So the day has come...we are finally selling my very first car and I am SO sad. I know it seems really weird but I love this car and have had soooo many good times in and with it.
When I first started thinking about driving I knew EXACTLY what kind of car I wanted...a silver mitsubishi eclipse...98. When I turned 16 1/2 (the promised age for me to get a car) I immediately got on autotrader and began my search. I found 2 cars that seemed interesting, a white one and a red one. I really liked the white one because for some reason I had this thing about red...even though the red one had the sweetest rims EVER! So after some pleading and begging I convinced my dad to call about the white eclipse. SOLD. I was so bummed. So my dad convinced me to give the red one a shot. We called on it and it was available. We told my mom about it and sadly she said...no. We did not have the money at the time and she was just trying to save me from getting my hopes crushed. Too late. Well my dad decided that he and I would just go take a little sneak peek at it...no harm in that right? :) So we headed off and there it was. Bright shiny red with those shiny rims. The girl selling it was also a cheerleader in high school and we just hit it off. My dad and I both fell in love. I took it for a test drive where I almost got into my first accident...it was rather embarrassing. My dad and I decided that it was the one, but told the owner that we did not have the money right now and to not hold onto for us if somebody else came along. She insisted she would because she wanted me to have it. On our way home my dad took me to the mall and bought me the red star sticker that has proudly stuck onto my rear window for the last 5 years. All of this happened mind you without my mom even knowing. We went home and finally told my mom and she thought it was great, but still didn't know where the money would come from.. So my dad called up my grandma in Connecticut and bless her heart she sent us the money for the car. I remember the day we picked it up like it was yesterday. I had been stuck at work at Pac Sun doing an 8 hour shift. It was almost time for me to be off and my boss told me she needed me to stay late. That 8 hour shift turned into 10 hours...the longest of my life! I was so anxious to get out and go get my car!! I was finally off work and we headed out to get it. There it was...just waiting for me. She handed me the keys and I was the happiest girl on earth. Then we drove to El Polo Loco for some dinner. It was the best day of my young life!!
Since then my car has been and seen many things such as:
- Countless trips to the beach
- Crammed with cheerleaders, cheer boxes, and megaphones...oh those were the days.
- Random trips up and down Sierra with good ol Elliot.
- 2 flat tires (the SAME tire) in the same exact place on my way to Cal State SB.
- Many a Kaiser Day to Jamba Juice.
- 2 pictures in my senior yearbook.
- Many, many, many rockin out sessions with my system blaring.
- Numerous drive in movies (not the best car for that)
- Countless numbers of random adventures with Heather, Jamie Ellis, and Matt Hayes.
- It has been to every ex boyfriend's house I can think of (and they were ALL jealous) :)
- 2 trips to prom...one by me and one by James
- It's very own page in my scrapbook.
- One hot chocolate spill by Dasha..the smell never did go away! haha
- Nearly daily trips to Carls Jr senior year with Dasha and Heather...we parked it in the same exact spot every time too. :)
- One door smashing by Jamie Ellis..thank you again for that :)
- Another door smashing by some random dude at work.
- An uncountable amount of trips to the Ontario Mills (Pac Sun)
- A weekly washing...I loved that car and refused to take it to a car wash!
- 3 trips to and from Utah.
- 1 trip to Ceader City (because it didn't make it past there)
- Another flat tire (same tire again)
- New rims, new tires, new brakes.
- A new water pump, a new radiator, a new timing belt, etc. etc. etc....
- Many days sitting...just sitting...in the snow.
- Lots of trips up and down the Utah canyons.
- One bad hit infront of my house...thank you very much Rav4.
- 1 major breakdown in the Arizona canyon on my way to moving to Utah.
- Blaring many Nsync, Backstreet Boys, and Britney Spears cds...just to be funny.
- Numerous crammings of Brandon, Jimmy, Daunte, and Jeremy.
- A number of trips to get Brandon's hair cut.
- 3 near death experiences with Brandon in one day...1. hitting the wall in the parking garage at the gateway 2. turning right infront of another car (oops) 3. running into the curb.
- 1 red light running the first time I drove McCall and 1 drive over the median (same day)
- Many many many detailings by my wonderful husband.
- A countless number of oil changes and oil fills by my wonderful husband.
- One syrup spill after a wonderful breakfast.
- 2 trips to Manti.
- Countless bottoming outs...the front is low...real low.
- A new nickname by Daunte....the rocket ship.
- A new nickname by the kids I nanny...Lightning McQueen.
- Numerous trips to the Children's Museum with the kids...(surprisingly the car seats DO fit!)
- A number of muddy shoes, lollipop sticks, spilled drinks, and more by the kids I nanny (good thing it's all cleanable!)
- Numerous questions about the antenna by Theo.
- And so many, many more things....
This car has carried all of my best friends and seen some great days and times. Sadly it is on its last leg and is too expensive to keep around. Back in the day when I used to haul around all of my cheerleader friends they named my car Barbie...I feel as though it was rather fitting. Barbie WILL be missed terribly.
Beyond all of the amazing memories I have in this car, I think the thing that makes me most sad about giving it up is the fact that it is the one last thing I have to hold onto that connects me to my Grandma Sobotka who is no longer with us and I never really had the chance to know. When she passed away the one thing all her little old lady friends told me was "Your grandma always talked about you and that little red car she bought you." I love that wonderful lady.
I guess it's true what they say....we all gotta grow up sometime and let go of the past. My car has brought me some WONDERFUL memories that I will never ever forget...but I guess for now it is time to grow up and be responsible and get something that is not going to die on us tomorrow...
Time for her to be somebody else's pride, joy, and favorite treasure...
Cute.
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