Updates

This is where I will post updates on what is going on with me and my new adventure. I hope that this will be an easier way to keep everyone up to date on things.

June 4, 2010 - Just a quick update. Things are going really well. I am so excited about the freedom that I finally have. I've learned quickly that with freedom comes "can you do this" requests as well! I'm finding that gas is expensive! I do my best to only gas up once a month, but this summer will definately prove otherwise! I will love every minute of my running though!
The end of March I took my car in for the first oil change. It went well. I was beyond surprised when I found out that my tech drove my car all on his own! And here I was feeling safe that my car would never be stolen because no one would be able to work it - think again! I go back the end of this month for another oil change and I am going to have them check on a noise I hear every now and again. Hopefully it isn't anything horrible! I also have to drive down to Austin this month to get all my IDS stuff checked out again for service purposes.
My car loan has made its way to $3,576.03! Not too horrible. Insurance kicks my butt though so I am very blessed in the fact that becuase of so many generous people I was able to get my car payments at a decent rate! Anyhow, that's it for now!

March 21, 2010 - Again, it has been a long time since I've updated, but there really isn't a lot now to add here. Things are going really well. I love this newfound freedom! I finally posted a pic of the control system I am using. It is on the goal page. If I think of anything fabulous to post, I will... but for now, everything is going well and once again, I thank all of you for the support along the way!

Oct. 17, 2009 - I realize how long it has been since I got out an update and I am sorry! This have been crazy since I got my car. I've had it for just over a month and it has been back to Houston for repairs twice since I've had it! I consider myself very blessed to have had the things happen when they did and how they did as they could have potentially been fatal otherwise.

First, after I did my first set of training hours I started to notice that the car just wasn't steering smoothly. Then it got worse. It started to be where I tried to gently curve with the road to the right and instead of a gentle move, the car would jerk. Like seriously jerk. I called my trainer and he told me to get ahold of the people in Houston. I did so and they said they'd come pick it up and take care of it. They took it on a Sunday and they brought it back to me that Tuesday and it drove beautifully after that! Come to find out my steering cables had wiggled themselves loose and my steering was about to come off! They said it was amazing that I was able to drive it at all!

Next, Chad came back and we started my highway training. We realize now that the issue with the speed was becuase my steering was in the process of falling off! So what I thought was nerves, wasn't me at all! We drove for three hours and it was great!! Very smooth, no problems! We took a break for a little while and then that afternoon we decided to go out and do some more highway stuff. I got onto the highway just by my house and as I am just entering the highway, I have no gas! The accelerator went crazy on me. I pumped my break a tiny bit and the gas came back (this is a safety mechanism so that you never have gas if the car reads the break in use). Problem was, I wasn't putting on the break! It did it twice and Chad decided we needed to pull over to figure out the issue. Then it went all kinds of crazy. Just pumping the break didn't fix it all the time anymore. For safety reasons, Chad drove the van back to the house with the real gas/break system as it worked fine.

I got ahold of the people in Houston again and they were at my house that day to pick my car up! Did I mention I hadn't had it back a whole week yet since the last time they had it! They have to have memorized the route to my house by now! Anyhow it took till Thursday for them to figure out what the issue was! It was in the joystick box and thats about as technical as I can get for you! They fixed it, but I had to wait a bit to get it back because they always test drive it after they have it and they were having really bad weather!! So, I got it back this past Wednesday and once again I have a car that is running beautifully! I have driven it quite a bit since I got it back and Im not having any issues! Correction, my brother had to come figure out what was wrong with my door. It kept shutting on me instead of opening! Somehow it got out of alignment. He fixed it and now it opens perfect everytime!

Today I felt very blessed... I spent the whole running errands with Alexis... just her and I. It is a freedom I've never had and didn't really ever imagine! I brought her home after dinner and it was then that I realized the freedom this car is going to give me. Something someone who is able-bodied takes forgranted everyday is something that I feel so blessed for.

Well, that's my update! Its long winded, but I hope you enjoyed it! I am going to work at getting some good pics and getting them up here for you. Stay tuned...

Sept 12, 2009 - I have my car!! I have been busy the last few days, so I didn't get the chance to update until now. I came home Wed with my car! I did training all day Thursday. I drove to a few places I will be frequenting... but I decided to ask for another 10 hours of training so that I can get more practice, with a professional, on the highways. I got up to about 55-60 and just did not feel comfortable going any faster than that. I did go up to 70 a few years ago when I was training, so I know I can do it... but I need some time to rebuild my confidence. So, in a few weeks Chad will come back and work with me on the highway. Until then I will be avoiding it and will practice on roads in the area and get used to the way my vehicle steers and try to learn my blind spots. So, its coming along! We've had nothing but rain the last few days, so I haven't been able to go out and get good photos for you all... but I promise, they will come! I will also continue to update you all on my progress!

