WE DID IT!!!

ALMOST by ourselves!

This is reason #4,217 to live by family. Preferably handy family. Even better would be handy family that babysits.

But, alas, we don't, so we make do.

So our battery has been giving us trouble, and after Bryan had to push the van out into the road so we could go beg our neighbor Brad to jump it, we had enough. (He also had to jump it at work the other day, and we have had at least 10 other times in the last 6 months. What can I say? We are slow learners- and poor.)

So I did some research, and found that Costco's batteries have very good ratings (Consumer Reports), and it just so happens that we have a Costco membership. So we robbed a bank (our own, don't worry) and bought a new battery.

BUT, they don't install them there. Of course.

Well, we figure, it's JUST a battery, how hard could it be? The guy who sold it more or less (read: less) told us what to do.

Let's just say they should come with an instruction manual. There is nothing in the owner's manual for the van, and we cannot even find anything online about how to do this.

So after much trial and error, we do what we always do, (when we don't call Bryan's dad) and call my dad. (I keep trying to get him to move out here and be our handyman/ babysitter, but apparently $5/month is just not enough. I did offer him free food and the whole basement, but I guess I will have to try again when we have a little more money- no such luck yet.)

As usual, it was a pretty simple thing, but we made it MUCH more difficult by our ignorance. Let's just say that the terminals are made of lead (reminder- lead is very soft) and, well, we made a bit of a mess of it. But the second one came off easier than imaginable!

Really long story short...

Here's Bryan, tightening up the last of it.

(He did have my sunglasses on, (can't find the safety goggles, as usual) but apparently decided he could not wear them for the picture! It was quite the fashion statement, let me tell you!)
All pretty and clean!
And best of all...
IT WORKED!!!
Here's hoping that it continues to do so...