The end of an era

In October 2002, as a recent college graduate, and first year teacher to a class of 4th graders in Orem, UT, I found myself in need of a reliable car that could get me to and from work each day. Being single, I was given lots of suggestions to get something cute and sporty. But the practical side of me always wins - my only thought my wanting something that could last through my first 3 kids (ya like that - I was thinking about my kids even before I was married :)! In the end it was a brand new, 2003 Nissan Altima that beat out the rest! While I might have cried in the bathroom of the dealership on the day it became mine, I survived my first big, grown-up purchase! I worked diligently to get it payed off in 4 years (before we even started having kids)! And what a great car it's been - through roommates, dating, close to 9 years of marriage, 5 year of teaching, 4 cross country trips, 3 years of law school, and 3 babies home from the hospital! Funny how cars start to feel like a part of the family.

In 2011 we bought the Odyssey, officially making the Altima Spencer's car. With all the driving he's had to do for work, the Altima quickly packed on the miles and lots of wear and tear.  In the past year or so, we've spent hundreds of dollars trying to keep it in good shape.  But once the Altima started burning through 4 quarts of oil a week, we knew it was time to get a new car.  Luckily Spencer had been doing car shopping for months and knew exactly what he wanted.

We got a good trade in value for my beloved Altima. Then I said my goodbyes in the lot of the Ford Dealership, signed over the title, and the rest is history. I drove back home with the kids, leaving Spencer behind to take care of the rest of the details. A couple hours later he arrived home with his new baby - a 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid!

It was dark when he got home and all the kids were asleep, so I ran outside and let Spencer show me  all the cool features of his new car. With all the hours Spencer spends on the road, I'm so happy that he gets to drive a car that's reliable and gets amazing mpg! The best thing is that Spencer's firm reimburses him for all his mileage.  On his first trip, he averaged 43 miles per gallon - that's almost double what he was getting in the Altima.  Which means more $ in our pockets! His reimbursements will cover the entire car payment, all the gas, and more. That makes me very happy!