Jeremy and I had such sweet memories in the blue x-terra. That was the rugged truck he drove (complete with Colorado tags) when I fell in love with him. It's the car he cleaned before he picked me up for dates, the place he told me he had "absolutely fallen in love with me" on april 17, 2004, just a few weeks after our March 1st meeting, and the place where he kissed me for the first time (a very awkward but passionate first kiss experience for me that i like to refer to as a suckerfish kiss. it was only afterwards that he held my hand in that old x-terra). It was that car that he drove into a telephone pole trying to impress me with his mudding abilities after a long crud day afternoon at church, and it was that car that starred in one of his first bedtime stories about clarence and beatrice, two frogs and their pond rocket. Ever since then we called it our Pond Rocket when we didn't call it the X, and I loved it, mostly because I love Jeremy, and it came with him.
I felt big in the X--way bigger than I feel in my little honda. I felt cool in the X--way cooler than I felt in my reliable sedan. Mostly though, I love the X because of the memories we made in it. We drove to Colorado in that car (which is where Jeremy told a friend in my presence that he'd like to mary me) and then we had all of our newlywed adventures in it--to florida and camping and on ski trips. We were able to fit our dogs in the back and take them to the dog park or to memphis with us, and as the years passed, we also were able to put our babies in it. One baby, and then another, and now that there is a third on the way, not even the car top carrier will offer us enough grace to get everyone safely inside the Pond Rocket. Besides that, it needs a lot of work, and because we knew we'd need a wider car by July, we figured it was smarter for us to pour money into a new vehicle rather than keep fixing up the X.
I grieved the change on my way south to pick up our van. I drove slow on the interstate, savoring my last adventure in what was my boyfriend's cool truck before trading it in for a van that instead symbolizes for me a much more responsible and less care free lifestyle. We arrived at the car dealership in a typical cloud of smoke accompanied by the smell of burning oil but thankfully no flames, and I said my goodbye as Randy the car salesman helped me get the car seats out of the back and the license plate transferred to the new van--the O, we like to call it. Thank you, x-terra, for being a part of so many sweet memories in such a wonderful and awe-filled season of my life.
Now this minivan is making things hard on me. I had no idea that shopping for a car had gone the way of the internet like everything else in our world, and though that gives us access to so much more, it also makes a heart like mine greedy. After looking at our options (and test-driving what was available, which was top of the line, of course), I convinced myself that perhaps a minivan would be a good thing for this soon-to-be mama of three if it had leather seats and a sun roof and maybe some built in dvd players or an iPod dock. Because the model we ended up with has none of the above, I'm feeling less than thrilled with our package. I am thrilled, however, with the deal we got (I think it was a good one and in a season in which i'm not working, that couldn't be a bigger gift or need fulfilled), and i am also thrilled with the fact that the van will seat all of our children, which was our main reason for stepping into minivan land. I'm hopeful that after a few adventures in our new O with the "magic doors" and working cd player (Isaac put money and "lots of it" in the cd players in both of our other vehicles so having access to our music again feels dreamy) I will feel better about it. Honestly I am grateful for the reminder that it is to me of being surrendered in this season (and really always) to knowing our need and not feeling like we "deserve" the extras. we have plenty of extras and plenty of blessing in our lives--leather seats and a sun roof don't need to be among the things i hold dear. A vehicle that will fit all of us and that feels safe on the road is what we needed and the Lord, once again, provided. I'm growing into it, slowly but surely.
It felt anticlimactic to pick up the new car and just drive it home so i took the kids to Wendy's to get frosty's in honor of the occasion. After we enjoyed them, I realized it was time for dinner and that I didn't have a plan for what we'd eat when we got home. I got back in line with Ada while Isaac finished his frosty and I set her on the counter to order her hamburger with no pickle and french fries. When the lady asked, "how can i help you?' ada said out of the clear blue, "can I work here?" I laughed and so did the Wendy's employee who said, "excuse me, what did you say?" ada said it louder a second time and so the woman went to get her manager, who delighted so in Ada's request that she sent us back to our table with our hands full of kids' meal toys. I still laugh about it. These sweet babies make everything an adventure. And therefore, I'll drive the church bus if I have to. As long as my car is filled with life, I really don't care if my i-pod works in it.
