Goodbye, My Friend

And now, the time has come to say goodbye to one who has been in the family longer than even the kids.

Jeep, dear, you will be missed by all.

How many times did I beg and plead with John to drive my car to work, so I could drive the Jeep on my day off? How often was I the designated driver, driving home with the top down on a warm summer night? Do you remember the time Lyndsey came to visit, and stayed for a week, and we drove around all the beautiful parts of Austin at midnight, with no top, windows, or doors on Dear Jeep, because it's just good for your soul? How many times have we listened to Yes and the Toadies and the Beatles and yes, the Dixie Chicks while driving to Barton Creek?

Remember when I was very pregnant, and couldn't drive Dear Jeep, because in order to reach the clutch, I had to move the seat up so far that my large belly actually pressed against the steering wheel? Remember the first time Sam rode in the Jeep, with no windows, and laughed the whole way? Remember all the sudden spring rain storms we got caught in, when the top was down, and arrived at our destination drenched but laughing?

Remember how much we hated the stoopid jeep we rented in Hawaii, because it had small tires and a bikini top, and it just wasn't Our Jeep? Remember that I was the first and one of the only females to drive Dear Jeep? Remember how many times I totally got whistled at (in a very innapropriate yet very flattering way) while driving the Jeep by myself?

Good times, good times.

Goodbye, my dear friend, and may we one day be able to rehab you so our kids can have as much fun in you as we have had.

Well, maybe not quite as much fun ...