Moving on....

The bruises have faded.

The horrible sounds and memories of the crash are replaying in my mind less often.

I'm starting to get over the sadness of losing the car I loved so much. Well, I WAS starting to get over it. Yesterday, I saw another green xB in my town. They were a limited edition, are very rare, and I have never seen another one in the Romeo area. I have not seen another one ANYwhere in over a year. Yet yesterday I had to spot one coming down the road. It was like a knife to the heart. With a twist. 

I still freak out a bit when I see cars pulling up to intersections, hoping they'll stop. I am much more aware of every car around me and what they're doing, and trying to second guess their every move. It's rather nerve-wracking. I'm sure this will eventually pass, though I will continue to be more careful and aware.

I continue to be thankful and feel blessed about my lack of injury and pain. That is most important in this whole situation. (But I still want my car back, dammit)

I guess you never realize how much you rely on your transportation until you are suddenly without wheels, without warning. I am so lucky to have a neighbor/friend who was so generous and lent me her car throughout the week. I was able to do most of the things I would have normally done, and my inconvenience was greatly reduced because of her. Thanks Donna!

I got my new car on Wednesday. It's kind of cute (NOT as cute as my xB). It's a cool color (NOT as cool as my xB's green) and I guess I'm happy. When I got the insurance check, I paid off the loan on my xB and had some money left over. I got a good interest rate on the new car, and my payments are less than what I was paying on the xB,  even with no money down. So I'm not out anything, financially, because of this accident. No, my losses are emotional rather than financial or physical. 

Notice I am calling my old car "the xB" rather than Yarnbox. The reason? Because my new car will also be Yarnbox, until May. I had renewed my personalized plate in the spring, and decided to just transfer the plate for now, rather than have to pay the full fee again so soon. I have a temporary in my window for now, because I haven't been able to bring myself to put that plate on my new car yet. It feels like it's a Yarnbox imposter. I have 2 weeks to break down and do it. 

So, here it is. My 2009 Chevy Aveo5 2LT. She's got some features that the xB didn't have. I'm thinking I might need to have a sunroof put in, just to make me feel a little better (and because I deserve it, right?) 

The color is actually prettier than what it shows in this photo. I haven't had a chance to get a better picture, due to weather issues.  Weather...that means there is now mud splashed on my new car. We are supposed to have 5 days of sun (and HEAT) now, so she'll be getting clean again today. I may be taking her for a little road trip this weekend. Depends on if I head to the lake when Mike and Jake leave this afternoon, or if I wait until morning to go. 

Happy Holiday Weekend, everyone! Have fun, and stay safe! 

ps...this car has side airbags, and OnStar, which both make me feel much better.

Oh my poor Yarnbox....sniff

So, it's been quite a summer. A pinched nerve in my back (not once but twice) leaving me pretty much incapacitated until I could get fixed up by my wonderful chiropractor. 

Then, I ripped my leg open and needed 18 stitches. 

I raised my hands up and said to the universe: "What next?" 

There was my mistake. Universe answered and said "How about THIS?"

This morning I was coming home from Best Buy, with a back-up drive for my computer. I've never gotten into the habit of backing anything up. I've heard so many horror stories lately about people losing important files, especially photos. I've been pushing my luck for too long and decided I needed to start protecting my digital information.

I got the last one of these on the shelf at Best Buy. On sale, too. It even coordinates with my orange laptop cover! 

So, I was minding my own business, was less than 3 miles from home, and had myself a little bit of excitement. A guy pulled out from a side road (while I was traveling toward the intersection at 55 mph) and he attempted to turn. I think he thought I was going to stop (he had a stop sign, I did not).  I had enough time to lay on my horn and try to swerve around him, but he hit me right on the side and flipped me over. There is nothing that compares to the feeling you get when you are starting to roll over. I put my hands over my head and just prayed there would not be another car coming down the road to hit me again. I came to a stop, upright, within a few feet of an accounting building. I'm glad I didn't hit that too.

Anyway, I am ok (as far as I know). Sore, and will most likely be more sore tomorrow. I assume the insurance company will say my dear Yarnbox.... the car I have loved most in all my life, is totaled. Here is a photo of where the roof scraped the road (or vice versa!) More photos on flickr here 

Where has summer gone?

Wow, summer has really flown by. (Doesn't it always?) So many plans are formed when school lets out, and then the lazy days just flow one into the next and before you know it ... POOF! It's over and school starts again.

We have just returned from a camping trip. It was a week for Mike and Jake, who left last Saturday. I brought Kaitlyn and a friend to the campground on Monday, and came home yesterday. Mike and Jake will return today. During the days when it was just the 2 of them, they did some fishing, golfing, and just hung out together having some "guy time", which I'm sure they both enjoyed a lot!

The 4 of them went to Cedar Point on Tuesday and I had a nice QUIET day by myself at the campground.

While they were gone, I:

~made some progress on my sweater (still a long way to go and time is running out!

~read (Whack a Mole by Chris Grabenstein... I have really enjoyed all 3 books in this series)

~watched Olympics

~basically enjoyed my solitude. 

Wednesday we went into Monroe (hometown of Custer) and went to the historical museum. Very interesting stuff! One of the biggest battles of the War of 1812 was fought in the area. 

We spent Thursday on Put In Bay Island which was a TOTAL blast. Took the ferry over, rented a 6-seater golf cart for the day and just took in the sights, toured the Heineman winery and Crystal Cave (which was the world's largest geode, and you got to be inside of it. SO COOL!) Played 18 holes of mini-golf with a War of 1812 theme. Lots of history on the island. And lots of fun things to do. We had lunch at Mr. Ed's Bar and Grille, which was right across the street from a beautiful park overlooking the marina and lake. We loved buzzing around on the golf cart along with hundreds (thousands?) of other carts. The day was beautiful and we really had a great time. 

Mike has the camera, so I will post photos later on. 

Now it's back to reality. I'll have to catch up on laundry (everything smells like campfire of course) and restock the fridge and pantry. Jake missed his "Dawg Days" this week, which is where the kids go and get their schedules, get their pictures taken, order yearbooks, turn in emergency cards, etc etc. I'll have to take him in before school starts to take care of some of that. I can't believe I no longer have a child in elementary school, after all these years. Jake is off to middle school. And Kaitlyn is a senior. It's a big year in the Bloom house.  We still need to buy school supplies (once again, I urge all teachers...please send a school supply list to your students before school starts, especially if you have items on your list that are out of the norm....did you ever try to buy school supplies after school starts? They've already gone on clearance and there is nothing left). When I worked at Target, every mother of every 6th grader came to Target after school started, looking for a clipboard, and boy were they pissed that we didn't have hundreds of them on the shelves waiting for them.  (Note to self...Jake is a 6th grader...pick up a clipboard....it'll probably be on his list)

We also need to get Kaitlyn's senior pictures taken in the next few weeks. Her photographer will be my good friend Debbie, who is so creative and has a special talent for getting great shots. She did Kim's wedding photos and they are stunning.  Check out her website. Beautiful photography. She is also mentoring Kaitlyn, since my dad's photography genes seem to have been passed down and she wants to also make photography her career. Grampa couldn't be prouder!

Time to tackle another load of laundry. More will be coming when my men pull in with the camper shortly. I just got a call that they are on the road.