We parked on the opposite side of the train tracks that separate the road from the main parking lot & walked down to the beach. Apollo was SO EXCITED to be outside & despite his good manners, was hard to hold onto as we walked by crowds of people & their dogs.
We walked all the way down to where there seemed to be a crowd gathering, looking out at the water. We looked out and saw about 6 WALES breaching!! It was a really cool sight :) We started walking back to where we started & Apollo found a large pile of sand & proceeded to lay down, obviously to tell us he was tired from all the walking. We took this opportunity to take some pictures with him, while he was being still.
After resting, Apollo got up & I rolled my jeans up so I could go into the water with him. We ran around in the water & a little ways down the beach, then when I put my hands in my zip-up VS PINK hoodie, I realized that my keys to my car were GONE!! We spent the next hour combing the beach & the water for them, even getting some other beach walkers to help us look. I called my insurance company to ask if I had road-side assistance on my policy...NOPE. I was beginning to lose hope when my phone rang & Chase had found them at the concession stand!! Some honest soul had the decency to turn them in! I was jumping up & down, hugging/kissing Chase upon the return of my keys by the volleyball nets.
We decided to head back to the car & go get ready for my friend Sarah's Great Gatsby themed birthday party. We arrived at the car & the button to unlock the car wouldn't work. I thought this was a bit odd, but what was even weirder, was when we got INTO the car & went to start it, it would turn over, but then die immediately. Chase tried to start the car a few times & then we realized that the key had gotten WET!! We tried our best to dry it out without being able to open it, but nothing was working. I called a Chrysler dealer & the guy I spoke to said that if the key was wet, we shouldn't have pressed any of the buttons or tried to start the car until the key was dry. In doing all of those things we weren't supposed to, we had fried the microchip inside the key! :(
He said the parts department was closed, but if I could have the car towed to the dealership, they could make me a new key on Monday. This (however) was unacceptable for me. A) The tow was going to cost over $100, B) The new key was going to cost over $150, & C) I need my car!! I couldn't go without it until Monday because Chase's car is broken...we'd be car-less!! Upon hanging up with the dealership, I had to start crying from all of the stress that had been building since first loosing my keys. Chase assured me that everything would be okay, & we were lucky that we had even found the keys and were inside the car instead of being stuck outside of it with Apollo (who was sleeping in the backseat). I wiped my face off as Chase called a company that would drive out to our location & make a new key on-site. They said it would be $180 at minimum. I said "okay" gave them our location & my phone number. They said about 25-30 minutes & they would arrive.
That was at 5:45pm.
6:25pm rolled around & I called the company back asking why no one had showed up yet. The woman on the other line said she would call the lock-tech & have him call me.
15 minutes rolls by & I get a call from the lock-tech telling me he would be about 25-30 minutes. I told him that's what the company had originally said to which he had no reply. Needless to say, my irritation was growing.
Another half an hour goes by & he texts my phone saying he is 10 minutes away. It is now after 7pm. He ends up arriving around 7:30pm & informs me that the key is going to cost $250, plus tax!! I wanted to throw-up on the spot, but quickly did the math & rationalizing in my head & I give him the go-ahead to get to work making me a new key. He finds the right cut, then had to buy the microchip code from somewhere which takes over another half an hour. He finally gets the code & plugs a machine into my car, pushes a few buttons then turns the key which starts my car!!! I was VERY happy until he took my credit card & wrote me my receipt for a total of $287.
What's the moral of this story?
1) Make sure you have roadside assistance or AAA. You really never know when you're going to need it.
2) Always have a spare key that will actually START your car.
3) NEVER GET YOUR KEY WET IF IT HAS A MICROCHIP!!! (& if you DO get it wet, wait until it is dried out before pushing any buttons or attempting to start the car)
I am taking donations for my "new key" fund...aka-paying it off my credit card!
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