The loss of a good friend.

OK, that might have been a little misleading. There hasn't been a death, but there has been a loss, per say. When I graduated from Vanderbilt in 2004, my parents bought me a new VW Touareg. I loved it and have continued to for the past almost 5.5 years. (I got the car in December.) It is a very nice car, great interior, excellent sound system, heated seats, pretty big trunk space, built in window shades in the back seat, side mirrors that fold in at the touch of a button, a sun roof, etc. I loved the color: wheat beige. Great car. Only things about it that were not so great... gas mileage wasn't awesome and repairs were RIDICULOUSLY expensive and a bit too frequent. For example, I know that Josh and I spent at the very least a good $3,000 on repairs (not counting the new tires and brake pads!) in the last year alone. His 1996 Cutlass Supreme hasn't been in the shop SINCE WE GOT MARRIED 3.5 YEARS AGO! Red. flag.

Well, this Summer we grew tired of bleeding money, so we talked to my sister's soon-to-be brother-in-law, Robyn, who is a broker (can get you basically any car you want for a great price from auctions, etc.) and he shopped around for us. [PLUG: If you are at all interested in shopping around for a different car or buying one, you should definitely give Robyn a call! He can even sell your current car for you. He's great to work with and a nice guy to boot.] We initially played with the idea of a minivan because we could get it for a good price, lots of room, and there were even a few that were still under warranty! BUT, we decided that we didn't need that kind of space quiet yet and if we didn't need it, I wasn't quite ready to take the minivan plunge. Neither was Josh haha. It's not that I care about the stereotype... I AM a mommy! Not to sound completely horrible or superficial, but I don't find them cute in the slightest and if I have the choice, I'd rather drive something a little more visually appealing to me. It's a personal opinion. Please try not to judge. [I'm sure many people feel the same way whether they'd all like to admit it or not haha] Granted, there may come a time when that will be the best option for us and I will *happily* take the minivan plunge if that is what is best for my family [although my sights are on a Chevy Traverse or a Yukon type situation]. I've actually heard a lot of people say that they love theirs!

All that to say, we ended up getting a 2007 Chevy Equinox. Great car. Better gas mileage. Approximately the same room in the car (a little narrower and the slightest bit less trunk space it appears [def frustrating-we thought there was as much or more-oh well, we'll deal. it's not much less at all]. Cheaper repairs. Newer car. OOOOH the BEST part is that the seats originally were cloth and Robyn knows a guy who does leather seat installation for a good price, so we got new leather seats put in and the car feels brand spanking new!

I have to admit, I am having a little bit of a hard time with the transition. I'm REALLY excited about a new-er car with all of the above perks. I am so blessed to have a car in the first place. Please don't read any of this as being ungrateful. However, I am a sentimental sap, and when I think about the VW, memories flood my mind... Josh driving us on dates. Driving to my BFF Eden's bridesmaid luncheon at Cobb Lane and subsequently her wedding. Picking up friends and family at the airport. Trips to Nashville. Driving home from my aunt's farm and calling everyone to excitedly announce our engagement. Bringing Miley home from the Humane Society. Driving through the middle of the night to get to FL to be in my other BFF Joy's wedding. Tons of trips to the lake. We drove away from our wedding in the VW. We brought our babies home from the hospital in that car. These are only the high points that immediately spring to mind. However, it all boils down to this: the VW is a material, replaceable thing. Those memories will stay with me forever. End of story.

I don't always handle change well initially; Josh said he even expected that I'd have a little bit of trouble, but now I'm ready to make new memories with my new family of four in my new-er car.