Car!!!

As if my 2010 hasn't been filled with enough excitement, our older car started giving us fits on Thursday. Over the last two years we have plugged a ton of money into the car and we were starting to see diminishing returns. The car is just not getting any younger. So when it acted up on Thursday we decided that we weren't going to bother to fix it. It was time to look into a new car.

On Thursday night we settled down with Car.com and found a couple dealerships that had vehicles we liked. We've been wanting a hatchback and there were a couple newer ones that were available. So Friday afternoon, Jeff went out test-driving. He found a couple he liked but nothing amazing. After breakfast on Saturday he dropped me at home and again went out looking. This time I had given him my permission that if he found something to put in an offer.

About three or so, he texted me to say that he had found a Nissan Versa that was perfect. He loved the feel, he loved the driving, and he flat out loved the car. Low miles, newish vehicle, and a price within our budget. I told him to go ahead. So last night, in a flurry of activity, we cleaned out the old car, drove it down to the dealership, and picked up our new car. All within two hours. I didn't ride in the car (or even see it) until after I had signed the papers and collected the keys, it happened so fast. And I'll have to admit, Jeff did well. It's sitting in the driveway right now and I keep looking at it, wondering whose car it is. It's the exact right car for us. As much as this was not the time for us to be buying a new car, it worked out well enough. Now I'm starting to look forward to getting a chance to drive it myself. We'll see if I get the go ahead at my Dr. appointment on Monday.

Falcons and Fits

I've had a great day so far. Jeff and I got up and had breakfast at one of the very best breakfast places in town, The Waveland Cafe. This is a pretty small local place right off University Ave, where you have to wait in line for a table. The place is busy from open to close. I've never been able to just walk in and get a table during breakfast hours. It used to be pretty smoky but since the smoking ban (Yay!!) went into effect, there are tons of places that we can now go back to.  I had their half breakfast special which is still a ton of food. They have the best hash browns anywhere. They top them with cheese and mix them with ham, mushrooms, green peppers, onions, and jalapenos. Trust me they are amazing. 

But the main reason we went out this morning was to look at the Peregrine falcons out at the state capitol. The capitol hosts one breeding pair every year and their little ones are fledging. We wanted to go out there to take a peek at the fastest birds in the world and see some first flights. We got plenty of views of the birds both adults and little ones. There was a brief rain but mostly it was a pretty day to be at the capitol. The birds seemed to pose for us and the views of the adult on one of the capitol spires were breathtaking. 

Here is our capitol for those who have never seen it. Love the gold leaf. Ignore the scaffolding.

A family of four stopped by to take a look at the birds although they had only brought a camera with. I let the kids and mom use my binoculars while Jeff and the father took pictures. At one point one of the adults was sitting right above the baby calling to it. There is not a huge difference in size between the adults and the babies which I was shocked about. You'll need to click on the picture below to see more closely. The bird at the top is the adult, the baby is below. 

After birdwatching Jeff and I broke down and went out car shopping. Now I hate car shopping but we were pretty upfront with the salesmen so somehow that made it easier. We won't be buying for a while but wanted some test drives just to narrow the field. We cut four models down to two. That makes it a little easier when we really get ready to buy. There are two more left to test drive. Jeff and I really like the Pontiac Vibe and the Honda Fit. We'll see what happens with the Toyota Matrix and the Nissan Versa. It will be a tough choice I'm sure.