My Lifelong Friend... My Jeep!

Some people have their dogs. Some people have their cats. Me, I have my Jeep!

My Jeep and I met in 2000. She is a 1997 Jeep Cherokee 4WD and I love her! How do I know she's a girl, you ask? Well, she loves attention and she has two beautiful big headlights up front (Eyes! Get your mind out if the gutter!).

How did we meet? I'm so glad you asked! It started when I decided to have kid number two. There is that moment when your back says to you, "Really? You seriously expect me to lean over, stretch into that tiny back seat from your two-door car, AND lift a 10 pound baby swaddled in blankets, the child seat and the diaper bag, and do this HOW many times per day"? Once it become necessary to trade in the Fiero for something a little more family friendly, there were two choices: mini van or S.U.V. Myself, I'm an SUV kind of girl! So that's how you met, you ask. Nope! But I'm getting there! Give me a minute to explain, will ya please? Sheesh!

So, as I was saying, I'm an SUV kind of girl, so I bought a Chevy Blazer. One day, I was pulling into Oak Park Mall. (A girl's got to shop!) As I was entering the mall, there is that very large sign that says, "Enter without stopping" (or something like that). So, while I'm driving and busy not stopping, I begin to realize the woman who has the stop sign is not stopping either. As much as I'm aware of this, there is nothing I can do. I'm heading south and she is heading west and physics say two objects in motion stay in motion until an opposing force is applied. She never stopped and my car become her opposing force.

You know those dreams you have where you are trying to run and can't? Your feet are moving, but you're going nowhere. Or, you speak, but it's slow-mo and no one can hear you or understand you? That became my reality. 1. I realize she isn't going to apply her brakes. 2. I realize we are going to collide. 3. I can't maneuver my car to avoid this. 3. She still isn't stopping after impact. 4. My ... car ... is ... going ... to ... tip .... O...V....E...R! It's going, slowly, over, is it? Is it? Yes, I think so. Is it? Yes! It isssssssss! Nooooooooo! Next thing you know, I'm on my right side haha! I gotta say, it was fun, I wasn't hurt snapped in safely in my seat belt, AND I didn't have to pay $30 including $5 off admission with a Coke can!

So what does all this have to do with anything? It was a fun story, don't you think? I just threw it in for some entertainment value! Just kidding! My Blazer was totaled, my friend told me I had to get a Jeep cuz they are awesome, so I did. That's how my true love and I met!

My Jeep, labeled "The Beast" by my son Matt, and I have been through a lot. She's had hail damage a couple times. Several wrecks have occurred, one on Thanksgiving. She has been stolen twice. The second time was in broad daylight at Walmart, and on my birthday! I tell ya, they mean it when they say prices keep dropping every day. The price of my Jeep had dropped to free that day. My Jeep has killed a couple of deers. Sorry, I don't know what she has against them. I personally like deer. The Beast has been through Matt learning to drive. One wreck later a (yes mom, I WAS following too close) and two blown speakers (no mom, I promise I didn't have the radio on full blast!) and he is now a very good driver! At least he didn't total her out. For that, I'm grateful!

Matt labeled her The Beast because she can drive over just about any curb and through most snow. She has doors of steel and a heavy chassis. I used to swap cars with Matt on snowy days because of his inexperience in driving when he was 15. He called me in the midst of his first wreck. "No, the Jeep isn't damaged at all. But.... You should have seen the trunk on that other car! It was folded in half! Tee - hee.

One particular snowy, typical winter Kansas day, our neighbor was stuck. For 30 minutes he was backing up, going forward, trying to get unstuck. He had this HUGE truck, not four wheel drive obviously. The driveway was behind his house and you had to go up an incline to get out to the street. Matt and I went over and pushed. It didn't budge. So, I offered to pull him out with the Jeep. He laughed at me, so we went back home. Hours later, his buddy came over to help him. The two of them tried all kinds of things to get him unstuck, to no avail. I walked over again. "We can try to use the Jeep to pull you out?" This time he was annoyed. "It won't work!", he said. His friend looked at me, shrugged his shoulders, and said it's worth a try. 10 minutes later, the chains are attached and The Beast is pulling that big ass truck up and out of that snowy parking lot! Yup! I'm not one to say I told you so, so I just smiled and drove home with my Jeep. He didn't even say thank you. That's ok, I left with his ego so I got more than I needed!

Now that The Beast is getting old, I feel her pain when I hear the squeaks. I just keep her lubed up with fresh synthetic oil and a bath now and then and she is good to go. She likes a couple of pats on the dash and she always brightens up when I tell her how much I love her. Sure, I miss my Fiero (Matt and I had lots of fun riding in that two seater) but my Jeep and I have been through raising a family together. You just can't replace memories like that. We are growing old together, but we still have lots of exciting adventures left! I just hope we leave this world together at the same time. I don't think I can bear to be in this life for even one day without her!