The Green Machine ready to sell

 

Goodbye Zoom Zoom

You might think we are saying goodbye to a family pet... instead I am saying goodbye to our minivan we have had the last 9 years... How silly to have emotions, sadness, doubt (was it really time?) over a car. But that car was literally a chapter in our lives- that has now passed. We bought it when the kids were 7/9 yrs old because we needed a car that easily held two of our kids, and 2 or more of other people's kids... and a couple dogs. We needed a vehicle to be able to go on camping trips with Camp Fire, across the country on summer road trips, and be able to bring a cooler, Nate's boogie board, and a hoard of stuff from Trader Joe's back to Texas. That car went places. California, Colorado, and all the states in between. The beach, the mountains, the desert. The Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Roswell, Estes Park, Guadalupe Mountains/Carlsbad Caverns. In Texas alone, that car has been from El Paso to South Padre Island! That car held Camp Fire kids going camping, on field trips, and to sell Camp Fire Candy in downtown Austin. That car went through puberty with those kids! Kelsey learned to drive in that car, and took her first "real road trip" alone with friends to San Antonio/Six Flags in that car. We took Cody for his last car ride in that car.

Zoom Zoom was not just a car-- it was a scrapbook on wheels. It was full of momentos, memories, big and little moments in our lives. Silly things, sad things. We listened to many stories on CD in that car. We rocked out to many songs in that car.We talked about nothing and we talked about everything. We grew up.

Now my kids are 16/18-- Kelsey has her own car and doesn't have much interest in going anywhere with us. Nate is working on his drivers license and as soon as he gets that, I imagine there will be few trips together anymore. The van was just sitting there-- unused, but not unloved. We passed Zoom Zoom off to another family last night. Their kids are 2 and 4. I hope they have as many adventures in that car as we did.

And so we end-- The mini van years.

Family Pictures May 2012