The Ol' Civie

As I previously mentioned, I had my civic for fourteen years! (Technically, thirteen and a half, but who’s counting?!) And in my “fourteen” years, I’ve had many adventures too! Join me on a trip down memory lane as a tribute to my very first car!

Me & my new car circa September 1998!
(Note: that is a pen I'm chewing on...)

WARNING: This post is a bit very lengthy.

TRAVEL:

Of the many, many trips that I’ve taken in this car, here are a few of the more notable ones:

-Two trips down to Orlando, FL to meet up with my family at Disney World. One was alone and the other was with my friend, Jenny. We drove all night from Blacksburg, VA. That was the night I decided that I was not cut out for night driving. That was also the first night I actually bought coffee. I think I had two sips of it…

-Multiple trips to Cherry Hill, NJ and New York, NY to visit my dear friend Shanna – typically accompanied by my other best friend, Tamara. A two hour drive to Cherry Hill was nothing from Columbia, MD. New York was only four.

Me & Tamara in New York circa 2009!

-More trips than I can count from Blacksburg, VA to Columbia, MD and northern VA.

-Countless trips into Baltimore to “get lost”. Those were the high school days. We would just drive around and take any random turn that we fancied, and then we found our way back home. Hence the term “get lost”.

-A trip to Georgia for some peaches a regatta while I was in college. More on said trip later…

-A couple trips to Harrisburg, NC from Blacksburg, VA to visit my Dad and Grandma when my Dad was living there and taking care of her. On one of those trips we actually headed all the way down to Charleston, SC to pick up Eiger - my Dad’s dog. He was the cutest puppy ever and turned out to be the best dog ever. (He recently passed, but there is not a day that goes by that he is not thought of happily.) I didn’t want to go back to school that day. It was a spring afternoon in North Carolina. Those afternoons are nearly impossible to beat.

♥ you, Eiger.  Cutest.Puppy.Ever.

-Multiple trips to Lynchburg, VA from Blacksburg, VA to visit Jenny. Southern summer afternoons in the country are also hard to beat. Jenny’s Mom always had the best iced tea. And there were two rocking chairs on the porch in the shade. We stayed there for hours and just talked. At night, more stars shone in the sky than you could imagine. I loved it there.


Me & Jenny at a Tech game circa 2006!


-One trip to the Outer Banks, NC – again to meet the fam.

James & his friend on the way to NC in the back of my car circa 2008!
We had such a fun ride down together. Amy sat shot gun!

-A trip to West Virginia to meet up with my Mom for our girl’s weekend.

Mom & I atop Cooper's Rock circa 2010.

-And, of course, multiple trips from Columbus, OH to Maryland. (The most recent trip was taken in September 2011. It was then that my Uncle Ricky, a very reputable mechanic, said that I should limit my driving in this car to “in-town” only… That was the first time I had ever wondered if I was going to be able to make it back safely.)

Me & Amy on said last trip to MD in my car circa 2011.

MECHANICAL:

I have been fortunate enough to not have too many terrible (read: expensive) mechanical issues with my car. I’ve had the normal maintenance issues, but other than the few listed below I’ve been very lucky.

-My stepdad took my car to have get new tires put on. When the service technicians at the shop were done, they were backing my car out of the garage...with the door open.  Needless to say, my driver's side door hit the side of the garage and pretty much folded like an accordion.  My tire change took a few days longer than anticipated.  I had to borrow my brother's car, and from that point on there was always a little drop or two of rain that would come in on the driver's side when it was wet outside.

-On the previously mentioned trip to Georgia for our collegiate regatta, our cox was driving our car while me and another teammate were sleeping.  She fell asleep at the wheel and hit the van that had the rest of the team in it.  We were all safe, fortunately.  The driver of the van did a bit of quick thinking and got in her way before she hit the guard rail.  It's scary how fast something can happen.

-My radio display lights have been out for years.  They randomly come on very dimly lit, and then they're off for an unknown amount of time.  I've never figured it out but I've always chalked it up to my car gettin' older.

