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November 08, 2002
Kathlene's 13th Birthday
It was Kathlene's birthday yesterday, and I want to take this opportunity to wish her a very happy birthday!
Kathlene: I have known you for almost a year and a half now, and in that time I've seen you grow a lot more than you probably realize. You have become an exceptional young woman, and I am proud to be your friend. Never forget to pray and read your scriptures. It sounds so simple, but I can promise you it will have a huge impact on your life. Happy Birthday!
I went to a hockey game with Janene's family tonight to celebrate Kathlene's birthday. It was my first hockey game, and I'm happy to report that I understand most of the major rules, and I was even able to anticipate a few of the calls before the referee made them. Hockey has a lot more to it than just a bunch of guys beating each other up (although we shouldn't overlook that—it is kindof funny to see how mad they get :D). It actually requires a lot of skill and quick reflexes, and is, in my opinion, very entertaining. In fact, I think it'd be fun to have season tickets someday when I'm not so busy with school and work.
Posted by Joey at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)
November 06, 2002
Trust in the Lord
Well, after some deliberation I've finally got my car back. I went Monday afternoon to pick up my car, and the service center had a check validating machine. They wouldn't take my check! They were very careful to say that it had nothing to do with a sufficiency or insufficiency of funds, or with my relationship with my credit union. I was declined simply because the company who manages their check validating machine doesn't have enough information about me to determine whether or not my check is valid—whatever that's supposed to mean. It really made me mad. They wouldn't let me take my car home until I paid to have the work done and I was in a hurry to get to work. Luckily Stu had his car and I was able to hitch a ride.
So I went back yesterday and paid with cash. My car works great! I had forgotten how much power the V6 gives up hills. It has a very smooth idle now as well. Last night I tried to turn the ignition a second time because I couldn't hear the engine. I'm not used to how quiet it is supposed to run!
I'm so grateful to my Heavenly Father for this answer to my prayers. For the last several weeks I've been trying to get a hold of Janene's cousin to have him look at my car. I'm almost certain, from discussions we had about my car several months ago, that if I would've taken it to him he would've tried replacing the distributor—a $500 part! If that had happened my car would still be running horribly. To be honest, I was beginning to get frustrated with praying about my car, because it didn't seem to me that it was doing me any good. In retrospect, I'm very grateful that the Lord chose to answer my prayers in a way other than the one I expected. He always knows best, and this experience has strengthened my understanding that I should trust Him even when things aren't going the way I want or expect them to.
Posted by Joey at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)
November 04, 2002
Light at the End of the Tunnel
My car went into the shop this morning. I've had it looked at by so many people that to be quite honest I didn't have much faith that a solution would be found. However, they've discovered that two of my fuel injectors were indeed plugged, and they are certain this was the cause of my troubles.
So I gave them the green light to replace the two injectors and completely flush the other four. In total, the work is costing me about $750, which completely breaks me, but doesn't force me into any debt. I'll pick up the car at around four o'clock today, so I'll have to let you know later if all is well.
I do want to thank my God for the abundance of blessing I receive at his hand daily—even hourly. He is an awesome God, of that I'm convinced!
Posted by Joey at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)
November 01, 2002
October Recap
It's been so long since the last time I wrote that I don't know quite how to start. I should let everyone know that I haven't dropped off the planet, nor have I been lazy for the last month. In fact, I purposefully took a break from updating my website to try and clear my head and get back into my schoolwork. No one complained that I was gone, so I doubt there are many people excited that I've returned, but nonetheless, I'll catch you all up on the last month of my life.
A lot has happened in the last month. I should note that I still haven't fixed my car. It's still having the "random multiple cylinders misfiring" problem. I've made an appointment for Monday morning at a local Dodge dealership. They said it might be that the fuel injectors are plugged up. Apparently they've seen that a lot with '98 Stratus V6's. So they are going to run a few tests to determine if that's the real problem. If they are right, it will cost me $200 in labor and somewhere around $200 per fuel injector. So, it could be anywhere between $400 and $1400 depending on how many out of the six fuel injectors need replacing. Ouch. :eek
My sister and her husband are starting a business together. They're going to offer custom photo editing for a small fee. They'll do most of their business over the Internet. Please take a brief moment to visit their website: fixapicture.com. You'll probably notice right away that there is nothing there. They just barely reserved the domain and haven't had a chance to get anything up yet. I hope and pray that the Lord will be with them in this venture.
I got a new debit card about two weeks ago, and the funniest thing happened. I activated the card using the 1-800 number, and the next day I tried to use it at an ATM. Now, this was not any ATM, it was a credit union ATM. If any machine should've accepted my debit card, it would've been this one. However, upon inserting my card and specifying the details of my withdrawl, I was promptly informed that my card was expired, and that it would be retained by the machine. In case you don't know (I didn't until just recently), when ATM's retain cards, they actually shred them! So I called my credit union and asked them what was up, and they didn't know, but said they would send out a new card free of charge within a week. I asked them if the new card would be shredded by the first ATM I stick it in, and they said, "Well, it shouldn't". What kind of answer is that? I haven't seen the new card yet, and it's been almost two weeks.
And in other news, I'm still sick. I've had a sore throat and sinus congestion for over two months now, by my best estimates. Other symptoms include fairly regular bloody noses, as well as a lot of wax in my ears. Sometimes the wax gets impacted and I have to pour vinegar down my ear canal to break it up. So I made an appointment to see an ENT (ear, nose, and throat). Hopefully he'll be able to identify the problem.
I think that about wraps up the summary of my life in October 2002. From here on out should be regular updates again. Thanks for being patient with me. I just want to take a moment to say how grateful I am for my life and the many blessings I have. I realize after reading this entry you are probably thinking nothing good has happened to me in the last month. I want to let you all know that the Lord has blessed me richly. I am completely in love with Janene, and I cherish every moment we spend together. She makes me very happy. I'm also especially grateful for Christ and the sacrifice He has made for me and all those who accept Him and believe in Him. The bad things that happen to me amount to little when compared to the infinite blessings of forgiveness and salvation. I hope and pray that I, and all who are within the sound of my voice (the sight of my text? ), can come to a better understanding of Heavenly Father and His great love for us. I can't imagine life without knowing Him.
Posted by Joey at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)