Our Van

About a year and a half ago, my Buick Skylark bit the dust.  To tell the truth, I am grateful for that old clunker and the role it played in my life for almost 10 years...  I certainly have stories that make me laugh (and my friends too) like having to pull up my pant legs due to the puddle that always pooled on the driver's floorboard...  Or the time I taped the driver's sideview mirror together...  Or having to "tuck it in" at night during the winter so the locks wouldn't freeze (and prevent me from getting into my car the next day)...  Oh the memories... 

But that car did eventually bite the dust, and we didn't feel it was worth the money to repair it.  So we sold it to a junk yard, and moved on with life.

And the purchase of another vehicle.

We decided on a van for two reasons:  1.  Because we hoped to have a family.  2.  Because we figured even if we didn't (and/or until we did), we could haul around a lot of people anyway... plus we could take out seats and haul a lot of stuff.

And boy did we ever! 

We did some research and decided we wanted either a Dodge Grand Caravan, a Toyota Sienna, or a Honda Odyssey.  We had our price range.  And we started our search.  It took us a while, but one magical day, there was a posting on Craigslist.  Our van.  A 2001 Honda Odyssey meeting pretty much all our requirements. 

True, the girl from whom we bought it was a little flaky (she didn't realize we would show up prepared to pay for the van and drive it away that day... so we made a good-faith agreement that we would buy the van after she was done with it later that week -- so long as no damage occurred between those days). 

But we had found our vehicle.  An answer to prayers. 

And it has been a wonderful vehicle for us.  We have moved all of our belongings with it (including a mattress and couch and curio cabinet) -- though I don't think we could at this point...  We have loaded several kids in it.  We have traveled in it to visit family.  My husband just recently used it to haul all the wood he bought to make my can rotation thing (my Christmas gift). 

We feel blessed to have this vehicle.  It does a lot for us and hasn't given us any issues (well, maybe the automatic doors are a bit annoying, since one of them has already broken, but I guess that's what happens with convenience ;))... 

And I'm grateful for the freedom it affords me to go where I want pretty much whenever I want :).

What are you grateful for today?