Appreciation for Close Family & Friends

We'd like to take a moment and thank our friends and family that have supported us through this still-very-evident recession. Josh's mom gave us an older car a few years ago that we used to sell and get some money from to make ends meet during that time and she continues to send him money when we're in a rough patch. And today, we drove home a 2004 Toyota Camry that my mom and step-dad gave us to help us through the next few years of this recession. We are thrilled beyond words!

This gift couldn't be at a more timely moment because Josh's Jeep has had no A/C all summer (during one of the hottest summers we've had this year) and blows hot air when the vents are on. It has manual windows. (Holy Crap - I just realized people under the age of 20 probably don't remember manual windows now unless their parents still have a vehicle with them. Our Jeep is 18 years old, and automatic windows were vast then, so it's a rare bird. You have to open them by cranking a handle on the door and you can't just touch a button to open the passenger windows.....) So, back to the hottest summer of the year and not being able to open windows easily and vents blowing hot air - that is a recipe for sweat stains on your shirt and maybe your pants on the way to and from every destination in your vehicle..... Try going to an interview that way. And with gas prices and grocery prices and just trying to survive, we have not been able afford to get the A/C fixed just yet - it was going to cost at least $2000. We cannot save $100/month right now with the bills that we have going out.

So, this just made us realize how much we appreciate our family and friends who know what is going on in our day-to-day lives and step up to help us in ways that we can't even express enough appreciation for. Without these types of people in our lives, we would be a lot further in debt and Brass Hammer Designs would not even be a possibility. Hopefully all of our readers are fortunate to have people in their lives to help them through these hard times. And if not, hopefully you are able to get through this recession with minimal debt or stresses.

Hugs to all of our parents, family and close friends and a big THANK YOU for being there for us. We LOVE you very much. Hopefully you know how much we appreciate you.

Jen Crandall, Wife/Manager
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