And he was so excited...

Last week, the ignition switch on my car started acting up.

You know, where you stick the key in and turn it on. THAT's the ignition switch.

I know this because my man, he is a car guy.

And I can't help but have some of it rub off on me. I know parts of cars that it is COMPLETELY unnatural for a girl to know.

But I still can't change a flat tire. So, I guess I'm safe in the girl realm.

I'm convinced he secretly doesn't want me to know how to change a flat tire just so he'll have to come rescue me. His damsel in distress.

**SIGH**

But back to my ignition switch problem. It reared it's head a week ago... last Tuesday afternoon. I went across the street to Target during my lunch time to pick up a few things. I got back out to the car and tried to turn it on and I couldn't get the key to turn.

As me and my groceries are melting in the 300 degree car parked in the treeless parking lot of a Target smack-dab-in-the-middle of Texas... my key won't turn. I can't get the car to start.

So I call my knight in shining armor to come and rescue me from 30 miles away (seeing that he was at his place of employment). We finally got the car started. But turning the key and getting it out of the "starting" position was all very difficult.

Mike called that afternoon to get the 411 on a new ignition switch only to find out that he had to order it in person with 1) the VIN, and 2) proof of ownership i.e. the title. It has something to do with computer coding and whatnot. AAANND, it was going to cost upwards of $250. OHH... oh, and it was going to take a week to 10 days to get here.

Have I mentioned that we're going to Destin? We need the car for that trip, by the way.

My man's elation was so evident when I got his email to day that our part had come in. So, following what I hear to be the trend in the blogosphere, we will unbox our ignition switch for you and let you simply marvel at the greatness that is Swedish Engineering...

Personally I'd rather unbox a pair of Dolce & Gabbana Leopard Pony Pumps. But a girl can't have it all. You take what you can get. And right now, that's a brand-spankin'-new ignition switch from Sweden.

No car story involving my husband would be complete without a view of the work in progress. Because, you know, things NEVER go as planned. The five minute job takes 30 and the couple of hour project turns into days.

I'm not dissing him... he's just way to optimistic as a general rule. More pessimism, honey. We need more pessimism.

Yes that's a drill down there and those, they are metal shavings. He had to drill out some bolts holding the old part together. "At least," he says, "I haven't had to take the saws-all to your car yet."

Yet.

But I am happy to report that he did get the part installed and my car running again without the use of a saws-all or too many death threats against the Swedish engineers who designed my car.

He sauntered back inside. Yes, he sauntered with a sense of victory. He had won.