Isn't that a song?
Just because our vehicle shopping is done doesn't mean I need to stop blogging. If not to annoy the swarms of people who are reading this, then at least for a little distraction from everyday housework and things that I "need" to be doing.
Isn't it funny how when someone has an opinion they're all too eager to share it - even if someone else doesn't want to hear it?
Just a random thought of mine.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
It is Done
It is done. That was a favorite saying/lesson/teaching of mine during Leadership Summit last year. It refers to not looking back to sin after you've been forgiven. No matter what, It Is Done, and we shouldn't worry about what God has already forgiven us for.
But that has really nothing to do with my real reason for writing tonight. I'm saying "It is Done" and I'm really referring to our minivan search!! It's done! Complete! Finished! That's it! In other words, we bought a minivan! I think quite possibly I'm more excited that the whole process is done rather than the van itself. Don't get me wrong - the space inside of the vehicle is quite exciting to me. The girls won't have to touch each other, Chloe can't take Hailey's binky and play with it herself, there will be no fighting over someone grabbing something out of someone else's hands, and Maddie will finally be able to buckle her own seat belt again. But on the other hand, there's a few things that I will miss about our three-ring-circus-squeezing-into-one-ring: the possibility of the girls holding hands, Maddie helping Chloe with a juice box and being able to hand it right back to her, reaching toys for each other, me able to reach pretty much anything that is on the floor, having the diaper bag so close it's usually touching someone ... should I go on?
All that said, God really led us to this vehicle and I -more than ever- am a believer of "God's timing." It's no coincidence that we found this vehicle on the very day that Maddie and I got baptized. It's no coincidence that it has the exact features we wanted (dual sliding doors, quad seating and a CD player). It's no coincidence that it was under, (yes, under!) our budget. So much so that we can start saving for our next vehicle. Or at least the large quantity of gas this one will consume.
And so let me sum up the past week. Last weekend, we were ready to buy a different minivan with a ton of creature comforts, as Mike puts it. I loved the seating arrangements, and it even had a VCR (and DVD hook ups) for the kids in the back. It was ugly, don't get me wrong, but it had some nice qualities. So we took out a bunch of cash and drove over to the dealership. There were some things wrong w/ the van and while the salesman could have taken a significantly amount less (cash talks, apparently), we would have been responsible for fixing the problems. Not really something I was interested in. Plus, the girls were driving me crazy and running all over the place. I wanted to escape fast. Then there was another one (almost the same vehicle) from a private party seller - little to no features. He was asking too much for the vehicle and when we offered less, he seemed a little offended and said the lowest he'd go was, well, more than we were willing to pay for it. We were disappointed that this was taking this long and our endless hours of searching the Internet, bidding on eBay, calling and emailing sellers, checking carfax, loading the girls into the truck to check out yet another one - wasn't yet done.
Meanwhile, the family we bought our Big White Whale from was preparing their vehicle - for us. Only they didn't know it yet. God's timing is perfect ... if only he'd clue me in sometimes, huh?
But that has really nothing to do with my real reason for writing tonight. I'm saying "It is Done" and I'm really referring to our minivan search!! It's done! Complete! Finished! That's it! In other words, we bought a minivan! I think quite possibly I'm more excited that the whole process is done rather than the van itself. Don't get me wrong - the space inside of the vehicle is quite exciting to me. The girls won't have to touch each other, Chloe can't take Hailey's binky and play with it herself, there will be no fighting over someone grabbing something out of someone else's hands, and Maddie will finally be able to buckle her own seat belt again. But on the other hand, there's a few things that I will miss about our three-ring-circus-squeezing-into-one-ring: the possibility of the girls holding hands, Maddie helping Chloe with a juice box and being able to hand it right back to her, reaching toys for each other, me able to reach pretty much anything that is on the floor, having the diaper bag so close it's usually touching someone ... should I go on?
All that said, God really led us to this vehicle and I -more than ever- am a believer of "God's timing." It's no coincidence that we found this vehicle on the very day that Maddie and I got baptized. It's no coincidence that it has the exact features we wanted (dual sliding doors, quad seating and a CD player). It's no coincidence that it was under, (yes, under!) our budget. So much so that we can start saving for our next vehicle. Or at least the large quantity of gas this one will consume.
