I've Got Wings

I seriously can't get over what just having the new car has done for my psyche. It's like someone just told me I have wings. Wings that I don't have to use, but can. Wings that I haven't even had but all of sixteen hours (only eight of which I have been awake for) and have looked for excuses to use.

How is it that in many circumstances, I despise my hair whipping in the wind. But put me in my new car listening to U2's "Beautiful Day" on a 70º spring evening on the way to play outside with my favorite human in the whole world... and how dare you even consider rolling up the windows or closing the sunroof?!

YES. S-U-N-R-O-O-F. You'd think they were a new invention the way I get giddy at the thought of being able to choose whether to see through the top of my car, let alone open it, and heck, even stick my hand out. I didn't even know I really wanted one until I found out it had one. Unexpectedly.

I know this will die down, like most things do. The same way my sadness over losing Chin did. But gosh, this vehicle is a blessing. Especially after exactly forty days of getting in the accident, thirty-three days since they took the Civic from us, and twenty-six since I gave up the rental and have been without a vehicle. And still, all of it, in perfect timing. From foregoing the daily commute to work from home, to rescheduled photo sessions for better weather, to being in Vegas for a week, and now just in time for our adventure to the East Coast to be with my family for a bit.

p.s. I love having a husband who is entirely at ease with the inner-workings of an automobile. Enough to spend a couple of hours outside last night cleaning and detailing underneath our hood. The "Before and After"s are pretty amazing. He's amazing :)

Three Words and a Picture

Next week, baby.

Sigh.

And the Car Search Begins

Blah.

Still not used to looking out of the kitchen window and not seeing my Civic.

But alas, with time, all things pass and eventually it won't be as hard... or just weird.

We're in what you might call the "crunch-time" of car decisions as we're without a rental as of Friday and down to one car indefinitely after that point. Fortunately for my new work situation (doing the happy dance, right now) it's not imperative that we have two cars for our during-the-day operations. Nor really for the night, either.

I can say this much: we aren't getting your typical sedan.

And we aren't getting a mini-van.

And probably not another Jeep (not that we don't love ours, we just like variety).

And considering my heart skips a beat about every time I see one of these:



(don't worry, I know that makes me a nerd beyond all nerds. it's a glorified station wagon, people, no matter how much I'd try to hide it.)

or it's bigger sister:



I think maybe we'll go down the Volvo road.

And maybe keep our eye on the Honda road too, because I wouldn't mind one of these either:

So many choices and things to consider. Fun... but not fun!

In Other News (related to the accident)

Our car is going to be totalled.

SOB.

I wish you could understand why this is incredibly saddening to me.

But it's okay if you don't.

It's just an end to another era. And how crazy that of all times, it would be now.

An era when an eighteen year-old got her first car as a promise her dad made to her years before when he said "You get a full-ride to whatever college you want to go to, and I'll buy you a car." And he did, and I named it "Chin". Because at the time, I was positively obsessed (I was in denial then, but I'll admit it now) with Switchfoot. If you don't know the connection between that name and the car, I promise, I only think slightly less of you. (JUST KIDDING!)

It's a car that has, in the last seven and a half years, taken me to: Tennessee, Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Texas, Kentucky, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, and North Carolina. (Needless to say, at it's time of "death" it will have almost 100,000 miles on it more than it had when it was purchased.) It drove me to visit a boy I loved on our first summer apart. It was the site of countless impromptu steering wheel and air drumming concerts with okay vocals shared among friends. It was... a huge part of the memories of the last chapter of my life.

It's like the closing of one chapter needed a sound effect - or an impact - that would always stand as a symbol of what was next. But losing Chin and the memories and the significance of that car in my life is the bitter in the bittersweet.

Because the sweet, is of course, the blessing of being offered far more for the car than it is worth by the insurance company. And that it would be now and not earlier, when there's not as much pressure to get one today (though I only have the rental for another week). And that Cliff is a master at shopping for car deals. And that the new car, I am certain, will have it's own memories and journeys and discoveries... it's just a question of what kind to get now. The great debate? Something like Chin (i.e. a car) vs. something a little bigger with room for a (someday, not now, don't worry, we're not pregnant) family.

