the contractor put the new swing wide hinges on several of our doors today.

The contractor had never used hinges like that before. We were all impressed, I think that includes the contractor, at how much space the two extra inches of space those hinges give you to get thru the doors. You really wouldn't expect two inches to be a lot of space, but wow...the doors feel so much bigger! The contractor said it was kind of a pain to chisel out the wood on the doors, since the new hinges are square, and the old ones were rounded. But he said it wasn't too bad.

We told him to order more hinges. We're putting them on a few more doors.

I asked who makes the hinges. They're made by Stanley. I totally recommend them for making the doorways to seem like they're bigger. My parents have ruined the woodwork on their bedroom door with their walkers. My dad really really likes the new hinges. Thinks it'll make it easier for him to go in and out his bedroom door.

Seriously impressed. The only problem is that the metal isn't the right color for our hinges (we have the silver nickel color hinges, the new hinges looks like a darker silver metal) I think we can live with the hinge being the wrong color.


Today we got new light fixtures in my bathroom and in the new guest bath. The new guest bath also got it's new shower wand, and faucet. The sink in that bathroom also got a new faucet. We're still waiting for the shower door.

Sounds wonderful! Can you put those hinges on an existing door and it is wider?? Does the door have to open into or out of the room?

you can put them on an existing door. I don't think it matters which way the door swings. Most bedroom doors swing into a room tho. I think closet doors swing out. As far as I know, you can put them on just about any door.

I had the contractor put them on my bathroom door, our guest bathroom door, and my parent's bedroom door, and their bathroom door. All of those doors were already existing doors. My brand new bedroom door also got a set of the hinges.

We told him to order more hinges, and we're putting them on the guest room/dad's Man-room door, and on the laundry room door. Not sure what other doors to put them on. Considering the front door, since that might help the next time we buy any furniture.

I'm trying to dust my house. Kind of hard to do when I can't stand for more than a few minutes at a time. (I went to start a new PT program today. Was really disturbed to find out how deconditioned I am. Scary!)

My dad just did something to cheer me up. Told me what my birthday present (and Christmas present for the next ten years) is going to be.

He's buying me a new car.

We're going to trade in our 2006 Toyota Sienna, and my 2010 Toyota RAV4 that I got last June and only got to drive until about August when the Flare From Hell kicked in high gear.

We're going to get a 2014 Toyota Sienna XLE, with all wheel drive. V6 engine. I get to pick the color (Salsa Red Pearl). And we're going to get hand controls factory installed. (seeing the physiatrist tomorrow, going to beg for my hand controls then)

The only big extra that I've added to it is the Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert. (apparently a fancy back up camera that's going to be required on new cars in a few years. My dad is insisting on it too).

I'm going to call USAA (my insurance company) and see if their car purchasing program that they have will help us buy it. (no loans, my dad said he can afford it, especially if we trade in our other cars). Apparently using USAA can save us some money on buying it. I also need to talk to Toyota Mobility about installing the hand controls. My dad also wants a lift on the back for wheelchairs. (he's probably going to need one with his health issues).

I'd actually been thinking about it for a few weeks, but never talked to my dad about it. I was just wishful thinking about it. Getting a brand new minivan with the hand controls factory installed. It's going to be expensive. I didn't think my dad wanted to have to go car shopping again after the problems I had with getting that RAV4 last year. (dealer tried to rip me off for an upsell option we'd said yes to last year on the RAV4, then changed our minds when they kept blowing me off on getting it installed. Took 6 months to get the money back)

We both had looked at Toyota's website where you can "build" your own car online...and the funny thing is. We both "built" the same one when we were looking at all the different options. Even down to the color. (altho, I did look at the black color for a few minutes before I clicked the Salsa Red Pearl. Don't want black. It gets hot here. Black is not a good color on hot days)

We both really wanted the all wheel drive. My RAV4 with AWD that I've not driven in six months was really nice the couple of times it snowed here during the winter. (we barely had any snow). I never got to drive it in snow.

Can't believe that my dad is buying me a brand new car. Holy swear words! Happy Dance! (if I could dance)

My dad said one of the reasons was seeing how much trouble all three of us have been having lately. We get exhausted just getting the walkers out of the car. The stress of everything, and then having to deal with cars that are kind of inconvenient to get in and out of. My dad just doesn't want to deal with all that. I think he just wants to buy a new car. Last time he had a brand new car was back in 1985. He's putting the car in my name, since he said I'll be doing the driving once he gets the hand controls. This is probably the only perk that I'll ever get from having MS. My dad buying me a brand new car that I'll be able to actually drive.

This will be the first brand new car I've ever had. I've only ever had used cars before. It'll probably be the last new car I ever get too. I'm kind of excited. Hope the physiatrist doesn't have any problems with writing the Rx for the hand controls.

WoooooHoooooo Erin..

I need a big box of cookies!!

I just got the Rx for the hand controls.

