If you think about it, the 'family car' can really be a an important tool for family bonding. Seriously...think about how many hours are spent as a family driving here, there and everywhere!! Our car has heard us (if cars could 'hear', of course) singing together, having serious times of discussion (one of my favorite car-ride talks with the kids was when Kate was just a little, little girl and asked "What's the difference between 'grace' and 'mercy'?" Holy cow! Who knew children processed such things!!) It provided fodder (when I ran into our car port - um, twice -see the pics - yep, once on each side) for a discussion of how spouses should not try to hide things from each other.
In it we took family vacations, (and it carried all.that.stuff.!!)
and listened to books on CD such as the series "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis, and "The City of Ember" by Jeanne DuPrau. (LOVE things that keeps kids calm on long car rides!!) Of course, we have three boys so there's been plenty of vicious games of 'punch buggy'.
But alas...there comes a point when the teaching opportunities become more about the best use of the family's money - as in, do you drop a new transmission into the aging 'ol girl, or do you try to break out of that 'poverty mindset' and look for something newer and more efficient. We opted for the latter this time around, and while Luke was 'mourning' our old van for a few days, saying how much he would miss it and didn't want a new one (Kate did the same thing when we moved from the car we had when she was little to the van), he has seemed to move past his grief and is now enjoying our new ride. As much as we 'loved' *ahem* (NOT!!) the 'quilted' look of our falling ceiling material, and the fact that our dash gauges only worked about 1/3 of the time (though, Todd insists this was fixed) and our gas gauge 'dinged' almost constantly...we now have a greater appreciation for this things all in great condition in our new-to-us van.
So...that's where I've been for the better part of the past few weeks. Major decisions, like car purchases, for us are not quick or easy. (Especially since we only make them about once a decade...we drove the last vehicle for over 9 years!) Todd is VERY much all about research, and trying to get the most 'bang-for-his-buck', so lots of time and energy goes into this process. I truly am thankful for his wisdom and care in these decisions; be that as it may, I'm very glad to be through it all and emerging out the other side!! And emerging in my lovely 'titanium gray' Sedona, at that!! :)
1 comment:
That new van is sure a beauty and it doesn't take long to get over the grief as an adult. That said, we understand. Our youngest was upset how we "just gave it away" (donated it to Teen Challenge) cuz he loved it and it was "a very special van." I was nostalgic, too, so all your memories you write about, I can relate to. I think 9 years and quilted ceilings and pouring money into it once the trans goes wonky...all point to "get a new one," hard as it to take on payments. Here's to many more happy trails with new horsepower.
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