The TRUCK!

Man can I tell you how much I like driving trucks. For those that don't know I used to drive around in a F250 Super Duty 4x4. It had a winch and some sweet pink and purple stripping on the sides that just rocked. lol. Anyways, Pam and I have been living with only 1 car for about 6 months now and we decided it was about time to get a second one. Based on our lifestyle we decided to get a truck.

With a truck we can go camping once again, and not just the paved style I'm talking up in the boony's Jason style camping. We can also do a little 4wheelin. We'll have a bed for hauling our bikes too, and next year ski's and snowboards for heading up to the mountains. Um...we can haul wood or whatever so down the road when we actually might have a house we'll have a good vehicle for transportin repair stuff. Anyways, those are some of the reasons why we decided to get a truck.

Based on what I had read and researched I picked out the Titan for its looks, cost, and Nissan reliability. I had only read 2 bad things about these trucks and so I knew what to look for.

Saturday we went looking for trucks to test drive and possibly buy. I knew Pams' budget and we had picked out 3 to look at. The first place we arrived and found out we were actually 3rd in line to test drive the truck. It looked sweet and exactly what we wanted! The lady there told us we might as well head out, because she was pretty sure this first guy was going to buy it. She gave us a tip about this place in boulder offering the same truck for a cheaper price so we cruised out there.

Well this was a dealership, which didn't bother us because we wanted to purchase some sort of warranty if we could but that also meant high prices. THe price we were told from the previous lady wasn't right. These trucks were all 04's and over 20,000 bucks! The salesman didn't even try and move one on us either, he looked like a rookie basically. What we learned though was the crew cab (which we weren't really looking at) but the back seat had more leg room than my magnum. BIG! We also learned that the Frontier was too small (saw an 04 there priced way too much too).

So we left that joint shaking our heads at the prices. 4 year old trucks for over 20,000 bucks? You've got to be kidding me, especially since we've seen these go for 14-16,000!

The next stealership was up in longmont. It was an 04, King Cab, XE. XE is the base model for those of you that don't know the Titans. When we got there again, someone was out with the truck. I used the can, Pam BS'd and we were about out the door to test drive an 08, since they are pretty much the same feel wise, when the guy came back with that truck. So we went over there and took the XE for a spin. We had heard the guy wanted it that drove it before us but we still took it out. I made a comment getting in like, hope that guy doesn't mind we're going to go drive his truck, lol.

The truck was a little more stripped down than we had liked. It didn't have power windows and I'm not sure if I've ever driven a car without them! Was the old yellow diesel mercedes the last vehicle we had with those? :P It did however have the off road package, no matter how much they told me it didn't. Rancho shocks, skid plates, sittin a little higher, and the badging. Anyways, I can tell this is getting freakin long so I'll try and nip it up here.

The deal was the guy in front of us wanted it but his credit sucked. We said we'd buy it but we weren't going to pay the full asking price. I put down we'd pay 16500...which I think I could have gone lower but considering the situation I didn't think we would have gotten it for much lower. Anyways, the kid helping us did his, well I guess its worth a try, take it to the back room and come back in 10 minutes thing. He came back and said they would go 17750. I said, ok well we're offering you 16500. He went back and forth again and said we were good to go.

All this while we're sitting there watching this guy with struggleing credit make calls, tell them no he hadn't even filed bankruptcy, etc. It was just weird knowing we were stealing a truck from this dude!

Finally after another 15 minutes of this another person comes over, who I figured was the guy making all the final deals and he says that they were going to honor the other guys offer since he was in fact here first. Let me tell you...this helped us so much! He asked if we wanted to see any other vehicles. Well we didn't, there were no more used titans and thats what we came for. He asked if we wanted to look at a new one and we said it was out of our price range. He's like, well lets just look at one and we'll blow it up for you.

