Well, it has been a crazy six weeks since we returned from our summer fling in DC.
Dishmania in Dallas
Right before we left, Elysa and I made a quick trip down to Dallas to celebrate my grandmother’s 80th birthday. It was so quick that with an unexpected five hour delay and an additional flight cancellation, we actually spent more time traveling than we did awake in Dallas! Delta received a nasty letter after our bags were lost for two days after repeated assurances that our bags were mere hours away from delivery. Delta, you are on notice!
Despite difficult disservices, Delta didn’t damper Dallas’ diversions (Very good! Can you say, “Titus the tailor told ten tall tales to Titania the titmouse?”). After spending the morning with Eldie and Sam, we spent part of the afternoon shopping and part with catching up with my Aunt Kessa (Her real name is Jessica, but you try saying “Jessica” when you are two years old. It stuck.) and her family.
The highlight of the event was our celebration that evening. We went downtown to the top floors of one of the skyscrapers of the Dallas skyline to the swanky Petroleum Club, one of the most fun dining experiences in Dallas. The food, dancing and company were all exquisite! I think everyone agreed that we needed to do that more often.
Sweet Home Charlottesville
After returning from Dallas, Elysa and I packed up our trusty Ford Focus and headed back to C’ville. It turned out that while in DC we accumulated a few more items than we estimated. The high- (or low-point) of the process found Elysa sitting on a hotel baggage cart surrounded by the last load scattered on the parking garage floor while I am grumbling something about being mistaken about the relationship between packing and Hell. I thought that packing was Hell, but it turns out that, based on the temperature of the parking garage, you can actually pack in Hell. The car was almost completely full and the only way I could fit anything else in was to shut all the doors, roll down the windows and start stuffing in the gaps while slowly rolling up the windows. At that moment, Elysa said “I wish there was something I could do to help” to which I replied, “You’re not complaining and that is the best thing you could do right now!” We had a good laugh.
The Master Packer (Yes, I have self-crowned myself, but only after several amazing feats of skill and strength. If you have a problem with it, tough…. This is my blog after all) proved victorious yet again, getting everything in the car, minus one clothes drying rack that was slated for release anyway. We got in the car a short time later and drove towards our home nestled below the Blue Ridge Mountains (well, they are more like speed bumps, but don’t tell any of the locals).
We Have a New Addition to the Family...
Getting back to Charlottesville was nice. We were able to finally see old friends again. The pace is admittedly a little more relaxing (maybe a little too much!). But, upon our return, we discovered that we were going to need to breakdown and buy two things we have put off as long as possible: the internet and a second car. How we made it through these past two years without either, Elysa and I don't know. But, we now have both.
The internet was simply a decision of replacing our telephone land line and swapping it for the internet. Done. But the car took on a more complex set of decisions. And you can come to your own conclusion about what you would have done under the circumstances. My ten deacons (the 12 and 13 year olds I teach every Sunday in church) certainly did. In a lesson about decision-making skills, the ten put there heads together and came up with an entirely different solution: They recommended that we get a horse. Or a bullet bike.
After looking around at what used cars were out there, Elysa and I learned that a four year old Honda Civic with 80,000 miles was roughly $4,000 less than a brand-spanking new one. I ran the numbers and decided that with the loan we were going to get, it was too good to pass up a car that basically depreciated $1,000 a year, would be under full warranty and would have no previous owners. I called my Dad five times to talk me out of it. Each time I called, he said, “You know, I’ve been thinking more about this decision and I have come up with another reason you should get this car.” Thanks a lot.
I asked Elysa if she had talked to her parents about the decision. She said “no” and “claimed” it was because her folks were in Hawaii. But I knew the real truth. She didn’t want anything to interfere with something that she has been planning/dreaming since the day we got married: Her chance to buy a car not made by the Ford Motor Company. You see, her family owns Smith Family Auto in Spanish Fork, Utah and there are some fierce loyalties to that dealership since it has been in the family now for four generations. Which is understandable.
But when you live on the other side of the Mississippi River from Smith Family Auto, there are some things even those loyalties can’t surmount (like the Mississippi). So here was Elysa’s big chance for a big break. And she wasn’t about to blow it. I asked her if she was concerned about breaking from precedent. Ever the attorney, she stated in no uncertain terms that the precedent had already been broken when, in the summer of 2005, a one Ron Bowen, DDS purchased a used, silver Mercedes-Benz SLK320 convertible, hereafter known as “Zippy-Peppy” (a name that Elysa gave it), thus breaking from previous case law requiring members of the Bowen family to purchase from the aforementioned Smith Family Auto dealership. I guess the only requirement is that our new car had to be silver too.
So one Thursday after work, we went to the local dealership, Brown Honda, and they only had the EX version. The only differences between the middle-line model (LX) and the high-end model (EX) is a sunroof, keyless trunk entry and $2,000. We told Kim the sales guy that we weren’t interested. We went home that Thursday evening and decided to regroup Friday at lunch (mind you, the principle reason we are having to get this car is that starting Monday morning, Elysa will be driving 60 miles round trip once, twice, sometimes three times a week for her prosecution clinic). At lunch the next day we started calling dealerships and, I have to say it was the most fun I have ever had in spending that amount of money.
Each call went something like this: I asked to speak to the New Car Sales Manager. I told him/her I was interested in a new Civic LX and asked if they have any, in what colors and at what price? They quoted me some number. Then I said, “Look. I need to buy this car this afternoon. I have all of my financing in order. I am in Charlottesville, Brown Auto doesn’t have any and I need to decide which direction to drive this afternoon.” Now, these places we were calling are all at least 30 miles away, but we are calling even farther, like Richmond and Fredricksburg. The average distance from us to these dealerships had to be about 60 miles away. Anyway, all of a sudden my “drive-away” price is much lower than what they originally stated. Weird, huh?
Well, I told each of them that I had a couple of more phone calls to make and would call them right back. We got all the prices together and then started round two. “Thanks for your time, but someone told us we could have the car for a lower price.” Most of them revised their offers again. We couldn’t help but laugh.
While we were calling around, one of the last places we spoke to was Harrisonburg Honda. We asked if he had any 2006 Civic LXs. The guy on the other end said “No.” But he did have two 2007 Civic LXs that had arrived this morning. After the same schpiel, the guy quoted us the best price! Round two ended with only one person to bid lower, and then by only $300, but they were twice as far away and the car wasn’t an 07. We called Harrisonburg back and told them that we were coming to take the silver one!
As Elysa and I drove over, we described ourselves as “uncomfortably calm.” I called my dad that fifth (and last time) for him to talk me out of it. No dice. When we got to the dealership, the car was all gased and ready for a test drive. I jumped in first and noticed that it had only one mile on it! It turned out that the car had just rolled off the assembly line the prior afternoon, drove all night on the truck and got to the dealership that morning. If that is how fast ALL Hondas move, then I suggest investing in some Honda stock! Elysa took it for a spin; we signed the paperwork and came home with a new addition to the family!
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