A month before we moved from Texas to Minnesota, I sold my little Honda Civic. Me and her had a really good run and I enjoyed riding her, but we didn’t want to tow it behind the big Honda Pilot. It was weird going to Carmax knowing that I would never see her again and as I got out for the last time, I said thanks. She didn’t answer. All I got was my license plates and a check, and that check actually covered the out-of-state move. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy the Carmax process was, and was even glad they gave me a free LYFT home.
It was funny because that next day, my boss at work needed my help as he purchased a 2002 Ford Thunderbird and it just happened to be in San Antonio. He asked me to pick it up, so it could be picked up by a car transportation company (he lives in Utah). So, I got an UBER to the pick-up location, and drove it home in a rainstorm! No joy riding though, as I just parked it on the street as we needed the driveway free for the big Honda Pilot! It was cool to watch it get picked up. And, a few days later, it arrived in Utah!
For the drive to Minnesota, it was me and Riley cat, driving mostly on IH-35 for about 1,100 miles. Nina and Niko flew up a few days after I arrived. The worst weather we encountered was rain, and at one point, it was so heavy, I had to pull off the highway and into a gas station parking lot to wait.
You know, Nina and I have done really well with one car. We have not had any conflicts as we have a calendar where we mark things that are happening for us. If I have to run errands, I do them in the morning and that allows me plenty of time to get back so Nina can get Niko from school.
We did have one exception on a Saturday, where Nina wanted to go to a fiber festival and there was also an open house at the Fire department where Niko and I wanted to go. Nina gave in, and Niko and I had a great time at the fire station and then got lunch from a food truck at the school (there was a craft fair at the middle school). I felt bad as I knew Nina was looking forward to touching and buying fiber, but she was actually ok to stay home and relax.
A few weeks ago, I did have an appointment in St. Cloud, which is about 25 miles from us, and due to the timing and weather (it had snowed a few days prior, so even though the streets and the main freeway were plowed, there was still some snow on the ground and I wanted some extra time to travel), Nina picked Niko up a half an hour early from school.
I did have an appointment at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester for February 10, but I canceled it as it’s two hours away from us, and I would’ve had to rent a car and stay overnight, and it wasn’t worth the expense. It was for a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) and a Botox injection. But, no worries, as I have another appointment for a SLP in Minneapolis in April, and that is much closer to us. Although, I will still have to rent a car. But, it’s still much cheaper than having to buy one! I really like the money we save on gas, insurance, and maintenance.
Even though I drive the big Honda Pilot, I still consider it as Nina’s car.
The only thing I don’t like is when she drives, she adjusts the back setting and I have to adjust it back. The car is smart, but not that smart to remember our settings.
Something, I have noticed is when I park her, either the lanes are smaller or the cars are bigger.
As far as driving in and on snow, it’s doing a great job. Although, I will say, it’s a really weird feeling while driving! I like that we can park the car in our garage so we don’t have to scrape snow off. All I have to do is make sure the driveway is clear of snow.
I don’t see us getting another car.
