Sad/Happy/Nervous......me.



So, the Honda van that I love, love, love so much, took a crap. The transmission went out at 162,000 miles. We definitely had a great run with her. Of course, this had to happen after it was paid off.........so, to fix it would take a lot of time and money-two things we just don't have an abundance of. Although the first mention Eric made almost a year ago that I should get a suburban was laughed off, it has come to pass. I was so resistant to that idea. First, I love the convenience of the van. I didn't like the idea of the gas mileage a suburban would get and have long scoffed at SUV drivers and their "boats". The joke's on me. With 4 kids, strollers, ball bags, helmets, shoulder pads, groceries, etc. believe it or not, we ran out of room. Plus, there have been numerous times I want to take other kids with us somewhere and we would have to take two vehicles. After many hours of searching, we've found the new Schreiber Family Truckster. Thanks to a fellow cowboy mounted shooter (thanks Dave), we got a great deal. Or, as great of a deal a new car payment could be...
I now feel:
1. Sad to lose the van
2. Happy to have more room
3. Nervous about a car payment and the monthly grind of bills, expenses
4. Disappointed that I've let mother earth down
5. Excited about the entertainment system ( I'd been wondering how we'd deal with road trips in the future when Viv wants to watch "Dora" or "Sesame Street" and the other kids want "Ace Ventura") Now we'll have a system where they can watch two separate movies
6. Curious if the extra $.90 it will take to drive to Columbus will make a big difference in my budget. (Doesn't seem like a lot, but add it up every month......)
7. Grief at the loss of a van that has taken us across the Eastern part of the country. From Georgia to Iowa to Wisconsin to Virginia to South Carolina....it was an awesome vehicle. I highly recommend the Honda Odyssey. Goodbye Honda, you've done us proud.