Ode to my cars

(warning - long post that may be boring but I wanted to write it all down for posterity's sake!)
I've always loved cars. When I was a baby my dad knew that the sure-fire way to get me to sleep was to take me for a drive. Sure enough I would fall asleep right away, only to awake when he tried to put me back in my bed. My first driving experience happened right before I turned five. My dad tells me that it was my first time even sitting on a four-wheeler. I strapped on a helmet and took off, by myself, at full speed before they even knew what happened. Anytime I had the opportunity to drive I took it - four-wheelers, wave runners, dirt bikes, you name it. Of course I was anxious to get my learners permit and I got it in Wisconsin. I practiced my driving in our family Suburban, my driving instructor told me if I could parallel park a Suburban I could drive anything. After I got my license my family moved to Ohio and the hunt began for my own car.

My dad, being the awesome person that he is, wanted me to have a car that would make a lot of memories and be really special. It also didn't hurt that he could appreciate my love for driving, mostly because I accredit it to him. He happened to find a killer deal on a dream car for me. He even drove it back all the way from Kansas. I remember waking up in the morning to this little beauty sitting in the driveway.


It was a Porsche 924S. It was sleek, dark, fast and did I mention that it was a Porsche! Who else can say that their first car was a Porsche! I felt powerful in that car. I felt like I could take on the world. Driving into the school parking lot that first time, I could feel the stares and basked in the attention. Sitting in homeroom the buzz was all about my car and who could possibly own it. I was way too shy to bring it up and instead just smiled at the Porsche keyring sitting on my desk. People who had never even known I existed were suddenly talking to me, asking me details about the car and wanting to drive it. I got pulled over for the first time by a cop while following some friends to the movie theater. The police officer kindly told me that I had been clocked three times and that he had been pretty much trying to keep up with me. I don't know how I managed it but I got off with a warning, something my dad still teases me about.

Unfortunately I was not meant to have this car for very long. It was only a matter of months before she was taken away from me. I was not very good about sharing my car but I had to once Bethany got her license. One day we were both going to a party at a friend's house. I decided to ride with my boyfriend and "let" Bethany take the car. She took off and we followed about half an hour later. We pulled into the neighborhood to a scene straight out of a movie. There were police cars, skid marks on the street and a busted up car at the end of the block. I flew out of the car and ran to see the damage. Three of the four corners of the car were dented in. I almost started yelling at Bethany, until I saw her face, she didn't do this. She had parked it carefully on the street. Someone (an ex-friend of hers) had been driving down the street, gotten distracted by a strobe light in a window, and crashed into my car. He had the nerve to tell the police officer that he was only going 20 mph. He managed to hit the car with such force that it spun three times and ended up 200 feet away. I kind of felt bad for the kid, he looked like he was about to cry. The damage was so great that the car got totaled. That was a sad day, when I had to go clean it out.

My parents decided to get a "teenage" car that Bethany and I would have equal rights to. They picked a red Jeep wagon that was a stick shift. Luckily it was a forgiving car because it went through a lot, having two teenage girl learning how to drive a manual. I didn't drive it very long since I was headed for college so it was mostly Bethany's. She affectionately called it "Babylon" until it broke down and was un-fixable.

After my first year at college I decided that I needed to buy a car of my own. Luckily I had an uncle who wanted to sell his car and knew that I would take care of it. I got a loan (with some help from my parents) and became the owner of this.


Now this was a fun car, a Ford Probe GT. I loved the tinted windows and sunroof. I loved the stereo and cranked it as loud as I could. I loved how it drove. It was a stick shift and I had that baby red-lined almost all the time. I felt like a total snob in this car. It had a mini-disc system in it and I felt so ahead of the times with it. My roommates and I had a ton of fun making awesome "mix-tapes" to drive to. This car was fast and handled like a dream, especially on curves. My dad jokes that I am the only person he knows that speeds up on turns. It wasn't the most practical car for a Rexburg winter. There were quite a few times where she stayed home while I walked to class and even more times where we slid down ice covered streets just for fun. This car made many trips down to BYU to visit Bethany and even made it Washington for Thanksgiving (that was a terror of a trip all around but that's a story for another time). After finishing my year at Ricks my family moved to Oregon, I barely fit all of mine and Bethany's things in the tiny trunk but at least it was a fun drive.

