Goodbye Chubby

Last week was the end of a decade for me. For ten years I drove a minivan. We owned two Nissan Quest minivans and they both treated us well. They were convenient for kids, easy to load with all of our stuff, and trustworthy vehicles. The girls could easily get in and out of the car with the sliding door and it held plenty of people comfortably. 

Our van was close to hitting 100,000 miles and she was in need of many repairs. So, we decided it was time to look for something new. And, we found a new vehicle---this time not a minivan. 

It was a little sad to say goodbye to our van, who we named Chubby (because she didn't fit well into parking spots). It was the only car Shelly remembers me driving and it safely took care of us during two run-ins with deer. 

 So, goodbye to a decade of driving a minivan. A decade I will always remember fondly. And goodbye to our sweet ol' Chubby!

Random Monday Musings

A bit of randomness today:


This is the sign I'd like to post in my car window. I've really noticed more people riding my tail and/or passing me on the roads lately. So---










My mom giving tours in NYC in Rockefeller Center in the 50s.


Love this picture of her.




My yearly calendar that I put together in February is working out well. So fun to document our lives in a few sentences. Can't wait to reread it next year while filling in the important stuff for that day in a new year.






Here's my Pinterest button if anyone is interested in following me over there. So many fun ideas---so little time!


  Happy Monday!

Oh Dear---Part Deux

Ready for this one????  Wait for it....I hit a deer yesterday morning! I was on my way to the middle school with Lily and two of her friends for a field trip. It was really dark out (about 6:15 a.m.) and out of nowhere a deer slammed into the hood of my car! 


Really!!! 


I know this probably sounds like a joke. How can one woman have this many strange events involving a car in less than 5 years! But, it's true. 

Deer fur galore!!!

We are all okay (I had a few minor bumps and bruises)!!! Yay! And the girls handled it all perfectly (they were all fine!).





A friend happened on the scene of the accident and was able to take the three girls with her to the middle school. They made it in time to attend their field trip. I stayed behind to deal with the tire that was stuck in a ditch and to give the state trooper all of my info. Once again, damage to the front of the car---hood, grill, headlights, fog lights, etc., as well as, air bags going off and a broken seat belt to replace.

Deer dent

The car was still operable. So, I made it back home and John drove me to Durham (in his vehicle) to catch up with the kids on the field trip. 

Missing Nissan symbol
(If you see a doe emblazoned with a Nissan logo, I think it might belong to me)

Just another exciting day in the country!!!! To read about my other vehicular incidents...#1, #2, #3.

"Lucky" Incidents

Let me say I have some pretty unusual luck. Like the time the car hit me and Shelly while we were sitting in a golf cart or the time the deer ran out in front of us and hit our car. On one hand, we weren't so lucky to be hit by a car, but on the other hand Shelly walked away from that accident with only a tiny scratch on her face. And, when the deer hit us, the car was pretty beat up but we were fine...scared, but all in one piece.


So, I guess it was time to add to our series of oddly "lucky" incidents. The girls and I were headed to Fredericksburg, VA to see my niece at college. It was a pretty easy and fun drive with the girls. We were on Interstate 95 checking out all of the various car/truck license plates and singing along to an old CD. At right about that moment, we heard a loud bang (much like an explosive gun shot sound) and I turned toward my driver side window to see the glass shattering from the window into the car. I was able to move the car off of the road onto the right shoulder. It was a scary few moments of assessing what had just happened and deciding what to do next.


So, I called 911 and waited as the VDOT assistance guy arrived. Then the EMTs came to check on us and finally the VA state trooper. There was much speculation as to what might have happened, but no clear determination.



We were .4 of a mile from our exit and so we went to our hotel, checked in and I called the auto glass people. We were able to get the car window covered and the glass cleaned up on Friday night with an appointment for the following morning to replace the window.





On Saturday morning they replaced the window in about 30 minutes and we were as good as new.



And, that ends yet another story in our series of "lucky" incidents!