On A Different Quest Now

We sold our Nisaan Quest minivan today. I'm always sad to see a vehicle go that has served our family well and has memories attached to it. It went to a family in need of a good vehicle, so I am happy they will use it well.

I have several memories that involve the Quest. Most of them include DS as we bought it after he was born. Isn't it a law that you must have a giant minivan to haul an 8 lb. baby rump around?

Memory #1: I strapped DS in the car seat walked around to the front and hopped in the drivers seat to leave. That's when I noticed the mail had been delivered, so I ran out to grab it. I got the mail, jumped back in the drivers seat, threw the mail in the pasenger seat and backed out. When I got to the highway and turned out, I looked cattywampus in the rearview mirror to check on DS and HE WAS GONE. I about wrecked the car and had a heart attack at the same time. What had actually happened is that his car seat had tipped over when I turned onto the highway and he was just sort of lying there looking at me like, : "What the ?" Now, all these years later, I always make sure he's still in the car - no "Where's Olive" moments at this house...

Memory #2: My Mom, know to DS as Baw, came over to visit. We decided to drive over the State Line and get Lottery tickets because that's just the sort of thing a family does, right? Anyway, as we drove along I could hear DS babbling in the backseat. A little later I realized he was saying the same thing over and over, "bahnodbudled", "bahnodbuddled", "bahnodbuddled". I thought perhaps this was the Barney song of something, so I let it go. A bit further into our drive and he was starting to sound panicked, "BAHnodBUDDLED!", "BAHnod Budddled!". I decided I better pull over and see if I vould determine what was wrong. As I turned my head to look at him, my eyes glanced to the flor and I noticed my Mom's seat belt wasn't buckled. At that precise moment DS said, "Baw Nod Buddled!!!" otherwise know as "Baw NOT Buckled!" Poor baby - his Grandma was careening down the highway challenging death without her seat belt buddled!

Memory #3: Our little family took a trip to Kansas to visit our family. DS was just getting the hang of being potty trained, but the whole concept of "holding it" wasn't quite down yet. I swear, every nine minutes "I gotta go". But, the thing about my sons is this - he will NOT pee in a bottle, pee in a can, pee on a tree, pee on the tires, pee under the overpass or pee anywhere other than IN a restroom. There are NO places to pee in Kansas on the old windy flat roads we follow. That was one looong trip. Literally.

DS says he remembers throwing up in the backseat but, luckily, I have blocked that memory. DH remembers bringing it home all shiny and new and having DS run around inside it all excited about having so much room but MOSTLY having his very own....cupholder.

Adios old friend!