Wow … Is it really Labor Day already?! Meaning … it’s SEPTEMBER?!? Meaning … fall is just about here?!? I absolutely looooove fall. I love the fall leaves, trees, pumpkin spiced lattes, scarves, the cooler temps, hiking through the mountains, pumpkin/apple picking, campfires … The list could go on! Maybe it’s just Virginia that makes fall so lovely. I’m grateful to have grown up in a place that has a balance of every season. Towards the end of one season, I’m ready for the next! Although, I wouldn’t mind one last beach trip to get some sun rays for the year. 😉 Anyways, I hope you all are having a great, fun, and relaxing Holiday today!!!
Dopes
Dope #1
I bought a new car!!!
Let me tell you … Buying a car is like finding the right guy. HA! Being that this was my second car purchase in my life, I had expectations and standards and I wasn’t going to compromise. 🙂 Honestly, yesterday I hoped to find the perfect car but I’ll admit that I was a little pessimistic about the process. I wondered how was I going to find “the perfect car for me” sitting at a dealership? I tried browsing online last week and realized that dealerships have different cars in stock with different packages. There was a chance that my “dream car” (whatever car that was) was potentially hours away at a different dealership! I had a list of things that were a “must” and another list of “wants, but not a deal breaker” which really helped when shopping!!! I thought I had my heart set on the 2018 RAV4 Hybrid SE, but I left the test drive feeling like it wasn’t the car for me. I was disappointed because I know SO many people who loveeeee their RAV4 cars, so I thought, why didn’t like I love it as much as I thought?! I decided to move on to the next car on my list to check out, which was the Honda CR-V EX-L. Ohhhhh my gosh. Despite that it was a little bigger than I hoped, as soon as I sat in the driver seat, I KNEW it was “the one.” Going from a sedan to a compact SUV was a big jump for me, but it was time to upgrade in size for my 80lb pup… LOL! While I was shopping for a car, I really kept Ollie in mind. Did I buy the car for my dog or for me?? … That is the question. 😉
All signs pointed to making this purchase. You’ll read in the “nopes” part of this blog post that I recently dealt with car troubles (nobody has time for that!), so that was sign number one. Sign number two? I received a tax refund in the mail for overpaying last year!!! Wahoo! Sign number three? Labor Day sales + 2019 inventory coming in stock = big deals! Sign number four? I’ve only said “I think I’m going to get a new car this year!” for the past three years! Haha! But, yay for being responsible and not going with impulse! Speaking of being responsible… Dave Ramsey would be SO proud of me!!! I’ve saved up money over the years and I can say that this car is really mine!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
I love this sporty, beautiful, tech-savvy car so much, and I’m excited to see what adventures we will take together!!!
Dope #2
Long distance relationships are hard. It’s especially hard if your “love language” is quality time. But Alex makes living 1,000 miles away from one another much easier!!! Although, I still miss him terribly and wish we could experience our daily lifestyles together. It has only been 2.5-weeks since I’ve last seen him, but he sure does know how to still keep my love tank overflowing! He randomly Facetimed me last week and after I got off the phone with him, I realized he posted this left photo on his IG stories (not the most flattering photo of me, but gosh, I love it just because he is so thoughtful and full of surprises!!)!!! He’s seriously the best!!! <3 And it’s funny he did that because I had a surprise up my own leave that day. 😉 I had shipped out a surprise package filled with letters from family and friends saying how much we love/miss him in Virginia! And, of course, I had to include his favorite homemade cookies. 🙂 Loved hearing/seeing how excited he was to receive it!
Dope #3
Sunday mornings are my “jam.” There’s something so calm, peaceful, intentional spending Sunday mornings in church with friends. I’m grateful for slow Sunday mornings, especially after working for 13 straight days! <3
Dope #4
I love COFFEE SHOP TIME. I have spent way too much money on the most delicious chai tea lattes this past week at my favorite little Warrenton coffee shop (what up, Deja Brew!), but there’s something so restful working in a coffee shop setting. It was so needed to get out of my house and work in a different environment because there were a couple of stressful days (you know … my boss can be hard on me with her ridiculous deadlines. HAHAHA! ;)). Now I just need to break my chai tea latte habit and find a cheaper drink … Especially after spending $$$ on a new car! 😉
Dope #5
Be Still. These words kept popping up last week and I thought this was not coincidental at all. I need to work on slowing down at times, even if I have a jam-packed 14-hour work day planned. It’s not necessarily a bad thing to be work-driven and focused, but I love that God can sweep in during times I need to be reminded to slow down and not be so hard on myself. <3
Nopes
Nope #1
I’m not going to lie … I loved Madison, my ruby red Chevy Cruze. I loved the gas mileage. I loved how sleek it was. I loved how easy it was to get around. BUT. It, unfortunately, got to the point of not being 100% reliable. As important as it is to get to a wedding, I needed to trust that my car will get me there. I recently took my car in for service after the check engine light came on and I had to convince myself that it was time to say, “Bye, Felicia!” At first, I thought, “well, if I spend $800 now, then that can temporarily fix my car and get me through the winter season.” Chevy typed up an extensive list of things that needed to be done which totaled to about $4,000 of maintenance work. Uhhhh … WHAT? Really? My car wasn’t even worth $2,000! I didn’t like seeing those numbers and it didn’t make sense to hold on to it any longer.
Being that Madison was my first car purchase seven years ago, we went through SOOO much together. Although, I was ready to get rid of her countless times, especially after two expensive deer accidents … But, I really enjoyed not having a car payment and driving her as long as possible. Which I did! 168,000+ miles in seven years is no joke! I looked back on our adventures together and realized we made over 21 road trips and ventured through 19 different states together! As on the fence as I was about stepping foot onto a dealership lot, I felt a sigh of relief knowing that saying ‘goodbye’ was the right decision. Especially since all of the signs pointed that it was time. 🙂
Coming to the Blog…
Chris & Frankie | King Family Vineyards Wedding
Brian & Courtney Maternity | Tranquility Farm
+ COMMENTS
add a comment