Rather embarrassing ...

During the summer of 2005, just week before Matt and I were married, my beloved car blew up.

MacMac was a little blue Chevy Cavalier that my dad had picked up when I was in high school. I had the privilege of driving it when I went to university in Rochester, NY. But alas, she overheated (while my dad was driving it from New Hampshire to Pennsylvania) and warped the head gasket. Or so I am told ... I didn't understand much about cars. But "warped head gasket" on an old car ... that's bad. That's "Kiss your car goodbye, because it's a pile of scrap metal now."

I was so stressed out. I had my parents car to borrow for another few weeks, but they needed their car back. Matt and I were living in New York and working in two towns in opposite directions to each other, neither of which was the town we lived in. There was no way we could both use his car. I had to have a new [to me] car. But we were planning our wedding, and we weren't exactly rolling in it. We both were between our 2nd and 3rd years at university ... the money doesn't flow between Years 2 and 3. :)

My dad called me and said he'd found a car! A good deal! The guy that owned it previously took immaculate car of it [case in point: it was a Northern car w/ not a spec of rush damage after 15 years]. He said he'd found a "1990 Ford Crown Victoria". I heard, "1994 Crown Victoria".

I think there's a pretty big difference in the way it looks in those 4 years. It doesn't really matter though. I drove the 1990 (the one directly above) for that first year we were married. At first I hated it. It was so ... Gramma-ish ...

But I grew to love it. I used to joke that if I hit a truck I'd win, because it was soooo huge. The steering wheel was enormous! I kind of felt like I was captaining a boat!

Which brings me to my embarrassing story.

In the middle of the winter of 2005/2006, I was working at David's Bridal. I was a "Wedding Consultant" which sounds like an event coordinator, but it's not - it meant that I specialized it helping brides find their gowns. I was also heavily pregnant with Oceana. :) I was 20 years old, packing on the pounds [57] with my nightly [oh I wish I was kidding about that] runs to Wendy's for chicken nuggets with the Sweet & Sour dipping sauce [No, McDonald's was not the same], selling wedding gowns for a part time job, and going to Bible college studying youth ministry.

I was just a little bit stressed out. And pregnant. And tired. And that's what lead me to lock my keys in the car more than once that year.

But that time, .... oh that time .... , I stopped at Delta Sonic to fuel up before work, so that I wouldn't have to do it at 10:00pm at night when I finished. It was cold, slushy, I believe it was even snowing that night. I filled up, paid my bill, and went to climb back in the car. But the keys were locked on the front bench seat of that Crown Victoria.

I could not believe my luck!

If I remember correctly - and it's hard, because I was pregnant and my brain was mush - I tried to call Matt's cellphone. I think the battery was dead or he'd left it in his car. I finally got hold of him and told him he'd have to drive up to the Delta Sonic and bring the spare keys so I could get to work! I was across the street from work, so that means it was an extra 20 minutes I'd have to wait for him.

My car was blocking a pump, at rush hour! People kept pulling behind the car, waiting for it to move. I kept telling people I'd locked my keys in the car, with my big belly hanging out of my non-maternity dress coat. Finally the cashier told me to come inside and drink some coffee. I'm pretty sure I was the most forlorn-pregnant-woman-who-ever-locked-her-keys-in-her-car-at-the-gas-station. Because ... I'm sure that happens a lot in sub-zero temperatures. Ha!

Matt arrived, none-to-happy, I was late to work, and forever after Delta Sonic was a place full of memories. Embarrassing ones. Very. Very. Very embarrassing ones.

Me and my pregnant-mush brain.