Sept 2, 2009 - I just booked a hotel in Houston for Sept 8th. I got a call yesterday saying that my car is fixed and they want me in Houston at 1:00 on Tuesday! I do not know the details now, but I am assuming I will be doing the fitting on Tuesday when I get there then the inspection will be on Wednesday. I will meet up with Chad while I am there and then he'll be here Thursday to do my training with me. My fingers and toes are crossed that everything works out this time! Hopefully I will have pictures to share by the end of next week!

Aug 21, 2009 - If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all. I got to Austin at 8:30 this morning and went in for some adjustments. While I was in the lobby waiting for the stabilizer to be placed the TTI people showed up. They had to run checks on all the electronics. Almost 2 hours later my sales guy came in and said, "well Amanda..." yes, here it is, the bad luck. They took my car on its test drive and it died... yep DIED! They got it going, put it in reverse to back it back in the garage and it got stuck in reverse! Something is wrong with the electrical in the IDS system. After all was said and done I still had to get in it to finish my fitting and have pics done for my file at DARS and TTI. I got to see all the crazy things my car was doing as the lights were all going nuts and then the car wouldn't start at all.

They have to send it back to Houston!! And this time, once it is fixed, I have to go to Houston to get it. They want me there, with the 'experts' in case it goes stupid again. I have NO idea when this is going to take place. They are shipping it back on Monday. I pray that I am bumped to the top of the list... I can't wait as long as I did last time!

While I am very upset about this, I try to remain positive. I am thankful that the problems surfaced while it was still in Austin. I am thankful that I was not in the vehicle on the way home when it decided to go nuts. I am thankful that I was not in it on my own when it up and died. I always believe things happen for a reason, and though I am angry that it happened, it happened and I am going to wait it out. You always hear of people who get stuck in an airplane waiting for take off due to 'maintenance' or whatnot and they are so upset... Id rather they FIX the issue than find out later that something was wrong. I'd sit on that plane and complain, but I'd be happy in the end that they took care of the issues before the plane took off.

I should hear back from someone the beginning of next week to find out exactly what is going on. I will let you all know when I know.

Aug 18, 2009 - Well I went down to Austin today to get fitted for my car! It is fabulous! I got there at 11 and got right into it to figure out where I need to park so they could mark it for the EZ Lock. Then they had to put the bolt on my chair (which took way longer than I hoped for!) Once that was done I had to get back in the car to make sure that I still felt right where I was marked before and so that they could remark where the bolt would actually hook in. After that I got to really play around with some of the controls. There are SO many buttons on this that weren't on the one I trained on! I can control the air, the windows, the mirrors, the doors, the locks, and so much more! They also showed me how to put the original steering wheel back on so that someone else can drive my car, which is how it is getting home on Friday! Hmm, thats all I can think of for now. I go back on Friday, bright and early, and by Friday evening, MY car will be parked in MY driveway!

Aug 14, 2009 - I am back with news that is very exciting! At least, it is to me! I got a phone call on the 13th saying that my vehicle is back in Austin! Finally!! I go in on Tuesday for a fitting. They will place the EZ Lock bolt on my chair and figure out where I need the base within the car. We will place the mirrors and do any other minor adjustments we need to do. Then on Friday I will go back to meet with a DARS representative and someone from TTI. They will do all the final inspections then. I will also have each and every button explained to me to be sure I understand it all. Then, the following week, Tuesday through Thursday I will do my final training with Chad. So, technically I will be on my own with my own car on August 28th!
More to come when I get back from my fitting on Tuesday!

July 25, 2009 - I know it has been awhile, but I finally have news worth posting!!! I spoke with my car guy on Friday and he told me that my van should be back in Austin in the next week or two!! Whoo hoo! After that I will go down for a fitting. They are already ordering the last few things I need for my van so they will be ready when it gets to them. After I am in for my fitting it should only take about a week to finish up! So, unless something goes wrong (pray it doesn't) I will have MY van in MY hands sometime in August! Whoo hooo!!! I will post again when I hear that it has officially made it to Austin again!