-My brother, Travis, and my cousin, Jamie, drove down to Blacksburg, VA to visit.  We were headed to go tubing down the New River when out of nowhere my exhaust manifold broke off, hit the bottom of my car, and rolled to the side of the road.  Afterwards, my car sounded SO LOUD it was embarrassing.  We didn't get to go tubing, but we did get to see the mechanic.  We are all still laughing about that visit!

-Speaking of exhaust manifolds, at my last wedding dress fitting all was good, so I put my wedding dress in the back of my car.  As I left, my exhaust...something...was dragging behind me, producing sparks as I drove away.  I drove to yet another mechanic. I remember thinking how ironic that I have my wedding dress in the back of my car as it is hoisted above so that the mechanics could take a look at what happened.  The likelihood of this happening on this day is slim to none!  Fortunately they fixed everything, and I left with a perfectly good muffler and a perfectly good wedding dress!

RUN IN’S WITH THE LAW:

Now, I would just like to say that I am a law abiding citizen. However, I may or may not have gotten a few (as in more than 0 less than 10) tickets (speeding, rolling through a stop sign, red light tickets, driving without shoes, etc.). That’s all I have to say about that.

MOVING

My Honda has been packed to the brim on multiple occasions.  It was always on moving day when I thought it would be nice to have a larger car and/or truck, but I always made do with what I had.  And my car helped move me to multiple locations:

-My first move from home (Columbia, MD) to college at Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA).

-Multiple moves in and around Blacksburg, VA throughout college.

-My move to Northern VA for my first post-college job.

-My move to a new place in Northern VA.

-My most recent move to Columbus, OH.

Each and every time, my Honda has successfully transported me and my precious cargo (read: Bunny) to our next stop.  And while it may have taken us multiple trips, it got done, and that's all we could have asked for!

Precious cargo.

MISHAPS & SHENANIGANS:

-There was one time in high school that I was driving down 32 to take Shanna home from hanging out. It was later at night – maybe around midnight or so. My sweater flew out of my window. (I will spare you the details.) I pulled over, spotted it in my side mirror, and got out of my car to go and get it. It was that night that I learned that objects in mirror are further than they appear…

-Another time I had a full car and was driving some high school friends home from school. I was exiting route 32 to get onto Cedar Lane when I lost control and did a complete 360. I have no idea what happened, but Tamara will always remember that day as, ‘I knew you didn’t know what was going on when I saw the look on your face…’

-Then there was that time when Tamara and I took the grassy yield at the four way stop. I had always wanted to do that, and it was totally worth it.

-Adventures on Home Road. This road would get so dark at night that if you turned your car lights off and put your hand in front of you, you literally could not see anything. I stopped on that road once with Tamara in the car and opened her passenger window. It was too dark for her, but I laughed hysterically for a long time about that trip!

(NOTE: All of my “irresponsibility” ended in high school…I think.)

-Last but not least, there was last fall when I shoved two bales of hay in my car for the grass seed we were putting down in our yard. I thought I’d be able to fit both of the bales in my trunk until I saw that only one would fit. I ended up putting the other bale in my backseat. (Remember, this civie was a civic coupe – meaning only two doors!) I am still finding little hay bits in and around the car…and we still don’t have grass.

My car has been so reliable, so fun, so undeniably me, and I am so fortunate to have had such a good run with such a good car.  It's kind of sad to know that this car will no longer be my trusty transportation.  It's kind of sad to let go of the only car I've ever known, but I am definitely excited for a new car.  And, really, I'm not getting rid of any of the memories, just the car itself.

The memories will stay with me and all of my fellow passengers forever!

My car - 14 years later - circa January 2012.

My Husband Sold My Car

Let me explain.

I’ve been driving my trusty, 110% reliable 1998 Honda Civic since September … of 1998. I was 16 when my Dad bought me my new whip and I have never looked back. I’m going on 30 this year, and 14 years later my trusty civie still gets me from point A to point B successfully.

