End of an Era: The Last Mom Car

We're not big car buyers. I generally get a car and keep it until, as my husband says, we've "squeezed all the juice out of it." We become very attached to them once they're paid for.
My last new car was a 2000 SUV, which we bought to haul the horse trailer which we bought to haul our daughter's first horse. Make a note of that, anyone about to buy a daughter a first horse. We'll talk about the heavy duty Maytag needed to wash horse blankets in another post.
Last week, high mileage, an aging engine, and a few good-natured jabs from our mechanic about "what the wife was driving" convinced my husband it was time to go shopping.
I am now the proud owner of a brand new Silverado pick-up truck (I know!). It's great not worrying about the check engine light and funny noises under the hood but I confess to feeling a pang at saying goodbye to my last "Mom car." That vehicle moved one child out of college and another in. It got up early (really really early) and carried us to horse shows. It made countless school runs, trips to the pediatrician, drivers' ed class, airport runs, field trips, etc. It has hauled bikes, kayaks, guitars, skateboards, coolers, friends, furniture, and the list goes on.
So, even though our children are twenty-something (grown and flown), it's not without a twinge of regret that I say farewell to the last car I'll ever own with third-row seating and university stickers in the back window. Sigh!!

It's a new day...