May 18, 2009 - I am running a little behind, but I have new updates. I have offically made my first car payment. I have made two car insurance payments as well. Last week I went down and registered, licensed, and titled the new vehicle! Last Thursday my van was shipped to Houston, so it is on the floor waiting for hand controls to be installed. Last I heard, we are still looking at maybe August before the vehicle is in my hands. When I hear more, so will you!

April 24, 2009 - You would never think it would take so long to buy a car!! It was not as easy as just going to the lot and buying one, that's for sure!! First, I had to redo my loan application, because it had been too long since I originally did it in Nov 2008. So, that can't be completely done until I have insurance. Do you know how many insurance companies won't insure you until they inspect your car? How does that work when you can't get a loan until you have proof of insurance?! Anyhow, I finally did get insured through Geico as they did not need to inspect my vehicle! I completed my loan stuff and I went down to Austin today to sign the final paperwork! I offically own a car!! I should get the paperwork next week to go get the title in my name! Sadly, the modifications are going to take a little longer to complete than I had hoped for, so I probably won't have my car until August, but hey, thats better than nothing eh!!! So, for now, that's all I have to say! I will update again if I hear anything new!

April 1, 2009 - As always there were more delays but the wait is finally over!!! My paperwork was approved as of today!!! I am in the clear and can finally get my vehicle! I should be getting a phone call on Tuesday with all the specifics and what I need to do next. I should be able to purchase the vehicle this month and get the ball rolling with all the modifications. I should be on the roads sometime this summer! As usual, I will update when I hear more!

Jan 12, 2009 - It's a new year and a new look! The site has had some changes, I hope you all aprove! I am still waiting for the paperwork to be approved. There was a small hangup on the van I picked, so things got delayed a little, and obviously three holidays slowed things down as well! I am hoping to see the paperwork approved this month so I can go on with my process!
I am happy to say that I was able to put a deposit down on the van I chose so I was guaranteed to get it once the papers were done. I didnt want to risk the chance that it was sold from under me! So the vehicle, a Silver 2007 Dodge, is sitting on a lot with my name on it! As soon as I get the approval, I will go ahead and purchase the vehicle so they can start putting in my hand controls and all that jazz.
I will be sure to update again when I get the approval to buy my vehicle so you will all know that I am another step closer to my own independence!

Nov 8, 2008 - I am pretty upset about this update, but I know everyone wants to know. I will not be getting the Honda Element. The whole issue revolves around the weight that is allowed inside the modified X-WAV. I am only allowed to put 501 pounds into the car... when you take me, my chair, Callie, the backup battery, and the driving adaptations I use it leaves little to no weight allowance left. For now this would be fine with me, but in the long run it would not benefit me. Texas of course is the only state upholding this weight limit, other states and FMI themselves say the limit is 650 pounds. Leave it to Texas to hit the wall with this. I understand the reasoning behind it, I do, but the weights they needed in order to do the calculation to find this were available three years ago, so why did it take me waiting three years to only be denied due to weight issues in the vehicle. I could have been driving long ago had I known this would happen. But it is a risk I took. I am happy that I saw it through to get the E approved in Texas because now there are others who may be able to get it because of my hard work. I on the otherhand will be driving something different.
So, the approval paperwork for a 2007 new Dodge is going through now. I should have an approval in 6 weeks. Then I am able to buy the van and start the rest of the adaptation process. The van I am looking at already has the dropped floor and ramp, so part of that process is done. With any luck I will be on the roads in Feb/Mar.
Due to the changes, the site will get a makeover. Check back later to see what else is new!

Aug 21, 2008 - I did more training! Things went rather well too! I was afraid that in the last two years I would have lost too much strength, but I didn't! It took a little bit to get back into the swing of things, but its like riding a bike, you dont really ever forget once you get back on it.
I am still running into a few issues with the XWAV, but hopefully I will find out for sure what is going on with that shortly. Otherwise now I am just waiting on DARS to approve all my paperwork and get a PO ready to start the modifications when I buy a vehicle! I will keep ya posted!

July 21, 2008 - I have another driving eval Aug 18 to be sure that my driving is still up to par (afterall it has been 3 years in the works) and then I can go from there. I SHOULD be driving my new car by the end of the year!! Keep your fingers crossed!!

May 1, 2008 - It has been approved!! Yes, you read it right... the XWAV has been approved in Texas! Right now I am just waiting for an appointment with my case worker so I can figure out where to go from here! I will be sure to update about it as soon as I can!

