Keep on Rollin'...

I reached a milestone today.  Or, my car reached a milestone today.

I bought her when she had 57,000 miles.  When I'd had her for 5 days, driven her seven times, and she had 57,223 miles on her, a kid ran a red light and smashed into her.  And me.  I mean, I was driving her at the time (it's not like she was out on the town on her own or anything).  

I don't have pictures of that dark time in her existence.  But suffice it to say that the whole front end of the driver's side was smooshed, crunched, kaput.   Six weeks later and a $9000 payout from the other guy's insurance, she was good as new.

And the good times sure did roll.  I tried to see if I could account for those 43,000 miles I've put on her since I've had her.   Some biggies stand out.

Washington state to Chicago and back with my sister via Mt. Rushmore, larger-than-life sculptures of prairie dogs, buffalo, and roosters, hours upon hours of crazy 20 questions, torrential rainstorms, and miles upon miles upon miles of cornfields.

Scores of weekend trips to explore exciting places like...the wilds of Western Nebraska and...

  

....Kansas City for Babycakes (the heavenliest cupcakes you ever did eat).

She traversed countless times across the Pacific Northwest visiting family, friends, the ocean, etc.  Long story short, this car and I have been through some good, good times.

Anyhow, as I was thinking about all that has transpired in my fabulous little car, I had the following thought:

What would I have said if someone had told me that naive day in June of 2006 when I handed over the moolah, that 5 years later I would be living in the middle of Nebraska slogging my way through a PhD program.

At the time, I was speech therapizing it up in the wilderness of Washington State having a darn good time doing my own little thing.  I knew Nebraska existed, was "somewhere in the middle", but had no inkling that I had then or ever would have any kind of personal connection to it.  Let alone have lived there for three years by the time I'd owned my car for 5 years.

I do believe I might have reacted something like this.

Or thought something like this.

Who'da thunk it.  Surely, not I.

But, glad to have my little car with me all along the way.  Who knows where we'll be 5 years from now.

*note:  Although I tried in vain to drum up a name for my beloved little car for the first little while after I purchased her, it turns out I don't think she has one.  I do know, however, she is female, responds well to encouraging pats on her dashboard and purrs like a kitten when called, "Sweetie". 

*another note:  As you can see, per the odometer, it was 93 degrees...in Nebraska....on April 8th.  Sheesh.