all whipped up

So, as posted previously...I'm in need of a new whip (that's gangsta lingo for a new car...in case you were wondering). That's right, it's time to bid farewell to my Rover...Ruby. With that said, the husband, toddler and I have been looking at cars, test driving cars, and lying awake at night doing endless comparisons of each one that's made it on our list of possible replacements. We seriously have to make a decision soon or we are never going to get any sleep! We've narrowed down our choices to two...which is refreshing but we are at a crossroads as to what to choose. Our dilemma...we will inevitably be downsizing as our budget doesn't afford the Porsche Cayenne that I've dreamed of, and since space will be less we have to weigh all the parameters such as the toddler's necessary items for everyday travel...her stroller, car seat, and booster seat(for restaurants). Then take into account that the husband is over 6 feet tall so something that feels great to me doesn't so much to him. Now, if the husband had it his way he'd have me driving a Ford F-150 extended cab...which are nice but I mean really, I can't imagine myself in my best heels and Bulga bag stepping out of a monster truck with any finesse...authority maybe, but finesse, no. The two cars that are at the top of my list are both practical in their own ways...both wagon-esque and both stylish...one more stylish than the other but the other is, well, bigger...has a little more headroom and sits a bit higher on the road. But...I'm in love with the other...which poses the classic question...do you go with your gut or your heart? If you go with your heart you learn to love the little things that you thought you wouldn't but, if you go with your gut...will you eventually fall in love with it? And, that raises another question...does your car give you a certain "attitude" when you drive it? My Rover does...I feel sporty and assured...confident on the road. My two contenders are very different in their "attitude". One is sporty, lean, and offers panache, while the other is still sporty but more "grown up" more fancy per se (for lack of a better word) however the car I love feels more luxurious. One says: "I've got places to go and people to see and I've also got to go to the grocery" while the other one says "I've got places to go and really cool people to see and I've got to run by Saks and pick up some more Dior mascara and then swing by the (now defunct but play along with this vision please) music store to pick up a couple CD's...maybe Grateful Dead or Mumford and Sons and then swing by the grocery as well as Starbucks on my way." You get the point. So it seems the only crossroad I'm at is not actually the car itself but a stage of life I'm in where I desperately want to hold on to my identity...not necessarily my youth but, who I am...yes, I'm a mom, and a wife, and a best friend, but I feel like maybe this whole "not working" thing has me searching for self expression in ways not possible at the park or pool or, er, grocery store. Alas, in the end, whatever I pick will be new...which I suppose is the best part...and as someone once said..."any change, even a change for the better, is accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts" (~Arnold Bennett)

p.s. stay tuned for the big reveal...if we can ever make a decision.

image credit: wn