Hi, friends. Sorry to be so long since my last post, but things have been kinda wild around here. We thought the holiday season would be sorta uneventful, since all we had planned was to eat a dinnner with James' parents and brothers on Christmas day, and stay home away from all the drunk drivers on New Years Eve. That is pretty much our SOP for every holiday season. Why would this year be any different, right?
Well, God had something else in mind for us, and it started on the morning of Dec. 19, at around 7:20 AM. James had been gone on his way to work for about 20 minutes when the phone rang. I didn't recognize the number or name on the caller ID, so when I answered and heard James' panicked voice, I was quite surprised. His words were "Ramona, you've got to come up here. I just totaled my truck!" He told me quickly where he was, and I could here alot of voices and noise in the background.
I jumped up and as I drove the 15 miles to the accident scene, I was trying desperately to prepare myself for whatever was to come. When I approached the area, I could see flashing lights, etc., all you would expect at such a time. I saw the truck down in a 15-20 ft. embankment laying on the passenger side and a huge flatbed wrecker in the process of pulling it upright and out. Then I finally saw James standing on the side of the highway, and what a relief.
As it turns out, he had taken his eyes off the road for a few seconds, the road made a slight curve to the right, and when he looked back, he was off the road on the left, rolled 3/4 and the pictures tell the rest. We are thankful that he was able to push his door open and climb right out. He was really banged up, but overall, he came out "smelling like a rose" considering the area and the depth of his fall.
Unfortunately for us, the only insurance we had on the truck was liability since we have had it paid for for about 3 years. It turned out to be a huge loss, and we spent the next week or so trying to find a truck to replace ours. It seems that the 4x4 Toyota Tacoma Ext. Cab 6 Cyl. Pickup is a pretty hot number. Every one we found for sale was either all ragged out or so expensive we simply couldn't even consider it.
Finally, after much internet searching, we found one at a Toyota dealer in Grapevine, TX which is about 60 miles from where we live. The pictures looked great and the price was reasonable considering what it was. It is a one-owner truck and the guy who traded it in bought a new Tundra 4x4 (upgrade, I guess). We drove a Tundra a few days before at another dealer, but it's just not the same as the Tacoma.
Anyway, the day we were there buying it, there were about 3 other people who had seen it on the internet and were trying to buy it also, as far away as San Antonio and Tulsa, Ok. We were fortunate to get there when we did. The truck is almost identical to the wrecked one, just 3 years newer and a few upgrades. It's even the same color exterior, different interior. I'll post some pictures in a few days.
James likes it fine, he just didn't want to take on a car payment right now, but you've got to do what you've got to do, right?
I hope you all will visit our store and maybe buy an item or two. We need all the help we can get right now. Thanks. Your friend, Ramona
