Cars...no, not the movie...the story of my life with dh

My online buddy Cheri had the idea on her blog to write about her cars, after she had given thanks in her Thanksgiving post for reliable transportation. Of course when I saw that I had to run with it. See, I belong (through marriage) to the car of the month club. At least, that's what it feels like sometimes. And these are not nice, new cars...rather, they are whatever can be purchased for the least amount of money. It all began when we were newlyweds and I had just gotten my license. Yes, I got my license at age 22...
( I have put the year of acquisition in parentheses in order to reflect the timeline)
1978 Ford Fairmont--borrowed from my fil (1986), it died in the middle of a MAJOR city intersection, the day after I got my license and the first time I was out driving alone
1985 Chevy Nova--purchased from Avis Rent-a-Car (1986, the newest car I have ever owned)----my father was so proud that I bought an American-made car, no matter that the thing said Toyota on every single part. It was a good car that served me well for several years, until dh spotted the...
1985 Buick station wagon for sale ($600) by the side of the road (1994). Seeing as how we had our second child at that point he thought it would be a great family car. The fact that the battery kept dying wasn't a problem--heck just throw in a kill switch to turn the battery on & off...and put it in the wheel well to save $$ on the cost of wire! I'm sure people were always wondering why my right coat sleeve was filthy throughout the long, slushy, salty NH winters and muddy springs. When we could no longer afford both the cost of kindergarten tuition (public kindergarten not mandatory in NH) and gas to get the kid there, why not trade vehicles with the next-doo neighbor?
1986 Ford Escort wagon (1995)---sure, it could have fit in the backseat of the Buick wagon, but at least we could afford the gas. That is, until a woman in a volvo pulled out in front of me. Those Escort front ends sure crinkle up like aluminum foil...scary! While waiting 5 weeks for the insurance claim to settle I had a rental car...
1996 Cutlas ---that was one beautiful, brand-new car! Luckily, dh found one "exactly like it, just a little older"...
1986 Cutlas--yeah, just like the brand new 96. This one only lasted a few months before dh got tired of coming to rescue us from the car that won't start unless HE turned the key.
1993 Dodge Intrepid---beautiful car! (1998) Wonderful! Drove great, reliable..it was even manufactured in the same decade that we were living in! I drove this car the longest of any, until we moved further north and it couldn't handle our driveway in the winter.
1996 Chevy Tahoe--almost my dream car (which would have been a Suburban). Purchased in 2001 after I returned to full-time work, this was my baby. Metallic plum color, handled great, it was a girl's truck. It hauled on many camping trips, scout troops, and the dog. It plowed up and down our driveway no matter what the weather brought. I loved this truck. Then gas prices skyrocketed. I was suddenly doing a lot of driving. We decided it would be worthwhile to buy something smaller. Dh began to drive my baby to work (a mile from home) and I got a...
1998 Subaru--sporty, fun, and AWD. It was great on gas. I drove it for several months, all the while listening to dh complain about driving a pink truck with a girl's name on the license plate. After a while, gas prices dropped again, so I volunteered to give up the "new" car and swap vehicles with the man even though I drive many miles more than he does. After all, he should have the black sporty car and I should have the pink truck, right? Right! It felt like coming home. So comfortable, so pretty, so safe, so ME! I love my truck. I don't care if she's 12 years old, I plan on driving her for as long as she'll run.
Of course--these are only my cars. I haven't even touched up on all the cars dh has had over the years. Each one was his "dream car"...all 12 of them. Well he's stuck with the Subaru for quite a while now!

Thankfulness.
My family
Our home
Health
Plenty of food
Coffee
The silly dog that makes me smile
Good jobs
Heat
Friends(both online and irl)
Books
Nature
So what are you thankful for on this day?
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

This is R modeling her So You Think You Can Dance "official" (read $65) sweatshirt. A friend of mine gave me a couple of tickets that she won and since my dd loves to dance (read $1500 on dance lessons and shoes since September) we were excited to go. Our free night out didn't turn out to be inexpensive though, considering the cost of gas (an hour drive each way), parking ($20), dinner at dd's fave, Applebees ($35). Of course, the tickets, being free, were for seats way up in the highest level, second row from the balcony. Have I ever mentioned my extreme fear of heights? As soon as we sat down I started hyperventilating. If it wasn't for R I would have just left, but I couldn't do that to her. I also couldn't faint or do anything else considered embarrassing to a 15yo. And judging by the look on her face I must have been pretty close to doing just that. Somehow I managed to control my fear, and the show was awesome. Incredible dancing! And then, as we were leaving, she spotted the vendors, and the sweatshirt. I couldn't refuse the look on her face. Our "free" night out ended up costing about $130, but the look of joy on her face was worth it. I think I deserve the Mother of the Year award, don't you?

Quote of the Day

Another really good one!!

Instead of complaining that the rosebush is full of thorns, be happy that the thornbush has roses. German proverb

Quote of the Day

"To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness."
Bertrand Russell


I saw this quote in a magazine today and it really struck me. I am in a situation right now where it is so applicable. My daughter has been best friends with a girl since day one of kindergarten...attached at the hip...for ten years. Except that for the past year or two things have gone downhill. So much so that the girls hardly even speak to each other. It's so sad, because I really thought/hoped this would be a lifelong friendship. They got along so well. Had so much fun together. I loved this friendship. Especially since we seemed to have so much in common with the other girl's parents...values, morals, etc. However it is rapidly becoming clear that is not the case after all. The other mom seems to want to be her daughter's friend rather than her mother. She gives her whatever she wants, whenever she wants it. Money and time are no problem. New wardrobe? Sure! Bedroom remodelled again...why not? Fake nails and bleached hair...sure, it's important to look good. Want to bring your boyfriend on vacation? we don't want you to be unhappy, and after all, you are 15 years old. What is left for this child to look forward to if she is getting everything as soon as she wants it?
Thankfully my daughter is smart enough to see through all of this, but that doesn't make it easy to lose a friend. It's been a hard couple of years, but we are finally on the upswing. She has finally discovered her niche at school, is friendly with a great group of kids, and isn't feeling the pressure of fitting in with this other girl anymore. Life is good!
It's hard having a teen-aged daughter sometimes, but it's even harder having to work with the mom of the old "friend." But that, my friends, is a story for another day.