So Long Green Lantern...You served us well

Yesterday we bought a new van. It looks like our current Supervan...it is also a Dodge Grand Caravan. It is however 5 years newer and my favorite color, RED! We got a very nice deal on it from a very honest and reputable salesman (when our former Bishop/current Stake President was there "just to chat" when we returned from the test drive, we believed him when he said the guy was honest).

Why the need for 2 vans you ask? My Geo Prizm/ the green car aka. The Green Lantern has officially died. Ryan was driving it home from church a month or 2 ago and the engine "blew up" in the no fire way but the lots of black smoke and no longer working way. It has needed a new transmission for a long time. When we moved to Colorado it started acting weird causing us to turn around and attach a dolly to the back of the moving truck for the Green Lantern--at the time our one and only vehicle. The transmission was going out and it needed to be replaced way back then.

Needless to say we have had it parked in front of the house since before Christmas wondering what we should do with it. Donate it. That is our conclusion. But before it goes I wanted to wish it a fond farewell with some great memories.

I bought the Geo, Lucy, as I called her back then right after I graduated from college in 98. It was a 96 and had only 25,000 miles on it. She and I went through many a Salt Lake City commute together. The name really never stuck and when I moved to Island Park in 99 everyone started calling it the Green Car. I know real original, but it had a personality to it and it was said with lots of affection since it was one of the few vehicles we had access too.

While in Island Park Gertie, Tammy and I used to take it for drives and listen to the radio REALLY LOUD. Whenever we heard Livin' La Vida Loca we would stop the car, get out and have a little dance party right where we were. It also took us on many a midnight run to "West" for late night snacks after we got off work.

When I started dating Ryan, we took the geo on several trips to Arizona to meet his family, for Nick's wedding then to Oregon for Trent's wedding after we got married. We loved that little car and I tried as hard as I could to teach Ry how to drive a stick...

It served us well all through ISU, living close enough for Ry to walk to school if needed so we could still live with only one vehicle. When we moved to Colorado we took her with us...you heard that part already.

The students on Ry's yearbook made him a Green Lantern symbol the first semester he was there, he put it in the back window and the name stuck. Soon after we found out we were pregnant with Luke. Try as we might we could NOT fit a third car seat in the back of that car. So we went shopping, found the Supervan and it officially became Ryan's car.

We have had that car for 12 years. It is the first car I ever bought. The only car I owned all by myself, even if it was for only a couple years.

I am really sad about letting it go. I feel like a piece of me is being thrown out too. My RED van makes me feel better, even if it is a van. Someday I won't need such a large vehicle...in like 18 years. Maybe my next car can be an SUV and I can graduate from the minivan.

"Not on a teachers salary."