The Van of My Dreams

If I had to choose one possession that would serve as an icon of my two decades of parenting children it would be my Honda Odyssey minivan. We bought the vehicle when my youngest daughter had just turned one, still in diapers and barely walking. 

I remember chasing her and her older sister in the showroom while my husband worked out the details of the purchase in the sales manager's office. We never expected then that nearly 18 years later, the van would still be our "go to" vehicle and likely responsible for hauling our youngest and her belonging to her freshman dorm come this fall. 

I am emotionally attached to this vehicle. My family, not so much. But I still love this old van and am grateful to have had it so long. I can't even remember all the family vacations we took in the van, or the number of times I carted kids to and from school, campouts, practice, summer camp, and piano lessons. 

The family budget is really tight these days, due to college and a job loss, and hopefully, our van will hang in there for another 100,000 miles. But even if it doesn't it has earned an important spot in our family lore. And my memories, in particular. 

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