The Break Down//Miracle on Rt. 90

We're putt-putting along Route 80/Route 90 into Chicago, and Nik is in the driver's seat. She starts to tell me what to look for in case the car breaks down. (Her car shut down when she was coming home this summer with her mom.) Nikki says, "Kels, just in case it happens, I want you to be prepared. The last time it happened, we lost the ability to accelerate, we lost power-steering...oh, WAIT, IT IS HAPPENING NOW."

She smoothly glides the car onto the side of the road. I have to give her props, she seemed totally unfazed. I, on the other hand, after the car was safely stopped, instantly got out and opened up a bowl of pasta salad (from my Aunt Debbie, thanks!). WOOPS. Stressed-out eating habit, ay-yayay.

Anyway, Nik calls her parents to see what she should do. We're sitting on the side of the road, about 102 miles from our destination (Chicago). Not sure what to do, we take a look at our surroundings...

We're in SOUTH BEND, INDIANA. You might be wondering, "Um, what? What's that town like?" Well, person, it is home to Penn State rival Notre Dame. Do we want to celebrate the 4th of July in rinky-dink South Bend with a bunch of Fighting Irish? Let me remind you of who we are.

WE ARE....

...PENN STATE.

Speaking of which, we were also SHC scholars. Using her brain, Nik tries to restart the car on a whim. It runs. Perfect, leh-go!

Now, keep in mind that we were 102 miles from Chicago. Nikki has AAA insurance that allows for towing up to one hundred miles of the breakdown. We're just outside the window of 100 miles. (Get ready for el milagro) The car drives for about 5 more minutes when the engine totally shuts off again. We pull over to the side of the road and check the GPS...we're 92 miles (or so) to Chicago. Yes, that's right, by a strike of luck, we made it within 100 miles of our friend Daissy's house!!

The decision is made--if we're gonna be stranded, it will be in Chicago! Nik calls AAA and all we have to do is wait out the tow truck. A REAL LIFE MIRACLE. We're getting towed ONE HUNDRED MILES TO A HOME AWAY FROM HOME, SUCKERS.

In another post, you can read about the shenanigans we got into while waiting!