Good bye Big Red

Saying good bye to an old friend

In 2007, JB and I were coming up on five years of infertility and our fourth failed IVF procedure when we began the process of adopting from China. 

A few months after we started that process, we found out about Isaac. And then, shortly after that, we found out we were pregnant with Elijah. 

We quickly realized, our tiny little grey Saturn that we had had for most of our married life was not going to work. We could not fit more than one carseat in the backseat with how long-legged we were (and how far back we have to keep our seats.) 

So we started researching and looking. We stumbled upon a 2002 Honda Odyssey, and she has been with us ever since. Big Red has been to Turkey and to the Azores. She's lived in Tennessee and northern Florida. She's made trips all up and down the east coast of the United States. We have been a one vehicle family from 2008-2014 when we moved back to the USA and decided to purchase a second vehicle. 

Big Red was actually in a major collision a few years back and the insurance totaled her. We therefore have only carried collision on her ever since. She has more dents and scratches and bang-ups then I can even began to describe. But she still runs really well and has been incredibly faithful.

However, we decided that we had some people in our extended family that could use her more than we could, and that we would go ahead and get a new family vehicle. We wanted something that could tow a camper and something that could fit six six-footers (as we think we very well could have that within the next decade.)

We left the dealership with a Ford Expedition:

I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to drive something like this. It feels so incredibly fancy to me. (When I was driving home from the dealership, the brights turned off and back on for me when I passed another car!) A dear friend reminded me that many of her "mom friends" drive something similar and I'm not being pretentious by having one in my driveway. I just always want to make good use of our finances, and I really thought we'd drive Big Red until her very end.

I've tried to have a good attitude about my van, but now that it's time I can tell you how happy I am to have this new vehicle. Seriously! What technology has done to automobiles in the last decade is really something to be amazed about.

But I will miss that old red van. Hannah cried for a few HOURS when we told the kids the news. She did not want to let go of the only vehicle she has ever known and no amount of me explaining how much nicer this would be would convince her.