Good-Bye Precious

Our first year of marriage was probably one of the hardest ones we've had. After moving away from our friends and family at a young age, Nick got laid off and we ended up living in a shack in the woods of northern Washington, very short on cash. On top of that, we kept having car problems. I think we were broken down and stranded along the side of the road at least three times that year. Out of the blue we had a generous financial gift from some secret angels in the family, and we traded in Nick's sporty (but lemony) convertible and purchased the Avalon.

We bought the Avalon to have a reliable car. And for six (almost seven) years, that's exactly what is was.

We drove and drove and drove that thing, putting over 150,000 miles on it in the years that we had it. And those of you who have seen it, will laugh when you see what it looked like when we originally got it. 'Cause you will know Nick and I never kept it very clean, and over the years we had dogs, babies, horse tack, and other unimaginable digusting things in it! But the car always got us from Point A to Point B.

On December 5th, on a routine drive out to the barn to teach a lesson, I crashed and totalled the Avalon. Even though I had reminded myself before driving that the roads might be icy, I never saw the long patch of hard ice on the road until it was too late. I hit the ice and began wildly fishing-tail all over the road. I kept trying to regain control, but I also kept picking up speed, and I finally did a 180, hit and jumped a curb, and ended up crashing to a halt on someone's front lawn. (It was a random house along the side of a busy road)

Nick, as always, came to rescue me. As we waited for our tow truck to show up, we watched one car after another hit the same spot and wipe out. We even watched a five-car pile-up, one that 911 responded to. When our tow truck showed up, he went first to the scene of the accident to move those five cars, before towing the Av to the dealership for us.

Like we had expected, the insurance company declared the Avalon totalled. When I hit and jumped the curb, I managed to bend either the axel or the under arm of the car so that the back tire behind the driver's door was bent at an unusual angle. We got more cash back than the car was worth, and once we find some good-health days we hope to car-shop.

I cannot believe how lucky I was. First off, I was in the Avalon, a car we were going to replace this spring. I could have hit other motorists, a long concrete wall, and/or trees. Instead, the Avalon landed between two mailboxs, on a slight hill which I think prevented me from flipping the car. It was the best place to land. No one hit me, and I was able to drive it across the street where I could wait in a safe location. I had a big frame of car around me, and other than back pain for a few days, I wasn't hurt. Best of all, no one was with me. Thank you to the divine forces keeping me safe!

So good-bye Avalon. You were an awesome car for us....

A brand-new-to-us Avalon:

Pictures of the tire afterwards -- not too exciting, but the car was parked straight, so you can see the torque in the wheel)