I drive about 70 miles to work each day. Round trip that means I drive about 140 miles 4 times a week. In a year, I will put about 29,000 miles on my car. I got good gas mileage on the car I was driving, however, I was about to turn 170,000 and it was time to trade it in.
Sam and I had been talking for some time about getting a newer vehicle. She was looking at vans. We wanted something that we could take on trips, as well as fit both boys, the baby and us! She had a good idea of what she was looking for. With winter just around the corner, we weren’t sure just how many miles we had left on mine, so the search was on.
Last Saturday we found a 2019 Dodge Grand Caravan that fit perfectly within our budget. It took us about 2 hours and we drove off the lot with it. The question then became “Who’s gonna drive it?”
Sam drives a few less miles a day than I do, so she decided to drive the van, and I inherited her car. Prior to getting the van, if we went anywhere, we always took Sam’s car. I usually drove, so I was quite familiar with it. However, now that this car was becoming my ride, I had to adjust a few things.
I always had to put the seat back when I drove. So now the seat is where it needs to be. The mirrors are now adjusted for me. My Autism Awareness and Detroit Tigers magnets are now on the back of this car. I connected my phone to the bluetooth, which is awesome because I can talk hands free now. Finally, I programmed all my radio stations on the radio.
On my old car, I could connect my iPod and it would play the songs on shuffle. Now, the radio guy in me always thinks it is cool when songs that have something in common play back to back. It’s even cooler when different versions of the same song play back to back. And us radio guys think it is extra amazing when an old radio station jingle plays into a song we used to play at that station!
Anyway, I’m driving home this morning and check to see that the iPod will play. The song that plays is True Love by Glen Frey. That is followed by True Love (different song) by Pat Benatar. I’m loving the coincidence when True Love Ways by Buddy Holly follows that! Now that’s really cool, right?! Buddy is followed by True Love Ways by Martina McBride. Now I am a bit freaked out. This is just WAY too weird. Martina is followed by Truly by the Lionel Richie, which is followed by Truly, Madly, Deeply by Savage Garden. It is only after that song begins, that I realize the iPod is playing all the songs in alphabetical order! What a dope!!! Needless to say, I found the “Shuffle” button on the touch screen and can now listen un-alphabetically!
Quick Ella Story
Not too long ago, I stumbled on a video by Daniel Labelle. He is on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. His videos are silly, and hilarious. The one I first saw was “If People Did Everything Agressively.” It was so ridiculous that I had to send it to my best friend, Jeff. He found an “extended” video with even more silliness and sent it to me.
Anyway, this morning, he sends me a new video from this guy – “If People Did Everything in a Rush.” So, I am sitting on the floor and Ella is next to me. I start laughing at the stupidity of this video and she crawls over to me and starts watching it too. The video is looped, so it starts back at the beginning once it is over and keeps playing. The more it played, the more she laughed. These were truly the biggest belly laughs I have heard from her! What did she find so funny? See for yourself…
She cracked up at the garbage can, the lawn mower, the vacuum, and him running toward the camera with the weed whacker! I must have watched this 40 times today just to hear her laugh. Fast forward a couple of hours. Ella woke up from her nap and Sam is out on the living room floor changing her diaper. She gets the diaper off and Ella starts rolling away. I walk out and tell Sam, “You’ve gotta see this! She was laughing so hard at this earlier!” So Ella sits on Sam’s lap and I play the video. She starts to belly laugh, just like earlier. The video loops again and she laughs even more. Then, with no warning at all and in the middle of a belly laugh, she peed all over Sam!
Our little pumpkin sure gives us so much to be happy about! She also provides many laughs and many memories which I am sure we will look back on fondly in the years ahead!
That’s all for now …
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 