Pam and I didn't know if that was good or what at the time. We walked out and it was already starting to get dark. They had an 08 Pro-4x, black, loaded that they wanted to show us. I knew from my research that the pro-4x was the off road specific model and black was the original color I wanted. I began to salivate and got a little on my shirt. While waiting for the keys we did a walk around and well...I began to get excited. The new card syndrome was beginning to seep into my eyes. I took note of the options, tow package, lower gears, backup sensors, 4x4 model, pro-4x trim (high trim level), 18" allow wheels, 33 inch tires, fog lights, heated side mirrors, extendable side mirrors, skid plates, utilitrac bed system, spray in bed liner, yes more more, must have! Dude finally returned with the keys and tries to pull it out from the row on the lot.

Dang thing doesn't start, its got a dead battery! Humorous to say the least. Flipped it into neutral and pulled it out while waiting for a jump. I got to look inside. 6 disc cd player, mp3 jack, premium speakers, adjustable pedals, electric rear locker, electric 4 wheel drive, special pro-4x seats, cargo net cubbies under the rear seats, auto dimming rear mirror, all power, tire pressure monitoring, trip computer with tons of info that you're never going to use, temp monitor, homelink system, compass, everything but DVD and Navigation! This baby is plush loaded and I wanted it!

We took it for a spin, without a salesman on board. Pam drove. I told her to stop and do a 0-60 to feel the power! A grin crept across my face as the 5.6L V8 stormed to life and roared down the road. I'm not sure how fast it actually was but I in the time from 0-60 I grew 4 new chest hairs. Thats how manly this truck felt!

Well to make a long story short, which obviously this isn't short but whatever, we bought it. The sticker price was like 36,000. WAY out of our budget. We got the truck for dealer invoice and then another 5000 rebate on it. Basically took around 10 grand off the sticker and made it ours. The salesman says he made 100 bucks on it and the finance guy said he thought the dealership lost money on the deal but whatever. You never know...all we do know though is that we were looking for 04's and we ended up getting a killer 08 for roughly only 2-4 grand more than that stealership in Boulder.

So when the sales guy comes out and says, lets go look at a new 08 Pro-4x and we're just going to blow it up for you! The appropriate reply would be: "Yes indeed, lets blow the crap out of it"!

If the 5,000 dollar rebate ends we should just go sell ours and make some money off it, lol. NAAAHHH once you drive around in it you won't be able to depart from its sexiness! Its sick...and I want to go sit in it right now, just cuz. :)

My new shoes and my dinner

Tooting Trav's Horn

So I need to toot Travis' horn a little bit. So as I have mentioned my 26th birthday is tomorrow and my parents are coming into town on Friday. Last Monday I got the cutest evite invitation from "My Man" inviting me to our home on Friday 1.25.08 for a gourmet meal of my choice, a bottle of wine and then an evening out at a surprise location. Last week was a rough week so it was so great to have something to look forward to.

When I got home Friday, I even left work 5 minutes early, Travis had taken over the kitchen and the smell was amazing. He had gotten a bone in lamb roast, some whole wheat cous cous and broccoli. The lamb was in the oven, the broccoli was steaming and the cous cous was getting ready to go it. After changing into some nice black pants and blue shirt, I grabbed a seat at our bar to chat with my chef and enjoy a nice glass of Pinot Noir, my favorite wine.

Dinner was ready by 5:30pm and though the meat was still a bit rare, we cut off the fully cooked pieces and put the lamb in to finish cooking. Dinner was fantastic, somehow Travis became a phenomenal chef. After dinner it was present time. :)

Though he claims it is nearly impossible to get away from me, he somehow managed get me some brand new Keen Hiking Shoes. I love them!!!! He has been making fun of me and my worn out Nike's that I have been hiking in for the past year or so, because well they are beat up and if I don't wash them regularly they don't exactly smell the best. Hahaha The new shoes are water proof and so comfortable I could wear them all the time. Can't wait till hiking season to break them in.

After presents and dinner we headed out to my surprise, the Symphony!!! A famous violinist was playing with the Colorado Symphony and she was truly mind blowing to watch. Her intensity, her speed and just how she moved as she played was nothing like I had seen. Instead of going out afterwards, Travis and I decided to head home to get a good night sleep.

