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I stood there trying to hold back the tears that wanted to gush out like a tidal wave. So much was going through my mind when the mechanic informed me that after spending the day and $460 to fix the heat and defrost in my SUV it still didn’t work. I would have to bring it back the next day and spend an additional $85 so they could complete the process. Now, I wasn’t getting emotional over the price, (though, that will put quit the dent in the pocket book) or the fact that I would have to do a lot of walking yet again the next day, but because it finally hit me that it might be time to get a new vehicle.  I would have to say goodbye to my longtime ally that helps make this Mom on the go possible.

Now it should be noted that I normally do not have strong attachments to material things but my vehicle, my Yukon, is the exception. Why? She (yes, my vehicle is a she) has been there through so much, I have depended on her, we have shared so many vital memories in my life as a mom, and to be honest, this might sound strange but when I see her I see me.

She is a 2002 Yukon but we didn’t welcome her to the family until 2007 when our second child was born. We originally purchased her for my husband, she was supposed to be his work vehicle but she was quite the gas guzzler. Since my errands at that time only consisted of short trips around town she became my vehicle. It was not love at first sight, in fact, I hated her at first. She was so big, she wasn’t green, and she was white, WHITE! I do not do car washes, I don’t do white anything since having kids, white clothes, white purses, white animals, etc.

Slowly our relationship evolved, I started depending on her, especially with the birth of our 3 child. She held my garden of my life, all things valuable and priceless to me, how could I not help but come to slowly appreciate her? As the years went by we started spending more and more time together, driving kids to preschool, Child’s Day Out, first days of Kindergarten, Playgroup activities, we were spending less and less time at home, she virtually became our second home. We have made so many memories in the Yukon, some amazing and some a bit disgusting.

She took us all the way to Hilton Head a couple times, Sesame Place, Dutch Country, countless trips to Lake Michigan, and don’t even get me started on all our fun filled Road trips around Ohio!! We have had some really awesome times together but it shows. I may have the stretch marks but she has some very visible marks too that clearly give away the fact that she is indeed a mom mobile. The one that stands out most is the DVD player. See whoever had her before us really decked her out with the finest of everything, custom screens, DVD player, Bose system, etc. ya know, kinda like me before I had kids, I was all shiny and new, no bags under the eyes, lines on the forehead, or sleepy gaze.

Anyway, our 3^rd toddler made certain that DVD player was to be no more. One cup of juice did the trick, sippy lid popped off; juice went all over the player, and hasta la vista DVD player! There are scratches here and there, enough crumbs on the floor to survive on for 3 days, the windows up front don’t work, the lighters have never worked so there is no charging of any phone in the Yukon, the car alarm goes off sporadically when you unlock it, and most recently there is no heat or defrost but she keeps going and I keep adoring her for it! When I see her, I see me.

When I see her I see me. She looks decent on the outside, maybe starting to show her age a bit, but for the most part she looks pretty good (And no, I have never taken her to a car wash…that’s 8 years, no car wash! White is my new favorite car color, surprisingly forgiving, who knew!?).  She is full of surprises, perhaps she will honk when you hit the unlock button and maybe she wont’s, sometimes she falls short, but for the most part she is dependable and quite resilient, I think she might be the only thing that has been thrown up on as much as me!! She may have ditched all the bells and whistles along the way but I have come to find out that all the bells and whistles are just distractions from what really matters.

She is my white knight on the rare occasion I can escape without the kids; she drives me off into the sunset to meet up with other likeminded moms & mom mobiles. She is a vital role in this family, with my husband traveling it really boils down to her and I to make certain this family gets everywhere they need to go, school drop off, basketball practice, Chess Club, Puppy’s Vet appointments, Church, etc. I spend half my days & more than half of motherhood with her, we have seen it all, and been through so much together and that is why I am trying so hard to hold back this tidal wave of tears. I like what we have, I like who I have become while driving my mom mobile Yukon, I have become a more humble, resilient, and appreciative person thanks to her. Perhaps I am in Denali thinking that all that will go when she does? One day there will be a new mom mobile in my life but nothing will ever compare to her, the Yukon that held my babies, my young family, that drove us to a lot of the children’s firsts that held the first chapter of what I will always & forever cherish, the early years of motherhood.