Calling a car dealer right now to find out if Toyota factory installs the controls, because that would be so much nicer than having to see a brand new car get cut up to put controls into it.



edit

Hmmm...just talked to a dealer, and he told me that Toyota doesn't factory install hand controls. They do install that fancy seat that helps you get in and out of the car tho.

and while I was typing that, the guy from the mobility place that installs the hand controls called me.

Seems the model of minivan I want isn't recommended for hand controls because if you have to put ramps into the car, you can't lower the floor (you have to lower the floor for ramps?? this is getting complicated). Something about the drive shaft, which I understand, because all wheel drives, and 4wheel drives have special drive shafts. (my old 99 RAV4-L stick shift was a pain. To put a new clutch into it, you had to take the entire engine out to do that. So clutches cost tons of money on that car, because of how the engine and drive shaft was set up, and where they put the clutch...under the engine)

But, I guess if the model that I want (2014 Toyota Sienna XLE) isn't quite the model that we want, that will probably save us a little bit of money, and then I could get more of the optional options put into the car. (we REALLY want that backup camera) Maybe I can get the bluetooth radio stuff, and the GPS system, if we're not spending several thousand more dollars for the all wheel version of the van. This might work out better. I can get more "toys" in the car.

I'm this much closer to getting the car.

I'm actually looking at the Sienna XLE still, just not the all wheel drive one now. So glad I talked to that mobility guy before we bought anything. I would not have liked getting the car and falling in love with the all wheel, to find out that if I want to lower the floor for ramps, I'd need a front wheel. That's actually saving us a bit.

I talked to my insurance company. They have a car buying assistant thing. They help you get a lower price on the car (hopefully) and also help you with figuring out what the trade-in will be. They also tell you what all the rebates that are possible would be. Toyota has a $1000 rebate on the hand control installation. There's also a $1500 rebate on minivans right now. Plus some other stuff.

So, I got a quote, and the dealership that my insurance company works with has already called me. I talked to them about what they have on their lot. The one they have right now has the entertainment package (dvd players) that we don't need or want. So he's looking for something without that.


I just wish we could get thru buying this car without my mom having the Mother of All Hissy Fits. She hasn't driven for ten years. She *thinks* she can drive, but she can't (some moron at the hospital when she had West Nile Virus told her she'd be able to drive. Where were they the day their medical ethics class taught the "do NOT promise a patient anything EVER!" lesson??? Argh! That person had no idea of my mom's situation. And they told her she could drive. So now the only thing she remembers from being sick with West Nile is that someone said she'd be able to drive, and she thinks we're being mean by not letting her do it. (no...we're keeping her from killing herself and other people, and keeping people from suing us for letting her drive and killing other people when she drives up their back ends)

She's upstairs screaming at my dad right now, because she wants to go out to eat. (my dad does not feel good at the moment, big reason he's getting me the hand controls. He won't be driving much longer himself. He's trying to get me driving so he can stop)

I'm going to go see what my dad's car is worth. I know what mine is worth. And hope my mom stops screaming soon. It's giving me a headache.

I didn't get any cookies, but I did get a basket of fruit.

After Dealership #1 called me yesterday, I got another phone call from Dealership #2. #2 is the same dealership that treated me really badly last year after we bought the RAV4 that I can't drive. (they screwed us out of $300+ for an upsell we were stupid to say yes to. I ended up getting the money back eventually, after 6 months of calling them constantly)

When #2 called me last night, the guy I talked to then wanted to know why I wasn't that interested in buying from them. I told him what happened last year, and that I was kind of ticked off at them. Seeing as how my parents had bought cars from them almost since they'd first opened their doors on their lot.

Told him that his financial guys took a 30yr+, fairly good relationship with their dealership and ruined it over $330. On a $19,000 car.

Plus, then I've been sick almost constantly since then. (this current flare pretty much started the same day that I'd gotten that RAV4) I told him I couldn't even drive the car, because I'd been begging my former doctor for hand controls almost since I got the car. So, the car was becoming a very sore point with me.

That's when he started groveling. Told me if I come back up there and buy my potentially $40K car from them. They'd "treat me like gold". He apologized every few seconds it seems.

This afternoon, I was sitting upstairs with my parents. Talking about what we want on our new car that we're probably getting from Dealership #1, when the doorbell rang. It was a delivery for me. A basket of fruit. Bunch of different kinds of apples, a couple of pears, three or four oranges. Two grapefruits. And a typed apology, which they probably dictated to the fruit basket company.



I'm probably still going to be getting the new car at Dealership #1, but I might be ok with letting the service department at Dealership #2 doing the oil changes for me. (they're closer to where I live).

When I get the car at Dealership #1, I'm going to make sure that they give me a license plate cover that has their dealership name on it. So when I take it up to #2 for an oil change, I can have my "Pretty Woman" kind of moment to tell them they screwed up big.

"Pretty Woman" shopping scene

I'd probably buy it from #2, if I expected good service..lol

I talked to my aunt about it just now. She told me to call #2 and ask if they can find me the van we're looking for. She thought that maybe if they knew they were in competition with the other dealer for a sale, they might try harder to give us a better price. (hopefully)