New Car!

For almost 3 1/2 years of marriage, David and I have shared one car (which was given to us by my dad, who originally bought it for my grandma).  One car was all we needed in the beginning when we worked close to each other in Colorado for an easy carpool, spent most of our time walking around Rexburg in college, and it allowed me to stay after school and work for a few hours until David could pick me up, when I student taught in Utah.

 It wasn't until we added a baby to our family that having one car was more challenging.  Having just one day in the week to get all shopping and errands done was very stressful and hectic, especially trying to plan it around naps and nursing (which were sporadic for many months).  For a time, David just did the shopping by himself.  Even though I love being home, it was hard on me to rarely get out, especially on days when Eli wouldn't nap well.  The only thing that saved me was being able to go outside for walks.  That was my "escape," and it really cheered me up and mostly filled my need for having something outside the walls of our apartment.

Buying a second car was put on a backburner for a while because of the uncertainties with David's employment.  Once he was settled at Duke, however, we started talking about our possibilities and plans, and decided we'd be able to buy one in the spring, after David's busy tax season was over.  Well, thanks to all the busy bees at Duke, they were ahead of schedule, and ended their tax season early (March 17th)!  Once he no longer had to work Saturdays, David started researching for our car . . .

   . . . And lo and behold, we bought one!  It's a 2006 Kia Sportage (or "Shortridge" as I mistakenly called it to some people.  I'm not very fluent in "car talk."  : P)  We weren't at all thinking of buying an SUV, but David found this one for such a good deal he couldn't pass it up!  We got it used for $8,800 with 80,000 miles.  It looks brand new on the inside and out, as its previous owner took great care of it.  Ready for some pictures?

We are very happy with it, and I'm so proud of David!  He has put MANY hours into researching cars, trying to find decent ones in our price range that would get good gas mileage and be smart and safe for our family, while also making sure they fit my criteria.  Our taste in cars is a bit different, so we had to give and take a lot.  He also had to deal with my grumbling that we "still haven't settled on a car yet."  When it came down to the finish line, he was looking at a Ford Fusion, a Dodge Caravan, and this Kia.  The first two didn't work out, and THANKFULLY he liked what the Kia had to offer.  It doesn't guzzle gas as much as a van, and it also has better storage space than a car.  Sounds like a winner!

When David came home from buying it he told me, "I'm almost 30 and I just bought my first car.  I've managed to escape it for so long!"  : )  It is pretty surreal to us to have bought a car, and we are so very excited!

Library, Park, and "Fun" Stores--here we come!