Registration

No WONDER I've been putting this off for three weeks: getting the cars registered and the drivers license switched is a LOT of work, especially with three small children in tow, and when you wonder if one of your cars will be able to PASS the inspection! Oye!

Finding government type places is not one of my favorite pastimes, nor is frequenting these places, but I tried to be super prepared with all sorts of paperwork that I looked up online, directions to these places, snacks and water for the boys and the presence of mind to expect the unexpected. Boy was I glad I did all that.

Because it was only 3/4 of what I needed, and the other 1/4 took up a lot of my day! :) After the inspection went so smoothly for my car, I decided to drive all the way to where Jasper was and steal his car, so I could get it inspected too. Only I didn't exactly know where I was going. I had a pretty good idea, though. Fortunately that was enough to get me there. I paid close attention to the auto places that I passed along the way as I went down there too.

I finally found Jasper's car with his helpful map he drew while on a short break, and got the kids loaded into his car, the 13 year old car. That was quite a circus act in and of itself. I took it to Pep Boys--they were out of inspection stickers. I tried one other place--they didn't do inspections--then took it to Jiffy Lube and waited the 1/2 hour to have it inspected. They told me what I already knew: that the front light indicator bulb was out, but what I didn't know was that there was no bulb chillin' out where it should have been. The place where the bulb should attach was gone (I'm pretty sure it's been gone for quite some time. My clue was the duct tape residue surrounding where it should have been.) And of course, they're Jiffy Lube so this is WAY beyond their scope. I took it to the Chrysler dealership: sure I'll leave my car with you overnight--NOT! I'm thinking, "surely there's got to be an easier way. There's got to be some mechanic SOMEwhere that's sitting around waiting for me to come along that can take care of this NOW. But like I know where these mechanics are!"

So I head on over to the drivers license office to see if I can at least get that taken care of. Nope. You have to have your cars registered in TX first. Of course. So while I'm in the neighborhood I stop by some little mechanics shop, and they do those most amazing thing ever: they get my indicator to work by taping it in place. AMAZING! They didn't even charge me anything! What luck! So I head to the inspection place across the street and wait for the green light on my inspection.

*Errrrrr* Hit the brakes (which at least work)! There's an exhaust leak. SOOOOO I load my kids back in the car and head toward this place the guys at the lube tell me about. They gave phenomenal directions to this magical place where all my mechanical problems would be solved for about $30. Sweet! So I find the place just fine, only I have to keep driving: it has recently suffered from some MAJOR fire damage. I almost didn't realize it was the place! On to the next random mechanics shop.

At which the chap tells me, "aw this is nothin' head over to such-n-such place inspector and tell 'um *Nacho (names have been changed) sent you." (Should I wink when I tell him this?) So I tell the next guy this, but Nacho didn't check one other thing, and I still had a leak. So, I check at the mechanic shop next to the inspector's office, and they're busy. Whatever.

On my way over to give Jasper back his "lemon" (okay, she's been a really good car. It's not her fault we treat her like a work horse), I see a Midas--aha! A muffler place, just like the magical-burnt place was supposed to be! So, I pass it and go try to back via one of the many turnarounds in this lovely state. Only this time there isn't one, there's another freeway. Good news is that one my way back towards Midas I see another random muffler place just off the frontage road that I'd noticed MUCH earlier in the day. *swerve* I popped into to see *Juan to see what he could do. So I drive onto the lift, we all stay in the running car, and we giggle as he puts us up on the lift and starts banging the muffler and what-not under the car. This has to have been one of the best moments of the day. ;)

Well, after all that banging he says, in his broken English, to go up the street to the inspection station and tell them that *Juan sent me. (Again with the sending). After I tell the guy at the mechanics shop there my situation, he says to pull up to the inspection station... and don't say anything about my previous problems. ...Riiight...(surely this is the part where I should wink my acknowledgment...)

I pull up, gather the children into the air conditioned waiting area and utter ANOTHER prayer (numerous others have been uttered throughout the course of the day), and WONDER OF WONDERS IT PASSED!

That's it. ALL that for some tape and some banging! Sheesh! BUT it has to be said I felt guided by a caring Father in Heaven the entire time. Boy am I glad I said my prayers this morning and throughout the day! It really made a difference. I packed all the right foods, took everything I'd need for the day, found out I'd need some other paperwork for obtaining my new license, only had to pay the cost of gas from all that driving around and idling the car to keep the kids cooler, and the inspection fees for each car (plus the $10 I had in cash for Juan's banging on the car), and the boys got to see some really cool planes with their dad after he got off work at the Air Force base. All in all, there was only one time where instead of getting mad at the kids I "used my words" to say how frustrated I was and then everything was back to being hunky-dory. It wasn't that bad of a day, in all honesty.

Now I'm indulging in some girl time to "talk" with my friends. I don't have anyone to call that wouldn't be making dinner or putting kids to bed, and so I blog. Thanks for letting me bend your ears, friends.