We've come a long way!

I was sitting around the kitchen table chatting with WD and a few friends this evening. Somehow we got on the subject of cars... oh I remember, Brooklyn mentioned she couldn't drive a standard. That led to WD telling us the story of when he bought his red Mustang (about 20 years ago, when he had to get a friend to drive it home b/c he couldn't drive a standard), which then led to me pulling out a scrapbook page I did on the cars we owned over the years.

Our most memorable set of wheels was the "Hooptee". WD and I bought it for $500 after we arranged a deal with the owner... the car wouldn't start so WD agreed to replace the starter; if the car cranked, we'd buy it; if it didn't, then the lady who owned the car owed us for the starter. She agreed, the car started, and it was ours. It was a beaut...NOT! Baby blue (with a brown fender) 1983 Buick LeSabre. Keep in mind, we bought it in 1996 shortly before Erin was born. The thing was huge with velvety blue interior. Talk about knocking your pride down a notch or two. To add insult to injury, the car's horn malfunctioned one night... while everyone was asleep at our apartment complex, the horn just went off... this overpowering wail of a sound resonated across the complex. WD went outside to see what was up and everyone was out on their front balconies/doorsteps staring down at the "Hooptee". WD rushed downstairs, threw the door open and began beating on the steering wheel to no avail. Finally he threw the hood up and yanked the horn out from the wires to shut the car up! Hilarious now, but oh that was just one of the many embarassing moments with that car. On the up side... we paid $500 for the car, but when time came to trade it in, we got $1000! We have certainly come a long way since that vehicle.