Officially Welcomed To Adult Birthdays

Well, so my 25th birthday started out promising. I awoke at a decent hour of 20 till 9 and began packing for my trip down to Austin. I wanted to be on the road at 10 am, but didn't quite make it. At 10:30 am, Philip called me and told me he would be on webcam in a few minutes. I thought he would call a little later at noon, so I had to rush around and get my computer out of the car and get it set up. We had a nice little chat before he got hungry and had to go. It was the first time I had seen his face in over 2 months.

So, I got in my car and headed out at about 12:30 p.m. The trip was uneventful, until about 20 miles from my target destination I noticed my car said, "Check left tire pressure". At this point I had gotten into the area of the greater Austin area and so traffic is busier. I began looking for a gas station or a Walmart parking lot to pull over in. I didn't find any until a mile or two down the road. I pulled over in a H-E-B parking lot and noticed my left tire was completely flat. I tried to use the pump get that is standard in my Pontiac Grand Prix GXP--but it didn't work. I called for roadside assistance, but they were going to tow me to a closed car dealership. So, I thought I could do better. I called Beth and Larry, our family friends, and they came about 20-30 minutes later to survey the damage. My car doesn't come with a spare or a tire jack. It notes this in black and white in the owners manual. I guess they figure that with the high tech tire pressure system located in each tire that you will not need a spare. Larry called AAA and they said they would tow my vehicle. When the gentleman got there, he say a whole and got a temperary patch for it and aired it up. I drove the short distance to Walmart across the street. They said it would take 1.5 hours before they could get it in....so I waited. We went to dinner and by the time I got back, they were pulling my car into the shop. We decided to go in Walmart and buy a birthday cake for me. A few minutes later I heard my name on the speaker. I told Beth, "Either they got it done quickly or there is a serious problem." I had a feeling it was a serious problem.

I went back to the Tire shop and they showed me my tire. It had huge air type bubbles all over the inner wall of the tire. The guy counted 16 he said. So, the tire was ruined. Several of the tire workers said it was a manufacturers defect. My tire is a fancy sport tire that has 18 inch rims...so they did not have any in stock. So, I had to leave my car in their parking lot and wait until this morning to call Firestone/Bridgestone.

They told me it was from driving with low pressure for a period of time. This I knew was not the case, because of my tire pressure system and how closely I monitor my gauges. Nevertheless, I have to pay nearly $300 for one tire. Depressing. Beyond depressing.....

So, for the first time, I spent my birthday without my family. Without my husband. Hot and sweaty standing around figuring out what to do with my tire and car for 4 hours. I must admit I wanted my husband in a time like this. I couldn't call him. I couldn't talk to him. I was alone.

So, I guess this is what adult birthdays are like. Every other day.