To all of you who completely rock the minivan, (because I am so not one of them) goes my utmost mom respect and awe. . .

If you recall, we finally purchased a Town & Country last fall and I was all about eating the crow that came out of my mouth for so many years, such as, “I’ll never drive a minivan,” “If I drive a minivan, it means I’ve given up on living,” blah, blah, blah and blah. But let me tell you, for the price, the size, all the gizmos, and the thought of one day filling up that third-row seating with car seats and boosters, I couldn’t help but tap into my practical mothering side (and yes, I do have one. . . way back up in there somewhere), finally give up all my years of driving Jeeps and go for a brand new momma mobile.

I embraced the sliding doors, drop-down DVD player, Bluetooth headphones, decent gas mileage, and all that storage space (come on all you DIYers, it will hold a whole sheet of flat plywood). I embraced the leather seats, the touch-screen radio and the dirt-hiding exterior. I embraced all that my big ol’ minivan had to offer. . . for about a month.

Then slowly (okay, kind of quickly) the doubts started flooding in. I kept seeing this man in a van near my neighborhood with a bumper sticker that said, “I used to be cool.” I started convincing myself that a van really was a good vehicle for someone “my age.” I tried to drive like an adult. I almost bought a cute superhero t-shirt that said, “To the minivan.” I tried to rock it; I really did. Then the snow fell, and with it came the realization that I missed my bouncy, rugged, no-frills four-wheel drive Jeep.

But what was a girl to do (other than complain, stress out her husband and bemoan the fact that she would have to learn to like her very practical minivan)? It was not my finest hour. I felt selfish, petty, superficial and down right rotten. I knew how blessed I was to have a brand new minivan to drive about town, but it still wasn’t pretty as that crow kept trying to creep its way up from whence it came.

Then, as life would have it, my husband completely out of the blue decided to change jobs. With the change he lost his company truck, but he gained a vehicle reimbursement. What?? Yes, this meant we were suddenly in the market for yet another new car. Now this is where the story gets really good. . . my husband, who claims he has always wanted a minivan, decided he would drive the Town & Country and let me pick out the Jeep I had been bemoaning for months. Yes ladies, that’s just how much my man loves me. Suddenly I went from being a minivan mom back to being a Jeep girl.

No, I didn’t have the chutzpah to rock the minivan, and I can admit that. I didn’t have enough class, courage, mom-embracing practicality or van-loving attitude to pull the whole thing off, but I did give it a try. I love all my fun-loving friends who embrace and enjoy their minivans. To you, I bow. As for me, I’ll be driving a Jeep. . . of course I might break a hip falling out of the darn thing at my age, but until that day I’ll enjoy the wind in my hair and the silly grin on my face.

By the way, hubs, I love you too!