That was…until today.

A couple months ago I got my oil changed. The service technician at the oil change site mentioned that since I’ve taken such good care of my car – inside and out – that I could probably sell it on Craigslist for $3,500 or so. Did I mention that I have over 227,000 (yes, THOUSAND) miles on it?! Well, I do, and it still gets me from A to B and it is still trusty and reliable.

Knowing that $3,500 for a 14 year old car with 227,134 miles on it was a great deal, Brian and I decided to post the ol’ civie…just to see what happened.

We posted it higher than we thought we could get. When we didn’t receive any responses, we reduced our pricing to $2,900, and that’s when we had a lot of interest. Not really thinking that anything would officially pan out, I was 100% fine with the posting of my car and the interest in it. But then it panned out, and when one couple who had particular interest came and test drove it and decided that they wanted it, I was a whole mix of emotions:

-I was surprised – is it really that easy?
-I was sad – this is the end of a 14 year era of my first and only car.
-I was anxious – we haven’t even test driven other cars, we don’t even have another car picked out to buy, what are we going to do without my car?
-I was excited – I get to get a new car!

But the one emotion that stuck out more than the others was excitement.  And it's sticking out!

I am excited about getting another car and I am excited for the next 14+ years in it. (If it lasts that long, at least!) Brian and I can certainly make do with one car until we get things figured out. (He works from home, for heaven’s sake!) And technically, we still have my car until the couple that is purchasing it receives their tax return back. They gave us a deposit and once they give us the go ahead, the transfer process will begin.

I can only blame thank Brian for the ease of this transaction. He, with his master selling skills (I am merely a novice), set the whole Craigslist post up, fielded all the emails and calls that came in, and initiated the one and only test drive. In a roundabout way – my husband did sell my car, but he did it for the well being of both of us; we are both excited for what our four wheeled future holds!

The Likelihood of the Rainy Day Pants

The likelihood of it raining when I wear my tan work trousers is 110% certain.

Rainy pants.

Rainy day.

And I am not kidding.

Every time I wear these slacks it rains.  How do I know this, you ask?  Well, I made a mental note the first time I wore said pants and it rained.  I thought to myself, 'I musn't wear these pants when it rains because a.) I love them and I don't want to get them all muddy, and b.) the bottoms just hit the ground and they get all wet', which is very noticeable on the tan material and makes the rest of the day slightly uncomfortable.

However, Mother Nature seems to think otherwise.  If I wear these pants, it will rain, and I notice it every single time because of my very first mental note.

I gave up a long time ago.  (Gave up trying to prepare to wear these rain pants on a sunny day contending with Mother Nature).  And it doesn't matter so much anymore.  As a matter of fact, it actually makes me laugh because of course it will rain if I wear these pants, and I am 110% ok with that.

Bring on the rain [pants].

(For the record, I was trying to take a photo outside, with Jack, in the rain, while I was wearing these pants, and I received a 'friendly nudge' with a muddy paw to pick up the ball and throw it... And then I gave up trying to take a photo, so you'll have to trust me when I say that I did wear these pants today and it did rain...)

Muddy pants.

The Land Between Sleep and Awake

Those of you that know me know that I’m more of an early bird than a night owl.  As long as I’m getting enough sleep, I’d rather rise early then stay up late into the wee hours of the morn most days.  (Plus, I start yawning at like 8:30 – 9:00 pm, so if you are ever caught in a conversation with me at that hour please don’t take offense.  You are not boring me – it’s just that time for me.)  I’m also usually a pretty sound sleeper.  Every now and then, however, I find myself caught somewhere in between sleep and awake.  All of these encounters involve Brian coming into bed after me.

Last night we experienced one such example.

