Doing our Part to Save the "Big Three"

It is a universal truth that I have the best husband in the world. In addition to giving his wife a fruitcake for Christmas (baked by Monks and aged in brandy for 6 months), he gave me this late Christmas gift: I now introduce you to the newest member of the Marshall Family: "Mari Marshall".

Yes, I am in the habit of personifying my vehicles by naming them. And since vehicles are inherently female, I named the 2009 Mercury Mariner Hybrid "Mari." One of my many endearing/mental quirks, I know.

Jason and I are super-excited about owning our very first brand new vehicle. We are usually the type of people who let the rich people take the hit in depreciation. We are more than happy to buy their used car left-overs. However, we have a friend at Ford who gave us a pin number to buy a brand new vehicle at a "friends and family" discount. Couple that with the tax break from getting a hybrid, we were in! So, after saving money for a few YEARS, we finally had enough for a good down payment. (I am also excited that we are buying American, and maybe saving the environment in a small way, at the same time.)

Now, I HAVE to brag about all the bells and whistles. Aside from getting over 30-35 miles to the gallon, we now have Microsoft Sync. I love the navigation and the ability to "command" the vehicle to "Call Mom" and the computer dials my mom, or whomever I want to talk to. I can also order Mari to change the radio station, find a location, etc. If only Mari changed diapers, I could die happy. We are now awaiting the dual DVD headrests, which we also got on a discount.

I sure hope this car holds up since we will not be getting another one, new or used, for another 10 years.

Our 2000 Nissan Pathfinder a.k.a "Pathie" is being relegated to being the vehicle for a colonel's teenage son. I find it humorous that my once pride and joy is now deemed only good enough for a teenager. I'll miss Pathie. I brought 2 children home in her. Jason did the "drive for life" to the hospital when Megs wanted to make a quick appearance, in her. He used to take this trusty SUV on tank trails at Ft. Lewis. I'm getting sad now!