Haws Household: Mission Calls+Car Troubles+Cute Kids

While I was at TOFW, the rest of my fam was gathered in Utah for this guy opening his mission call! I missed the facebook live (Sheri Dew was talking) but I kept my phone on and so I knew right away he was called to Taipei, Taiwan. I am SO INCREDIBLY PROUD and EXCITED for this kid! He is incredibly smart (takes after his mom, who is the smartest of all the land) and has such a great sense of humor, and picks up instruments like it was no big deal, and is just such a great guy. On insta I wrote: Taiwan will love all 6 and half feet of you!!! I can't believe my little nephew, that I held in my arms(or didn't, because when he was one he was too stocky for my slight ten year old frame haha) and taught piano to and introduced to John Schmidt---he's going on a mission! And I'm also very excited that he gets to go to the reunion I'm planning this summer RIGHT before he heads out! Love you Myles!!

That picture is what I texted Sterling after I had a good cry at the side of the road. Lets back track. Our engine was having some issues, took it in, the nice people at the shop after running several tests said "hey, there's this problem your make and model is having and so they've extended the warranty on it allowing everyone to get it fixed, but you'll have to take it to the dealership" so gratefully, but a week of no van later, we took it to a dealership. Another week without a van, and they gave us a rental. For three weeks. We FINALLY got our van back (HUZZAH! And after seeing the bill of a rental for three weeks I was jumping for joy that it was all covered!) and I was being a nice person and noticed a parent pulling away from school pick-up without their kids backpack. So I pulled alongside them, rolled down the passenger side window and said "Hey! Your kids backpack is still back there on the side of the road!" Went on my way, started rolling it up, heard this awful sound and saw it start to slip downwards. I wanted to reach over and grab it but I was still driving, buckled in, on a pretty busy street full of tiny children leaving school, and couldn't do it fast enough. It never came back up. We drove that way for a couple days, but it rains here. A lot. So...back to the shop. Luckily, that was finished in two days. Meantime, I'm driving Sterling's car and getting up at 4:45am to get him to work in time to get the kids to school...and in the meantime my phone stopped working. It had been having issues with people being able to hear me--they just heard static---but it was really having issues. So one day we spent FOUR HOURS at the apple store. They said my phone was too archaic for their current tests (its three years old) so they weren't sure it was fixed, but it should be. And if not, my phone was toast. As far as people listening to me speak was concerned. The texting and internet still worked fine. Also in the meantime, our vacuum broke. With baking soda due to a pee accident sprinkled all over my bedroom floor. So I was taking Sterling's car to pick up the vacuum while my van was getting the window fixed. You see where this is going... Yup. All the sudden there was a loud popping sound, a huge gust of smoke came out from under the hood, and fluid rained down on me. I was on the 95--I trainwreck of a highway here in Palm Beach County. LUCKILY, there was an exit right ahead. I pulled off and onto a the first street I saw and pulled over onto the grass (they don't have curbs in south Florida). I tried calling Sterling. I tried calling my dad. I tried calling my mom. I tried calling Sterling--and he answered!!!! And he couldn't hear me, because my phone wasn't working. So I started sobbing. I mean, it's one thing to have one car problem. But when it's your third, and after your phone and your vacuum, I was just done. A guy working on the fence asked me if I needed help, and I was sobbing so good I just shook my head. Yup. It was full-on damsel in distress mode. I popped the hood, took a picture for Sterling to see. He said it was the radiator, and I couldn't drive it home because the engine was too hot. Luckily, texting worked. So I texted someone to pick up Ruthie. Texted someone to pick up Will. Texted Sterling to contact someone to pick up me and the babies. Sat on the side of the road while my baby consumed an entire apple--I didn't know he could do that, it was impressive--and a lovely lady from our ward rescued us with her minivan. We picked up Will and Sterling took an uber from work to where our van was (and finished! YAY!) and then he picked up Ruthie. Then him and his med school buddy went and replaced the radiator. Only something else was wrong (a propeller?) so we still had to take it to the shop and operate on one vehicle again for another week. While doing so, I dropped Sterling off at work at 6:30am after getting up at 4:45am, was heading to take Ruthie to school....and got a flat tire!!! ( I hate you 95 highway!!!) TENDER MERCIES it was literally RIGHT as I took the off-ramp and on that same corner was a repair shop. He was an absolute angel and put our little family before his other customers (they were just opening) and had us out of there in forty minutes with a repaired tire so it was only $22. Did I mention that I love him? We did get Sterling's car back. And it seems like we should be good. The crazy thing is that neither of our cars were due for any of these issues---they are both newer, respectable vehicles, it was just absolutely random issues. I am so glad that is all behind me. My phone is still broken, but Sterling changed out the sim card so I have his and he doesn't really call on his phone, mostly does email and text. So...for me it is working. It was a little wild there for a while people.