Not Quite the Mini I had in Mind...

I have never been much of a car enthusiast, there has only been a handful of cars that have ever caught my eye. Most are older vehicles including the car love of my life, the Volkswagon Kharman Ghia (what girl didnt envy Molly Ringwald when she drove away in her pink Kharmen Ghia in Pretty in Pink). Despite my love of the european subcompact, it has always been in the cards for me to own large, inefficent, American built trucks. First it was my beloved Bronco II, a hand me down, which steadfastly took me from high school to my first apartment and college in Ohio and then back again to college in Virginia, that truck could haul some laundry, Right after graduating college, I was graced with another hand me down, my F150. Dont get me wrong, I was very much appreciative of my parent's castoffs, and I tried not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but those two trucks werent exactly the vehicles I dreamed of owning when I was 16. That one, which I remember dreaming of back whenI was standing in line at the DMV to get my first drivers license, was more like the 1966 blue convertible Thunderbird that Thelma and Louise drove off the side of that cliff out in Nevada somewhere. Now that I have grown up a bit, gas milage and practicality are a little higher on the list. So when my truck was demolished, the first and only replacement I could think of was the Mini Cooper S. Its so cute and fun to drive, not to mention it is pretty safe and reliable. So I was sold! Unfortunately, Daniel and I have to wait a bit until we purchase a new vehicle. So thank goodness my family yet again had a spare car ready and willing to be my stand in. My sister came to our rescue and loaned us her minivan. It isnt the ideal ride, but its another gift horse that I am very grateful for. A minivan, its amazing how much it fits into the sterotype of "mom" car. I feel like a mom just driving it. It doesnt help that it came equiped with a childs car seat, a bumper sticker that reads "I am a proud parent of a student at...", and a nifty fisheye mirror to keep an eye on the kids in the backseat.It was a nice gesture of my sisters but part of me wonders if she was trying to give me a hint, the only thing the minivan didnt come with was a kid. I dont know if I can handle that kind of pressure, there are alot of seats to fill in that minivan, i8 to be exact! Well, I dont have any kids to fill it just yet, but I was able to fill it with a Cooper and a Daniel. Cooper loved all the room and he just loved the children's car seat, I am sure there were a plethora of odors still in that car seat that only a dog's nose could pick up. I dont think it was quite the car that Daniel imagined himself driving but even he had to admit that it was nice to not have Cooper in our laps while we were driving, not to mention it is actually nice to go to Walmart without having to worry about the groceries sliding around the pickup bed. Not quite the Mini I had in mind but I kinda like it!

2009 is here!

Its been quite awhile since I have posted, last year to be exact, but I feel like I have a good excuse, I was in a car accident. I know, its been over a month since my accident but I am going to milk that excuse as much as I can. I cant go to work today-I was in an accident, I can't workout today-I was in an accident, I can't finish painting the kitchen trim-I was in an accident(Daniel isn't crazy about that one). As for me I am doing ok, my back is still giving me some aches so I am in physical therapy twice a week. I feel so wierd in physical therapy, I am not really into people watching my every move as I do excersises. Years ago I took an aerobics class and I always made sure that I was way in the back so no one could see that I have three left feet. Now its me doing excersises that seem to be more suitable for a retirement home, while someone is staring at me, encouraging me. "Can you lift this 2 pound weight over your head, good! Now not too high, you dont want to over exert yourself,good"- a 2 pound weight! I feel so silly! It also doesnt help that so far everytime I go, I am the only person under the age of 70. I am going to stick it out, it seems to be helping. Aside from feeling awkward in physical therapy, I also have turned into a terrible driver since my accident. Slow and apprehesive, its like I am 100 years old. Hopefully I will be driving like usual again soon, although I think it is going to take along time to get over my fear of intersections. What scares me the most is no matter how well I drive it wont make a difference. So many people are out there so preoccupied with something else that they arent paying attention to driving. The woman that hit me had no excuse, the weather was good, it was sunny, my light was green, she saw me coming, her excuse was that she was thinking about the deal she got at JCPenney, thats what she said to me! I was going 55 mph, when she hit me and spun my truck towards oncoming traffic, I could have been killed because some women was thinking about shopping! Freaky! Anyway, to say the least it was definitely an eye opening experience. One that makes you think about whats important in life and how precious it is.
Well, thank goodness I survived the accident, my truck on the other hand, didnt fair as well. After the insurance looked at it they decided it was a total lose. Its really a shame because it was a nice truck and I was quite attached to it. Yeah I talked shit about it all the time, like how crappy its gas milage was and how it was completely impractical but overall it served me well. So after the insurance totaled it, we had to go and get all of my stuff out of it, and I had a hard time saying goodbye. Here is a picture of me sitting in my truck for the very last time. I was very sad.

Unfortunately, the accident pretty much ruined Daniel and I's Christmas and New Years, but I did manage to get an adorable pic of Cooper donning his best Christmas bow: