An interesting turn of events has occurred in the life of Lauren, so of course, I must share all with you.

For those who don’t know, I’m a proud owner of a 2004 Jeep Wrangler Sahara. I bought this baby a little over a year ago and have loved it. It rides high, it’s unapologetically rough around the edges, and comes with its own little community (the Jeep wave, c’mon somebody!)

The story goes like this: I noticed some rust on the undercarriage and door frame, but didn’t worry too much about it, passing it off as a part of the rough-ridin’ Jeep experience. Well, once it noticeably spread (which of course happened right before I left for DC), I decided it was time to get it checked out at a body shop, which I got around to doing this week.

Yesterday, I received a call from the owner, who gave me some surprising news: the Jeep body was “riddled” with rust, to the point that if it was his car, he wouldn’t bother trying to fix the overwhelming amount of rust and would look into selling.

…SAY WHAT?!?!

Now, I trust these people (not only because I know zilch about cars, mind you). They were recommended to me by an associate at my dad’s insurance company and by the relative I’m staying with. That’s enough to convince me that this guy and his opinion are legitimate.

So, the hunt for a new vehicle is on! If you know of a used, spacious, fuel-sipper of a car that is in need of a home, help a girl out and hit me up!

Of course, this isn’t the most ideal thing to happen. I’m in a new place and won’t be here forever, so a happy, healthy car is kind of a necessity. However, amidst this, there are still bright sides and silver linings.

Don’t believe me? Let me prove it to you.

An exercise I like to implement, when something goes awry, is to state three things I am thankful for, amidst the situation I find myself in. This exercise dually serves as a reminder that Someone is above the confusion and trepidation of the moment and that the situation is just that: a moment. One that will pass as my life continues to chug ever onward.

Let’s give it a try, shall we?

#1: My car is still mechanically operational. The owner took a closer look to make sure no brake lines or anything else important was compromised and gave me the green light (pun SO intended) to drive to Ohio in a couple of weeks for a wedding I’m in. Whew!

#2: I had access to an honest, above-and-beyond body shop that was timely in diagnosing my sickly car and didn’t try to swindle me. Shout out to Auto Body of Vienna!

#3: I have been intentional in my saving/limiting my spending in several areas, so I have more options with a financial decision of this degree than what might have been if I had made different choices (granted, I’m still guilty of buying coffee on a daily basis, but nothing like a rusty car to motivate breaking habits, am I right?).

All in all, this will be multi-step process, involving saying goodbye to a car I really love and intended to keep for much longer than a year. However, it isn’t the end of the world or even the end of the road. Just an unscheduled pitstop.

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