After so many setbacks and disappointments, things are finally settling into a good place for me. I don't want to be complacent, because I know situations can change without warning (as they have several times in the past few years), but I am cautiously optimistic.

Things are going well at work, which is a very good thing. I'm consistently one of the top producers in my department, which of course pleases this Leo. I've always been a little competitive. I've been making bonus every month since I was hired on permanently. It's so nice to not constantly worry about money for a change. That's a new thing for me.

I finally took the plunge and replaced the last big thing that needed upgrading: my car. The Santa Fe served me pretty well, but was teetering toward an expensive repair so I decided that money would be better put to use toward a newer car. I decided on the Kia Soul, after a couple of my friends bought them and said good things about them. I started looking at used Souls (and that conjures a few interesting images in my head), but the cars available that had the features I wanted were only a couple thousand less than a new one, so I figured I might as well look at new cars, too. New cars come with a nice long warranty, for one thing, and I wouldn't have to worry about how it was treated by a previous owner.

I went to the Kia dealer on Sunday and test drove a pretty green Soul, which I promptly fell in love with. They had just gotten her in a couple hours before, so she was brand-spanking-new. Five miles on the odometer! So I took a deep breath and started the process to buy her. I picked her up after work yesterday, and squeed all the way home. She's so pretty! And shiny, and new, and full of fun new features like a backup camera and Blue Tooth connectivity! The guy at the dealership showed me all the controls and how they worked, and connected my phone. I can listen to my podcasts in the car now! Whee!



I haven't settled on what her name is yet, but I'm leaning toward "Fern." I want to drive her around a bit and get to know her before I decide for sure. Ferns are one of my very favorite things.

I'm looking forward to all the places we'll go, and the adventures we'll have together.

I'm getting the Santa Fe. I don't think I'll do better, and I'm really tired of not having a car. I got the Carfax, talked to my insurance agent, set things in motion. I'll be picking her up Saturday morning, just in time to get buried by another snowstorm. Whee!

I'm equal parts excited and nervous. It's been a few years since I've had a car payment, and even more years since I bought a used car. Everyone I know who's had a Santa Fe has loved it. And, heated seats. I am so looking forward to being warm.

I'll be able to drive myself to Brushwood, and perhaps stop in Geneseo on the way. I won't have to worry every time I go somewhere farther away than the grocery store. I can go to Blue Hills to hike if I want to. Or the Arboretum. I've been limiting myself more and more as more things go wrong with the Elantra.

Freedom! That's what having a reliable vehicle means to me. It's been a while since I've had that feeling. I'm looking forward to it.

\o/

I put out a plea on Facebook the other day for someone to take me car shopping, and my friend Pam answered the call. We went to a place I found on the BBB website (natch) that is nearby.

( At the dealership )

Then we stopped at Five Guys because I promised to buy lunch, and by then we were starving. It was my first time there, and I give it a thumbs-up. Tasty burger, and the small fries were too much for the two of us to finish. Go there with an appetite!

We stopped at Trader Joe's to pick up a few things afterward, and as I was checking out, the cashier handed me a bunch of roses and said, "Happy Valentine's Day!" They were giving out all the leftovers. What a nice surprise!

At Pam's, I did a couple loads of laundry while her dog repeatedly tried to climb on top of me and kiss me. We potted up a few plant cuttings she had for me, so now I have green growing things in my apartment! And I have clean laundry, and fresh food, and the prospect of a new(er) car. So huge thanks to Pam.

It was a very long day, and I actually was still asleep when my mom called me at about 8:30 this morning, which is highly unusual. I'm usually up at the crack of dawn, or before. I guess I needed it!

It's beautifully sunny out this morning, and not so windy, so I'll get out and have a nice walk sometime today.

( Musings on rambling. )

So, yesterday I started to head out to shop for a new laptop, and my car died before I even got out of the driveway. Well, crap. This morning I finally got through to AAA to get her towed to the garage, where they told me she was out of oil and things looked grim. It would be expensive to fix, and at her age and mileage, wouldn't be worth it. "Time to go car shopping," he said. Double crap. I was hoping to be able to save up a bit more before I had to do that.

*sigh*

They're doing an oil change, which will get me home, but he advised me not to drive her. I've arranged for rides with coworkers until I can get new(er) wheels, and I'll have to go car shopping. I've already found a couple places on the BBB website that look promising, and are fairly close by. Wish me luck!

I knew this was going to happen sooner or later, but I was hoping it would be later. We've had a good run: 14 years and 189,000 miles. I'll miss the old gal. She's been the best car I've ever owned. I had her longer than the previous three put together!

On the laptop front, however, things look rather rosier. My fairy godparents offered me their spare, backup MacBook, which is the exact one I wanted but couldn't afford, even a used one. It's a heckuva lot newer than the old G5, so it'll be able to run the latest software. Yay! That makes me very happy. And relieved. And hey, I can use the money I would've spent on a laptop towards the new wheels.

Weatherbug is telling me about severe thunderstorm warnings. Um, no kidding! The pounding rain and booming thunder is directly overhead. They're also warning me about flooding. Sheesh! I don't remember having this many days of thunderstorms this early in the season before.

If you love Mini Coopers and SmartCars, check out Tiny Cars! They're so adorable!

The rain pounding on the roof makes me want to curl up in bed with a book. Or something. Certainly not work. *g*

Wow... I hope the bridge doesn't wash away before I get home!