My wife and I were both driving white minivans when we first met. We each had acquired one through the family hand-me-down program. Although each of us was glad to have a running vehicle to get around in, neither or us were really happy being in our mid-20s driving a "family" vehicle. In fact, when my wife told me that she drove one on the night we met, I couldn't get out of my mouth, "No kidding? I drive a white minivan too." Let's just say, she thought I was making fun of her until she saw my sweet ride a couple of days later. This being said, we had vowed together that we weren't minivan people and that we would never own another one. Fast-forward three years into our marriage and we had added a wonderful child to our equation. We still were set on never owning one until our lemon of a car continued to act up on us. We decided to get rid of it. Lucky for us, we were on the generous receiving end of my wonderful in-law's love for us (or should I not kid myself and know that it is all about the grandkid). As we received the Dodge Caravan, we were both a little sullen knowing that we had gone back on the vow that we had made. We were also very grateful for the gift although I don't know if we showed our appreciation enough. Now we have a great vehicle that has morphed into my car, as I do most of the driving with my daughter (E) while Brooke is at work.
The car has been a godsend for taking E places and getting her in and out of the car with ease. Travel was made so much easier as everything fits in the back where it did not before. But like I said, this isn't just for hauling her around. I have used the van to pick up lumber and other wood for projects around the house. The best part is that I can fit a whole sheet of plywood in the back and not worry about any rain. I have relished in this vehicle in the past couple of weeks as I have been gardening. Thanks to the wonderful city of Iowa City, I have been able to drive out to the city landfill and pick up as much wood mulch as I want for free and as much compost for $1.00 per 200 lbs. I meant to take a picture of my van as I have now made three trips for a total of 1,470 lbs of compost and 1,725 lbs of mulch. This would never have happened with our old car. One of these trips was made with E and she happily got out and helped me put compost into the back using her shovel (thanks Papa D). All the questions she asked about the landfill, the mulch, and the compost was a great teaching experience for me. It included learning about trash, how the landfill works, talking about bulldozers, a compost tumbler, and where the mulch and compost come from. The greatest joy is brought E though was when we returned home and I drove onto the yard and into the back to unload our contents into the flower bed. "Whatcha' doing de de daddy," she asked. "Having fun E! Are you?" "Yeah. I love you de de."
