It's a cold day out there, and I can hear the wind blowing in huge gusts around the corners of the house. It makes me thankful that we're indoors for the day with no other place to be. We're tucked safely indoors, not just by choice, but by the loss of my car, dear old Subaru.
When KJ and I were married, we were a one-car family (That Mazda Protege is still going strong! Her looks, on the other hand...), and it was partly because of this that I took a job on-campus at the beginning of our seminary days. KJ walked to class, and I walked to work, and it was a perfect arrangement. Later when we moved, and we both worked off-campus, I would drop KJ off to work and pick him up again. There was never really any problem. On the evenings when he was working, and I was alone at our our townhouse, Wal-Mart was exactly a half-mile from our front door, so I could walk to the store in the event of an emergency with no problem. But it was just the two of us, and having one car served us well. We assumed that we would buy another car when KJ finished seminary.
After having Ella, I spent a lot more time at home without the need of going out to work, but again, when I really needed to get out of the house, I'd strap Ella in the stroller, and Wal-Mart was a short walk away. We did that quite a lot. But one day KJ's dad called and said their neighbor had a car for sale. Were we interested? As we considered it, we thought that we might as well look at what else we could get for the same amount of money. And thus, we decided to buy a second vehicle. Here's how long it took: one week. Why? Because I tend to not want to drag things out once we've decided to make a purchase. I don't think this is always a good thing, but as KJ takes a week or so to decide which song to use his 99 cent freebie from on Amazon, I think I'm good for him. We balance each other out, no?
So we bought what was soon dubbed as "The Girls' Car," and suddenly life became so much easier. Ella and I were free any time we wanted! Trips home to see family even when KJ had to work were now an option, and we soon got into a routine of leaving the house every other day for the sake of variety. Little baby Ella and I spent lots of time driving to the library, to Target, Meijer, and even the shopping center down the road. Little baby Ella was such a fun girl.
The 4-wheel drive came in handy when KJ had to go to work in a Louisville blizzard, and I never had a wreck or got a speeding ticket. One day, early on, a Hispanic man bumped into me at a red light. An 8-month old Ella was crying in the back, and I got out of the car in a light rain; the man spoke no English, and I had no idea what to do, until I realized that his little car had gone underneath mine, and there was no damage to be seen. I waved him on, and drove into the Wal-Mart parking lot to comfort my baby. The Girls' Car served us well.
All Loaded Down for the Move to Alabama
(saying good-bye to neighbors)
I guess this is a little ode to the Girls' Car because the cost of fixing the car is almost as much as the car is worth, and I think we may have a buyer in need of parts. We've been learning how to be a one-car family again, and it's really not so bad. I like having entire days at home...most of the time. Reasons to be thankful in this circumstance keep popping up, and I added this one to the list this morning: When I keep hearing of so many people with colds and the flu, I'm convinced that 3 weeks of being homebound has kept my boy well. For that, I am grateful.
Also, we spent a lot of time singing this song in the early days: "We'll slam into 4-wheel drive, to pick up a dozen eggs!"
