A New CAR

Now that's my favorite title for a post!  This time it is ME that got a new car.  My old van had 220,000 miles on it.  I had spent lots of money the past year on fixing it...tie rods, oil leak, brakes, broken something else, tires...on and on.  Plus it just made me nervous all the time cuz it was soo old and seemed to have soo many problems...so I'm driving up to Abi's friends house. Up in Eagle wood and it was up this STEEP hill.  All of a sudden, the car won't shift, and it is like 5 RPMs and I'm going 20 miles an hour.  THEN the engine light starts flashing.  That means stop immediately!  so we did.  We turned around and made it back to my moms house and traded cars.  That was soo scary.  So Marti is buying a new car at Larry Miller Jeep and asks the guy what he has in Vans for me.  Of course he has one.  2010 Dodge Grand Caravan with 48,000 miles on it.  Wow.  Not sure I can afford a new car, but I know my car is on its last leg. . .His name was Darin.

He called and texted me to come in.  It was Christmas Eve...so I put him off and the day after christmas he was calling and asking if he should bring the car to me.  No way that would make me nervous.  So Brooke and I went over and looked at the car.  We took it for a test drive.  Of course I love it.  It was a car with 170,000 LESS miles than the car I was driving.  I felt safe and wanted it so I could drive a car and not be nervous that it would leave me stranded, especially at night.  When we returned from the test drive, he says "pull it up here in the Sold area.

He was right, it did end up being the SOLD area.  I bought it.  They gave me a deal I couldn't refuse.  He was even gong to give me $1,000 trade for my old van.  He said it was going to salvage.  He probably tells everyone that... we didn't bring the van, we brought the KIA because I didn't want to buy a car that day.  The best part was while we were waiting for the paperwork, Darren brings out a bunch of roses for Brooke and for me.  Everyone that buys a car gets them he says.  Really...they must have had them left over from their Christmas party decorations.  But it was nice.  After we signed and were ready to leave he asked me if I wanted a hug.  No...but funny.

So, returned the next day with the van.  The whole time I'm driving out there I'm praying that the engine light doesn't come back on (it had been on since the flashing episode and had gone off on our way out there..) and we make it to the Car lot to get my trade in!  I was soo afraid when he saw it I wouldn't get the 1000 bucks.  But Got the trade in, an extra key, and Marti is getting a 100.00 gift card for gas for the referral!  So, that also made my Christmas great.  A new car.  I LOVE it.  It is a great feeling to have a newer car that will probably start and get me where I need to be.

 

Brooke and Darren the salesman in the back



Maureen with the "Every buyer gets roses" bouquet.

 

trying to make the deal...


this is a pic of a car that is just like mine. 
 

Christmas vacation 2013

We went to the Sing a long and Echos of Christmas - a Nativity at Liberty Park that's outside.  It's my other best Christmas activity.  I didn't take any pictures of it though.  Over the holidays we went miniature golfing and roller skating and saw two movies .  Saving Mr Banks, which was about Walt Disney and how he got the rights to make Mary Poppins.  I loved it.  It got 3.5 stars.  Mark, my brother, saw it and said it must have been 3.5 out of ten stars.  ..haha. On New Years day we went to see Frozen.  The Disney movie about a princess that everything she touches freezes.  Sooo cute.  rumbis after.  That was for McKennas 18th birthday!  Wow Michelles kids are grown up!  mine are close behind!  So sad to see the holidays go and be back to the grind at school.

Abi and Jack roller skating

Andrew learning to roller skate

Abi and Jack again

Jack

Andrew and Jack with skate trainers

Nick mad

At Movie Frozen

FROZEN again

Nick

The Gang at Rumbi's

The gang again at Rumbi's



 

Christmas 2013

We had a great Christmas.  It was much better than I thought.  I was less stressed than I have been in the past about money and about what I have to give isn't enough.  Brooke got a laptop for college, Andrew got this gaming chair, Abi got a bike and a curling wand, Nick got Legos and army men, and Jack got a New England Patriots Jersey with Tom Brady on the back.  He loves the New England Patriots.  I got a table for the living room that I had been looking at in the Target!  I LOVE it.

We just hung out around the house on Christmas playing with our remote control cars, using the gaming chair or just sleeping.  Mitchell called at Michelle's house so the Grandparents went to their house to talk to him so we were alone most of the day. 

Brooke and laptop

the mess we made

Christmas stockings

Jack and football

Abi and pic of brooke and David archuletta that Brooke gave her

Nick's favorite team San Francisco 49ers

Jack's favorite team, but Brooke showing the shirt

for Abi

Jack and his shirt

The tree we cut down in Moab

Jack and  Tom Brady jersey

Jack and remote control car in Tom Brady jersey

Andrew and Abi and Brooke

 

Christmas Eve 2013

Christmas Eve is uneventful because the night before we already had our family Christmas party at the gma and gpa house.  It was super fun, we had Mexican food and opened presents from them.  Always a good time. We have been to the sing a long, the night before so we have been a bit of the partiers. So Christmas Eve we went to Temple square with Michelle's family.  It is fun to walk around in the cold and watch the nativity (the same one as last year) and see the lights. After, since it is Christmas Eve, we ended up at In N Out Burger.  It is the only place that is open.  So we ended our Christmas eve with a double double.  We missed Mitchell this year, since he is on his mission to Columbia so we held up signs that said Merry Christmas Mitchell so we can send them to him.  They are hard to read in some of the pics.  We also had one for Gma and Gpa since they opted to stay home.  Guess they don't like In N Out burger!

Christmas Eve at Temples square

Jack entering Temple Squar

Christmas Concerts 2013

Andrew and Abi both play in the Orchestra at School.  Andrew also plays in the Jazz band.  During Christmas we have concerts.  They are very dedicated to their musical pursuits.  Andrew has Jazz and before school starts at 7:15.  He is up and ready to go every day.  He is on time usually.  So we had two fabulous concerts the last so days.  Love to see them perform and excel.  Brooke was my companion to the jazz band and Nick was my companion for the orchestra.  Grandma and Grandpa are the faithful attenders for both concerts and excellent seat savers because they get there so early!

Andrew waiting for his turn (he on the left)

Gpa and Gma

Sing a Long 2013

Our favorite activity for Christmas is the Sing a Long at the Energy Solutions arena.  It is sponsored by Larry Miller and the best part s the concessions are half price!  so we show up early (that part has been bred into us...) and eat some concessions, and then there's a live orchestra and we sing Christmas songs and the words are up on the jumbo tron.  the Jazz bear comes and so Does santa.  Their musical guest was Kurt Bestor.  I thought he was pretty good.  He played a few numbers on the piano and flipped his hair around.  He is a bit old for that long wispy hair...  We were there with Michelle and her family.  Brooke, and McKenna and McCall were having a great loud time.  We were on the jumbo tron about 5 times!  I was out at the snack shack and ran into Brooke's babysitting people the Bentzens.  She said she heard Brooke in the arena.  She didn't see her, but heard her.  Soo funny.  We just had a great time.  marti, Gma, Gpa, Blake, Micaela, Abi, Nick, Jack, Michelle, Maureen, Andrew were there.  Oh and Marilyn Martis mom!