Got Wheels, Will Travel!

We bought a car yesterday! After months of spinning our wheels on the issue, researching but getting nowhere, the purchase seems to have happened quite suddenly. We are the proud owners of a shiny, bright red hatchback. We are not hagglers, but I feel like we got a decent price, and it is everything we wanted (except colour; I would have preferred blue over red, but I guess you can't be picky about trivial things like that when you're buying used). Boy, it was hard to give up such a big chunk of our savings.

It looked like insurance would be a huge stumbling block, but tonight I got a fantastic quote and jumped on it. The dealer is taking care of everything else, and it's all falling into place. We should be able to pick it up on the weekend. As with most things, buying my first car was not nearly as complicated a process as I made it out to be in my head.

So, I made it to the ripe old age of 31 without ever owning a car. I have been happy enough with the public transit lifestyle. But baby changes everything, and this is no exception. Keith just got his beginner's licence and won't be able to drive alone for eight to twelve months, so the car's all mine for most of my maternity leave. I'm so excited about having the freedom to visit friends and family, most of whom live out of town, whenever I want or need company or a change of scenery.

That said, I am a nervous driver. I hope to gain confidence behind the wheel — behind my very own wheel! — but it'll take time, especially when driving on the crazy, aggressive streets of the big city with baby in tow. When Keith and I are going somewhere together we'll argue over who drives, because neither of us really wants to!

But I'm excited. Really. :)