She's green, but she's never really had swagger

For the last thirteen years, I have pulled off an incredible delusion.  I have artfully concealed the depth of my coolness by driving a green mini-van.  When the van was new, you might still get a peek of my wild side despite the
Eddie Bauer car seat and Baby on Board sign.

But the last several years, I've gone in deep.  Maybe too deep.

She now sports patches of chipped paint, as much as five inches in diameter, revealing the grey of the primer beneath.

If custom hub caps that continue to spin while the vehicle ceases to be in motion

draws attention to one's coolness,

it stands to reason that my lack of hub caps on 3 unwashed wheels would help me blend into the asphalt.

The hub caps were probably lost on a curb at some fast food drive thru speaker station.

My attention probably distracted by someone continuing to touch someone else in the back seat

in spite of the shrill command to "stop touching me!"

In fact, you might not notice me at all except for the squeal the air compressor makes that announces my arrival even before my vehicle is in full view.

Ah!  And the inside.  What can I say?

It's a veritable feast of NCIS evidence from soccer fields, fast food establishments, red-clay National Parks, sandy beaches, smuggled play-doh and science experiments.

That's just the rear seats.

The front floorboard is petrified with coffee and hazelnut creamer.

And an occasional curse word that slipped out.

Stray, cracked lenses from cheap Wal-Mart sunglasses that failed to withstand the pressure.

And Chick-Fil-A Polynesian sauce.

Sure, I haven't had heat for the past 3 winters or maximum air conditioning for 4 summers.

The cassette player hasn't worked since 2002.  I've adjusted. 

And apparently, so has the music industry.

It's never had a CD player, DVD player, GPS, BlueTooth or SWAGGER.

It's a far cry from the little black, 5-speed sports car I used to drive before children.

But this 1999 Ford Windstar has:

Transported my family safely, and relatively faithfully for 13 years.

It's not crumbled under the stress of 3 babies, spitting up, throwing cheerios and sippy cups

and peanut butter sandwiches.

It's made trips back from whence we came to retrieve a forgotten, much beloved stuffed animal

necessary for sleep.

The seats have held up under the torment of toddlers to tweeners kicking, flopping and climbing over them

and goodness knows, spilling on them and decorating them with stickers and a marker (that one time)

It's held lots of family and friends-as many as 8 (double buckled that one time)

It's pregnant with memories. 

The seat is molded to my butt and the mirrors have known their position for a long time.

I have sung Veggie Tales Silly Songs to 3 kids in that van.

It's seen a Country phase, a Contemporary Christian phase and, most recently, and Adele phase.

Rumor Has It.

It's contained the funk and the chatter after

Busch Gardens, Sea World, Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios

and Adventure Island and the Nickelodeon Hotel.

It's been as high as Klingman's Dome and as low as Nokomis Beach.

That car has heard lots of laughter.

It's been a private refuge to me to hide and cry when there was no other private place to be found.

And I needed a minute.

It's been the place where my children and I have heard many a sermon preached on the radio

and where deep questions about God have been asked, wrestled and answered.

It's been a prayer closet, spiritual battlefield and a worship sanctuary.

It's kept us without a car payment for 9 years.

The borrower is slave to the lender.  Proverbs 22:7

If on average, people buy a $25,000 car every 4 years,

we've saved over $50,000 plus interest (around $10k-12k ish)

I however have been free.

Free to be at home with my kids.

My husband has been free from this financial burden.

My kids have been free from stressed out parents.

Free to support people and ministry and things of eternal value.

FREE

________________________________________

But now it's over.  Our wonderful Christian, family man mechanic

who has been good to us for so many years and to whom we have been loyal across a great distance

since our move...

and the wonderful transmission guy

have both declared defeat.

They broke it to us gently...but it's over.

They mentioned blood and turnips.

They've given her a maximum of 3 months to live so I've been
confined to driving a small piece of geography and
 had to suspend long, Sunday drives through "the hood."

And who would have known that the car would have given out before the 13 year old stroller?

Good on you Graco!

We no longer need you either.

So now, the new (to me) car is on order. 

And I no longer have to conceal my cool in a shroud of green mini-van.

The next one is BLUE and it will see memories of it's own.

Like my kids all growing up and learning to drive.

Besides, my great friend across the street has a convertible she lets me drive on occasion

and I'm able to remember what it once was like to have a little cool on display.

Jen

@HSinHighHeels (twitter)

Homeschooling in High Heels (Facebook)