Oregon Trip: Part 1 (The Car Miracle)

My trip to Oregon was truly wonderful.  I loved getting to see most of my family, several close friends and several beautiful natural sites.  It was a short trip, but I had a few very memorable experiences that I will be sharing with you over the next few posts.... 

So here goes.... (this one's for you, mom)....

After spending a fun night at my brother and sister-in-law's house in Portland after flying in on Friday night, we had gotten up early on Saturday morning.  My mom, sister, daughter and I were headed out to the soccer game of the daughter of one of my best friends.  Almost immediately after we started out on the trip from one side of Portland to the next, something underneath the van started rattling.  It sounded like the wheel was about to fall right off and roll down the steep hill we were climbing.  Like many women do (sorry to sound sexist), we stopped the van, got out, looked at the tires, thumped them with our little fingers (as if that was the most accurate diagnostic test) and got right back in the van to call a man--- my dad.  He instructed us to head directly to Les Schwab.  For all of my east coast friends, this is a tire store chain in Oregon in which you can expect for about three guys in tight blue pants and white shirts to come running-literally- out to you to fix whatever is going on with your vehicle.  It is a reliable shop, but, of course, you will pay a pretty penny for the tight pants, I mean, the service.

All joking aside, after calling the shop, we prayed.  We prayed that God would hold the car together until we arrived at the shop, which was a prayer that we said many times during my childhood years. Here is kind of what the prayer sounds like: God, please send your guardian angels to protect this piece of junk (no offense, mom) car and get us to safety!

By the time we arrived, the thumping and clunking was much louder.... BUT we made it. The guy in the tight blue pants and the white shirt said that the wheel was basically unattached from the wheel-holder-together-thingy- oh, the axle.  He could not believe we were able to drive for ANY distance under that condition.   

He didn't know about our guardian car angels, though.  They haven't let us down to this day.