And so let me sum up the past week. Last weekend, we were ready to buy a different minivan with a ton of creature comforts, as Mike puts it. I loved the seating arrangements, and it even had a VCR (and DVD hook ups) for the kids in the back. It was ugly, don't get me wrong, but it had some nice qualities. So we took out a bunch of cash and drove over to the dealership. There were some things wrong w/ the van and while the salesman could have taken a significantly amount less (cash talks, apparently), we would have been responsible for fixing the problems. Not really something I was interested in. Plus, the girls were driving me crazy and running all over the place. I wanted to escape fast. Then there was another one (almost the same vehicle) from a private party seller - little to no features. He was asking too much for the vehicle and when we offered less, he seemed a little offended and said the lowest he'd go was, well, more than we were willing to pay for it. We were disappointed that this was taking this long and our endless hours of searching the Internet, bidding on eBay, calling and emailing sellers, checking carfax, loading the girls into the truck to check out yet another one - wasn't yet done.
Meanwhile, the family we bought our Big White Whale from was preparing their vehicle - for us. Only they didn't know it yet. God's timing is perfect ... if only he'd clue me in sometimes, huh?
Friday, April 4, 2008
Hurry Up and Grow Up
I hate wishing my life away. Ever since I was a kid, I was always - and I mean always - counting down the days to the next big (or small) event. When I was 14 I started counting the days until my 16th birthday when I could drive. Seriously - I kept this up for about 700 days. It amuzed some of my friends, but I know it had to get on people's nerves.
And now as an adult, I do the same thing! For example, there's only 13 more days until Mike and I go on our anniversary-cruise-vacation. (Yep, I had to sneak that in there!)
But do I wish my life away? Am I wishing the girls' lives away? It's entertaining to me when I catch glimpses of the future - what the girls will be like, how they'll interact, the fun we'll have as a family, etc. I'm living for the moment, but let me just describe how fantastic life will be when I don't have to haul around a diaper bag stuffed with bottles, formula, diapers, extra clothes, hand santizer, etc. (Ok, so I will probably always carry the hand sanitizer, but you get the idea). And, how fabulous life will be when we no longer need car seats.
Am I living life on the greener side but neglecting things that will have to be maintained when I get there? Like, will the girls have to haul their own purses around, packed with lip gloss, a brush, cash, and maybe even a cell phone? Will they get along? Will they all want to share a bedroom? Will they have the same friends? Will they decline friends' invitations to events so that The Three can do something together? Will they have a sister-bond that I've always longed for?
Hurry up ... but don't grow up. It's making me old! Girly-girl, chickadee, baby girl ... you're awesome - don't change for anyone!
And now as an adult, I do the same thing! For example, there's only 13 more days until Mike and I go on our anniversary-cruise-vacation. (Yep, I had to sneak that in there!)
But do I wish my life away? Am I wishing the girls' lives away? It's entertaining to me when I catch glimpses of the future - what the girls will be like, how they'll interact, the fun we'll have as a family, etc. I'm living for the moment, but let me just describe how fantastic life will be when I don't have to haul around a diaper bag stuffed with bottles, formula, diapers, extra clothes, hand santizer, etc. (Ok, so I will probably always carry the hand sanitizer, but you get the idea). And, how fabulous life will be when we no longer need car seats.
Am I living life on the greener side but neglecting things that will have to be maintained when I get there? Like, will the girls have to haul their own purses around, packed with lip gloss, a brush, cash, and maybe even a cell phone? Will they get along? Will they all want to share a bedroom? Will they have the same friends? Will they decline friends' invitations to events so that The Three can do something together? Will they have a sister-bond that I've always longed for?
Hurry up ... but don't grow up. It's making me old! Girly-girl, chickadee, baby girl ... you're awesome - don't change for anyone!
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
So close I tell you!
