Love At First Drive

I used to be a minivan snob.

I have always driven an SUV...well, at least since I graduated from college. I figured that if I had to be one of the smallest on the road of life, that I wasn't going to be one of the smallest on the road.

My thinking on minivans: They crowd every church parking lot in America, and hold swarms of unruly children and their "over zealously" pro-creating parents. They symbolize a giving in to getting older, trading in fun for practicality, and a relinquishing of any and all "hipness".

But, our little bean was joining our family, and we needed a third row seat. The dreaded "m" word was now making frequent stops into our conversations.

So, from time to time, I would reluctantly glance over at the minivan driving next to me, take a quick glimpse, and immediately remind myself that we had until January before we needed to buy a new car. And, I happily gas guzzled my way down the road in our behemoth sized SUV (that lacked the third row seat I was wishing we'd opted for).

One month ago, we walked into the Honda dealership, and I test drove their minivan. It was love at first drive.

There are doors on both sides? The kids can climb in...without my help? I can open and close the doors, and the tailgate...with a remote? And, why is my backside getting toasty? Is there actually heat coming from this easily-wipe-up-the-spilled-juice-and-I-won't-stain leather seat?

Could this be? Was all of this really hiding behind my preconceived notions about church parking lots and the "hipness" factor?

Two days later, we owned a minivan. We drove it back East for Christmas, and it is just as glorious as I had first imagined that day at the dealership. Life in the car has never been easier.

As we pulled out of the drive-thru at Starbucks yesterday, Jack shouted, "Go, Lightning McQueen, go!"

Whew...I'm still hip...at least my 3-year old thinks so! :)