front desk into giving us a deal AND letting our dog stay for free, even though it was not a pet-friendly hotel.
He told us later that he used the cuteness of our boys as leverage in the deal. Kudos to us for making uber-cute boys.
We signed the receipt(also a very reasonable price) and got our overnight stuff out of the van. The boys had been cooped up all day in the car so I let them run around in a grassy area off the parking lot. Of course they started rough housing and wrestling, but no one was crying so I let them continue.
Cecil walked over to me with tears in his eyes and told me that he also had two sons but they were all grown up. He said it brought back memories of his boys when they were young. He then showed me picture on his phone of his 29 year old son, who died three months ago. I started to cry. What a sweet man.
He left us with a promise that the boys could meet Mater tomorrow. He also left us with his cell phone, just in case we needed ANYTHING.
Now the van is sleeping at the transmission shop. We are eating candy and cheese puffs for dinner in a really nice hotel. We are livin' it up, people, livin' it up.
God is definitely good.
Here's a newer Swagger Wagon, probably with a better transmission.
Tim and the boys were all snoozing while I was cruising down the highway. The cruise control was on (all responsible, respectable long distance drivers use it) when the van started to decelerate. My blood pressure rose as I tried to gently wake Tim up. Imagine an urgent whisper and a sharp poke on the thigh, "Sweetie, wake up. Wake up. I can't acCELERATE!"
Just as the stress level began to top out, the good news came. And it kept coming and coming and coming.
I pulled to the shoulder. Tim and I whipped out our phones. Tim called the first tow truck company that came up on Google. Did I mention I love my Blackberry? I called all the hotels in the area to find the one with the best price-to-dinginess ratio which also took dogs.
When the tow truck pulled up, Cecil greeted up with a smile and four bottled waters. The van got easily loaded and we were on our way. We told Cecil two of our hotel options and he wrinkled his nose at both. He drove us from hotel to hotel finding us a good deal. Eventually he got us an extreme discount at a really nice hotel. He talked the ladies at the front desk into giving us a deal AND letting our dog stay for free, even though it was not a pet-friendly hotel.
He told us later that he used the cuteness of our boys as leverage in the deal. Kudos to us for making uber-cute boys.
We signed the receipt(also a very reasonable price) and got our overnight stuff out of the van. The boys had been cooped up all day in the car so I let them run around in a grassy area off the parking lot. Of course they started rough housing and wrestling, but no one was crying so I let them continue.
Cecil walked over to me with tears in his eyes and told me that he also had two sons but they were all grown up. He said it brought back memories of his boys when they were young. He then showed me picture on his phone of his 29 year old son, who died three months ago. I started to cry. What a sweet man.
He left us with a promise that the boys could meet Mater tomorrow. He also left us with his cell phone, just in case we needed ANYTHING.
Now the van is sleeping at the transmission shop. We are eating candy and cheese puffs for dinner in a really nice hotel. We are livin' it up, people, livin' it up.
God is definitely good.
Here's a newer Swagger Wagon, probably with a better transmission.
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