Brian left on Monday to fly to Orlando, FL for a business trip.  His flight arrived back into Columbus, OH late last night, so Bun, Jack and I went to bed before he got home.  When he did get home, he silently climbed up the steps and got into bed.  (So silently, I might add, that Jack didn’t even make a peep!)  I heard him get in bed.  I felt him place him arm gently around me in a soft, sweet, bedtime embrace, and heard him say, ‘Goodnight’.  (I’m not sure what my communication level was at that point.  I hope I said, ‘hello and I love you too,’ but I very well could have not said anything.  It is very common that when I am nearly asleep I think I’m saying something or answering a question that Brian has asked when in reality I’m not saying anything at all.  This is why I go to bed early, folks.)

Anyway, sometime in between Brian getting in bed and me dozing off again slightly, I dreamt that he was out of town because he was in a film, as in an actor, and was on site filming somewhere and was coming home tonight. (I envisioned a movie set in the 1920’s with two little boys that were playing and hiding somewhere. Brian’s role was one of these boys.)  In the real world, I asked Brian, “how old are you?”

With a slightly confused voice I heard him ask me, “What?”

I said, “In the movie.”

At this point I was coming to, and after Brian once again asked me what in tarnation I was talking about, I explained that I just had a dream that he got back in town from filming a movie where he was playing the role of a little boy.  (Like 8 or younger little.  That is why I asked how old he was.)

I think we both fell asleep shortly after that.

I can't help but laugh at the times that I have asked/said something to Brian while I was in the middle world.  (The middle world being the land between being asleep and being awake.)

For the record, I have also asked Brian about monkeys and parrots, and one time I even asked him if he had his pocket protector while he was getting in bed!  (I would love to see that in real life!)  Those are just the ones that I remember.

Who knows what else I’ve asked/said while I have been in my slumber state.  At this point, I’m not ruling anything out!

Chinese Checkers

Brian and I met the most amazing 'nearly nine' year old this weekend - Miss Maile!

Maile!  (And yours truly.)

Maile is lovely, intelligent, polite, friendly, adorable, wonderful...I could go on!  We had so much fun hanging out at Brian's Grandpa's 80th Birthday party!  Just to give you a glance into how much fun we had, here's a funny little snippet from one of our conversations:

Maile: "I feel like you're a teenager!"

Erin: "I am a teenager!"  (Frantically thinking of how I will convince Maile that I'm twenty-nine-teen...)

Maile: "No, you're not."  [Followed by a blank stare that basically explained that she wouldn't be fooled.]

Erin: (Ok, she's way to smart for me.)  "Ok, maybe I'm not, officially, but guess how old I am."

Maile: "21?"  (Maile, I think this officially makes us new besties!)

Erin: "A little higher."

Maile: "24?"

Erin:  (Technically that is a little higher.)  "A little bit higher."

Maile: "27?"

Erin: "Ok.  A little bit more."

Maile: "28?!"  (At this point, I'm sure Maile is thinking, 'If this girl really is 28, she needs to grow up.')

Erin: "Ok, just a teensy bit higher."

Maile:  "29?!!"

Erin:  "Yep, you got it!"

[Followed by a bunch of giggles from the both of us!]

After Maile walloped me in Chinese checkers (yes, folks, I lost...royally), we got a little artsy and started making some designs using the game pieces!

Our flower!

Our 'upgraded' flower!  We both agreed that this was our favorite!

The American Flag - 'America the Beautiful' tune by Erin.

Nemo!  Come on, use your imagination, folks.  See the water?
The seaweed?  Nemo?

Maile and her Mama, Mary Sue, head back to Chi-town tomorrow, but we are so thankful to have been able to meet these two extraordinary people and spend some good QT together using our imagination!

PS: Thanks for playing with me, Maile!  It was really great to meet you and I had sooooo much fun!

80 Years Ago

The world was in a severe economic depression that we all know today as the Great Depression.  Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected as the 32nd president of the U.S. of A.  George Washington celebrated his 200th birthday.  Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly over the Atlantic all by her lonesome.  The parking meter was invented.  Johnny Cash, Ted Kennedy, Elizabeth Taylor, and Joseph August Janszen III delighted the world with their presence.

