Lucy and Eva – Bitter Sweet

Last weekend, Chris and I traded in my long time car and friend Lucy and brought home our new ride Eva.  We had been looking for a vehicle that would drive us into the next stage of our lives for a while and when we finally found the right one, we went for it.  But the experience wasn’t without it’s heartache. 

Lucy, my green Pontiac Grand Am, had been my car since I was 17.  She and I had a lot of fun over the years we spent together.  She drove me through many good times and many rough times in my life.  She was always there for me.  I always tried to take as good of care of her as she did of me.  Some of my favorite memories with Lucy are tired to a bottle of Pine Sol, a can of Coke, and a spider. 



Lucy!  My first car - I still remember the day my Daddy and I went and picked her out :-)



One time I forgot a bottle of Pine Sol in Lucy’s trunk.  It was the summer and the bottle busted.  At first my car spelled nice and I didn’t really connect to two… I had no idea the bottle had busted.  But over time the spell got stronger and stronger.  I finally figured out what the problem was and cleaned out the remains of the Pine Sol bottle.  But by then, the smell was so strong in my sweet Lucy that I had to ride with the windows down for almost a week before the smell subsided!

Another memory I have with Lucy is when I thought I was shot.  Yep, SHOT!  I was driving down the road and talking on the phone to my big sister and I heard a loud bang, just like a gun shot.  I screamed because it startled me.  I pulled over and felt something warm and sticky on the back of my neck and head.  I actually told my sister that I thought I must have been shot.  But then I figured I couldn’t still be talking on the phone if I was shot so I started looking for another source of the big bang and stickiness.  I smelled the sticky mess and realized it was Coke.  Then I remembered the Coke I had left unopened in the backseat cup holder.  The warm weather and bumpy road had caused the can to explode!  Poor Lucy!  I spent the rest of the weekend cleaning up her interior from the sticky remains of the Coke.

Once a friend of mine and I were driving to the beach and a little spider crawled across the front windshield.  We both started screaming like girls do.  Luckily we were at a red light so the card was stopped.  We didn’t know what to do so we started swatting at the spider.  I hit the spider, killing him.  The only problem was I used the back of my hand.  I wasn’t swatting hard… I couldn’t get much force due to the angle I was at but my ring cracked Lucy’s front windshield.  The spider died and I am just lucky my hand didn’t go all the way through the windshield!

Lucy was the best first car a girl could ask for.  She drove me away from hurt and towards happiness.  She even introduced me to my husband… in a strange sort of way.  Lucy was always very reliable.  I was driving home after visiting my parents for the holidays.  When I was about 4 hours away from home, I stopped to have dinner with a friend and her husband.  As I pulled into the restaurant, Lucy started smoking – a lot!  It turns out her radiator had blown.  I had to spend the weekend in town with my friend and her husband while Lucy was repaired.  That weekend, Chris came over to play cards and the rest is history. 

I will miss Lucy and all of the wonderful adventures we had but I will always have the memories.  I hope and pray that Lucy finds happiness in her next owner and spends the remaining days of her life on the road where she was most happy and free.  I hope they take good care of her and have amazing adventures together.  I know it is silly to think of a car as a living friend but that’s part of who I am and Lucy will always be my friend… my first car.

Trading in Lucy was bitter sweet.  I said goodbye to a good friend but I met a new friend who will drive Chris and I into our future.  We had been looking at larger SUVs for some time and had decided that the Buick Enclave was the car for us.  We searched and searched and couldn’t find the perfect car. Then on Saturday we found Eva.  She is a 2009 chocolate brown Buick Enclave with tan leather interior.  We drove 3 hours to pick her up and after a week of her being ours… she was totally worth the long drive.  She has everything we wanted.  It’s kind of crazy to think that this will be our family car for the next decade.  This is the car we will hopefully move forward in life in.  I see Eva and I see the vehicle we will drive our first baby home from the hospital in.  I see the vehicle we will take family vacations in and trips to church and soccer practice.  Another great aspect of Eva is that Chris, the girls (Koda and Precious), and I can enjoy the more space and amenities of Eva now!

Eva! Our new vehicle and the first big purchase that has both Chris and my name on it!  Kind of exciting! :-)

Chris named her Eva because she has a nice tan and a big rear!



I look forward to getting to know Eva and making memories with her.  I have a feeling we are going to be great friends.  I know many adventures await us!