I had an even harder time sharing this car than the Porsche, maybe because I actually paid for it. Bethany didn't have a car at the time so she either borrowed my parent's or tagged along with me. Thanksgiving day 2000 was a normal rainy day. Bethany and I spent the evening at a friend's house. We had driven separately because Bethany wanted to drive up to Scappoose to see her boyfriend's parents a little later. She had brought my mom's new Mustang. When she was ready to leave, for some reason, I gave her my keys. I don't know why, I just did. She told me she wouldn't be gone very long and that she'd see me at home. I left a couple of hours later, following some friends home. It was raining really hard now and these friends were taking some back roads home when we got lost. My mom's car did not handle rain well and was sliding a lot. A drive that would normally take 20 minutes ended up taking an hour and a half. When I got home I noticed that my car wasn't there and knew that something was wrong. I ran into the house - it was after midnight by now. My brothers were all asleep and my parent's were gone. I tried calling my dad over and over, with no answer. A couple of minutes later the phone rang, I don't remember exactly what my dad said, just that she was ok and that they were at the hospital downtown. I called a good friend to come get me because I was shaking so bad I knew I couldn't drive. I wouldn't be convinced that she was ok until I saw her myself. The drive there was painfully slow and tense. When we got in they were just wheeling her out of surgery. She had a bandage on her head and surprisingly that was all. Her legs and arms had a couple little scratches and bruises, nothing major.

She doesn't remember what caused the accident. It was most likely the rain, maybe she looked down for a moment and lost control, all we did know was that she came into a sharp turn, lost control and flipped 12 times, barely clearing a big, cement median. The car was crushed beyond recognition. In the midst of the flipping a mini-disc and cut into Bethany's head, hitting an artery so she was bleeding pretty bad. Someone stopped to help, holding a jacket over the torn up roof to protect Bethany from the rain, this same person called the hospital the next day to check up on her, convinced that she hadn't survived the damage was so great.

What saved my sister's life was the roll bar my car had, something my mom's car didn't have. If I hadn't given her my keys I am positive that Bethany would not be here today. She walked away from this awful crash with a couple of stitches in her head. As much as I loved that car I am so thankful that it saved her life.

After having two sports cars I decided I wanted something a little different and started looking at SUVs for my next car purchase. I really liked the Jeep Grand Cherokee but they were out of my price range, then I noticed the Nissan Xterra. I loved how different it looked. While I was at work one day my mom showed up with my uncle and some random guy - they had been at the car show and met this guy who was showing Xterras. They had driven one over for me to look at and test drive. I drove the car back to the dealership with the salesman and fell in love, (with the car, not the salesman). I had to have this car. It was this pretty denim blue color and they were even going to throw in a moon roof for me. My dad came over to do all the negotiating and the car was mine! It was nice having a car that had four doors and a backseat big enough to actually transport people.


This car has lasted us 8 years. It's seen 118,000 miles worth of memories. It's held nieces and nephews and eventually our own three kids. It was our only car when Ben totalled his two cars and it hasn't ever broken down. This car and I have bonded big time. I thought I would always be an SUV girl and never succumb to the mini-van world, until Avery was born. Suddenly, our spacious car was cramped. I lusted after vans, I lusted after the extra space and especially the sliding doors that wouldn't get slammed into other cars. It didn't make sense for us to get a new car with "just" two kids when we had a perfectly good car that fit them fine, but I could still dream.

And then Briella entered our family and fitting three car seats in the back was problematic. We made it work but it was a huge hassle - so much so that I hated driving - which was not ok for me. We had already decided what brand of van we wanted, now we just had to find one that not only met all of my requirements but also didn't break the bank for us. It took a little longer than I would have liked but in the end it was worth it. May I introduce the newest member to our family -

It's only been a week but I am so in love with this van. I love that I push a button and the doors magically open. I love that the kids can climb in themselves. I love the dvd player and the stereo and the navigation and the heated leather seats. This van has got so many cool little tricks on it that we are still getting to know her. Ben is moments away from stealing it and I'm second-guessing the deal I made him regarding him taking it on his camp-outs. The kids are in love with this van. I love the fact that they can no longer reach each other - I was really sick of the "don't touch your brother/sister" conversations we had been having every 10 minutes.

I was a little sad, saying goodbye to my trendy SUV. I felt like I was closing a chapter on my life and I'm ok with that, especially since my brother is buying her, so I know she's going to a good home. Now I just need to plan a fun roadtrip!