My Dream Car

i was in tears today. over a car.
seriously? yep.
it surprised me too.
totally caught me off guard.
that happens sometimes.

10 1/2 years is a long time.
it was the first brand new car my parents ever purchased.
only 15 miles on the odometer when my dad drove it off the lot.
i remember smelling the new leather.
it looked magnificent and felt luxurious.

it made me proud of my parents - all their hard work to get through school while raising a family.
now being rewarded for their efforts.
my dad bought my mom the car she'd always wanted.

several years ago it broke down just this side of the mexico border.
dan and i rescued my family with a different car and the suburban became an arizona resident from that point on.
we unofficially inherited it as our second vehicle and it served as a shuttle to and from mexico for my parents and their occasional entourage.

i loved it.
the size, the power, and the cargo space.
i love what it represented - hard work, sacrifice, dreams, and family.

in time, we officially inherited the suburban.
it was our very own car.
and it felt like i was already living the dream.

but with old cars, come repairs.
with repairs comes uncertainty.
and uncertainty, when you're trying to get through school on a budget, creates worry and stress.
worry and stress when you need to drive across the country leads to...

long story short, {or not so short,} we sold it today.
the suburban.
we decided to cut our losses and go with reliability.
it was a good decision. the right one.
and i am excited to get a "new to us" vehicle in the near future.

thats why when my emotions flared up out of control as the suburban backed out of the driveway, driven away by someone else, and i was explaining to madison how it wouldn't be "out turn to drive it next" like she was thinking, i was surprised.
surprised at how much that car {or probably just the memories surrounding it} meant to me.
who knew you could be so sentimental about a vehicle?

thankfully i get to keep all the memories, AND get a different, newer, and more reliable car.
the best of both worlds.
and i have a good feeling i'll be driving one of these again someday.
like mother, like daughter.