*sigh*

Today has been tough. It's one of those days that makes me feel like we just won't be able to get out of this hole that we're in. So much has happened lately and I think I'm just tired. Last week I said we had about $200 to put on our debt snowball but then we had to fix Tina (my car) and we weren't sure where to put it: on the debt or towards rebuilding the emergency fund. Unfortunately, we weren't able to put it on either because our check this week was missing almost $400 of overtime so it had to go to help with bills. Aaron's looking into why there was no OT pay but we think it was probably because of the New Year. Regardless, it's a downer. *sigh*

I haven't mentioned it yet, but last week we were in a car accident. We weren't at fault, but Aaron's car took a beating!  A guy ran a red light, hit a car in the right lane, then side swiped us in the left lane. He then sped up and rear ended another car. After hitting that car twice, he lost control, swerved onto the curb and his car died. When he hit us, he hit right behind my seat and I was knocked around quite a bit. I wound up with a sprained shoulder and am on two different medications. I'm certain they aren't helping with my state of mind. I'm never the same when I'm on meds. *sigh*

Here's a few pictures of the wreck. The guy was driving a white Jaguar and we were in Duke, Aaron's black Dodge Charger. 

The guy says he has no memory of hitting either of the first cars and says the minivan he rear ended stopped right in front of him for no reason. He wasn't drunk but he really seemed out of it. We got the police report today and found out that he was charged with reckless driving. We haven't had much luck with the man's insurance company. They want to replace Aaron's doors with used doors and Aaron is not too pleased with that idea. Their adjuster said it should cost about $2600 to fix using used parts. I think Aaron is going to get a few estimates done before accepting their check. I've yet to hear anything on my medical bill reimbursement. *sigh*

The day before our accident, Carrie (our oldest) was also in a very minor accident in a Starbucks parking lot. She backed into another driver as they were pulling into a spot. In North Carolina, young drivers pay a high premium ($1,000 every six months) to have a license. Each year that cost should go down as long as they stay accident and ticket free. She wasn't given a ticket, but the lady is filing a claim to have her car fixed. I'm assuming her insurance will go up. *sigh*

To top it all off, my car is still not fixed.....it's still thumping.  Looks like I either need a new tire or new rotors. Aaron's off Saturday so we're going to see about the tire first, then possible rotors. *sigh*

So, after all of those sighs, I'm reminded that nothing is really wrong. My shoulder will heal, our cars will fix, and we'll help Carrie with her insurance. We're healthy, our marriage is strong, and our God is bigger than any of these pesky problems. Sometimes it's hard to keep smiling when it feels like it's raining. Thanks for letting me rant. :)