There she goes...

Monday night we were minding our business perfectly well driving home from taking the Uhaul truck and trailer I had returned for our friend and we drove past the Honda dealership. Its not unusual, car fever runs in my family. My father has a warehouse full of British racing cars from the 1940's at home. When I grew up, we had Model A's and Model T's and an old Porsche for him to work on and destress with. Dad was one of two doctors in a small small town, and he was "on" 24/7 in a day when there were no cell phones, which meant you were free as long as you could reach the phone, which rang incessantlly 24/7. When you are one of two doctors on call, you do it all, surgury, babies, pronounce patients dead....its a true relational experience in a small town. He literally delivered two and three generations of children in a family in over 4o years in medicine. My love of people comes from seeing my parents and grandparents give so much to our town growing up.

Meanwhile the Honda dealership had a pretty. A Volvo S60 that had the quinessential component....a sunroof. To this Southern girl, there are many milestones of "growing up and making it" that have been long defined in my life. The first one was to own my own Kitchenaid mixer. I squealed with delight when I was given ne in barter for work done. It was the first definition of "making it" for me ...affording a Kitchenaid for my bread baking, cookie blending and Sausage grinding experiences. Then came the first family vacation to Tennessee last year...oh.my.gosh....we actually afforded 3 whole days in a fun place without meetings or responsibilities! But yesterday, the dealership didn't play fair....You see I LOVE my Jeep Jeep, but this silver baby gets 28 mpg, is the safest car on the road and has.the.sunroof.

What to do.

I'm not about taking on debt, and this had been a 33K car. My Jeep AND my Honda civic together might make a little less than a third of that, which is about what they were thinking.....we needed me in a safe car for a now 90 mile commute at least once a week, one that would get good mileage, and one that would comfortably make the 12 hour commutes occasionally to Dallas and 90 mile each way commutes over the next few years. With very little thinking and one overnight pondering. We decided to offer the deal. Two for one. We had two cars only because I refused to sell the Honda when we bought the Jeep, it gets 35 mpg and its so many miles it just didn't matter financially....but to my surprise, Honda of Decatur said YES!

So last night, despite all odds, I drove home a new to me Volvo S60 with everything on it but AWD. It has fewer miles on it than anything I've driven in a long time and it has an ivory leather interior, can you imagine? This girl is going to have to figure out how to be the woman that owns this elegant piece of work. (and prolly avoid the mud holes I used to love splashing through!)

You'd think a girl would be simply thrilled would you not? But this girl, this morning, wonders who it is she's transitioning into being....For many reasons, the Volvo is the smarter choice....but my heart lives in that jeep....and I suppose I am the only girl in the South who shed tears over trading in a red Jeep Jeep....but the truth is, some days you do have to grow up and do what is best for all, not just best for some.... As happy as I am to reach another milestone in my "I am going to achieve this in life" moment...there is a part of me that will never forget a Christmas in a Red Jeep and snow on the mountain with Les....it was a moment in time of laughter and living life that I will never forget.....and the story continues....God is good and for the first time in Les's life he has to worry about his bride hanging out of the top of her car full of joy for life ....."sit down....I tell you Sweetie Marie Berry...you will NOT hang out of the roof of this car when I am driving"but girls, we all know that sunroofs are for sitting on and Sweet Potatoe Queen Mums ALWAYS wave to the crowd...even if her cheering crowds live only in her mind.....