Now that we have three kids, we have officially outgrown my 4Runner… the very same 4Runner my parents surprised me with for my first car back in high school. As we are looking to upgrade in order to accommodate our growing family, I was surprised, and a little embarrassed, at the emotions that came to light. I mean, it’s just a car right? But looking back, there has been a lot of life in my 4Runner.
Surprise!
My parents surprised me a few months after my 16th birthday by taking me to ‘pretend’ shop for a car they had already bought without me knowing. When they finally let me in on their surprise, I was literally speechless. Besides being grateful, I felt a little guilty knowing how expensive new cars were, but mom and dad insisted that ‘new’ meant ‘safe’ and ‘long lasting.’ After 16 years and over 235,000 miles… I think they were right.
School
This 4Runner skipped out on a lot of driving in high school in order to save hard earned gas money. This 4Runner was a concert venue for Destiny’s Child and my best friends on our way to all our high school games. This 4Runner failed at transporting a homemade Spanish project and leaked melted chocolate all over its backseat.
This 4Runner took me to college and only got one parking ticket at Texas A&M and one big Aggie going away present when it got towed on Northgate graduation night. This 4Runner has made countless Sonic runs with my roommates, and was a favorite study spot for me with my moon roof open. This 4Runner spent a lot of time at Baylor University too… where it attracted a homeless man to its driver’s seat, who was rummaging through its console! My now husband, Joe, and his roommates didn’t catch him, and this 4Runner has been without its User’s Manual ever since.
Family Life
This 4Runner has been a big part of mine and Joe’s relationship, taking us all the way back to high school. This 4Runner witnessed our first kiss. This 4Runner knew the 13 minute route down Stahl Lane between our houses all too well, and how to get back just in time for curfew. This 4Runner defines long distance relationship, knowing its own way back and forth on Highway 6 between College Station and Waco.
This 4Runner was my limo to church on our wedding day. This 4Runner navigated itself through the NFL, bringing us, and all our stuff, all the way from Seattle to Jacksonville, and back to San Antonio again. Literally, across the country.
This 4Runner escorted our first two babies home from the hospital and has learned to like fruit snacks and french fries over the past few years. This 4Runner has hosted picnics in the back, lugged around strollers and bicycles, and even played driving simulator in the driveway for our toddlers.
You can see how this 4Runner is so hard to part with, because it has become part of our family. I can’t imagine my mom and dad giving my 16 year old self such a gift, such an important gift: a safe, reliable vehicle for an unsafe and uncertain life. My 4Runner has lived a lot of life, and now you can bet we will be investing in another Toyota, another vehicle to last us the next part of our lifetime.