Road trips can really test your relationship with your significant other. It tested our relationship. In “Our First Long Road Trip: Part One”, I talked about where and why we went on a road trip. I love them because you can think and talk about all sorts of fun stuff. We definitely had fun, but we also had a tough time.
We headed down the middle of last week to Kansas to see my friend Jeff. We drove all night and got down there about 9:30 in the morning. I drove most of the way. I love to talk when I drive and contemplate ideas and thoughts. Well, it was late and B was tired so she slept off and on. That left me with time to think. It also made me a bit sleepy. We had smooth driving the whole way down. B’s car would click and flash a few important lights on the console when I would use the blinker. That was a bit scary.
We got down there and Jeff showed us his house he bought this spring. It was a neat house! B was really impressed! He also showed us where he teaches and the town he lives in. It is a really nice town with lots of things to do. It was fun for B and I to see the town with Jeff. His girlfriend is down there also. This allowed B and I to see them together down there and how they acted as a couple. They are happy with each other! We had a great time hanging out with them.
We headed home at around 12:00pm on Saturday. We left then so we could get home to see our Pastor preach again after a time away on a six week sabbatical. I wish more churches would give their pastors a sabbatical. Being a Pastor is tough work! I think we would see more Pastors stay in the ministry if they had time to reflect and dive deeper into the Holy Spirit and seek a refreshing cleanse and a renewal. So, we wanted to get home to support him and hear what message he had from God.
The fun started when we got on the road home in Kansas. Everytime I would use the blinker, the car would act funny. I would use it and it would flash lights and make the speedometer swing to zero. It then started to shut the car off while driving. I ended up driving through most of Kansas and Nebraska withhout using my blinker. I forgot while on I80 in Nebraska. The speed imit is 75mph and I was going 80ish. I used the blinker and the car shut off going that fast. It was freaky.
We got all the way to Iowa and we were 50 miles south of Sioux City, Iowa. The car started to get hot because it was so hot outside. I rolled the windows down and turned the heater on to draw heat from the engine. It worked great. We got to about 25 miles south of Sioux City and we heard a faint knocking sound. It got louder really fast and I took the next exit. We got to the stop sign and the car came to a noisy and clunky halt, never to turn over again with the turn of the key. I was scared out of my mind. This had never happened to me before. God had to have been testing us. I called my Dad to get his opinion and he said to head to a gas station. We were fortunate enough to have had the car break down at an exit with a Shell gas station and a hotel on it. I pushed the car off the exit and onto the side road. We walked to the gas station and asked for help. They dialed one phone number and there was no answer. The said they were sorry and that was all they can do. I didn’t have AAA or a towing service on the car.
My Dad called back and asked how things were going and I said it wasn’t going. He said he was heading to pick up a fifth wheel trailer and come down to get us. That was a 5 to 6 hour drive. I almost cried because of that. I am not a baby either. The gesture he was going to show was priceless and full of love. We broke down around 6pm and he hit the road at 7pm.
It was a very hot day and we were burning up. We went to the gas station after I pushed the car to the hotel parking lot, got some water and a sandwich and headed back to the car. They weren’t real friendly at the station. I guess that is why “Service Stations” are a dying breed and they are now called “Convenience Stores.” It was a frustrating thing. We sat in the car for about 5 hours. It was hot and humid and sticky. It then proceeded to rain and we had to have the windows closed. It was a trying time on our temper and relationship. We were a bit snappy to each other and short. I hate it when that happens because it only makes things worse. We tried to laugh and make jokes and talk about stuff to keep our minds off the heat. It didn’t work too well. We started to play guessing games and time slowly went by. I bet I called my Dad every hour to see where he was. It seemed like I called every 6 hours, but it was really an hour. Amazing how our perception of time changes when we are stressed and frustrated.
I had to keep my hopes and attitude up because B was bummed out. It was her car and it really has given us troubles since the day her Dad picked it out because “It was a deal.” It was hard for me to have a good attitude. I can sweat in the winter. I was sweaty and hot. We talked and also sat there in silence.
My Dad got there and we loaded up in the rain and headed home. I paid for fuel for his truck and we got home around 7am Sunday morning. We were so glad to see him and then get home. Now we have a dead car and now have to go from having no car payment to having one. We weren’t prepared for it at all financially. It was testing on our relationship because it was a trying time for us. We got home and slept and then reflected. I felt like our relationship had gotten stronger because of the ordeal we went through. We saw how we each reacted differently. We learned a lot from the ordeal and each other.
Now we have to look for a car and that is frustrating. We pray about it every chance we get and we have to have faith that God will provide us an avenue to get a car. Please keep us in your prayers. Have you ever had car troubles like this? Let us know by commenting. How did you make it through? I feel it made us stronger even though it was extremely tough. That is how our first road trip turned out. I hope number two and beyond are way better. Make it a great day.