Mar. 10, 2008 - Well it is a new year with new goals! I am happy to say that the final tests have been completed and now I am waiting for the approval process to move forward. They told me it should be a couple weeks or so. So hopefully by April things will have been approved and I will be able to take the next step! As always, you'll know when I know!

Sept. 8, 2007 - Wow! I didnt notice it had been so long since I updated. Needless to say I have been rather frustrated! Things still are not complete. I finally had a call into the engineer at FMI and kind of figured out where things were going wrong. They faxed the papers Texas needs into the wrong place! This was in April. For some reason wires got mixed and no one knew they were going to the wrong place. So as of Friday, the 7th, FMI faxed the papers Texas need to the RIGHT place. Hopefully I will find out next week what the next step will be. This stupid faxing of the papers was what was holding everything up! So maybe, just maybe, things will move at a more rapid pace now that the ball is rolling in the directions. I will be sure to let you all know!
As for donations, no worries! All the money that has been donated is still safely sitting in an account earning interest! I havent run off and left with your donations! Thanks again for all you have given!

Jan. 11, 2007 - Just a quick update to let you all know that the X-WAV is finally in Texas going through the final test! I will be sure to update when I hear anything new! Maybe this will get done afterall! Keep your fingers crossed!

Nov. 8, 2006 - *sigh* The wait continues. Good things come in due time. I never really know what is going on for sure. It only seems as if I get the run around and new excuses everytime I check in on things. The X-WAV has still not made it to Texas. The last I heard was that they had to convert a new one to send down. I have no idea why and I have no idea why it has taken almost 3 months for FMI to figure this out and finally start doing it. *sigh*

A large piece of my anger now is that the 2007 models are in now and have gone up in price. They have done away with the color I want... at the rate things are going I wont be able to find a new 2006 model that I want. So I will have to pay more and get a color I didn't want 100%.

I won't give up! I can't give up! Not after all of this. I only regret that by the time I reach my one year mark for having a license, the only thing I have 'gained' is new harassment from insurance companies wanting to pick me up (they don't know I don't have a car!) and that I am now in the jury pool and am bound to be summoned again! I haven't driven since the day I passed my test. I just don't think it is fair to be pulled out this long. Texas is the only state that requires this test, that in the long run has NOTHING to do with the vehicle I will receive... Ah I will stop now before my rantings turn into a novel.

I will have my car someday... it's just taking some patience and faith. Thanks to all of you for your continued support!

Sept. 15, 2006 - Well my patience is growing thin. Three weeks ago FMI was supposed to ship an X-WAV to a dealer in Texas so that they can run a test that was not complete. Obviously it still has not been shipped. Once they do ship it, the test can be run and hopefully things will move much quicker. I try to tell myself at least all this waiting is allowing me more time to get funds raised... but I have had my license for 6 months now and still have no car! So yes, I am getting irritated. I have fought for too long now to just give up though. Please keep up the support and the prayers. This waiting game has to end sometime!

July 8, 2006 - No I have not fallen off the Earth. I have been trying to wait to make an update until something final had been done, but I am still waiting! Progress is being made though. There was a bit of confusion going on with everything but after being very persistant everyone is on the same page now! All the tests are complete and awaiting approval from Texas. I will make some phone calls next week to see if I can find out anything new. This waiting game really is hard! But I have faith and this will be over with soon! Thank you for your continued support!

April 17, 2006 - I just got word that the last test the Element needs in order to pass Texas inspection was approved. Hopefully within 30 days the test will be complete! I will update when I find out that it is indeed finished! *Fingers crossed*

March 31, 2006 - I DID IT!! I had my last training hours this past week. I went in today and took my test and I passed! Whoo hoo! Now I just have to wait for the Element to be approved in Texas (Yes I am STILL waiting on that) and once it is approved, I can do my hard core fundraising! I officially have my license, so now I just need the car! Let the count down begin!

Feb. 7, 2006 - Okay so I finished another week of training. All in all we had a very successful week. I have now gotten up to 45 mph on some of our main roads. I have attached some new pictures on my goal page. They include the new wheel and steering handle I am using.

I have contacted a couple people who have put the IDS in an Element so things are looking good for that part. Sometime this month I should know for sure if the steering effort is going to go low enough on the E for me. Still waiting for Texas to approve the E though.

As of now I am just waiting on approval for another 20 hours of training. After that is approved I can schedule more driving time. And with any luck, after that I will get my driver's license! Highway driving is my last step!

I will update again when I get more information!!

