An Ode To Rhonda...

You know, you spend a certain amount of time with something, and it becomes a part of your life, whether you like it or not...LOL. Over the years, we have gotten into the habit of naming our vehicles. The one that sticks out in my mind the most was "Frannie The Vannie" a VERY old Ford Aerostar that I literally drove til it wouldn't move again...LOL.

Two and a half years ago I purchased a used Honda Station Wagon. It was in VERY nice shape and has been a WONDERFUL means of transportation! Alas, we chose to give it the name Rhonda The Honda. Rhonda has been one of the best vehicles I have ever owned! I've had to put next to nothing into her since day one, other than regular maintenance. She's been through several moves with us, and has made many trips to various other states (Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and all over Ohio). Never once has Rhonda let me down or given me reason to doubt her ability to do what I needed her to do.

She was quite impressive and VERY deceiving to other vehicles. You see, Rhonda has a high performance engine in her, something you'd NEVER expect to see in a Station Wagon. And although I am a very "defensive" driver, I also enjoy "playing" every once in a while. I've had MANY times during the time that I have owned Rhonda where I would be sitting at a traffic light and have some fancy schmancy car pull up next to me and stick their nose up in the air as if they were better than Rhonda. But OH were they in for a surprise when that red light turned green!! I'd hit the gas and Rhonda would know exactly what she needed to do! And at the next light that fancy schmancy car would pull up next to us again, but this time in shame, knowing that they were beaten by something "below" them....LOL.

I'm a very cautious driver, have been for 20 years now, since my last accident! And because of that, I have not had an accident or ticket in 20 years! But I'm also a very "planned" driver, especially when it comes to driving on major freeways, which we have a lot of around here. If I know that 5 miles up the road I'm going to need to hop off on the exit that is to the left, unless I can't, I'll hop over into that left lane and ride it through. I am not a person to wait until the last minute to make a lane change. Unfortunately, I am in the minority here. I can think of one exit on 475 that is a drivers nightmare! 99.9% of the time, I need to take that exit to the left, so I plan ahead. But more drivers wait until the last second to make that lane change, thus making that exit ramp one of the worst ones in the area!

Anyway, to shorten this up a bit, when I get into that left lane to take that exit, I put the petal to the metal and GO! It is one of the times in my life where I darned near tailgate, because I WILL NOT let that person in that decides last minute to make a lane change! Only exception to that is if it will cause me to be in an accident, PERIOD! And this has been where Rhonda The Honda has been the most deceptive...LOL. People see her faded paint and assume she's just a little "beater" trying to get down the highway. But what they don't know is that this is where she "performs" the best! Rhonda will blow even the expected "winner" right out of victory lane EVERY time! She has never once let me down.

But, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end, thus the title for this message. My poor Rhonda The Honda is no more :( Last night she gave her last breath and faded on to that big Honda Getaway in the sky. It was a very sad moment for all of us. She has been a part of our lives for quite some time now. But we knew her time with us was getting limited. Her Odometer had just flipped 300,000 miles. Her paint was starting to be eaten away by rust, her tinted windows were fading and her upholstery was starting to wear thin.

So, goodbye old friend. Thank you for all of the wonderful times we've had together. You've been a true and trusted friend from the moment we were first brought together!
**huggles**
Holly