parting is such sweet sorrow

our veen has been a very faithful friend.

some (including me) would say it has been a miraculous vehicle.  for 221,729 miles, that veen has delivered us safely to and fro. 

since the weather has turned cooler, i have noticed something happening in the veen.  cold.  cold was happening. and not warmth.  the heat, alas, works in spurts.  the veen has been struggling through some odd temperature issues, like the engine temp gauge goes from cool to hot coolant temp warnings in a flash.  especially in idle.  whenever we are stopped the engine temp ratchets up while the temp inside the veen stays cold.  however, when the veen is in motion, the heat seems to work.  mostly.

so maybe there have been several days in which the kids and i huddle in the back seats after we drop off maxer and are waiting to bring bear bear inside preschool.  maybe we have even waited in the bathroom for some minutes because it got real cold in the veen.  maybe the hot coolant temp alarm/warning light has been on every time i bring max into school and leave the veen run in the parking lot.

i just kinda feel like i betrayed my friend.  because the veen was a real giver in our relationship.  i sorta trashed the inside by not maintaining a clean and organized interior, but still the veen got us like all our groceries.  i may have let the veen run right out of gas on the side of blue star highway, but still the veen brought us to every playdate we required of it.  this relationship between me and the veen has been super one sided and now i am a bit guilty that at the first sign of real trouble, we bought a replacement.

despite the veens real efforts to keep us warm, you just really need heat for more than a comfy ride. you need heat to keep the ice off your windshield and stop the fog from invading your field of vision whilst wheeling.  and the heater core is a super duper expensive thing to fix.  like probs half the value or all the value of the veen right now.  so it seemed like we really did not have a choice.

and then, my superhero hubs went and found a screaming deal on craigslist which we just had to act on.  the new addition to our fleet is really nice and clean and well equipped and has a sun roof and i admit, i am a bit enamoured with the tannish dream machine.  but still, my heart is a trifle broken at saying farewell to the veen. 

i used to have this prob when buying clothes.  i would not wear the new shoes or shirt or whatev for like a month after i bought it because it was just to new.  solved that issue by buying things only that i need, so then i have to wear the new jeans or go in my sweatpants which really is not appropriate for all outings.  so i get it.  the replacement vehicle is a need.  and the veen really provided for us well. 

so we are embracing the new and being grateful for the old.  i am certain that though the beginning of our relationship was slightly awkward, we will eventually settle into a new pattern of comfort.  brad heard back from the previous owners of the new to us van while we were dining at home conversing about how the kids for sure had to be in bed early.  i angrily chomped on my venison as i heard brad make plans to check out the veen that night.  my attitude was atrocious as we bundled and loaded up the adorables.  i even forgot to put shoes on so wore slippers to these very wealthy and nice people's house way on the north side of holland.  in the pouring rain and darkness, brad walked around the van we would purchase trying to get me excited about it.

look, a sun roof!
really nice tires.
the doors open automatically, one is not permanently out of commission like in the silver bullet. 
heated seats...

i stepped in puddles and kept glancing at the door of the house where the nice lady was frantically searching for keys.  i think mrs van lady sensed my lack of enthusiasm because she offered for me to take my adorables inside her house while brad took the new van for a trial run and she picked up her kids from sporting events.  i do believe she even included supper in that kind offer. 

though i was tempted to have a fourth meal of the day, i assured her i would be real content to sit in the trusty venture until brad returned.  sitting there in the unheated front seat, soggy with raindrops, feeling the cold air blowing through the heating vents, i decided maybe this new chrysler could work for us. 

ayla jo wreaking havoc on the old van while daddy is buying the new one.

so when brad returned with a smile, we comforted the child who arrived home to find us in her driveway and her mom picking up another duaghter, and then called to committ to a purchase.  we picked up the town and country the following evening, cashiers check in hand.  brad had spoken frequently to craig, who turned out to be kreig, which resulted in a moment of panic as the cashiers check was already made out.  but all is well.  kreig has his money and we have a new to us van.

new veen has dvd.  kids are happy.

max is blissful in this pic, mostly because i brought him donuts after school.  a little because we were watching brad purchase the new van.

i have not yet driven the newbie.  i am committed to the venture until the temps deem it necessary to relocate to the chrysler.  not to mention it will probs take at least until december to switch out all the belongings stored in the venture.