New year, new car!

In November 2011, Jeff got a new car... 93' BMW.  He loved that car almost as much as he loves me. :) 

We made a lot of memories in that car. It served us well and brought a lot of happiness. 

It survived a long trip from Texas to Washington. 

It was our only car when we moved to Seattle. 

It didn't have too many mechanical problems, but I do remember that the cooling system didn't work well and the car would overheat if stuck in traffic long.  I remember being pregnant and pulling over to the side often to let it cool down.  This was before I had a smart phone and only had baby kicks to entertain myself. 

It was the car we brought Brielle home in.  I vividly remember that car ride home. The car seat barely fit in the back. Until we bought a second car, we would squish back there to get her buckled up.

We would meet Jeff on his way home from work.  We would jump in and sit on his lap while he parked. 

And then we'd add another child to the fun! 

Brielle loved the car and every red car became "dad's car." 

And then it happened. 

Before we left on our Christmas break, the car wouldn't start.  It had some other issues that needed to be fixed if we wanted to sell it.  We debated through the break about what to do. 

We decided to donate the car to a charity and forgo the hassle of fixing it and selling it.  And Jeff decided pretty quick the exact car he wanted to replace it....

A 2015 Mazda 3! 

I was hesitant getting a brand new car.  I'm a believer in used cars. :) But I enjoyed the idea of getting a car with no maintenance issues for a long time. :) It didn't take much convincing for me to get on board when I saw how excited Jeff was about it. And I wanted him to get a nice car to drive in to work since he works so hard to provide for us. 

We went to the dealership and Jeff told the guy he wanted it right when we got there.  That doesn't make it too hard to haggle on price, does it? Jeff took it on a test drive, but I think he would have bought it right then without driving it. ha.  

Jeff worked out the details while I watched the girls.  I have to admit it was one of the craziest nights of my life watching both girls in a dealership for 2 hours.  They were all over the place and in everyone's way! 

Here's Brielle making sure the paperwork looks right:

Jeff loves red cars. He was beaming all night:

Since we bought it, we've been getting to know what all the various controls do.  His favorite part of the dash is the touch screen.  

My favorite part of the car is the music. It has a great sound system, and the screen shows what song is playing on the radio along with the artist.  Wow, who knew that existed! 

I already know I'm going to be the first to get a ticket in the car.  I am zipping around all over the place.  I have been driving it at night after the girls are in bed.  I can honestly say that I "crave" driving the car.  I didn't know that was possible, but it is!

I feel quite spoiled and blessed to have a brand new car.  I honestly feel a little silly driving it around, knowing it is brand new and can't wait to get the license and tags so it isn't so conspicuous. :) But what a blessing it is to have a hard-working husband who provides such luxury! ha ha. When I tell Jeff these things, he reminds me it is just a basic model. ha! 

Out with the old, in with the new! 

The day came when we had to say goodbye. The charity came to tow it away. 

What memories will this new car bring? Can't wait to see!