We're so close to finding the right minivan, it's sick! Over the past two weeks we've really stepped-up the search. And by stepped-up, I mean we've spent every minute practically looking online, playing hookie -er, I mean er, not working - so we can go out shopping, paying a babysitter a ton of money so that we can look without the girls, calling in favors to friends and family to watch the girls, reading reviews online, paying more money to get unlimited carfax reports on the various vehicles we think might be a good deal, driving all over the upstate area (ok, not quite, but still a lot of driving), bidding on some on ebay ... and whew ... are we there yet?
There were two today that are very good possibilities. They're both Ugly Vans, but they have my 3 criteria for our purchase:
1. It must have TWO sliding doors. Escape plans are always a good thing!
2. It must have bucket seats in the second row. We thought it wouldn't really matter, but let's face it, we can't have Maddie crawling in through the trunk each time!
3. I really really want a CD player. Not a tape player, because aside from my awesome INXS cassette collection, I have no music on cassette. I haven't purchased - nor do I intended to purchase - a cassette since the early 90s.
So that's it! Maybe we'll be stylin' in a minivan by the weekend! Seriously, did you EVER think you'd hear those words from my lips?
There were two today that are very good possibilities. They're both Ugly Vans, but they have my 3 criteria for our purchase:
1. It must have TWO sliding doors. Escape plans are always a good thing!
2. It must have bucket seats in the second row. We thought it wouldn't really matter, but let's face it, we can't have Maddie crawling in through the trunk each time!
3. I really really want a CD player. Not a tape player, because aside from my awesome INXS cassette collection, I have no music on cassette. I haven't purchased - nor do I intended to purchase - a cassette since the early 90s.
So that's it! Maybe we'll be stylin' in a minivan by the weekend! Seriously, did you EVER think you'd hear those words from my lips?
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Garage Sale Frenzy
It's that time of year again. I know a lot of people look forward to summer vacation, a trip, the kids going back to school, Christmas, Halloween even ... but for some of us, garage sale is a season in itself. A season to begin the annual household purge. A season to get some extra spending cash. A season to cook hot dogs, put little stickers on a bunch of stuff I no longer want or need, have people over, and buy it all! Yes!!
The "garage sale corner" in my basement is growing rapidly. I've added a bunch of baby items I no longer need. Of course, I said the same thing 2 years ago and sold it; 3 months later when I found out I was pregnant again I had re-buy everything!
A good rule of thumb to have: when you're in a store, trying to decide if you should buy an item, ask yourself, "Can I see this in a garage sale a year from now?" This way of thinking has stopped me from buying a few things in the past, but usually I justify it all by saying "This will make an excellent garage item in the future!"
Well, I'm off to search high and low for treasures I no longer need; ahh, the exhilarating feeling of cleaning out! 7 weeks until the sale!
The "garage sale corner" in my basement is growing rapidly. I've added a bunch of baby items I no longer need. Of course, I said the same thing 2 years ago and sold it; 3 months later when I found out I was pregnant again I had re-buy everything!
A good rule of thumb to have: when you're in a store, trying to decide if you should buy an item, ask yourself, "Can I see this in a garage sale a year from now?" This way of thinking has stopped me from buying a few things in the past, but usually I justify it all by saying "This will make an excellent garage item in the future!"
Well, I'm off to search high and low for treasures I no longer need; ahh, the exhilarating feeling of cleaning out! 7 weeks until the sale!
Thursday, February 28, 2008
The Chosen - Jury Duty
I, yes me, got called for jury duty. Finally. I've been waiting my entire adult life for this and it finally happened! When I got the summons in the mail, I jumped up and down and ran around the kitchen in glee. Mike later said that he didn't even think I smiled that much on our wedding day. Sheesh.
So my day was last Friday. I was so thrilled to get up at 6:30, get a shower, put on dress pants and a sweater, make-up and jewelry and have to be somewhere important by 9 am. I was actually about 3 minutes early, for the record.
I entered the circa 1970s court room, took a seat near the back row, a few seats in. I scoped out the crowd entering the room. Of course I brought a few magazines with me, but had no real intention in reading -- I was too excited to sit still and read! I sat with my legs crossed, my top leg bouncing up and down as if I had a little too much coffee (yes, that's probably the truth). I noticed a young man (20 ish maybe?) dressed in a suit sitting in the front row, facing the bench. There was another guy near him, also in a suit, standing near him. I assumed this was to be the guy on trial and his lawyer. I wonder what the crime was?
