Oh yeah... the car

So I know you all are waiting with baited breath to hear about my car.  Or rather, that no one is out there reading me because I never post.  At any rate, it was a whole debackle, but the car is back to me finally!  yay hurray.  Below are my little updates as they happened.

I went downtown to get it, but they wouldn't let me have it. The lady on the phone (whom I waited 20 minutes on hold to talk to) told me I needed proof of ownership. I told her all my papers were in the car and asked if they would look it up, or at least check the papers in the glove box. She said that would probably work. "Probably". I should I have realized what that meant.

I get there, after parking and dragging my kids all over the city because I didn't know which door to go in ('cause little miss helpful on the phone told me the wrong one) and I walk up to the glass box and see a giant sign telling me I have to have proof of ownership. They told me what I had to do, and thanked me for not freaking out at them.

**

So I waded through all the paper work and running around to find my car in a very altered state. The steering column was broken off, and it wouldn't start at all (so who knows how it's running, yk?). The front bumper has been replaced with one of a different color, and is falling off. It's a little beat up, but nothing too bad. But the car seats are gone.


So I just got off the phone with the guy at the body shop. He's ordered a new (used) steering column and once they get that fixed they'll be able to run it and see what else is wrong. So far only hundreds in the hole, not thousands....yet. And that's not even counting the carseats.

**

It's all done! I have it back! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had to go out and look at the car yesterday to tell them what else I thought needed done. I asked them if I might think it doesn't need anything else and he's all "oh no, I'm sure you'll want a few more things done, c'mon out and I'll show you". Well, he was pretty wrong, I thought it looked perfectly fine. I think he was sure I'd want a new radio and speakers. I do, but I can get it a lot cheaper someplace else.
So I rushed there as soon as I could, but they still had to keep the place open for me (traffic was AWEFUL and there was an accident so I had to get off at a different exit, made a wrong turn, blah blah blah) all that, and I couldn't really take the car home yet because I was by myself. Can none of this be simple? I worked it out ok (always somebody here to help me ) but I ended up driving to shaker hts from lakewood to clev hts (to park the car in Annakiss' garage) back to lakewood to meet my mom and drop off steve's car, back to cleveland hts to get my car (eat quiche and chocolate cake with anna - thanks! yumm!) and back to lakewood.

But it's back to me. My lovely little car. Actually, truth be told, it just keeps reminding me of how violated I feel everytime I see it. I hope that subsides. It's really disturbing. While I was driving it I kept thinking about other people being in it, taking off the bumper and taking out the stereo, tossing the carseats, dropping fastfood all over the seats.

Oh, but the best thing is that it hasn't cost me anywhere near as much as I thought it would! A little under $700! That's really not bad at all!!