Thanks Travis for a great birthday!!!!

PS He is making me cupcakes right now for my birthday tomorrow. :)

A Crazy Weekend

Well this has been a crazy crazy week. Work has been nuts, my big boss was out from Irvine and we had a great chat. It is always nice to see her or my Manager as I only seem them about 6 times a year. I do have my 2 year review coming up in three weeks and well it was nice to get a bit of feedback now so I know what I can work on and put down on my goal setting forms that is realistic.

On a fun topic, Travis and I are now the proud owner of a 2008 black Nissan Titan Pro-FourX. I will let Travis explain more about it, but it is pretty much the coolest truck that we both love driving and are excited to take it out. I have added pictures of our new baby. :)

Another Grandparent movin on to a better place...

Last week my Grandad died in the early morning. He was my Mom's Dad and the last of that generation of relatives for me. I think he was around 80 years old.

Its very difficult to characterize our relationship. Yes he was my Grandad (which he preferred to be called over Grandpa) however, I can only remember seeing him in person a few times. I think that a little bit of history which probably shouldn't find its way onto this blog would help serve well into good reasoning behind this, but I am choosing to leave it be.

All the memories of him were awesome, so much fun and laughter. In addition, everything I've heard from other people about him, the stories are all wonderful. It makes me wish that I had known him better.

Its interesting though, to me how things go. Since reaching adulthood I feel like I'm getting to know my parents all over again. They aren't parents anymore really, more like friends. I still can look up to them for guidance, but its more at my pace rather than forced upon me. I can start to get to know their personalities more and understand them as a person, rather than just Dad and Mom.

Its this same relationship that I find myself wishing I had with Grandad. I've known he simply as my Grandad and since I've grown up and have heard all these great stories about him, I'm left wondering what it would have been like to really know him as a person, and not just as what I knew him to be in my childhood.

Nevertheless the time has passed too quickly and I was never given a good chance at this. I can safely say though, based on my beliefs, that he is now up in heaven enjoying peace and I'm sure lots of laughter with Jesus Christ.

-Travis

New Years Resolutions/Goals & Birthday

Travis isn't a fan of New Years Resolutions and has helped me to see that my resolutions need to be more of a lifelong goal, not a short term habit or change. I have been thinking the past week or so about this and things that I would like to work on, change and improve in myself. I think I have come up with a good list.

1. Sometime in the last year I have become a gossip. I was never a gossiper in high school, I was too busy to be. LOL However at my current company the environment is so high school esque that I have found that I have become one that talks a lot, unconsciously about things I hear or see and lately I am not happy with that. I want to be someone that others can come to, can confide in, talk with, be silly or stupid and not worry about that getting out to others. So my goal is to talkative but to leave others out of my conversations unless it is pertinent and necessary.

2. Positive outlook. Another thing I have noticed with all that has happened in the last year is that I have a hard time seeing the positive and looking at how great things are versus what I wish and what has gone wrong. I have a wonderful life, a best friend/boyfriend who would do anything for me as I would do for him, a good job that pays well (though not my dream job), a good home, an amazing family that as I get older I find out is even better than I imagined, and am grateful for the friends I have and are still there for me. I find I get up in the fact that so many people I know are getting married or are married and I am not, compare my home to others, compare myself to others and my success to others success. It may be the competitor in me, but there are things in life that are not a competition and I need to always remember that.

3. Confidence. I know I come across as someone who is very confident in myself, at least I have been told I do at times, but I am very critical of myself. I need to work on being confident in who I am and what I stand for. I need to be confident in my intelligence, my morals, my values, my external appearance and internal value. We all have our days when we feel like we would rather stay in bed than get up and get dressed and that is ok. :) I just think that due to some factors which are in the process of changing, and that will be explained later, I have lost a bit of confidence in my intelligence and competence. I know I am smart, I know I have amazing potential and I am working on finding someone to push me instead of question and make me back down.

