I was only 13 years old when I learned that the Corvette and I were "born" the same year. Right then and there I made myself a promise that some way, some how I would own one of those beautiful machines before I turned 21!

I was in the Army when the opportunity arose for me to purchase a two year old Corvette for only $6,000 -- what a steal! I hurried to my insurance agent and inquired on how much my insurance would cost. To my disappointment he said that it would be $2,000 per year since I was 18 years old and Corvettes were at a high risk of being stolen. That meant that over a three year period I would have paid as much for insurance as I would have paid for the car itself. I decided against buying it at that time and have kicked myself ever since!!!

When I was nearing my 21st birthday my thoughts again turned towards the Corvette, however by that time I was married to Frank and Louie was just a baby, so we weren't in a position where we could afford one. I told myself that it would have to be put off until my 25th birthday.

By the time my 25th birthday rolled around we had added Duke to our family and we still weren't in a position to make such a purchase, so I promised myself that I'd have one by the time I turned 30.

Well, the big "3-0" arrived so I looked at things realisticly, and the boys were 7 and 9 years old by then. It would only be another six years before Louie would start to drive, and Duke would follow only two years later. Again there was no way that we could afford a Corvette, because the insurance when the boys reached driving age would be unbearable.

Figuring out how old the boys would be and how old I would be after a certain number of years, I again promised myself that I'd have a Corvette before a certain age...this time, by my 45th birthday. That would give us 15 years to save up for it, and the boys would both be over 21 and the insurance would be more reasonable again.

All along my plans were to buy a mid-70's Corvette which we could pick up for around $5,000 to $8,000, and which would be easy to find and maintain.

When Louie was old enough to drive we helped him get his first car, and it was a cute little red 1988 Plymouth Sundance. Unfortunately he was involved in a head-on collision (not his fault) with a duelie-pickup truck when he'd had it for only nine months, and it was totaled. While undergoing treatment from a chiropractor for his neck and back he purchased a champaign gold metalic colored 1990 Geo Prizm with all the toots and whistles, which he had until early 2002.

When Duke was 17 and got his drivers license, we helped him buy a little reddish-colored 1990 Nissan pickup. He still owns it today.

With both of the boys getting really nice vehicles, I decided that maybe I wouldn't settle for just a mid-70's Corvette. Instead, I set my sights on a newer model....one in the $10,000 to $12,000 range.

Frank promised that we would buy a Corvette when our 1990 Plymouth Acclaim was paid off, but when that happened he decided that he needed a 4x4 pickup instead. We went out looking and bought a brand new 1994 Ford Ranger extended cab that's a beautiful plum color....looks great when it's clean; still looks good when it's dirty!

After much discussion it was decided that the Corvette would come into our lives when our mobile home was paid off, so that gave me something to work towards. However, when that time came there were other things that took priority so it was once again shoved into the background, but each time it was pushed back I set my sights on a newer model.

I began getting antsy as my 45th approached quickly and I could see no Corvette on the horizon, so I told Frank that the only way I'd put it off again was if we refinanced our house and consolidated our bills. He agreed to refinance, so once again my dream was put on hold...this time until my 50th birthday. -- I was now aiming for a 1990 or newer model, although I am not attracted to the new shape which was introduced in 1997.

Now was our chance to save up some money, however, my work situation began to suddenly deteriorate. When things went from bad to worse and I began having medical problems we decided that I should leave my state job to operate "Graphics by Gardino" (our desktop publishing and printing business) full time. My last day with the Washington State Department of Agriculture was October 15, 1998.

Things went well for awhile, and then business began to slowly taper off. We were at a loss for a reason, until we became aware of a "slanderous situation" by a competitor. This resulted in a downturn in business, and after a few more months we were barely able to make ends meet. We had no where to turn and we couldn't file for bankruptcy as we would lose all our printing equipment, so we went through a credit counseling service and got all of our payments bundled together. It made for one huge payment, but it was still less then we were paying to each creditor individualy.

Struggling to make ends meet prompted me to go back to work part-time in August 2000 for a not-for-profit company as their "Technology Bridge Administrator" (computer tech). In November 2001 I got a job with the Department of Social and Health Services in the Background Check Unit, and after 4-1/2 months -- just as we thought we were getting our financial situation under control -- my position was cut when DSHS had to make budget reductions. After being out of work for only a week and a half I gained employment at a rental/party store in Tumwater as a clerk/cashier. I gained a lot of on-hands experience about the retail and rental business, and spent the majority of my time entering new merchandise into the computer. Unfortunately, my low hourly wage was only enough to cover the cost of my gas to drive back and forth to work with hardly any left over, so after six months we decided that I should quit so I would have time to find a better paying job.

