Home? again...

So I am back in good old Lynchburg area for one more hurrah (i think) before packing up and moving back home with Sean. It's been a very full week and a ridiculous day that I must recount before going to bed, although it's nearly 11 and I have to be up by 8....

Sean and I had a great week at home. Sean went to a cocktail meeting with the company he's working for and had an enjoyable evening. I found an Education Recruitment Day at the local college near my house, so Sean dropped me off there in the early morning the day afterward. I ended up doing an interview with an Alexandria City Public School representative who was very sweet. Thursday he and I went to see Coraline - *shudders* that movie gave me the super creeps! I swear I cried - like real tears and whimpers - and I NEVER cry at scary things like that! We're still debating about owning it on DVD someday. Anyway, Friday Sean got to go to the office all day while I helped Mom clean up some of the house to prep for us moving in.

That brings us to today.

I had already scheduled an appointment for an interview with Fairfax County Public Schools this morning (11th or 12th largest school county in the nation). Got up at 6:40 reluctantly, but showered quickly and paced until leaving at 8 to be there 30 minutes for my 9am interview. The drive went off without a hitch, I had a blast at my interview (the ladies were wonderful!), and I got lots of information about benefits for working in the school system, options for masters, and subbing stuff. I came home excited!

Fast forward to about 1pm. Sean and I were packed and left for Lynchburg to get to Sean's work by 5pm. Hit a bit of traffic, but everything else went off without a hitch. Switched off driving because I was super tired from sleeping badly the night before.

I wake up at 4:45 to Sean pulling into school. Since we're a bit early to work, we decide to go get dinner and come right back. Sean is so sweet and takes me to McDonalds. On our way back, the car makes this horrendously LOUD *PoP* from under the hood. I freak out immediately. Sean pulls over on the highway and we check under the hood.

A spark plug has BLOWN out of my engine, diminishing my already tiny car down to a 3 cylinder (throwing in a joke here before I start crying again...). Sean calls his coworker to let him know he can't be at work just yet. I call Mom in a panic, then call Dad. We talked for about 20 minutes before we decide that *stupid me* I should drive the car to the parking lot after putting the plug back in.

Big error.

I drove with Sean beside me at 50mph on a 65mph highway. Scary thing in its own right. The popping isn't calming down at all, but then it softens eerily. I drive onto the off ramp, not 100 yards from campus.....

Blue smoke coming out from behind my car. TONS of it. I stop the car, and Praise God, all the smoke was just coming out from my hood. We pop it and discover that the spark plug broke and part is in the engine (I think?) and oil just splashed up on the hot engine and made everything smoke real bad.

I call Dad, Sean calls his roommate to get his AARP card so we can get this car towed, and eventually Mom gives me the name and number of a garage in the area that will tow and then fix my poor baby. I bust out crying after calling Mom because I know that I'm supposed to be taking care of my car and even though we still don't know how it happened, I feel responsible for what happened to my car.

Sean's roommate came and picked us up in the middle of packing - HE leaves tomorrow:P - as well as trying to give away some abandoned pit bull puppies that he found. I call the tower, who was apparently at a restaurant eating dinner (I felt so horrible about this part alone), but within an hour he was done and at my car. I handed over the spare keys, Sean and I took stuff out of the car, and he gave me his card so I could come check on my car on Monday.

I swear I'm not usually like this, but between getting picked up from the car and handing over the keys I bawled like a baby. Like Sean had no idea what to do with a crying Becca like THAT. I was sobbing, making horrible crying noises (no ladylike crying for this girl), and went through about half a roll of toilet paper in place of tissues. It felt good to release that - not quite sure why I'm still so weepy, but I did give myself 2 big puffy eyes and a massive headache.

So now it's 11:08, you know my tale of woe, and you wonder "where is she now?" Well thank God once again, my friend Linds was just getting off her flight from California and could drop by Sean's to come get me. I was contemplating the couch there just because I was too tired to do anything else. But she was awesome and dropped me off. Tomorrow we're going to church tomorrow and she's even going to drop Sean off at work and pick him back up!

Monday my parents are coming down to get the moving van (apparently Sean and I are too young to drive it unless we want to pay a fee....???), so I guess until then I'll be pretty much carless. That's alright - I still have a bookcase, a dresser, a desk, and a closet to pack out in less than 30 hours:P

Although this does sound horrible, Sean tried to remind me of the good in the situation:

- My car was not in an accident and I do not have to deal with any of that
- No one was hurt
- My parents are coming in a few days so they can help me take care of the whole situation
- We were already in Lynchburg when it happened. We went everywhere around Northern VA this past week - Alexandria, Arlington, 495, 66, Springfield, Annandale, Oakton, Vienna....there are so many worse places we could have broken down!!

Now my prayers are that everything will get settled before we leave and God will provide where we are lacking (which is definitely everywhere:) ). Thanks for reading - Night!