Jan. 27, 2006 - Whoo hoo! Today I reached my initial downpayment goal of $5,000 raised! Thanks so much to each and every one of you for your kind donations!

I am still waiting for the Element to be approved in Texas, but it looks like it is getting close! I also start another round of training next week! I will update again after I finish that week's training.

Jan. 17, 2006 - Things went well in Houston this past weekend! I spent three hours working on a modified handle, but I think we got what is going to work! I drove for about an hour after getting the handle made and things went well. The next morning we went out again and things were good! We drove for about two hours or so and saw a major improvement from what we had been seeing. I got up to 30 mph on some main roads and took turns at a comfortable speed. I even practiced some parallel parking and did pretty good! I didn't hit the poles at least!

We are going to set up some more training time and see if we can keep things going. We have run into some possible vehicle problems as well. But hopefully it will be something that we don't have to worry about. If for some reason I cannot get the Element that I want so much, all donations will go toward another vehicle that may better my situation. Only time will tell. I'll update again when I start training again!

Jan. 9, 2006 - Well I started my re-eval on Saturday the 7th of Jan. It seemed to go great and he approved me to start my driver's training. Sunday morning we got in the car ready to go and I could NOT get it to work! We fiddled with it and became really frustrated. Finally we decided to take a break and try again in a few hours. So a few hours later we try again and it works! We even made a few alterations and it worked even better! I went out on a few main roads (30mph) and did pretty good. We finally thought we had it figured out! So this morning, Monday, we started again... SAME problem! After a lot of contimplation and testing, we figured it WAS the CAR and NOT me that was having the problem. So that was a relief. BUT it was still a pain! The cold mornings were causing the steering wheel to tighten up too much for me to steer.

So we figured hey, lets try something new all together. So we put on a bigger wheel. At first we didn't think it would work at all, but it did! Only thing was that we thought I needed a different type of handle on the wheel. SO I said, lets quit for now. Friday I am going to go to Houston and meet one of his techs and he is going to custom build me a handle. Then we are going to try that and see if it works. We are thinking it should! If not, I will either have to give up on the whole idea of driving, or fight to get a different system in my vehicle. So for now all I can say is you will have to wait till I get back from Houston this weekend to hear the verdict! Wish me luck!!!

Nov. 29, 2005 - I bet you guys thought I vanished!!! Things have been crazy around here. My brother is preparing to go back to Iraq this week, so that has been a huge headache. I was just told that all the paperwork for my re-eval has been submitted so now I am just waiting for a new driving date. I will post when I find out when it is. This is a long process! There have been no new donations this month, so that is kind of sad, but I want to thank each of you who have taken the time to drop me a note or donate in the past. I appreciate it all! Okay, that is it for now! More news soon I hope!

Oct. 20, 2005 - My wheelchair modifications are finally in and on my chair! Now I am just waiting for my re-eval to be scheduled. I will let you all know when as soon as I know!

Sept. 14, 2005 - From NOW until the end of Sept, 10% of all online donations made to I4A will be sent to the Red Cross for Katrina victims. You can help me and someone else all in one donation!

Aug. 31, 2005 - My wheelchair guy came and tried out a lateral support and showed me my options for both that and a head rest. After only a few minutes, we knew what we needed and he put the order in! I hope to have my new mods by the middle of Sept!

Aug. 23, 2005 - I got to drive!! Whoo hoo! I spent 5.5 hrs behind the wheel of a vehicle and actually drove it. No I did not wreck either! Plus the driving instructor has a break on his side just to keep us safe in case I did anything stupid! It went well but before I can officially pass my eval I have to have some work done on my chair. I need a lateral support (side support) on my left side and a head rest. This is all for my own protection and to give me more stability when driving. Due to the way I sit in my chair, I tended to fall to the left when making sharp right turns. This issue has to be fixed before I can be deemed as a safe driver. After my mods are done I can schedule another evaluation. Hopefully that will be within the next month or so. But yeah, it was great to finally be able to drive something bigger than my wheelchair! I can't wait to do it again.

Aug. 16, 2005 - An FMI representative came down from Michigan with an X-WAV! I finally got a chance to see the vehicle up close and even to get in it. I was able to test out the buttons to be sure that they were something that I could work on my own. They were! I got to pull into the driver's side to see what it would feel like to finally be in that position! I felt extremely short, but according to other E drivers, that is part of owning an E... feeling TINY! But yes I can see over the dash! Overall it was a great experience and I cannot wait to get in one again! (see goal page for pictures.)