The car, has returned

I substituted a line from The Lion King for the title. I am so original.

Six weeks after the accident, we finally have our car back! I know a lot of people are wondering how in the world it took that long. I know some cynics who think that I got cheated or something.

The reason it took so long is because there was A LOT more damage than what was initially thought. At first we thought there was just some bumper damage and that was that. Well, as the mechanics started working on it further, they discovered that the transfer case was cracked. They had to take the car to the dealership at that point, and the dealership found out that the transfer case my car needed was on national back order. What was worse was that there was no release date for said back order. Wonderful. Thankfully (we think it was prayer that made this happen) they got the part in a matter of days. Hallelujah! But they still had to keep repairing, they had to put the air bags back in, etc. And then there was taking it to the painters and taking it back to the dealership so *they* could evaluate the repairs they did.

I know that the mechanics were repairing my car during this entire time because they called me at least twice a week to update me on what they had done. So you cynics can stop telling me that I should have bothered them every single day. It wouldn't have helped one bit.

The only annoying part was that it took them longer than I had the rental car for to finish the car. We finally ended up borrowing a car from Stephan's parents for the last few days so we wouldn't have to pay out of pocket for the extra few days with the rental (we saved a couple hundred bucks doing this). We picked up the car in Draper (yes, Draper) and we almost didn't get to because I didn't have the first estimate check with me. Since the car is still under my parents' insurance (until I am employed), the check was sent to my parents. I made an urgent call to my mom right then, which was a good thing because she was on her way to the temple (my parents are ordinance workers). She was able to give them her information over the phone, and all was well in Zion. We got our car back, although we are still trying to figure out how to get the clock and radio to work. I'll probably have to ask my dad, since it used to be his car.

Other than the car, I should probably talk a little more about what's going on with the Andersons. I still don't have a job. I actually interviewed with a company two weeks ago, but they *never* contacted me, so I have moved on. I've gotten more rejections. We're financially fine right now--Stephan's job is helping us more than we thought it would. My mother-in-law was relieved to hear that because she's been worrying. I guess she gets flashbacks of what her newlywed life was like, which was apparently a whole lot worse than ours is. I have placed an ad at UVU for my editing services, but no response yet. Anyone want me to look over their papers?

I've been getting brilliant ideas to save money. I'm starting to think about making our own laundry soap. I think my sister-in-law already does it and it saves them money. We've also been making our restaurant decisions based on what coupons we have for them. Oh the joys of being poor.

Stephan is doing well in school. He says that being married has improved his grades, mainly because I help motivate him. If I go up and randomly hug him while he's studying, he becomes more motivated and his productivity improves. Who would have thought?

Oh, and tomorrow marks one year since we met. We're celebrating today, however, since tomorrow is Sunday. We'll probably go to dinner at Mimi's Cafe (we have a 2 for 1 coupon), do a session at the Provo Temple, and then go to Maestro's for some gelato. Maestro's was where we concluded our first date, though I know for sure that this trip will be much more enjoyable than our first date's was. Ha!