Centering

So, I made the attempt to get the marriage license today. However, couldn't track down Mike's birth certificate. So, that will have to be put on hold until the requested copy arrives in the mail (longest 5-7 business days ever). My parents are offering a significant amount of financial assistance which has already lifted about 7.3 tons of metaphorical weight off of my shoulders. Having a little more money to work with definitely eases some of the pressure.

You see, I'm not just getting married. I'm having a wedding, going on a 2000+ mile honeymoon road trip, and thus, buying myself a newer car. Currently, I'm driving a '91 Isuzu Trooper II. It gets about 15 mpg. That's my trip TO work. One gallon. One way. So, if I'm driving to work six days a week, that's 12 gallons of gas. In fact, I didn't go to work yesterday when I was scheduled because (I called my boss and explained this to her) I would have lost money on the gas to get there. If I am at work for an hour, I break even. One hour of my day is spent on the gasoline just to get there. That's assuming I don't go anywhere else during the week (which I do). I fill up my 20 gallon tank every six days. That's $75 every six days. That's a car payment. Easily.

Also, several times now, my car has completely broken down. This usually happens on rural, back roads. Right when the sun is going down. The issues have been relatively minor (for car problems) so far, but I feel like it won't be too far down the road before major overhaul is required. Additionally, I've been putting off getting a new set of tires. That's another expense to factor in if I keep this vehicle.

So, I'm looking for something that gets close to 30 mpg and is reliable. If it is from the year 2000 or newer, that would be great, but not required. Right now, I'm in the middle of trying to get approved for a loan. If that doesn't go through, then I'll just go through the dealer. I will probably purchase a car, regardless of where the financing comes from, on Saturday (my birthday!).

Stress is abundant, right now. What I feel like I need to work on is centering myself and focusing on what matters. I'm going to spend the rest of my life with Michael and it starts on August 9th. That's it. No car, wedding, job stress, family whatever, friend drama, dirty apartment, expenses, whatever. Just him.

Also, I had a few lines for a poem come to me while I was driving this morning, so maybe I'll write something. Who knows?

(P.S. Mike finally called me back and he knows where his birth certificate is. Crisis averted.)