Hello Ivan!

It took a little longer than I had initially expected, we hit a few bumps in the road, but I finally have my new vehicle!! Since I wrote a farewell to Zeke, I thought it would be appropriate to write a welcome to my new car, Ivan.

Dear Ivan, 

You are finally mine! I'm so excited to have you join my little family. You are joining Noah, my duck that has been in all of my cars, and Scout Finch, my dog. Scout will hate you, but she doesn't like any cars. I'll try my best to keep her from drooling all over you, but no promises.

So it was quite the adventure just to get you. I test drove another car, knew what I wanted, and we thought we had found you. I was so excited to get you that when I got the call that the car I was planning on picking up had been sold, I was super bummed. It seemed like they weren't going to be able to find you, the car I wanted. Knowing full well that I had specific wants, the salesman kept me updated on others that were similar. Right color, no sunroof. Sunroof, wrong color. I started to wonder if I was just being too picky, but I knew what I wanted, I knew it was out there, and I knew I would love it, and I wouldn't be happy with any compromise. So I waited. Then they found you!! Not only were you the right color, with a power sunroof, but you also had a CD player (which was a bonus, since I still have CDs and wasn't looking forward to transferring all my music to my iPod just yet). Not only did I get all the things I wanted, but I got something I didn't even realize I really wanted! It might have taken a few extra days (which seemed so much longer at the time) but you were totally worth the wait!! You've served as a reminder of that with other things in my life. 

So, now we are together. I am loving just driving around in my fancy new car. It is taking me a little while to get used to all the technology, but I'll learn. I have no idea what kind of awesome adventures are in store for us, but I am excited to start each one. I'm sure we'll have days where I want to just load up all my belongings and take off, but there will be other days where we just drive around, windows down, sunroof open, blasting happy music and smiling! So let's not delay any longer, let's start this crazy adventure! 

We had a quick photo shoot. I just love this car!

So Ivan and I are ready for adventure! Am I the only one who gets attached to cars?

Keep it real friends,

HP

Farewell Zeke!

Well, I've done it. I've bought a new car. Maybe it is just me, but I grow very attached to my vehicles. So as I look back on my time with Zeke, I'd like to share my farewell letter to my car. (At this point I feel I should promise I'm not crazy... but maybe I am).

Dear Sven Ezekial,

The time has come for us to part ways. This is hard for me to do, you were, and still are, a great car. So much has happened in the years that we have been together. I have changed a lot, you have changed a little. Now it is time for me to get my dream car that I never thought I'd be able to get, and you will get a second life with a new owner.

I remember when I got you. I was just a 24 year old, just returned from a crazy mission trip to Sweden (which is where the Sven part of your name came from), and I was starting a 2 year house sitting job. The air conditioning in my old car, Stanley, had stopped working, so it was time to buy a new car. I was so excited because I would finally own a brand new car that would be all mine. I new I wanted an SUV, but they had stopped making my dream car so I started exploring other options. I never planned on buying you, because you had all the bells and whistles, but you were an 06 still sitting on the lot in late 07, so you were a bargain!

I had a lot of plans for us. We were going to travel, we were going to cart kids and equipment to soccer games, and someday I was hoping you'd have "Just Married" written across your back window and maybe even car seats strapped in using those safety latches they told me about at the dealership. I figured I'd be driving you until you just stopped running. God had different plans for us, though. We did do a lot of travelling and carting a lot of soccer kids and equipment. Some of those soccer kids wrote on your windows with car chalk (I think the last of it finally flaked off the roof this past winter). No wedding, and no kids, but that's okay.

As it turns out, I didn't drive you to death. Now I'm trading you in for my dream car. I will always remember you fondly (even that time you decided to leak all the transmission fluid while I ate at a Panera in Erie on the way home from Webster). I hope your next owner loves you as much as I did.

My first day with Zeke!

Saying goodbye to Zeke!

Thank you for sharing in my farewell to my car.

Keep it real friends,

HP