A Sweet Ride

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Check out my new (used) car! I survived the car-shopping process to walk away yesterday with a 2008 Infiniti G35. I love it. I drove it home from the dealership yesterday, clutching the steering wheel in a two-fisted death grip while mentally chanting "Don't wreck the new car, don't wreck the new car." 

We gave up the '93 Lexus on a trade-in and for all my complaining, I was sad to see it go. We'd had that car for over 10 years. It felt like we were handing over the family dog to strangers. I wanted to cry, "She likes to be taken out for daily walks and given a little treat before bed." Obviously, I have issues. 

My favorite part of any large-purchase process is watching Blair handle the finance person. Blair is a numbers whiz so not only does he not just accept what's been placed before him, he can do the math in his head and shoot out why what they're presenting is factually incorrect or makes no sense. 

Yesterday, for example, the finance guy at the dealership was whizzing through some numbers on-screen, explaining how the 2015/100,000 mileage extended warranty was such a better deal and only cost $20 more a month in payments. This guy actually used the words "high-faluting," as in, "You know, we've had CEO's and bank presidents in here this week and they all went for the extended warranty and they're some pretty, you know, high-falutin' people."

Blair didn't flinch. Instead he pointed out how the figure on the contract didn't match $20 a month, it was closer to $50 and why was that? You could see the guy squirm as he explained that was with interest tacked on. Blair went line by line through the contract and pointed out other inconsistencies and you could just see the guy shrinking in front of us. 

As we left the room and I turned to Blair and whispered, "That was so sexy." 

Blair will now be driving the Camry. I offered to scrape off the "26.2" and "Blue Ridge Relay 208.8" stickers I have on the back window but he said he doesn't mind leaving them on. "When people ask me if I've run a marathon I'll say no, but my woman has," he said. 

Sexy man, sexy car. Not a bad way to spend the weekend.

Cheers,

Dena

Knock, Knock. Who's There? Marathon. Marathon Who?

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It's hot. It's humid. It's sticky. Anyone with an ounce of sense would stay inside with the air conditioning on full blast until December. Which can mean only one thing...

IT'S MARATHON TRAINING TIME!!

That's right boys and girls. Time to get your run on! I've signed up to race the inaugural Savannah Rock-N-Roll Marathon on November 5th. Bands are stationed at every mile to pull runners through the race. From experience, I will say it's amazing what a little music can do to lift the spirits and make you forget (momentarily) about what an idiot you are for signing up for a marathon in the first place. I'm very much looking forward to being distracted throughout this race.

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Answering the Question: "How Was Your Run?"

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I ran the Kernersville Rotary Club 5K this morning, one of my favorite races not for the course (curses on those hills and the heat!), but because it's a small race that a lot of my friends run. I love hanging out and cheering for everyone. Blair's at work and I know when he walks in the door the first thing he'll do is greet me with a cheerful, "How'd you do?"

I have no idea how to answer this question. 

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Smug Marrieds: An Aha Moment

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Blair and I were in Winston-Salem today, doing the last of the car shopping. After test-driving a few cars, we went to the Old 4th Street Filling Station for lunch. As we sat on the patio, enjoying the food, sunshine and ambiance, Blair sighed contentedly. 

"What do we need to do so that we can live like this every day? Just do what we want and enjoy life and not have to worry about the demands of other people?"

I took a sip of water and smiled politely at him from across the table. 

"Right you are," he said, sitting up. "So, great, we're halfway there already on the goal. Excellent. Yes." 

Cheers,

Dena