Out with the old...

This summer has seen the demise of several key items in our family. First of all... the jogging stroller.

I got this double jogger when I first started to run and we had just moved to Holladay. Savannah was 5 and Emmaline was 3. They were such motivators for me because they loved to bring along those handheld pinwheels and yell "Faster, Mama" if they thought I was going too slow. It was also great training for me since they weren't very light to push! I've loved that stroller and it has continued to work hard for me as I run with Tucker and Oliver. But alas, it's glory days are over. At the beginning of the summer the hand brake broke off, but I didn't worry since I never use that anyway. But by the end of the summer, the front wheel broke off as well. It was really hard to find one to replace it. I tried to newer versions and hated them and was finally able to find an almost identical one on ebay. Here's hoping it will last 8 years! Kidding- my babies are growing up faster than that.

Second- the Mazda MPV. Almost as old as the stroller, the old mini-van blasted through it's second transmission this summer. This time the computer went out which made the transmission misfire. Since it's only been a couple of years since I replaced the old transmission and the car itself probably wasn't worth the $4000.00 + to fix it... we decided to retire it. But, as you probably know- I HATE making big purchases. I labor over them and re-think and have terrible buyer's remorse. This time, I figure I probably cost us at least $2000.00 by taking so long to make a decision. First of all, Tyler and I couldn't agree on what kind of car to buy. Since he now has a small car, this car needed to be something he wasn't completely embarrassed to drive since we'd have to drive it where the family went. That cut out the minivan. And I really HATE driving huge SUV's. I'm kind of a small person (*wink*) and I really don't feel safe driving something really big. Anyway, by the time I finally decided what I really wanted was a Honda Pilot (much to Tyler's chagrin- but with Consumer Report's nod) used car prices had sky rocketed. I guess "Cash for Clunkers" decimated the used car inventory, but since people still want used cars- prices have gone up. Oh well- the struggle is over and I bought a white 2004 Pilot with gray leather interior. And I'm happy about it! (Maybe the struggle made that more possible?)

And last... but certainly not least...

Can you read that sign? It says "Donate Your No Longer Needed and Useless Glasses." After 16 years, I am free of glasses! I had LASIK eye surgery. It was fantastic. For any of you that have glasses, remember that feeling when you first got them and looked around and realized that you could see leaves on trees from far away? That's how I feel all the time. I look at stuff that is really far away and think, "I can't believe I can see that!" Seconds after I had the surgery, Dr. Phil told me to look over at Tricia and Tyler (who were in the waiting room) and I could see them! And before I left the office, I could see well enough to pass the vision test for a driver's license (shhh- I haven't been able to do that in a long time, they just pass me because they see that I have glasses.). Really great! Kind of hard to get used to seeing myself with no glasses, but absolutely worth it.