Path to Freedom

Today was the final for this seminar. My wife Amber and I purchased a 2005 Toyota RAV today. We went to Bellow Falls where Durand Toyota Ford is located. We drove the Toyota Matrix, Toyota RAV, these cars new cost from $18,000 to $24,000. Looking at these prices made me cringe. We want to pay cash and that just seemed out of reach. I noticed the Toyota Yaris, which looked sharp, was in our price range. Toyota has taken the Scion (which is the car we looked at during our seminar and Alex was waiting to see the entire clown posse crawl out of it) and have increased the price. The Yaris is now Toyota's inexpensive compact car. We could have walked out of there with a brand new Yaris for around $13,000. My wife dislikes small cars after being a guinea pig test subject with our Scion, but the price and reliability seemed practical. Of course the size seems a little cramped, but I have grown accustom to the cramped crowded feeling with a family of five and a dog in my Scion. Part of our deal was, Amber was the one picking out the car. Amber was set on the 2009 RAV, but the price was too high for us with out having payments, not that we would qualify anyway, but that is another subject all in its own. Maybe we should have a credit seminar next semester. Lucky for us there was a 2005 RAV with only 23000 miles. The car lived its life in Florida, so the under body is practically brand new. Out the door with tax and license was $15,000. The car/truck looks great and is in excellent condition. The last four years, Amber and I have been a family with a single car. These last four years have been the first time Amber and I have shared a car in our 11 year relationship. It definitely has been difficult, but yet at the same time it has developed a stronger bond between the two of us. I thought this day was a lot farther off in the future, but it has arrived and I feel the same as I did when I only had one car. The car doesn’t make the person, but it does make life easier. I use to look at cars as a status symbol; I now see cars as tools that help us live our lives in a more productive way. The RAV reminds me of our old Toyota Sequoia, a mini version with out the bells and whistles.
I couldn't wait and had to put some kayak racks on it and two new kayaks. My summer is off to a good start. I also caught my first Rainbow Trout this morning. I have caught Brook Trout and Lake Trout, but until today I was Rainbow less. I hope you all are doing well. My paint came off with out any damage; it was interesting listening to people asking me why I picked a heart and a gun. I still can't answer the question, because I don't know why I picked those stencils. I think it was because I see conflicting interest in both of those symbols.
At the beginning of this seminar I didn’t think this was going to be a subject that was going to interest me. I have always liked cars, but never to a motor head state of mind. This seminar has brought a new meaning to the word “CAR”. I feel that the automobile has been one of America’s major commodities that have shaped our landscape and our economy. Where would we be with out the automobile? Imagine if the car was not invented. What would be our mode of transportation? I’m not talking horses and buggies, I thinking along the lines of hover crafts and personal aircraft. I personally don’t think we can even think of a present day society with out the car being involved. I have enjoyed this seminar, and even more, the people in the class room. I like how Cathy set our Blog up and made our experience paperless. My favorite reading for this class was from McCarthy.

P.S. Even with a new car and two new kayaks, Amber and I still bicker over our daily decisions. It’s good to be human……………………….