New car

We bought a car last week!  Well, actually, Chris shopped, negotiated, hunted down and found a car for us last week.  We got a 2011 Toyota sienna.  Yes, Yes, I know that some of you think that buying a car like that is un-cool, but really, I mean, we are talking about me here.  Did I ever hold hopes of being cool?  Naw, and there is something truly magical about telling your kids to get in the car, pushing two buttons and knowing that the doors will open, my kids will gleefully get into the magical car and wait patiently for me to catch up.  Then, with the touch of a button at my seat, those same doors will close, no fuss.  To hell with 'cool'. 

No more struggling, no more squishing and lifting to get our kids or lifting those dumb car seats over our heads to get them in or out.  We have ROOM!  Everywhere!  And the thing drives like a dream.  The other day I snatched the chance to go drive it around alone and found myself needing to do some sharp turns.  So, with an internal groan, I cranked the wheel sure that I was going to have to do an 80 point turn when.... It turned.  I mean really turned.  What a car that size has business doing turns that sharp, I will never quite know.  But who cares?  I started giggling and were there not people about would have gone for a few wheelies or doughnuts or something.  The thing is awesome.  

It is also my first car.  Actually, I suppose that it is the family car, but for all intents and purposes, it will be mine.  Which is a big deal.  I have never owned a car.  Chris bought me a car.  Chris is the best.

Oh, also, side note.  It was exceptionally validating when we went to sign papers and the loan manager started asking for advice on home finance.  The thing is, we had enough to pay for it up front, but decided to do the minimal loan, just to diversify some of our credit.  The guy pulled up Chris's credit score and it came back really high.  The guy was saying hours later when we came to get the car, almost shell shocked still, 'you just don't see guys so young with that kind of credit score.'  Chris promised to send him the spread sheet that we now do our family budgeting on with an explanation of how to use it.  Chris is a nice guy.  He actually e-mailed this random person the depersonalized excel file and a three page explanation of how to use it.  I hope it works out for him.