After Liam was born I began to covet my parents’ van. I adore the control of a stick shift and there are many advantages to driving a small car. The Civic had everything I needed in a vehicle and has served me well for almost a decade, so it was a strange feeling to know that a van was really the next best step for our family.
As of a couple of weeks ago, I covet no more. We received an offer that we could not refuse from my generous parents, who offered us the you’re-giving-birth-to-a-second-grandchild-in-September-and-we-know-that-your-life-would-be-much-easier-if-you-were-to-own-a-van-by-the-time-that-happens offer that we absolutely could not refuse.
While not a complete shock to the system, it’s a pretty big leap to go from a 5-speed Civic to a minivan. I can now get in and out of my vehicle without grunting or difficulty. For the first time in my 16 years behind the wheel I have a cupholder that accommodates my Nalgene bottle. The 6-disc CD changer means that I can load up Liam’s music and my music in equal quantities for easy retrieval when my passenger has lost his patience. There is a nook for my sunglasses. Matt and I can adjust the AC to our own preferences. At the same time. There is plenty of room for a Costco run that includes diapers, paper towels, toilet paper, and copious amounts of fruits and veggies. At the same time. There’s room to stash my purse and have a passenger. At the same time.
I am beyond thrilled.
Luckily, Matt will be driving the Civic for at least the next few years, so I can drive down memory lane when the mood strikes, but this does mean that the Accord will be leaving us after a decade in the Woolf/Connolly family. My mom began driving this car while I was still in college. Sarah drove this car. My parents (very generously) gave it to us when Matt and I got married. We brought Liam home from the hospital in this car. I know that most people probably don’t form the type of sentimental attachments that I do to cars. I also know that most people don’t own cars for as long as my family tends to do. Say what you will: I’ll be glad to sell the Accord (fingers crossed that it happens soon) but there’s still a bit of me that’s going to mourn its passing from our lives. It’s been there for some pretty major changes over the last decade.
Here’s our homage to the past and the future.
“MAMA! What are you trying to do to me?”
“Oh, Geez!”
“And don’t you even think about tickling my neck to get me to smile!”
“Face it, Mama. I win at this game every time.”
“Okay, I see how this is gonna work, Mama. You’re using my love for playing in the van to try to manipulate me.”
“It’s not gonna work.”
“Ummm, I don’t think so, Mama. I think I’ve won this match.”
“Oh, No! Not the tickle trick!”
“I take it back, Mama. You Win! You Win!”
I hope the Accord carries its next owner through as many good times as it has carried us.