In August 2003 my friend Genny gave me $100 as a birthday present and stated that it was to be used to open a savings account for the down payment on a Corvette. I put the money in an account and began putting whatever extra money I had into it, and soon my "seed money" took root and began to grow.

On November 9th, 2002 my friend Patti from Ontario, Canada (eh!) introduced me to a website titled "Save Karyn", where the young lady was $20,000 in debt. She created a website where she asked people to send her money to help pay her bills. She gave both daily and weekly updates as well as other humorious insights, and only after several months was free of debt. -- Now that's an idea, except I think I'll contact all the Corvette Clubs asking them to help a fellow Corvette lover fulfill her dream. Do you think that would work?!

On November 14th I interviewed for a temporary position with the State of Washington, and things began to look better immediately. Feeling chipper and in a good mood, I splurged and purchased a raffle ticket from a former fellow employee for $20. It was for a 1978 Corvette Pace Car with very low miles and many show trophies, and there were only 2,000 tickets to be sold. The odds weren't bad, so I couldn't pass it up even if we couldn't afford it. Maybe this was the way to get my first 'vette!

After a night of tossing and turning and hardly any sleep, the next day I was offered the job. November 20th was set as my first day at work, and I was so excited that I was bouncing off the walls for the rest of the day.

I really enjoyed my job and I caught on fast, and they also seemed to be happy with my work. Three months later (in late Febtruary) I was offered a $200 a month promotion to fill the position of the man who was in charge of the program I worked for. He was in the Marine Reserves and had been activated due to the possible upcoming war in Iraq, and I could fill his position until I'd been there a total of nine months (until mid-August 2003) or until he came back...whichever came first. I took the position, seeing it as a learning opportunity that could qualify me for a better position.

On February 9, 2003 I attended the "Corvette and Hi Performance" event at the Puyallup Fairgrounds with my friend Linda E., and we saw her cousin Kathy and Dave who are the owners of two Corvettes. Of course, they were immediately my friends!

When we walked into the Pavilion I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Talk about some beautiful Corvettes! Amongst them was the 1978 Pace car that I have a raffle ticket for, and I got to talk to Tony, the owner, who is married to Emma who I used to work with quite a few years ago and who I had bought the ticket from.

We stopped by the booth of the Corvette Club that Kathy and Dave belong to, and I picked up their latest newsletter. As I flipped through it I was surprised to see that the Member Profile for that month was on Kathy and Dave! I appreciate Linda E. going with me as she's not a Corvette lover, but without her I probably wouldn't have gotten to attend and I definately wouldn't have met Kathy. In the following days I read the newsletter from cover to cover, and I also checked out their webpage.

About two weeks later I stopped by the Chevrolet dealer that sponsors the Corvette Club. I was upfront with them and said that we'd gone through credit counseling so I didn't know what would show on our credit, and they said that it'd take about 10 minutes to find out. They had a beautiful black 1997 with all the options, and after going on a test ride I fell in love with it. I text messaged Frank at home and said, "I followed it home, can it keep me?" He didn't respond back, so I thought he was mad at me.

I had our digital camera with me so I took a few pictures of it, and they ran our credit and said that our credit was good except for the credit counseling. Because of that the interest rate would be around 13.5% and the payment about $550 a month. That was more than I wanted to pay, so I decided to check with our credit union. The dealership said they could crunch some numbers to come up with a lower payment of around $400, so I text messaged Frank again and asked if $400 was too much. Again he didn't respond, so I thought he was mad at me for sure.

I went home and the first thing Frank said to me was, "What does a 1997 look like?" I showed him the pictures and he asked if I'd bought it, and he actually sounded disappointed when I said that I hadn't. He said, "I thougth maybe you'd come home with your Corvette." That was the first real positive thing he's ever said like that, and it really surprised me.

The next day (Sunday) after church we took a drive so Frank could see the car, and he fell in love with it, too. We came home and I applied for a car loan on-line through the Credit Union, and we spent the rest of the day dreaming about Corvettes. It was nice to have Frank as excited as myself about it, when in the past he's done everything he could to discourage me from wanting one.

The Credit Union called on Monday and said that they couldn't finance us since we had credit counseling on our record. I then called our bank, and they ran a credit check and it came back with the same results...no credit due to credit counseling.

