There must be a light under the bushel!

3 years, 80,000 miles

Last week I got some maintenance work done on my car, $800 worth. Four new tires were included in that, so I guess it's not too bad. It's the first time I've ever done maintenance work on a car (other than oil changes), and I felt like a real grown-up!

Being in your twenties is interesting because it seems kinda like an in between stage. I was never comfortable with people calling me ma'am, I still expected to be carded, I turned to answer when people were talking about "you kids," and most of my worrying had to do with my social calendar.

Now in my thirties, I'm excited that I might get over 150,000 miles out of a car. I still don't like being called ma'am, I'd like to be carded once in a while, and I still answer to "you kids," but I also talk about the cost-effectiveness of driving a car for more than two years.

I'm also trying to figure out just how I managed to get so many miles on my car. People give me a hard time about driving so much, but I've sure had a lot of fun adding those miles on. I don't understand people who never want to go anywhere because they're worried about adding mileage. Part of the fun of having a car is getting in and going whenever you want.

My most recent mileage addition was a long weekend in Port Aransas. It seems like these last few weeks of vacation, I'm trying to go and do as much as I can before the weight of responsibility once again claims me. K.B. and I went to the coast and had a great four day stay in the sun. We had a beach view condo, great weather, and some froofy drinks. We went back and forth between the beach and the swimming pool and took naps in the hottest part of the day. We did a little shopping at the cheesy tourist stores and spent a night out at the local hole-in-the-wall bar. What a perfect time!

I've also put quite a few miles on my car with my frequent trips to Bastrop and Victoria. I don't regret any of those miles either. I'm glad I haven't lost touch with friends simply because they don't live in the same city as me. So I drive an hour and a half to see them instead of ten minutes. It's always worth the drive.

I've also driven to New Orleans several times, and that's a trip I'd never pass up. It's always been a wonderful vacation to take. You simply can't beat the friendliness of the city, the great architecture, the exciting nightlife, the atmosphere of fun, the incredible music, and the wonderful food (beignets...yummmmm).

Although I certainly don't mind getting on an airplane to travel to places, and will continue to do so in order to see all that I can, there's just something about a road trip that has a fulfilling feeling. Maybe it's because your vacation starts as soon as you get in the car and take off rather than when the plane lands at your destination. Maybe it's the attitude of excitement and fun that you share with your friends in the car. Maybe it's the fun tunes you get to sing along with (very off-key, in my case!). Maybe it's seeing towns you've never seen before and would never visit if they weren't on the way to your destination. Whatever the case may be, there is a magical feeling about a road trip, so every mile I've put on my car is worth that reward.