Yesterday was a momentous day -- after 15 long, happy years together, Jason said a tearful goodbye to his old friend, the Green Monster. In some ways, it was a ceremonious end to an era. We went for the tried-and-true bandaid removal method: get the painful part over as quickly as possible. 5 hours of car test-driving and shopping later, and it was done -- with a little goodbye kiss, we said farewell to Jason's trusty truck.
Oh the places they had been and the things they had seen! Learning to drive in the Twin Cities, accidents near the MN State Fair, trips to the cabin, tooling around Appleton during college, back and forth from the midwest to Boulder CO and up into the mountains during grad school, not to mention infestations by a variety of rodents, being packed to the gills with wedding gifts and household items during cross-country and cross-town moves -- Jason and his truck had been through many life changes together.
But 125K miles later, Jason's truck had definitely seen better days, and it just didn't seem safe for toting and carrying our new precious cargo. Don't be mistaken, however: our new car is certainly not an upgrade -- you can't get any better than the 2-door SUV wonder that was the 1996 forest green Ford Explorer that brought us back and forth to so many of our best memories. Thanks for the good times, beloved car. We'll never forget you.
OMG, this brought tears to my eyes. I can't forget that great old SUV saving Sam, Bridgie, Fred and I as we drove down and then backward on the road to the cabin during a tornado. And moving Jason into and out of his dorm at Lawrence ce. The great 1300 mile road trip with Bridgie (Jason was in Oakville with Dad) from the cities to Iowa to the cabin, where we had to have the axle fixed and back. Half of Jason's life took place with that vehicle and it almost never let us down. I hope the new car does as well - and will provie many cherished memories for the Hanna-McNamara family.
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