Our New Baby

Bryant and I have officially become grown ups. No, we aren't having a child. No, we didn't adopt a puppy. And no, we didn't buy a house. But we did do something this past weekend that made us feel like real adults...we bought a car!!!

We are now the proud owners of a 2010 Volkswagen Jetta and I am in love. Bryant and I will shamelessly tell you that she's our "baby" :)

Isn't she purdy? :)

Bryant and I had been in desperate need of a new car for a long time. And let me tell you, when I say DESPERATE NEED, I am absolutely not exaggerating!! Prior to buying our little Jetta, we had only one functioning car and another one that was a safety hazard that sat in front of our house for "decoration" (the brakes no longer function and all the tires need replacing, all of which would cost more than the value of the car). The car that we use on a daily basis is the vehicle that I have driven since I was 15 years old and it was passed down to me for free from my grandfather. While it was a luxury car in it's day (boy did I feel cool as a little girl cruising with my Papa), my 1994 Buick Regal is no longer working as it should. It's 17 years old...who could blame her?!! Bui (as I affectionately call her) now has to be turned on with a switch underneath the hood every time we need to start the car. Let me say that again...EVERY TIME!!! The whole process goes something like this: unlock the car, pop the hood, flip the switch underneath the hood, close the hood, get in the car, put the key in the ignition and start the car. The ghetto switch has grown on us this past year, but Bryant and I are a little tired of cutting our fingers on the switch almost every day. Not to mention that people think we are super cool when they see us popping our hood all around our itty, bitty college town.

So, now you can see why we were waaayyy past due for a reliable vehicle. Since we already had plans to be in Spokane for the Labor Day weekend, we decided it was the perfect time to squeeze in some car shopping. We had been talking about it for months and it was about time we bit the bullet!

We went to only one dealership and then...voila, we found our car! Ok, ok. It really wasn't that simple. We did indeed go to only one dealership, but we spent 4.5 hrs there looking at cars, doing a test drive, negotiating prices, calling my parents, feeling nauseous because of the amount of money we were about to spend, and feeling overall panicked at the thought that we were really going to do this. I'm sure some of you are thinking, "What's the big deal? It's just a car!" Well, Bryant and I are very intentional about how we spend our money. We prioritize family and travel...those are the two things that matter most to us. We don't own a house, we don't have fancy things, and half of the furniture in our home doesn't even belong to us! But we've traveled and the memories that we've made on those trips are some of my absolute favorites.

Together in Venice...one year after we started dating :)

Anyway, I've digressed...back to buying the car. It truly was an arduous process, but in the end, we are really proud that we bought a car all by ourselves. No parents. No siblings. Just me and Bryant making a decision together. I was terrified that I would have 'buyer's remorse' after making such a big purchase, but I didn't (and still don't!). In fact, Bryant and I were like giddy five year olds who couldn't stop smiling and giggling as we drove our little Jetta off the lot. And I know that I'm not going to regret the purchase at all when I slip into those leather heated seats come winter time :)

Bryant and I with our baby the night we got her

Yep, we're officially growing up. Sometimes that thought makes me cringe, but most of the time I find joy in the fact that I am maturing and navigating through life. And I feel pretty darn lucky that I get to do all of this growing up with my favorite person by my side :)

P.S. If you see a silver Jetta cruising down the street with the sun roof open, the windows rolled down, and a blonde girl inside smiling from ear to ear, you should wave...because chances are it's me :)