Lucy...you got some splaining to do...

Ok so after this past Saturday and what everyone will all soon know...I feel like I should post some sort of explanation in here. After three years of marriage and all sorts of experiences, we've really learned to listen to our guts (inspiration...prayer...all of the above) We've really tried to take care of things to prepare us for the time when I would quit working as much and we'd be reliant on mainly Ben's income. One thing that is very important to Ben is having a warranty on the vehicles and an extended warranty if the factory warranty is up. We have just recently taken care of his truck to make sure that no more unexpected big expenses will come our way. That is definitely a relief. The next issue was my escape. After almost 2 years with that vehicle, we put 40k miles on it. The manufacturers warranty was up at 36k. Being a hybrid, we knew any repair could be costly. We had no intentions of getting rid of my escape (I loved it!!) but Ben always had his eyes out for a good deal that would get us a car of comparable condition or newer for the same or less money.

Friday at work, Ben was tinkering on the internet looking at vehicles. He found a VW suv at a good price and was looking at what we could get for the escape as a trade in. He figured that there would be roughly $3k in difference between what the escape was worth and what the asking price was on the VW. So Ben knew with what we owed on the escape still that it was a stupid move, but then he thought further. An extended warranty on my car would roughly cost the same as the difference in price of the VW with a warranty still on it and with much less miles. So this is how Ben approached me about getting rid of my escape. He figured that it made more sense to have a newer vehicle that cost a little more but still had a good warranty over making an additional yet higher payment for the extended warranty separate from the car payment. It made sense to me and I went along with it.

My only stipulation was that I wanted it to be a matter of prayer. I didn't want to make a big financial decision without the Lord being involved. So I asked Ben to pray about it and if we got a clear answer...then I was cool with it. So Ben prayed and his mind kept leading him to thoughts about a car instead of a suv. He really didn't understand why the Lord would lead him to think about a car instead of the suv so he called his dad to get his opinion. Dad, without knowing what Ben had prayed about, told Ben...have you ever considered getting a car instead of another suv? He suggested that we could get more for the money and efficiency. So this is what led us to looking at cars.

We looked into Hondas because of their certified warranties. We found a great deal at Crest Honda in Nashville. We found a certified 2007 silver - 4 door Honda Accord with only 28k miles on it (they are also installing leather for us). They gave us a good trade in rate on the escape and wonderful warranty options. We still had the factory warranty till 36k miles but they also offer a 7 yr 100k mile powertrain. We got the payment very near what our escape payment was, and this was the only way we were willing to change to a different vehicle. While in financing, they really took care of us. They were able to also get us gap insurance, 7 yr protectant on paint and interior, 5 yr tire and wheel warranty, and a 7 year 100k mile additional bumper to bumper warranty for only an additional $11 a month.

Trust me...neither of us woke up saturday morning with the intention of trading my escape but we really felt directed down this path. I know I don't owe anyone an explanation but some will look at the fact that we traded to yet again another vehicle and they will really wonder if we've lost our minds...This trade really gave us peace of mind that we wont have a huge unexpected expense regarding our vehicles for many years to come. We are trying to consolidate many of the things in our life with Alli on her way and we're trying to do everything in our power to stay close to the Lord so we know when and what we're supposed to do. So anyway...way too long of an explanation but now you know. :)

We're still praying that Ruth. Co. work starts to come in. If it doesn't then Ben may go back to Rural Metro to pick up some work. We're trying to be patient and understanding in all things. We are extremely blessed and happy and life is good. We love you all!