"The Blue Car"

Easter weekend my senior year of college (2004), my dad and I went out car shopping. I was preparing for graduation and a move to Colorado, and had planned to buy a new car on my own. Other than my college degree, it would be the most expensive purchase I had made independently to date. A browsing trip turned into a purchasing trip when we found a 2003 Mazda Protege 5 with only 7,000 miles on it and in my price range. Both my dad and I felt great about the car, and negotiated for the dealership to keep it in storage until after my graduation the next month. It was a manual 5-speed, blue on the exterior, and black leather inside. I loved it.

Fast forward a few months to August 2004 when I was living in Colorado and met Gilby. One of the first things I remember about our initial meeting is how he complemented my car and thought it was pretty great that I knew how to drive a manual transmission. Ha!

Fast forward nearly 13 years later to May 2017 and so many new memories created. I was still driving "the blue car" as it had been nicknamed somewhere along the way. Although we had talked many times about replacing it, we were too frugal to take the leap, especially when the car had been so good to us over the years, hardly cost anything to maintain, and got great gas mileage for my commute to work. I still loved my blue car, but, a careless driver was not paying attention at a stop light and rear ended me, propelling my car into the one in front of me. With front and back end damage, and a car not worth much to start with, the blue car was declared totaled. It was a sad, sad day.

The blue car was the last real symbol of my pre-marriage, pre-kids, pre-career self. I love my life now, but the blue car could still drum up some nostalgia of a much younger version of myself with nearly no responsibility. Such is life.

I conceded to getting a second large vehicle, in addition to the minivan we already own, to haul our large family, and make trips into the snowy mountains much easier all winter long. I will always remember my blue car fondly, but the 2011 Buick Enclave we ended up with is pretty great too.