Sara went under the knife yesterday and I think she came out better looking and a lot more capable. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I’ve prepped two pics to help with the thinking behind the work:
And after tearing the jeep down a little, painting some much needed stuff, here’s the end result:
I was transferring some pictures off my phone tonight and came across this little gem. Caleb’s reaction to my random picture taking is priceless, and speaks volumes!
Today I go to Lowe’s for the last time. I am turning in my badge, cell phone, and laptop. I will miss all the people I’ve worked with for the last 7 years; its been interesting to say the least. I was really nervous about it for awhile, now I am just relieved. I am ready to start anew, to get where I am going, to start the next chapter.
I am going to go play 9 holes of golf after signing out at Lowe’s, what a perfect way to end the day!
I’ve neglected “Sara” (my jeep for those that don’t know) for awhile now and it’s time to show her some love. I ordered an oil pan skid plate 
and since shipping was free, I went ahead and ordered a steering box skid plate as well. When hitting the trail, you can’t have too much armor.
I’ve been wanting to go to 35″ tires for awhile now for the additional clearance, but needed to upgrade some parts to handle the larger tires first. This included the chromoly shafts that I put in my front axle last month, and I also need to modify my fenders to make room for the tires during articulation. I can accomplish this via “flat” fenders, which opens up the wheel wells. I lucked up and found the fenders I’ve been eyeballing for a great price (used) and hope to get them installed on Saturday.
I just had a thought, I should start calling my Jeep the Bionic woman, since all I do is spend money to upgrade her. Oh well, she’s going under the knife this week, but she’ll come out much stronger and maybe even a tad bit prettier.
The month of March has been unbelievable. Robin got a phone call on the 5th from a hospital in Tampa with news that her father was sick with pneumonia and in intensive care. She left the next day with Caleb to go be with her father. The prognosis wasn’t good at all. Due to his weak heart, he was struggling to get enough oxygen through his lungs. I got down there on the next Tuesday and he passed away Wednesday night. We spent the next week cleaning out his apartment and getting his affairs in order. I had to come back home and go back to work. I left the next Sunday and crinkled up the hood and fender on the Miata on the way home; not my fault, but another hurdle, nonetheless. I got home to find out Andie had to go to the doctor because she was bleeding internally and having severe stomach pains. Thankfully, the doctor saw nothing major and prescribed medicine for what he thought was all related to stress, which is understandable as she is graduating this year, picking a college, turning 18, worried about where her boyfriend might go to school, etc. Way too much stress for someone so young.
God has a way of making an incredible journey (race if you will) out of all the hurdles. Although I can’t see it yet, I am excited to find out how it will turn out. This is Easter Sunday. I can’t even fathom how the disciples felt when they realized Jesus had risen from the grave. What a journey they had with the last days of Jesus on earth and how they watched Him die the horrible and humiliating death, only to find out that He did exactly what He said, exactly what everyone thought He was a lunatic for saying! How blessed we are to be loved by Jesus and how merciful and gracious He is for loving us.