A few minutes later, an older man sat down right next to me. Why do people always sit right next to someone else when there is clearly open seats elsewhere? Like when you get seated at a restaurant next to the only other occupied table ...? I tried not to judge.
After a minute or so, he striked up a conversation ... I soon discovered that he was 63, has no kids, spends his summers working at a golf club, and his winters traveling. For several weeks at a time. In fact, he and his wife just got back from a 21-day cruise to Antarctica. Since Mike and I are planning a cruise to celebrate our anniversary this year, I thought this conversation was extremely timely. It's always good to hear someone else's travel experiences, cruise tips, dos and don'ts, etc. He was a really interesting guy, and we talked the entire time we waited.
So back to the jury process. At precisely 9:35, the judge entered the room and announced that the trial was to proceed, but there have been a couple of delays. He thanked us for our patience, and said he would return in 5 to 10 minutes.
I continued to talk with the man - who later introduced himself as Rick, people-watched, and ignored my reading materials. There was a young girl (18, maybe?) sitting on the other side of the room, appearing to be really bothered by being there. She played with her hair, her nails, and text-messaged on her phone. Another lady opened her laptop and tapped away at keys (she must have somewhere really important to be.) As the time clicked on, people grew more comfortable with each other and the room got louder. Rick recognized someone else in the row in front of us who lived on his street. Two guys on the other side of me were joking about the decor, announcing that our tax dollars certainly weren't going towards this building.
Then, at exactly 10:30, the judge entered the room again, this time wearing a black robe. We all stood. We all sat down. Then he said he has some good news and bad news. The good news is that the trial wasn't going to occur, and that we were all excused. For TWO YEARS! So, the bad news being - if we really wanted to participate in the court process, we won't get called again for TWO YEARS! Yes, I saw that as bad news for me. Other people's faces lit up and everyone stood up, and shuffled out of the room. I said goodbye to Rick, and thanked him for all the travel tips.
I was so angry! I was home before 11 am. This was certainly not the day in court I dreamt of!
So, now in 2010, when I'm 35, I'll be eligible to get called again. Pick me! Pick me!
So my day was last Friday. I was so thrilled to get up at 6:30, get a shower, put on dress pants and a sweater, make-up and jewelry and have to be somewhere important by 9 am. I was actually about 3 minutes early, for the record.
I entered the circa 1970s court room, took a seat near the back row, a few seats in. I scoped out the crowd entering the room. Of course I brought a few magazines with me, but had no real intention in reading -- I was too excited to sit still and read! I sat with my legs crossed, my top leg bouncing up and down as if I had a little too much coffee (yes, that's probably the truth). I noticed a young man (20 ish maybe?) dressed in a suit sitting in the front row, facing the bench. There was another guy near him, also in a suit, standing near him. I assumed this was to be the guy on trial and his lawyer. I wonder what the crime was?
A few minutes later, an older man sat down right next to me. Why do people always sit right next to someone else when there is clearly open seats elsewhere? Like when you get seated at a restaurant next to the only other occupied table ...? I tried not to judge.
After a minute or so, he striked up a conversation ... I soon discovered that he was 63, has no kids, spends his summers working at a golf club, and his winters traveling. For several weeks at a time. In fact, he and his wife just got back from a 21-day cruise to Antarctica. Since Mike and I are planning a cruise to celebrate our anniversary this year, I thought this conversation was extremely timely. It's always good to hear someone else's travel experiences, cruise tips, dos and don'ts, etc. He was a really interesting guy, and we talked the entire time we waited.
So back to the jury process. At precisely 9:35, the judge entered the room and announced that the trial was to proceed, but there have been a couple of delays. He thanked us for our patience, and said he would return in 5 to 10 minutes.
I continued to talk with the man - who later introduced himself as Rick, people-watched, and ignored my reading materials. There was a young girl (18, maybe?) sitting on the other side of the room, appearing to be really bothered by being there. She played with her hair, her nails, and text-messaged on her phone. Another lady opened her laptop and tapped away at keys (she must have somewhere really important to be.) As the time clicked on, people grew more comfortable with each other and the room got louder. Rick recognized someone else in the row in front of us who lived on his street. Two guys on the other side of me were joking about the decor, announcing that our tax dollars certainly weren't going towards this building.
