A Stock Recommendation

Hi, my name is Kellyn, and I am a member of AAA.

Not to be confused with AA, as a friend of mine on Facebook, recently did. She thought I was confessing my struggle with alcohol to everyone in the internet world, rather than talking about how my car battery had died. She figured it out pretty quickly though, so, crisis averted. Reputation still intact. Oh, and for the record I have never been to an AA meeting.

Like I said though, I am a member of AAA (American Automobile Association), and thank goodness, too. At times it seems like our family is the sole reason they stay in business. There was the time, when Jacob was about six weeks old, and I was driving to the airport to pick Richard up, as he had been at school in San Diego. I was driving the '94 Camry we had recently bought from my grandparents. I think this was the first "big" trip I was taking it on; the airport is a good two hours from my house, (hour and a half if there is no traffic....or if my Dad is driving).

It was an especially hot day in the month of June. Just as I got to the airport, I was taking a turn onto a road that would lead me to the arrivals section, when all of the sudden the car slowwwwed down, and came to a stop. I checked the gas, it wasn't anywhere near empty. I couldn't figure out why the car wouldn't move. There was traffic EVERYWHERE, as I was at an international airport at 5pm on a Friday night.

I was able to coast the car just far enough onto the shoulder, so that cars could get around me, but only just barely. I had been sitting in the car for a couple minutes, when a state patrol officer pulled up behind me, honked his horn and yelled that I needed to move, that I couldn't park on the side of the road. I explained to the officer what was going on. When he couldn't figure out the problem, he helped me push my car a little further onto the shoulder, then offered to take me to arrivals, so that I could meet up with Richard who had been waiting for several minutes by then. (Oh, and the officer made me ride in the back of the police car. That wasn't embarrassing at all).

I can't remember what was wrong with the car now, but in the end, we had to wait for a AAA tow truck to come get the car, then ride along with the truck driver the two-plus hours back to our house. It was a crazy night, but, they saved us.

Then there was the day after Ryan was born. Richard had gone back home that night to sleep, but he said he would be back to the hospital first thing in the morning. I woke up the next day to him calling me. He had left a light on in the car, and it was dead. He was waiting on AAA, got the car jump-started, and was over to the hospital in no time.

Last summer, Richard's mom was visiting us, and the car battery in our van died while we were shopping up in Burlington. I was nervous since it was a warm, summer day and we had both the babies in the car, but AAA got there within twenty minutes, and we were good to go.

Just a few months ago, Richard's car died at work, and AAA drove onto the Navy base and got it going again for him.

And then there was another time, when both Richard's parents were visiting and our car battery died in our driveway, and a not-so-friendly man, who didn't speak much English came out to fix it. We may not have been able to communicate in the same language, but from the looks he was giving me, I could tell he was thinking, What kind of person has their car battery die in their own driveway? Me, that's who. And that wouldn't be the last time.

I remember when I first got my membership, I thought to myself, When are we ever going to use this?? Turns out, we use it pretty often. And when I think back on all the times we have used AAA, I honestly don't know what we would have done without them.

Well, I needed their services this past Saturday. Guess whose car battery died in her driveway? If you guessed me - you win! I'm pretty sure it was Jacob's fault though. Now I know you're all probably thinking I am just blaming my two year old because he can't stand up for himself, but it's true! He loves to play in our cars and push all the buttons and turn on the wipers and every single light, and while I try to keep after him and turn off everything he has pushed on, I must have missed a light, and it was on all night long.

So we called AAA, who informed me that I have almost used up all of my free roadside assistance vouchers for the year, (thank God the new year starts over August 1st, or I might be in trouble!) They came out, jumpstarted the van and we were on our way. End of the story, right?

Wrong.

Yesterday, the boys and I get in the van, ready to head out to do some grocery shopping. I put the key in the ignition, turn it and? Nothing. Car. Is. Dead. AGAIN!

"Seriously? Seriously??" I am yelling at my car, then I yell a few more things at it, hoping to really hurt its feelings. Sigh. I pull out my AAA card and dial them up, almost embarrassed to be calling them again so soon.

Then while we're waiting for the jumpstart guy to show up, I go over to our other car - and I swear I am not making this up - that car is DEAD TOO! Seriously. At this point, it's almost funny. Almost.

Then the tow truck guy shows up, and guess who it is? Mr. Cranky-Doesn't-Speak-English guy from a few months ago.

"Same problemo, eh?" He grunts at me. His frown got even deeper when I told him that both of my cars needed a jumpstart. In the end though, we got both of them running again.

Hopefully this will be the end of the story for a while now...but you may want to consider investing in AAA, because we will definitely be renewing our membership!