"I was checking the, uh, specs...

...on the end line for the rotarty...girder...I'm retarded."

I totally feel like Tommy Callahan from Tommy Boy when it comes to most anything car-related. So I guess it's a good thing I'm married to Jonny. While he doesn't know everything about auto repair and maintenance, with some help from a Chilton manual, online sources, and Chris Jones, it seems he can pretty much always figure it out. (Thanks again, Chris!)

Jonny's latest repair was apparently a doozy. When he inquired about estimates to replace the head gasket in his '96 Toyota Tacoma, he learned that we could save over $1,000 if he repaired it himself. So he set out to do it. And was it ever a daunting task.

He told me about going to the auto store: "When you ask for a few bolts, they hand them over, no big deal. But when you say you need a head gasket, they get all excited and say things like, 'Yeah, man! Now we're talking.'"And then they all chat about the intense stuff you have to do for that repair.

After much research, many trips to trips to the store, and several evenings out in the garage for Jonny, I finally heard the sweet hum of the engine. I was elated! After witnessing a little of the major surgery going on for the last few weeks, I was wondering if he'd ever really be able to put all those pieces back together and revive the engine. It looked like an insanely impossible puzzle to me. Jonny could certainly tell you a lot more about the repair, but here you get the "rotary...girder" version. So if you'd really like to know more, go ahead and give him a call. Or you could meet him and the guys at Checker for some serious auto-talk.

So that's my man, cruising in his little while truck once more. Way to go, Jonny. Once again you've left me completely amazed and even more in love.