This weekend, we celebrated Brian's Grandpa's 80th birthday with a lovely celebration of old friends, new friends, and all friends in between!  Brian's Aunt Kathy and Uncle John were kind enough to host everyone at their new casa, and Brian's Grandpa, Jay, and his Grandma, Jeannette, were overjoyed and surprised at such a celebration!

Brian has always spoken so highly of his Grandpa.  Whenever Brian talks about him you can tell that his Grandpa has always been and will always be somebody that he looks up to.  It makes me smile knowing how important he is to Brian.  It is evident that Jay and Jeannette are very, very special people in so many people's lives, and it was wonderful to be a part of and celebrate such a joyous occasion together!

Happy 80th Birthday, Jay!  Here's to 80 more!

The Boys Club

Brian has so many really amazing friends, and it's incredible to be a part of his life and meet such wonderful people.

One such fine example of two wonderful people is Matt (Chevy) & Jen - aka The Chevy's.  On December 14, 2011, Chevy and Jen welcomed their very first son, William Allen, and today we had the fine chance to meet Baby Will. 

He already has quite a few nicknames: Billy C., will.i.am, little willie style, will, and many more!  He is going to fit perfectly in the boys club!

Congratulations, Matt, Jen, Winnie, and Will!  We are so happy for you!

Aloha!

Greetings from sunny Ohio!  We had the luxury of meeting up with one of Brian's friends from grade school and his wife last night for dinner. They are both in town from Hawaii where they reside, and we really should be trying to coordinate the next visit in Hawaii!  Why you would venture to Ohio in December/January when you live in Hawaii is beyond me, but we were thankful for the opportunity to get together for dinner! This was really the first time that I have gotten to hang with Dave and Krista and I would have to agree that they are both fantastic people!

Not more than two weeks ago Dave had open heart surgery.  You would have never guessed it.  He looks wonderful and says that he has been healing tremendously!  The Cleveland Clinic (where his surgery was performed by robots!) really did a stellar job, and Dave's ticker is working like new!  We are so happy that everything went well and so thankful for the time that we got to spend together.

Here is to Dave and Krista - on a continued speedy recovery, a safe trip back home, and to planning our next visit in the aloha state!

Couch Surfing

Well, we've started the new year off with a bit of rehab on the ol' crib.  First, we were able to sell our old couches on Craigslist and put the money (in addition to a small bounty of Christmas cash) toward a brand spankin' new couch!  We are ecstatic with the decision to upgrade and Jack has many a new "spots" that he has already called his own!

Out with the old...

...Awaiting the shipment...

...And in with the new!!!

We also upgraded our foyer light (thank you for the help, Tom!) and our garage light to lights a bit closer to the twenty first century:

FOYER LIGHT

Circa early 1900's...in our opinion...

Circa early 2000's!

GARAGE LIGHT

Circa early 1900's...

Circa mid 1900's!

Both of these lights were on the 'to do' list when we moved in and now they are officially done.  I know Brian is happy about that and if he is happy, then Bun, Jack, and I are happy too!

Twenty Twelve

Ladies and Gents, we have officially entered the year 2012!  We rang in the New Year with a pretty uneventful, but wonderful, night at the home front.  Jack watched the ball drop with us, as well as played a few rounds of ball, and we shared a nice bottle of champagne to start the new year off right!

Speaking of the new year, there are quite a few things that just amaze me about 2012.  First of all, I cannot believe it's 2012!  It seems just yesterday that is was 2000, yet when you see the date of 2001 or so it seems so long ago!  And don't even get me started about dates in the 90's!  Gosh, now that is old school! 

2012 means that Brian graduated from high school seventeen years ago!  And I graduated from high school twelve years ago!  That seems so weird!  Also, 2012 means that I will be celebrating my 30th birthday which again I cannot believe!  Thirty years!  It just doesn't seem real...

...But it's as real as you and me, and whether we like it or not, 2012 is here!  Another year full of tons of adventure awaits!  Let it ring!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!