Goodbye Goldylocks! It's been a SWEET RIDE....

I haven't seen my husband with a smile that will not go away since - - - well, since our wedding. We've been trying to find him a new "RIDE" since October when our mechanic diagnosed Goldylocks with a potentially fatal disease - a bad fuel pump. Having replaced the fuel pump twice in the old 'stang - we knew what a hit to the pocketbook we would take if we were to replace it. Plus, getting around the North Pole in the little Sonoma is quite scary - she doens't handle snow, ice or a strong wind gust very well. However, Goldylocks has seniority over me as the "Lady" of the house - being with Ben since 2003 whereas I've only been around since 2005 - so we spent several months agonizing over how we were going to "Break it to her gently."

She's been a good 'ole gal for Ben - making multiple treks from Kansas to Indiana. She even came back kicking for another couple of years after a bad run-in with a small Grand Am back in Dec. of 2006. Never-the-less, she needed to retire to the back pasture and hopefully she'll provide a nice young high school student many miles of freedom.

Here are a couple snap shots of Ben one last time with her - we had to go for one more visit (I forgot my memory card at work during the first actual drop off). It gave a chance to scout her out in the lot. We actually had to look awhile - they truly did put her in the back pasture. Stacked among the other trade-ins, she was sitting - tattooed with her new identification of "12/17" in orange chalk across the windshield.

Ben never realized until this picture just how much he dwarfed 'ole Goldylocks. But that 6'3'' frame squeezed in many miles over the last 7 years!

The new pickup, pictured below is quite the upgrade. She's a real looker, especially if you ask Ben. We'll post more pictures of the rest of the vehicle soon - but we wanted to give everyone a sneak peek!

She doesn't have a name yet - haven't figured out her personality. She is however (for all you motorheads out there) a V8, 5.3 L, charcoal colored, extended cab, Chevy Silverado. But, most importantly - she's already equipped with a block heater (as is my Equinox) so we're officially geared up for the long winter.

The first thing Ben did once he finally got behind the wheel and all the paperwork was complete was lean back and do the Tim Allen (Tim -the-Tool-Man-Taylor) "Who-ho-ho" growl. I just IMAGINE - he does it everytime I try to get him to do something a little more feminine than he's comfortable with (which is usually accompanied by "Corineah, I'm a MAN!").

Our only concern it "Will both fit in the garage." The answer - we'll find out tonight. Luckily I'll be home first - so my car will already be in the garage and everyone knows - "Once she's in the pj's - she's not leaving the house."