What ever happened to her sister? Did she find happiness?
Not so far, and I doubt that she ever will; she's made a lot of bad choices and she consistently surrounds herself with bad people, and I don't see those habits changing. If I was a better person I would feel bad for her, but I'm not, so I don't.
Maybe her bump stops just weren't set correctly. A little adjustment, and she might be just fine.
I'd say that I did my best with that, but I was eighteen at the time so "I did my best" is a patently unbelievable statement...because if anyone thinks they're any good at "making adjustments to bump stops"* - wink, nudge, harumph! - at age eighteen, they're either stupid, delusional, or both.
* - This phrase is used here as a polite euphemism for "earth-shattering sex that, through sheer quality, fundamentally alters your perception of the act."
You guys have great wives, congrats! I wish mine enjoyed going offroad with me but she hates it and barely tolerates my Jeep.
It's a rare thing; I treasure it.
So far as REI goes, we have a couple here in San Diego and I no longer go to them. Leftist politics and a true hate for us offroaders. I was in there to look at a GPS way back when Garmin's 60CSx was hot and when I said it was for my Jeep and offroading, the place took on a distinct chill and the salesrep suddenly lost interest in helping me. the chill was like I had just turned into the Grim Reaper. REI is pretty much anti-everything I enjoy.
Most of the crowd that shops at our local REI drives:
1) a less-than-five-years-old Volkswagen (preferably a hatchback).
2) a four-door JK or JL.
3) a Range Rover or 4Runner.
4) something electric and expensive.
5) something cheaper than their bike, which is - invariably - on a rack on top.
It's an offroad-unfriendly environment for sure, but money talks and the managers don't want to lose all of the sales from Crowds 2 and 3 in that list. I stop in from time to time when some of the good stuff that REI carries is on sale - mostly socks, now that I think about it - and I always get a lot of looks because I'm driving a TJ on 35's and wearing clothing without recognizable labels. Usually, a painfully-trendy salesperson tries to help me, and in turn I usually have fun with that because 99% of what's in REI is absolute garbage and it's fun to point out the deficiencies of a product to someone that just got done telling me how awesome it is, because - again - I'm not a better person. Example that actually happened a week or three ago in the camping stove section as I was scrutinizing a new stove:
Salesperson: "Hey there...thinking about cooking dinner for someone?"
<had to give her credit; that was a hell of an intro and/or pick-up line>
Me: "Nah...I'm just looking at the new version of this one; I have the old one at home, so I wanted to see what changed."
Salesperson: "That's cool! This is a really great stove; I'm thinking about getting one myself! How are you liking yours so far?"
Me: "It's a piece of fucking garbage; I keep it on my 'Wall of Shame' for gear that sucks so hard that I want to constantly remind myself of whatever stupid reason I had for purchasing it, lest I make the same kind of dumbass mistake again. I ate several cold dinners because of that stove."
Salesperson: "..."
Me: "Hey, you asked. Do you want me to lie to you about something you're thinking of buying, or give you an honest answer? I can lie if you're more comfortable with that, but I'll feel bad later."
Salesperson: "No...uh...well, thanks...but I'm not sure what to say here."
Me: "Maybe you should try to sell me something else."
Salesperson: "...Do I want to do that?"
Me: "No."
I’m not sure how familiar you are with Avenza Maps - it’s the program we use with the FS on our phones and laptops to navigate without service.
Now,
that is some useful information.
FWIW, I’ve found most companies are anti something I like to do. REI is the last one I still use and thats only because it’s a one stop shop and a decent rebate system. Otherwise, it’s mostly amazon prime which also hates me and most stuff I like to do, but I get free shipping. Always a trade off.
I use the rebate system to the point of abuse, both there and everywhere else that offers one. I rationalize it by saying that my savings help me support companies that actively support me. That's a lie, but it's a pretty one.
still able to drive it, just more fun! Oh and I met my fiancé while wheeling! She was with one of her friends and we got to talking pretty quickly when I saw her! Highly recommend finding your partner off road