We decided to go with the dealership, so I called and asked if they could crunch their numbers and we'd go with them to finance the car. The finance manager said, "I'm sorry, but we couldn't find anyone to finance you since you had credit counseling." I couldn't believe it! Two days ealier they said they could finance us! I was so disappointed, but also relieved at the same time as we really couldn't afford to buy a Corvette right then. At least this told us what we were facing, and what we needed to work on between now and my August deadline.

It also showed me what the new 'vettes were like, and I changed my mind and decided that I had to have a 1997 or newer. We decided that the best thing to do was to pay off our creditors and get out from under the credit counseling, so our credit would be clear when we tried to finance the next time. We put our five acres (that we aren't living on) up for sale, and we cashed in our stocks. We also checked out eBay, and may try selling our '73 Plymouth Barracuda on it. Hopefully we can have most of the creditors paid off when our land sells, and then we'll work on what's left on our own...not through credit counseling.

In the meantime I continue to interview with the State, however I keep hearing that I am over qualified for the positions that I am interviewing for. No one wants to hire me, as they think I would be there for six months and promote out. Instead, they want someone who will come in and be there for a long, long time. I know that one of these times the job will be mine and I'll be back in a permanent position again, so in the meantime I'll just keep interviewing and doing my best.

I do know that when the day arrives that I do get a Corvette, you will see me grinning from ear to ear! In fact, I will probably eat and sleep in it for the first several months...and I know I'm going to cry! So look out world, 'cause when I get my Corvette I'm going to cruise to my heart's content...and we'll all live happily ever after!!! (And Frank will sigh a sigh of relief!) But until then...I will NEVER give up on my dream, and it'll be easier to achieve now that Frank wants one, too!

I have now decided that since I've waited this long, that I'm going to get exactly what I want in a Corvette...it'll have to be either bright yellow or purple pearl metallic. No plain color for me. I've waited longer enough to deserve one that looks nice, jumps out, and says, "Hey, look at me!"

UPDATE

My temporary position with the State ended on June 30, 2003, and on August 8th I interviewed for another temporary position in Tacoma. I was offered the job on the spot, and agreed to begin the following Monday, August 11th. Also on the 8th we signed papers to sell our land in Winlock which we had purchased in 1978. When we closed the deal we used the money from the land to pay off our bills (except for our home mortgage), and it sure was nice to be debt free!

On September 25th I spoke with a loan specialist at the Washington State Employee's Credit Union in Tacoma, Washington, and inquired about how long I would need to wait until it showed on our credit report that all of our bills had been paid off. She talked to me for awhile, asked some questions, and made copies of my paperwork, and said that she would get back to me soon. Well, two hours later she called and said I'd been approved for a loan. I couldn't believe it!

It just so happened that that very weekend was the "Wallop in Puyallup"....the largest car sale of the year. All of the area car dealerships brought their cars to the fairgrounds parking lot, and you could find some really good deals. Unfortunately we didn't find what we wanted there, but one salesman gave us a lead on a yellow Corvette at a dealship on River Road. We drove right over and checked it out, and sure enough.....it was exactly what we wanted. Needless to say, several hours later the car was ours!!!

In between, we had taken a test ride, haggled about the price, and had even gone home to run a Carfax and to check out availability at other dealerships, and had ended up going back and making a deal. And, like in the commercial, I licked the door handle to stake my claim, and then I drove a Corvette for the very first time in my life....and it was all mine!!! You see, I'd been "saving myself" all these years for my first! -- I didn't cry like I thought I would, but I don't think I've stopped smiling since! It is all I expected it to be and more, and I'm really enjoying it a lot!!! It's quite a looker, and even my mom who hated it in the beginning is beginning to take a liking to it. (I've been taking her to her doctor's appointments in it, and I think she enjoys all the men looking over at her and smiling!)

I'd like to thank God, my husband Frank, my friend Genny, and my new friend Angela at the Credit Union for making my dream come true! After 37 years of waiting and dreaming, it FINALLY happened!!!

Now I get so much attention that I want to use the 'vette in a way that will be pleasing to God. I'm tossing around the idea of starting a Christian car club, or maybe just a few friends that can get together and have some fun on the weekends. Whatever we decide to do, we want to give God the glory, thus the name of the club I'd like to start . . .

"To God Be The Glory"

Me and "My Dream" -- Isn't she a beaut?!!!

Someday I may even go to....

Where would you like to go now?

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