Surprises

The past week has been full of surprises.

About 2 weeks ago we decided to test drive some cars. My husband has been wanting a cushier quieter ride and a somewhat larger car than that of the Prius. I had received a letter from Toyota in June with an incentive to test drive one of their vehicles good through July. We went to Jordan Toyota in Mishawaka July 8th to test drive a Camry hybrid. Drove a non-hybrid Camry as well. Turned out this was not what my husband wanted in a car. I had my test drive voucher signed to receive a $50 Visa gift card. Jordan is a no-pressure car dealership and they had lots of Camrys in stock. I would definitely consider them if looking for a brand new Toyota. It was a pleasant experience.

 I was interested in sticking with a hybrid car. July 15th we drove a Ford Fusion hybrid at a Warsaw dealer. Quieter than the Prius, but not impressive enough to want to buy it. The Toyota and Ford dealerships in Warsaw are co-owned. We had dealt with a salesman at Toyota who had crossed over to Toyota from Ford. We asked him to arrange the test drive of the Fusion. When we were done, we walked with him next-door to the Toyota dealership. He mentioned the Avalon hybrid, but we didn’t test drive the brand new one he had on the lot.

My husband has often mentioned he wished we had a Lexus. Even a used Lexus runs $40,000 to $50,000, more than I want to spend on a car. There is no Lexus dealer in our community so servicing might have to be done elsewhere. However, I started doing some research on the internet about the Avalon hybrid. Reviewers were comparing it favorably to the low-end Lexus, but of course less costly. There was a 2013 Avalon hybrid with low mileage for sale in Fort Wayne. I suggested Friday morning that we test drive the Avalon. We almost didn’t go because my husband had tired of testing cars.

 Good thing he changed his mind. We loved the Avalon. We bought it! We didn’t trade in the Prius. When we went to Fort Wayne Monday to pay the balance due (needed to transfer money from savings to checking), they made an appraisal on the Prius, but it was lower than we liked. Through phone negotiation they made a better offer, but the Warsaw Toyota dealer matched it. Tomorrow we will sell the Prius to the local dealer which is where we bought it new.

 Sunday we ate the buffet at Grace Village. One of the ladies who uses the library frequently, asked me if I had looked in the library. Not since Friday morning. After dinner we took a peek. 9 boxes of books that had belonged to a resident who recently died were in there. We really appreciate it when they give us a heads up. Better yet is if they let us look at the books in the apartment/condo so we can take only what we think we will add to the library. Monday I did a rough sort. Lots of crossword and brain teaser books (not filled in), some devotional books, small gift-type inspirational books. I took them down to Give ‘N Take table in K Hall. Yesterday when I went to practice with the choir the song we were to sing at the funeral, I looked at the books made available as the room is close by. Most of them already gone. I have been hauling books to various donation locations the past two days; down to 2 boxes of possible keepers. At least the Grace Village residents enjoyed their freebies, and I do consider it a ministry to the bereaved family to care for the disposition of the books.

 About two dozen family members on my husband’s side are coming to Winona Lake August 1st for a get-together. We will be using the Grace Village Community Center. One of the activities we decided on was our own Give ‘N Take table. We are encouraging them to bring puzzles, games, books, craft items, even good household items. Since my husband started making a pile of books for this event, I decided I would go ahead and empty out the bookshelves in the guest bedroom. You may remember I planned to get rid of that piece of furniture. One thing led to another until I had enough room in my other bookcases for my keepers. I surprised myself. Though I had made a start, I hadn’t expected to empty it out until next year.