Once upon a time a family friend asked if we wanted to buy their Expedition from them.

I said, no that’s silly.

I said, we have the Explorer and even though it is missing things like a parking break, air conditioner, fifth gear and it has seven million gazillion miles on it, (I’m just approximating here, the odometer was broken and it was on it’s second engine) we just got new tires for it and it works fine.

I said, besides, when we go on trips we can always put the two kids, the two dogs (one of whom is a Great Dane) and the two of us in the Taurus.

I said we are FINE.

I realize this all looks like sarcasm but let me assure you that this was truly what I said- apparently I suffer from bouts of insanity. John was not suffering from insanity and said something along the lines of – “You are nuts, they are giving us a really great deal, go look at the truck.”

So I looked at it.

I said, it is too big.

I asked, why do we need so much room?

I said, the space is weird head space that is no good for packing things in.

I said, I’d rather save my money and save up for a giant pick-up truck.

The non-insane member of the household won the debate – we bought the Expedition.

Fast forward two years and here is the inside view of the truck on the way home from a family gathering last weekend:

John and I are in the front, the floor by my feet is full of stuff. The girls now take up the entire back seat and the floor by their feet is full of stuff. The back has the two dogs in their kennels around which is the rest of the stuff that didn’t fit by the girls feet and way up on top of it all is a pet carrier with a little hen chicken with her nine chicks.  Amazingly we could still see out the back window, which was handy since we were also pulling a trailer.

I admit it, I was wrong, the truck is great. It’s a perfect size for a family of five, plus two dogs and assorted livestock to travel in. John can “I told you so” until the cows come home on this one. Of course if we had a diesel, crew cab, pick up with a manual transmission and eight foot bed (and while we are dreaming let’s make it red) we’d have lots of room AND it wouldn’t smell like the inside of a chicken coop all the way home. This is a fact that makes John grumble about money and responsible spending and Ivy look at me like I’m the crazy person that I briefly was when I didn’t want the Expedition.

One day as we were driving Ivy was looking out the window and telling me which cars she wished we had and what colors she wished they would be. Then she asked me what kind of car I wished I had,  I responded that I didn’t want any kind of car that I wanted a giant truck like Uncle Tyler. Ivy looked at me in the review mirror with astonishment and asked, “WHY???” So I excitedly told her all the reasons I wanted a big pick up truck. All the great things we would be able to do with it, the places we’d be able to go, all the people, dogs, livestock and stuff we would be able to haul with it, and what did my girl do? She looked out the window pointed to one of the new smart cars, (you know. the two seaters about the size of a giant soda can,) going down the road told me that was the kind of car she wanted.

It’s funny, I remember giving birth to her, and yet there are times when I just can’t believe she’s mine…

Ivy and I will have to save up our pennies – lots and lots of pennies- for our dream vehicles. Maybe one day she can call her Mom when her soda can (I mean car) breaks down and I can bring it home in the bed of my truck for her. But until then we’ll drive our Expedition because, bouts of insanity aside, it’s just about perfect for right now.