I like what Molly has to say on the matter (it's the reason she's one of my best friends).

mariagoeswest: i mean, you're life isn't about the commute anymore
mariagoeswest: it's about packing a lot of punch in your big dreams
mariagoeswest: meaning
mariagoeswest: get the suv
mariagoeswest: the space
mariagoeswest: for greatness!
mariagoeswest: : )
mrskneeley: I love you

SOLD!

To another guy at work!

Who knew we'd end up loving Lampo that much more for being not only the source of our latest car buy and financial investment, but also the tool that helped Cliff sell the Jimmy off, today?! He posted on the work forums yesterday and got the first bite later in the morning. Sure enough, he let the guy test drive it a bit this morning and when he got back, Cliff said goodbye to his beloved red sports utility vehicle and hello to a pocket full of cash. I guess in a company of 230-some employees with a culture and philosophies like it has, it's not hard to wheel and deal in the business of buying and selling a good, reliable, and inexpensive vehicle.

Can't say we're not a little sad, but when Cliff put his tags on the Jeep for the last time tonight, it was hard to not also be sublimely happy at the same time. In a week and a half, we upgraded six years, gained 40,000 miles, and have everything to show for it.

And besides, it's not like Cliff can't just stroll up beside the ol' Jimmy in the parking lot at work anytime a wave of nostalgia comes over him...

P.S. This picture is from nearly two years ago, and was the night we purchased our kayaks and strapped 'em to the top of Cliff's car the first of many times. Good, good memories.

Lucky (Or Maybe Just Ironically Blessed)

To add to the perfect-ness of our recent car purchase, the previous post was necessary.

It gives you a little background. A little idea of how stinkin' cold it is here (than normal) and how stinkin' lucky Cliff is to have a remote start for the new Jeep. Since Tuesday, he's been looking forward to using it, and today was the day.

And wouldn't you know, just last week he had said something like "One day, hunny, when we're rich - I want to buy a car with one of those key fob things that not only lets you lock the car door when your ten steps away but also starts it, as well."

Little did he know we wouldn't have to be rich to get that...

Our New Baby

Okay, so maybe it's less like a baby and more like a child.
And no, not the human sort nor the animal kind.

Today... we bought a car. Crazy!

Nothing fancy, but an incredibly reliable and well taken-care-of black 2001 Jeep Cherokee Sport with 94,500 miles, good mpg, and well... it's a Jeep.

And as we've put away for a new (to us) car over the last couple of months (knowing Cliff's '94 GMC Jimmy would someday need a new home) Cliff has only kept saying, "man, I'd love to have a Jeep again" (he had two Cherokees as a teenager). And guess what type of car I wanted when I was a teenager, but never got? A Jeep Cherokee. So, it's kind of like a dream car - only our version of a dream is probably different than others. Why? Because we paid with cash and saved a couple of hundred bucks off the market value - thanks to a sympathetic and kind fellow Lamponian selling the car.

The funny thing is, we haven't been looking all that hard or seriously. But this morning at 8:43, a Lampo Forum post was sent to Cliff's e-mail and there she was... in all her beauty.

We've traded phone calls back and forth all day, both Cliff and I and the seller. Cliff made the final decision on the buy sometime this afternoon (after taking a test spin). We drive her home, tomorrow and she'll join the ranks of our other 2001er, my little Honda Civic.

Now, we'll take our stab at selling a car for the first time. I have to admit that'll be a little sad, especially when I think about Cliff picking me up for the first time for our first date, and then our first kiss and all our roadtrips to Cleveland and to the beach in that great little SUV. Oh, the memories.

Anyone in the market for a well-loved Jimmy? Sigh.

Instead of a black lab, we got a black SUV. I guess that'll have to do for now...