I think these are good starting points and will lead to many positive changes in my attitude and life. I also hope it inspires others to make positive changes in their lives and their decisions on how to view the world.

Oh and on another note, my birthday is in 17 days!!! I am so excited and I can not wait. I get to say good bye to my early 20's!!!! I was cleaning today and happened to look through some pictures, letters and my yearbooks from high school. It amazes me to think how much I have changed and grown into myself. I feel I am still me and the me I was at 15 but it is a more mature, relaxed, polished and oriented self. I wish I could write myself a letter, and maybe someday I will, to teach myself the things I have learned along the very very bumpy road. Ask my parents, I was definitely not an easy child to raise. I have never learned well without experiencing some hurt or negaqtive consequence from an action. So to be able to write myself a letter and tell my younger self to not sweat about things so much, to not care what people thought so much and to slow down and enjoy life, I am not too sure it would work. LOL

26 years old, I am excited. I am excited for what this next year will hold. I know my brother will be getting married soon to a wonderful woman who fits into our family so fantastically. I am hoping to own a house, to get a new car, well "we" will get a truck :), hopefully a pet or two, take my GMAT and to just continue to learn about this awesome place we live. What is really interesting to me as well as I go through each year is how my priorities change. Instead of spending every weekend going out and going to the new bars or clubs, I am ok with hanging out at home and watching a movie or with friends. I like having a picked up home, cooking dinner, and being settled. I do still have a drive to push myself in my career and skills, but to also know that I have a great person and place to come home to, all that together makes me smile.

Now after a long rambling post, I am going to go crawl into bed with a good book, listen to some music and get ready for a another week. :) Happy 2008 everyone!!

Music & Lyrics

Yesterday I posted a playlist of songs. It may seem a bit random in the choices and styles of music but each sing has a memory and meaning to me, and some for Trav and I. Music to me is a way of remembering people, places, and times in my life. Take the Lifehouse sing, First Time. The first weekend in October Travis and I were driving from San Francisco to Denver moving. This happened to be a song playing while we were driving across the plains of Wyoming and now will forever be what reminds both of us of our move. Scotland the Brave is what will always remind of my grandpa who passed away in October. Plus it has a funny little memory of my dad in a kilt. :) Love man in a skirt.

Music to me is a great motivator when I am running, at work, or just putting around the house. I love almost every type of music and each kind I listen to for a different reason. I think today will be a mix of country and top 40, need to write an article and do some cleaning around the house. I am trying to make sure that when Travis returns from California, things are picked up, cleaned and better than when he left.

Well happy Sunday and hope everyone is having a great weekend. :)

Music

Back problems.

Boo hoo. So while on break you guys probably know I sort of tweaked/threw my back out, slipped a disc whatever you want to call it. Three days later I was happy with being pretty much back to normal. Once I had gotten off the plane I felt much better and the next day I even went back to the gym. (Doing exercises that didn't involve a lot of weight on my back of course)

So on wednesday I woke up with a sore back for some reason. Kinda tight. I little bit of pain but still not a big deal. Once I made it to work and was sitting in my chair it seemed to get a little worse. I tried to remain with good posture and all, just didn't seem to be helping. Then I sneezed and bam, that hurt. A few hours later I sneezed again and hurt my lower back more.

I took today off from work to lay low. Lay on the ground with my back straight. I went to the gym and did the hot tub for a while, as well as steam room and just tried to loosen up my entire back. I think it helped quite a bit. The pain is less today and hopefully by tommorow I can go back to work and then continue to a full recovery over the weekend.

The weird thing to me is that I feel like it just got tired, and more tired, and tight and eventually just led to a blow out. I'm not really sure if its the way I'm sleeping, or lounging on the couch, or sitting at the computer. Its not like I was squatting 300lbs and hurt it that way. My workout that day was dips, and curls. Not exactly taxing on the back.

Combined with the fact that I had been pretty sore from the leg work out earlier this week, I've just been in a world of hurt recently!

If you're the praying type, say a few words for my back please. I would appreciate all the support I can get.

-Travis

Happy New Years

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