Some of you were probably wondering what was going on with Austin and I since we vanished for awhile. Well, here's the details...

Started last Monday really. I had to come home from work early because I felt like I was gonna throw up there. Thankfully Austin got off work with me and drove me home. So I get home and eventually fall asleep and toss and turn all night long. I get woken up at 6:30 in the morning the next day from a phone call from my mom telling me my grandma passed away that morning. So I'm utterly miserable... My mom and my sister want us to come down there, so I call into work and tell them what happened and ask for four days off so I can spend a couple days down in San Diego (I didn't want to spend terribly long down there because I really can't afford to take any time off work). So we pack up everything, ask Austin's mom to watch over our pets, and head down to San Diego.

Ok, everything is going alright I guess, Austin is driving for me since I feel miserable. Around 6:30-7pm we get just north of L.A. and the car starts surging and loosing speed. We pull off quickly and head into a gas station. I'm starting to panic. It's dark, cold, and I don't know where I am, and I'm still about 2 and a half hours from San Diego. I drive the car around the station, and it dies right when I try to get on the street. So I call my dad and he says to let it sit a bit, then try to ease it back onto the freeway of I can or find a hotel or something because no one can come get us. His car is broken and his girlfriend's car is on it's last leg and wouldn't make the trip. My mom can't get us... So, Austin asks the gas attendent where the nearest mechanic is in hopes of getting my car somewhere where it can be fixed. There's a shop just a little bit away from us, should be able to make it there no prob, it's right at the end of the freeway off-ramp we took. So we go there and it's closed up, but we go inside anyways and talk to the mechanic who's there. He offers to lock up our car in his shop and take a look at it in the morning when he opens up. He's very helpful and even finds us a Motel 6 to stay at since we're stranded. He tells us he'll help us get a rental car tomorrow so we can get down to San Diego. He even gives us a lift to the motel since it's FREEZING outside, and dark. We go to the motel and guess what... we can't rent a room because we're only 20... so Austin rushes back to fetch the mechanic Rodger and he puts a room down in his name and we pay for it so we can stay there. So we huddle up in a strange motel in a strange city, only have a few snacks, and I'm having a panic attack... not fun. Needless to say, I didn't sleep well.

Next morning the rental car place calls up and guess what... we can't rent a car because I'm 20... not 25. *sigh!* So after much calling we debate about taking the train down, there's a station about three miles away. But luckily, my cousin says she'll come up and get us! So we have to check out at noon, and we hoof it over to the Denny's nearby with all our stuff and sit down for lunch since we're starving. After waiting around for awhile my cousin and her sister's hubby arrive to take us down home. So we squish into the back seat with her dog and head down through the always lovely L.A. traffic to home.

Once there we have to figure out what to do with my car. We can't get it towed so my dad and sister's dad-in-law can fix it, so we all decide to leave it where it is and get it fixed. Turns out to be a cracked head gasket. $1600. Yup... that much to fix my car. I have no money. My dad has no money. My mom has no money. So, my aunt Pam says she'll cover half of it for my mom's portion but says my dad has to pay the other half because... well, he's my dad. Yes... such logic there. My mom and my grandpa picked the stupid car out. They didn't ask dad who knows everything about cars! Noooo... he can't even fix his own car, but he's supposed to pay for mine. So, Austin's mom and his aunt pull together to help pay the other half. So we get that done and it should be done by Saterday. I'm supposed to go home Friday... so we call in work and tell them we'll probably be back Sunday or Monday and explain everything. Ok, that's done. Now I'm stuck in San Diego without a car, which sucks.

While down there we hear from Austin's mom about our home situation. We have to move out by March. *sigh* So it looks like we'll be moving down to San Diego soon...

Saterday. My mom is going to drive us to get the car since she doesn't work. 30 minutes on the road... Rodger calls and tells us he has to run a 2 hour test on the car to make sure everything's working right. We have to get the car Monday... they're not open Sunday. *sigh!* So we head back.

Monday. No one can take us up, so we have to take the train there... at 6am. Yup. Train leaves at 6:12am. And it's raining. A lot. First rain they've had in forever... and we get soaked, but we make it on the train thanks to my dad dropping us off in his gf's car. THANKFULLY the train is running because the night before one of the bridges (along our route even) burned and collapsed. So we didn't have to take the bus, yay. We make it to Van Nuys and take a cab over to the shop. Driver gets lost a bit, of course, but we make it. I wait for two hours! And *then* I can finally take my car home. So we take off, very anxious to get home. About an hour and a half later, the car surges... looses speed... and dies on the side of the highway. I'm hysterical. Austin calls Rodger and he sends a mechanic up there to hopefully fix whatever's wrong. So we sit, in the cold, and it starts pouring outside. Also... my radio isn't working. It worked when I had it before, so I assume they spilled something on it... So we sit there, in the quiet and the cold, awaiting a mechanic to come.

Next day we check out and wait for someone to pick us up at the McDonalds nearby. Charlie shows up and takes us to the shop because we don't want to wait the two expected hours at McDonalds. So we go back to the shop. And wait... and wait... and wait... I'm getting panic attacks again. I want to go home, and my car still isn't back. But finally, after 6pm, they finally get back and my car is doing fine, made it over the mountains no problem. But... they want $310 for the cap. They'll take it out if we don't pay them since he can't get approval for us to pay later. Here's another panic attack. My car's here... but I can't have it... So I call my aunt Sylvia and ask if she can help us. Her and my dad go to Western Union the money over since she maxed out her credit card paying off her own car repairs. So we drive off with Charlie to a Wells Fargo... they're closed. Panic Attack. We call Rodger again and find out that wasn't even where we were supposed to go! So we find the right place, get the money, and head back to the shop. We pay him and finally, finally are able to go home. It's around 7:30pm, but we're going home.

So we head up the 5, car's doing ok. We get towards the mountain... the entire 5 is closed, due to snow. All 5 lanes... closed. Everyone is forced off at Castiac, with no detour signs anywhere. None. We all just get dumped off and that's a HELL of a LOT of traffic! So we get some gas, call my mom and get a map of the area. She tells us to head back down the 5 and get on the 125 to the 101. We can take that all the way home. It'll take longer, but we'll get there. So we turn around and go back and take that route. So I drive for awhile, car's still doing ok. We should get home around 1am. I let Austin take over for the last couple of hours and we try to keep ourselves somewhat awake. We get close to home, I think near Gonzales we saw some weird lights not that far above us to the left. They were weird, kinda triangle shaped, lights. There were four and each one had one of the three lights blinking. Dunno what the heck they were, but thought I might as well add we saw some UFO's on the way home, heh. I also hear from my dad along the way that the stupid credit card ran my check through AGAIN. And say that he owes another $700 and has to pay it by tomorrow. Lovely. He tells me not to worry, that he'll fix it, and to just get home, that's all that matters. *sigh* I still have a slight panic attack from it... since it really feels like the entire world is against me for some reason.

Well, we make it home, call everyone up, cuddle my babies, and go to bed since we have work that day. That's my harrowing adventure to share. Now I'll get to the characters. Take care all.