Saturday morning, Robert and I took the last official step into adulthood: we purchased our first minivan, a 2004 silver Oldsmobile Silhouette.
Our truck was on its last leg, and we were concerned about Emma’s safety with her car seat being right there up front in the cab. Plus, the truck is not easy to drive in the winter since it tends to fishtail with the slightest bit of ice on the road. And so we took the plunge. As if God was reassuring us that we made the right decision, we had our first major snow of the winter this morning. Talk about good timing.
The van is used, but we’re geeked about its many “modern” features that our 2001 Ford Ranger lacked. Things like automatic windows, a display telling me the song/artist for the radio and CDs, rear defrost and wipers, cup holders by every seat. It’s glorious.
Robert’s stoked about the fact that it can play CDs AND cassettes. So Saturday night, he was out in the van jamming to Led Zeppelin tapes he had long ago banished to the bottom of our audio cabinet.
While out there, he also messed with another one of his favorite features: the built-in garage door opener. With the greatest of ease, I can now reach over my head and open the garage door with a button built into the console. Never mind the fact that it was just as easy to open with the factory door opener. And never mind the fact that I would never ever open the garage from the van, because our mutts Midnight and Shadow would surely take the opportunity to escape into the great outdoors since they run around in the garage all day. Still, it’s pretty cool.
So this morning I was making final preparations to walk out the door, putting Emma’s shoes on.
Suddenly I heard the garage door opening. I didn't know if Robert came back home or if I had an intruder. But I threw caution to the wind and ran out there, panicked that the dogs would escape into the snow. I couldn’t think of a worse way to start my week than chasing two 60-pound dogs through the mush.
Just as I got out into the garage, the door stopped and started going back down. Luckily, the dogs were just standing there confused.
I turned to go back in the door, and the garage door started going back up again. I hastily corralled the dogs, desperately shouting "stay" while hitting the button in the garage so it would go back down again.
Then I went back in to finish getting Emma ready and heard it going up again. So I ran back out. This kept happening like three or four more times.
I was trying to figure out what to do, thinking there must be some of short with the gadget in the van as a result of the cold weather. I figured I better call in to work and let them know I wouldn't be in for a while because I needed to figure out how to get it fixed.
While trying to formulate a plan, I went back to getting Emma's shoes on.
That’s when I saw what she had her hand: the garage door opener Robert had taken out of the truck and set on the table. She'd been playing with it the whole time.
What a riot! But even more so, what a relief!
I don’t know if Robert or I could have handled the disappointment if our van’s nifty control panel wasn’t properly functioning.
Our truck was on its last leg, and we were concerned about Emma’s safety with her car seat being right there up front in the cab. Plus, the truck is not easy to drive in the winter since it tends to fishtail with the slightest bit of ice on the road. And so we took the plunge. As if God was reassuring us that we made the right decision, we had our first major snow of the winter this morning. Talk about good timing.
The van is used, but we’re geeked about its many “modern” features that our 2001 Ford Ranger lacked. Things like automatic windows, a display telling me the song/artist for the radio and CDs, rear defrost and wipers, cup holders by every seat. It’s glorious.
Robert’s stoked about the fact that it can play CDs AND cassettes. So Saturday night, he was out in the van jamming to Led Zeppelin tapes he had long ago banished to the bottom of our audio cabinet.
While out there, he also messed with another one of his favorite features: the built-in garage door opener. With the greatest of ease, I can now reach over my head and open the garage door with a button built into the console. Never mind the fact that it was just as easy to open with the factory door opener. And never mind the fact that I would never ever open the garage from the van, because our mutts Midnight and Shadow would surely take the opportunity to escape into the great outdoors since they run around in the garage all day. Still, it’s pretty cool.
So this morning I was making final preparations to walk out the door, putting Emma’s shoes on.
Suddenly I heard the garage door opening. I didn't know if Robert came back home or if I had an intruder. But I threw caution to the wind and ran out there, panicked that the dogs would escape into the snow. I couldn’t think of a worse way to start my week than chasing two 60-pound dogs through the mush.
Just as I got out into the garage, the door stopped and started going back down. Luckily, the dogs were just standing there confused.
I turned to go back in the door, and the garage door started going back up again. I hastily corralled the dogs, desperately shouting "stay" while hitting the button in the garage so it would go back down again.
Then I went back in to finish getting Emma ready and heard it going up again. So I ran back out. This kept happening like three or four more times.
I was trying to figure out what to do, thinking there must be some of short with the gadget in the van as a result of the cold weather. I figured I better call in to work and let them know I wouldn't be in for a while because I needed to figure out how to get it fixed.
While trying to formulate a plan, I went back to getting Emma's shoes on.
That’s when I saw what she had her hand: the garage door opener Robert had taken out of the truck and set on the table. She'd been playing with it the whole time.
What a riot! But even more so, what a relief!
I don’t know if Robert or I could have handled the disappointment if our van’s nifty control panel wasn’t properly functioning.
