On the Feast off St. Raphael

Prayed today to St. Raphael the Archangel, who besides being the patron saint of apothecaries; blind people; bodily ills; the diocese of Madison, WI, druggists; the archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa; eye problems; guardian angels, in general; happy meetings; insanity; lovers; mental illness; nightmares, nurses; pharmacists; physicians; the archdiocese of Seattle, Washington; shepherds; sick people; young people, and people who seek spouses...

 (breath)

is also the patron saint of travelers. 

So, yes, indeed we prayed to St. Raphael.  And to the good St. Thomas Aquinas, who has always been our automotive go-to saint...  because, we need a new car!

The Durango has an inoperable transmission illness and is no longer a dependable family vehicle. Doggonit, anyway. But, to be perfectly honest, we didn't really expect that it would be a long-term solution.  The Durango was rather a "stop-gap" car between Vegas and real life (when the a/c on the old Honda Odyssey died)  We have been expecting to replace it -- and, it seems that "sooner or later" is suddenly "now."

 So, after some looking around and researching, we found what looked like a good car for what looked like a good deal in (of all places) Overland Park, Kansas.  Which, though it sounds like an extreme commute to go car shopping (considering we live in Iowa) is only three hours away. 

So, it was just a little road trip today with Dan, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Raphael, and me along.

And, though we went specifically to look at another Honda Odyssey, we came home with this:

A Toyota Sienna

Isn't it purty? It's a used car -- actually a 2004 -- but it's got a reasonable number of miles on it for the years and was meticulously cared for by its owner (unlike the Odyssey that was parked right next to it); it looks brand spanking new, inside and out (unlike the Odyssey) and drives like a dream (unlike... etc.).  And we got it for a song!  So, we're all very pleased.  An easy-to drive car for me (she's mine!), with good gas mileage (for Dan), and plenty of cup holders (to make the children happy!) Perfect!  Just what we prayed for.

Thank-you, St. Thomas and St. Raphael!