Oh "no!" for two.

Does anybody really know how much I HATE pumping gas?  Okay, hate is a strong word, I know, but I realllly dislike it.  I dislike it so much that I run the tank on my Jeep until 10 miles after the gas light comes on.  I dislike it so much that I fill it up as full as possible every time I pump.  I dislike it so much that I get just a little bit angry with Dave every time I have to pump because I think he should be doing it!*

So on the morning I had to ship the minivan, I told myself about 15 times to put only $10 in it.  It was empty, but I needed to only have 1/4 of a tank in order to have it accepted.  Didn't really want to drive around for hours burning up gas (= money) unnecessarily.

Mom came down to follow me to the vehicle processing center (VPC), which is near Baltimore.  We stopped at the gas station.  I loaded the gas pump into the van.  I walked over to pay for Mom's gas.  I came back to the van.  BOOM.  15 gallons in the van. No kidding. Usually I lament how slow the gas pumps are.

I had added a bit of extra time into the trip and went to Napa to buy a siphoning kit. They had only a hand pump with about 6 inches of air. I could clearly see that it wasn't going to work.  I stared dumbly at the wall where the 1 siphon kit hung.

And then a mechanic, who happened to be paying a bill at the time, told me that I could follow him to his garage because he thought he could help me out. Providence smiles at me. It turns out that this man is the very same mechanic who used to live across from me. He seldom goes into Napa. He paid almost all his bills late last week. But the $3 he owed to Napa was nagging at him. So I follow him to his garage, thank the very good Lord.

And THEN, his 3 siphoning kits (air and battery powered, nothing wimpy like a hand pump) fail to reach any gas.  Apparently, Dodge has engineered the gas tank and lines so that it cannot be siphoned. Great. Guess I'll be able to drive during the Apocalypse. The good man puts the van on a lift and does some voodoo near the gas filter and siphons the gas. My goodness, even on the lift, it was slow. I call the VPC and they say it's okay that I'll be two hours late, as long as I only have a 1/4 tank of gas and meet the other requirements. After about an hour with him, Mom and I drive off again.

Fast forward about an hour, and I realize with dismay that I did not have the mechanic take out enough gas. Mom and I drive around for an extra half hour. As I'm making a left turn on a left turn arrow, a different car in the opposite lane decides to go straight, and almost hits me. I mean, evasive maneuvers had to happen. Thank God that we didn't get hit.

When it finally hits 1/4 tank, I go to the very busy VPC. Line up to have the van inspected. The man opens the door, takes a quick look, and says it's too dirty. I will need to have it detailed.

I can't say I'm too surprised. The website and papers said it would have to be very clean. It wasn't. I can't deny it, even though I tried. But I wish they would have just said to have it detailed. Fortunately, the guy who did the inspection recommended a detailer about 10 minutes away. The detailer is willing to drop it off. Of course, for almost $300!

Mom and I have a nice lunch at Bertucci's, but I am emotionally drained and not looking forward to the drive back, so I'm sure I wasn't very good company. (Sorry, Mom. You know how much I love you.) We make it back safely.

The next day, the kids have a morning activity camp and I decide to take them to Busch Gardens after it is over, around noon. Mom, Alex, Griffy, Livvy and I load up in my Jeep and head down, after checking the weather. During the four hour drive, I check the operating hours and see that they close at 7:00. We'd be there a little after four, and that's okay because the little kids don't have much more stamina than that, anyway. We get there and I pay $90 for my ticket. I had bought one at the Army MWR but Mom would use that. We go in. No rides are open due to thunderstorms. No shows are running. The water play area is closed. I buy sympathy gelato for $30. We're all tired and disappointed, but the kids are so good. I can't even believe how good they are. We drive home. Three and a half hours.

I told Mom we were 0 for 2. I had a shipment coming on Thursday, and I was getting a little worried that I was going to see a pattern. But the shipment went fine on Thursday. And the van got accepted yesterday. There is some confusion about the last shipment next week, but it will all work out. God takes care of us. (Same thing I tell my kids all the time.)

Is it Saturday today?! 8 more days. We already said some sad goodbyes, and I don't even want to talk about it.  Maybe later.

* Logically, I know this is completely unfair to him. He seldom drives my Jeep and if I ever ask him to take it on his trip to the store and fill it up for me, he does. So, my bad, Dave. You know how much I love you.