my love affair

meet him.

our new gently used 1999 ford focus

he's great

he has taken us from point a 

to point b

and some sightseeing in between

there was a slight problem
between us though

he was a stick

and i had to get use to that

in my driving experience

 it probably would have been easier to drive on the left side of the road

we went on a few dates

chaperoned of course

you never leave young love/lust unattended 

it could be dangerous

and after the elders

eh-em kenneth

trusted us

we were free 

to be alone

of course we were both nervous 

but you have to try it at least once

it was a day like no other

we went from point a to point b

without any problems

and back again

ok i admit he stalled out once or twice

but he's an old man....

and just when i thought i was falling in love

there she was

his engine wasn't even cooled off yet

she looked rough

covered in dried salt water

but she was here

and she was my automatic!

 suddenly i forgot about him

hello friend!

i wanted to run and hug her

but they wouldn't let me

they insisted they clean her up first

i didn't care. i would have taken her as is.

after a few hours of 

impatiently waiting

she was 'official'

european tags and all

isn't this a beautiful sight!

and we were together

again

as the nice italian man filled her tank

i spoke sweet nothings into her steering column

i promised to never leave her

to take her wherever i go

and that we would be the best of friends

be-poppin' around italy

now 

i know,

like any good relationship

we will have our fights

and disagreements

but i always have him

in the background

waiting to continue our love affair.

love love love from italy.

thankful thursday:gps

it's a little silly

i know

to be thankful for a gps

but let me tell you

after one day of house hunting

i am extremely

indept to our borrowed garmin

our gps is tucked away in our household goods

a tip for anyone who is pcsing soon

do not ship your gps!

housing office does have many gps

to loan out

however

with your own gps

you can start

plugging in your

favorite locations

like how to find the main gate.

today

our garmin

has been used and abused.

i feel sorry for her

however,

she is still talking to me

i think her favorite words are "recalculating route"

happy thursday ya'll!

love from aviano.

Hello Autobahn....

meet the newest member of our family....

our new volkswagen golf (aka as the rabbit) we call her v-dubbs, betsy, peni (european..get it) frankly we haven't settled on a name yet. suggestions welcomed.

 we sold our american cars and purchased this nice european cruiser. another way we are preparing for a complete change in lifestyle

a brief history of the golf/rabbit

it is a small family car that was first manufactured in 1974.

it has had many names such as the Rabbit (USA and Canada), the Caribe (Mexico), and the Golf (European)

the golf is Volkswagen's best-selling model and the world's third best-selling model!!

a photo montage of the golf through the years:

the first golf...

  late 80's early 90's

 late 90's early 00's

and the current model 

so why is the golf perfect for us????

*it's a hatchback which means seats fold flat for optimal doggie space

*the golf/rabbit has a long history in my family....my mimi owned two my father owned one, so it is only natural....

*it will fit on the italian road ways nicely...

*did i mention it has a digital read out in km per hour! (no speeding tickets for me! which i am quite proud to say i am 26 and have NEVER received a speeding ticket!)

and we have already started to make it ours! 

so as our departure date gets closer this begins one of many hellos we will encounter on our adventure!

our first picture in our new european ride :)

going to buy me a mercury and cruise it up and down the road...

i admired her from a far.

at the time i was driving a ford focus and she would sit by the service station just smiling at me.

for me, it was love at first site. 

isn't she a beauty.

then she was mine.

may 2007, kenneth surprised me with her in my garage.

today i say goodbye to her and it's the first of many goodbyes for me.

and for those who really know me, you know I don't handle goodbyes well at all!!

so before i hand over the keys, i felt i should share with you a few of the many things i love about her.

keypad entry: a must when you marry a man who is notorious for locking keys in the car

i think we used the keypad entry as often as we put it in drive.

heated seats. :)

even in the summer, the heat felt great on a sore back

the plates are faded. six years ago when i married kenneth this was the first thing i can remember him buying for me. they have been with me since. the new owner requested they stay with the car because she is an air force wife.

air force wife

another sentimental gift kenneth had made. dad, mom, boz, admiral, and sweet bazil (with the halo, waiting for us at the rainbow bridge)

our family

another gift from kenneth when i graduated with my undergrad that will stay with the car. the new owner is an ou alum as well

sooner born and sooner bred

so as i say goodbye to my "perfect" car i know that she is in good hands. her new owner states "it's like the car was made for me" i know that is how i felt when i saw my mariner for the first time.

so glad she was my mercury.