Out with the Old & In with the New (by: Matt)

Today was a bittersweet day. About 2 months ago, I found out a good friend of mine was selling his pick-up truck. I had always wanted one that was a little bit bigger, especially considering the amount of firewood I haul each year. Once Emily was born, we realized we would be in a bit of a predicament if the minivan had to go in for service because we would not have a way to get around as a family. We were not really looking to buy a truck, but this came up and it was a very good deal, so we jumped on it and bought the truck. On April 1st, someone from Craigslist came to look at the truck and put a deposit on it. He was going to take it home a few days later because he wanted to have it towed due to some suspension problems. The night before he was supposed to come, his daughter was in a bad car accident (she was hit by a drugged driver). She ended up in a coma and is still partially paralyzed. The next day was the West Virginia mine explosion where this guy had previously worked. His best friend and three other people he knew were all killed. The truck sat in the yard, in true western PA fashion, for a month. We were finally able to meet this morning and the title was transferred.

Buying the new truck ended up being a blessing as I learned that the truck would not have passed inspection next month and it would have cost way more to fix it than what we would have wanted to put into the truck. We also would have been under the gun to buy something quick. The buyer is mechanically savvy and can do all the repairs himself. It was sad to see it get hauled away on a flatbed as Erin’s mom gave us this truck shortly after Erin's father died. It was Erin's Dad's and one of the last “pieces” of him that we (I) used on a daily basis. However, we are excited about the new truck and consider the timing to be a blessing.

Watching the truck get put onto the flatbed

Bye, old truck! You served us well.