FLIP + CHING

Finally Got Alex Fixed

Posted on September 6, 2015 by Ching under Babies, Toys.

Remember how I messed up the front bumper of my car a couple of weeks ago? I got half a dozen quotes ranging from $855 to $1140. I didn’t want to file an insurance claim so I was going to have to take care of all of it out of pocket. My first instinct was to go with the lowest quote but Brian talked me out of it. He wanted to go with the highest bid because that was Carstar and they took good care of Bebot when we got rear-ended last year. It’s a lot of money so I decided to sleep on it.

The front bumper looked fine at first so I thought I would let it ride. I figured I had a few weeks or maybe even a couple of months before it got really bad and I actually had to get it fixed. Well, after our recent trip to Kansas City, it actually looked pretty bad. I guess the vibrations from driving 80 mph for three hours didn’t help matters any.

We ended up going with Carstar not just because Brian always gets his way but because their estimate was the most thorough and we’d used them before and been pleased with their work. Brian really likes them. Brian dealt with someone different last year. Ray worked with us this time and he was super nice. Plus, he is over punctual like me and you know how much I like punctual people.

We set up an appointment to drop off the car on Wednesday at 7:30 AM, when the shop opens, and when we got there at 7:15 AM, Ray was already there. I really appreciated that because it meant that I didn’t have to be late for work that day.

Here’s how Alex looked when we dropped her off.

Carstar not only did great work but they completed it within a couple of days as promised. We dropped Alex off on Wednesday and got her back by 4:00 PM the next day. It was a really quick turnaround.

The front bumper looks great too. I think it looks better than it did before the parking lot mishap. It’s not going anywhere now. The best part? The total came in $100 under the original estimate. We didn’t save that much but every penny helps so we really appreciate it. Huge thanks to Carstar for fixing my baby.

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Pig Out Session at La Bodega

Posted on September 5, 2015 by Ching under Food and Drink.

Here are some pictures from our pig out session at La Bodega last weekend. We lucked out and dined during happy hour so we not only enjoyed half off our pitcher of sangria but we also got to try several half-priced tapas.

This is our favorite potato dish there. It’s very flavorful.

We got to try two different meatball dishes. Please don’t ask me what they are called because I honestly cannot remember.

This is goat cheese with some kind of marinara sauce. It was great with the bruschetta.

These are the chicken and chorizo skewers.

We finished our meal by drinking the last drop of sangria and churros.

The best part about La Bodega is that it’s right next to several stores we love like Trader Joe’s, Lululemon and the Apple Store. Can’t wait to go back!

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Alex Mangled

Posted on September 1, 2015 by Ching under Babies, Life.

In case you were wondering what $1200 in damage looks like. Here it is.

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Murphy’s Law

Posted on August 28, 2015 by Ching under Life, Things to Do.

Figures. I finally pay off my car and I mess it up. In my defense, it wasn’t my fault. It was because of the poorly finished parking lot at the Hill.

The parking stalls right next to the restaurant have these cement parking blocks. Most of them have been properly constructed/finished except for a couple that still have rebar sticking up out of them.

There’s one in a handicapped parking stall. The other is in the very first parking stall, which is the one that snagged my car.

I was paying attention to Brian’s car that was already parked and I was just relieved to find a parking spot right by the entrance so I didn’t notice the rebar. Plus, it wasn’t really noticeable. I mean, who leaves rebar sticking out of a parking block like that?

I didn’t want people who were pulling into the tight parking lot to hit the back bumper of my car so I pulled in all the way. Normally I have no problem clearing those concrete parking blocks so I typically pull in all the way until I feel the block against my front tires. Anyway, the front fender has some give so I didn’t feel the rebar going in. I didn’t realize what had happened until I was pulling out of the parking spot after lunch and I heard a crunching sound.

I called Brian who was taking grandma home first. I told him to please check my car when he got home because I thought I messed up my front bumper. I was hoping for the best but prepared for the worst, which is sadly the case. Brian confirmed it as soon he got home and was able to inspect the car. I messed up the clips so the front bumper needs to be replaced in order to get Alex back to normal.

Half a dozen quotes later from various body shops around town, we found out that it’s going to cost at least $1,000 to effectively fix the damage. Cheapest quote was Auto Paint Repair at $855. The most expensive quote was $1140 from Carstar. I initially wanted to go with the lowest price because I didn’t want to file an insurance claim and risk losing my good driver discount; however, Brian really had his heart set on Carstar. They fixed Bebot after our rear-end collision last year and they did a really good job.

Twelve hundred dollars is a lot of money so I decided to sleep on it. A friend at work (Derek) told me that the front end doesn’t look too bad so I could probably wait to get it fixed. It’s just that I’m afraid to wash the car or nudge the front bumper in some way because I don’t want the bumper to fall off or worsen the damage. Lately we’ve been trying to drive around in Bebot more and not use Alex as much so we don’t make things worse, except on days when we’re both working because then I don’t have a choice but to drive Alex.

I’ll eventually need to get Alex fixed but hopefully I can postpone it long enough to where I have enough money saved up so I won’t have to settle for the least expensive quote and I can get it done by Carstar (Brian’s first choice). Getting Alex fixed may just have to be my birthday present this year. Sigh.

If you have some spare change and would like to donate to the Alex repair fund, clickity click the donate button on the right. Thanks in advance for your generous donation. I really appreciate it.

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Labor Run 2015

Posted on August 26, 2015 by Ching under Events, Things to Do.

Looking for something fun to do on Labor Day? Come join us at Sedgwick County Park for Labor Run 2015. It’s a fun run/walk event that benefits The Treehouse, an organization that offers mothers and babies a brighter future through sharing God’s love, basic necessities, education, and genuine personal care. Please help us make this event a success by participating. Brian and I are helping with the run again this year so we hope to see you guys there!

Click below to see pictures from Labor Run 2014.