Then, at exactly 10:30, the judge entered the room again, this time wearing a black robe. We all stood. We all sat down. Then he said he has some good news and bad news. The good news is that the trial wasn't going to occur, and that we were all excused. For TWO YEARS! So, the bad news being - if we really wanted to participate in the court process, we won't get called again for TWO YEARS! Yes, I saw that as bad news for me. Other people's faces lit up and everyone stood up, and shuffled out of the room. I said goodbye to Rick, and thanked him for all the travel tips.
I was so angry! I was home before 11 am. This was certainly not the day in court I dreamt of!
So, now in 2010, when I'm 35, I'll be eligible to get called again. Pick me! Pick me!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Deny Self ... and Get a Minivan?
I drove a minivan over the weekend. Oh. My. I think that anyone who knows me longer than 10 minutes knows my hatred of a minivan and all the stereo-types it holds. I think the only thing I dispise more than minivans is country music!
When I found out I was pregnant with my third, one of the first things out of my mouth was "I WILL NOT DRIVE A MINIVAN!" This is what I was yelling through my sobs.
Anyway - back to me driving one. On Saturday we were on a mission: to test drive one and also a SUV we've liked for several years that would accomodate The Three. The salesman drove a minivan into the service garage; while Mike installed all three of the car seats in it so we could test drive it, the salesman also drove the SUV-in-question into the garage next to the minivan. I ignored the minivan and immediately went to the SUV and opened it. Then my mouth hung open as I realized that while there IS a third row, there isn't a way for the passenger (namely my 6 year old) to get into the back seat - unless you slide the second row forward. I stood there with a dumb look on my face and asked the salesman "how do you get back there?" (duh, I know the answer) My reply to the obvious question was "Well, I have the girls in car seats." And then it was all over. I had a totally rebelious attitude as I drove the minivan. That was the end of Saturday.
When Sunday rolled around we overcame several obstcales to get to church. God always has a really good message what that type of morning occurs. It was about denying self. Ironically the first analogy was about vehicles - how there's always the vehicle you really want (SUV, in my case) and the one you can afford (or stuck with - in my case, the minivan). So while God impresed on me several months ago that I'm not defined by what I drive, I know that He was speaking to ME! ME! I think that someday I'll think this is funny - like all the other things I'm doing that I PROMISED I never would. I guess I pray for a change of heart, so why am I surprised when it happens?
Apparently, I'm now in the market for a minivan.
When I found out I was pregnant with my third, one of the first things out of my mouth was "I WILL NOT DRIVE A MINIVAN!" This is what I was yelling through my sobs.
Anyway - back to me driving one. On Saturday we were on a mission: to test drive one and also a SUV we've liked for several years that would accomodate The Three. The salesman drove a minivan into the service garage; while Mike installed all three of the car seats in it so we could test drive it, the salesman also drove the SUV-in-question into the garage next to the minivan. I ignored the minivan and immediately went to the SUV and opened it. Then my mouth hung open as I realized that while there IS a third row, there isn't a way for the passenger (namely my 6 year old) to get into the back seat - unless you slide the second row forward. I stood there with a dumb look on my face and asked the salesman "how do you get back there?" (duh, I know the answer) My reply to the obvious question was "Well, I have the girls in car seats." And then it was all over. I had a totally rebelious attitude as I drove the minivan. That was the end of Saturday.
When Sunday rolled around we overcame several obstcales to get to church. God always has a really good message what that type of morning occurs. It was about denying self. Ironically the first analogy was about vehicles - how there's always the vehicle you really want (SUV, in my case) and the one you can afford (or stuck with - in my case, the minivan). So while God impresed on me several months ago that I'm not defined by what I drive, I know that He was speaking to ME! ME! I think that someday I'll think this is funny - like all the other things I'm doing that I PROMISED I never would. I guess I pray for a change of heart, so why am I surprised when it happens?
Apparently, I'm now in the market for a minivan.
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