New Job

You're looking at the new Assistant Superintendent for Nilson Homes.  (Along with his new office.)

Zack wasn't seriously searching for a new job yet but this opportunity happened to presented itself.  His boss at Out of the Woods made a tempting counter-offer which made it a tough decision because he really did like his job there.  In the end we decided that the new job would make him more well-rounded in the construction industry and would give him the experience he needs to get his General Contractors License. 

He started in June and they gave him a little Ford Ranger for his work vehicle.  Just this week they traded it for this sweet full-sized van.  Pretty awesome huh?

The Replacement

After this tragic accident, we found ourselves car shopping again.  We browsed quite a bit and test-drove a few vehicles.  We actually had the chance to buy almost the exact same jetta that we had.  But instead, for about $5,000 less we decided to try this one out.

It's a 2007 rabbit.  This will be Zack's 6th Volkswagen.  First rabbit though.  What can we say, there's just something about German engineering.  The front end and interior are exactly the same as the jetta, it just has a hatchback instead of a trunk (which ends up fitting better in our short garage.)  I'm just happy to have 4 doors and heated seats again.  Hopefully this one lasts a little longer eh?

Accidents Happen

Remember how just over a year ago we bought this car and I fell absolutely in love with it?  Like probably more than a person should love a material possession?  Yeah, well now it looks like this.

We're pretty sad about it.  What happened, you ask?  Let me explain.

I was driving home from work late (I often work the 3-11pm shift) in the first storm of the season in early October.  It was hailing like crazy and I was in the left lane driving a little too fast for the conditions when I noticed a car facing me up ahead.  It had slid off the freeway but I couldn't tell if it was partially still in my lane.  I decided it would be to my advantage to slow down and get into another lane.  As soon as my foot touched the brake pedal I started sliding.  At this point there was nothing I could do.  My car ran into the median (a steel-cable fence), slid back into the freeway across 3 lines of traffic, slid past the car I was trying to avoid in the first place, and safely back over to the left side of the freeway where I came to a stop. 

The side airbag went off as well as the one in my seat.  (I wasn't even aware an airbag existed in my seat.)  My door would no longer open.  The car was declared a total loss.  Luckily, I escaped with nothing but a bruise on my arm and some back pain.  Baby is fine.  Thankfully I didn't hit anyone and nobody hit me while sliding around.  Apparently there were 4 other cars that slid off in that same area at the same time.  It could have been a lot worse and we have a lot to be thankful for but it's still a bummer.  I really loved that car. 

Now if we can ever find time to go car shopping (maybe during Christmas break?) and if we ever both agree on what car to get, then we'll get a replacement.  Who knows when that will happen...

Manly

The guys at Zack's work have this thing about being "manly" and who is "manlier" than who.  So Zack decided that in order to increase his manliness we should buy a truck. 

Really though, that isn't the reason.  We started saving for a truck as soon as we bought our house because there are so many yard and house projects that require use of a truck and, frankly, we were sick of asking to borrow trucks almost every weekend.  (And I'm sure people were sick of us asking.) So, in July, we purchased this little beauty.

We decided on a toyota because they are super reliable and because our garage is too small to fit a full-size truck.  The four doors are awesome for carseat usage but most importantly, now Zack feels manly while he drives around. 

Mom Car

For the past while I've been driving this:

Pretty sweet right?  Well, here's the thing.  The A/C doesn't work, not all of the doors lock, the heat sort of works but doesn't blow where you want it to, the radio only works half the time, it has a lot of miles so it's constantly needing work done, the passenger door is white, and it gets terrible gas mileage.  Zack's little GTI gets fabulous gas mileage so if we go a long distance we'd rather drive his little car but we can hardly fit anything in it!  Plus, try buckling a carseat in the back of a 2-door car.  Not an easy task. 

So we went out on a limb and bought this little beauty:

Sorry it's already dirty in these pics... we live by a rock quarry so dust is inevitable... that may be changing very soon though.

Anyway, about the car.  It's perfect.  It's a 2007, has 36,000 miles and we got an AMAZING deal on it!  They will also be adding tint next week.
Some things I love about it:
-So easy to get Berkley in and out
-Heated leather seats (ever experienced a Utah winter?)
-The turbo-charged engine is SUPER fast (200hp)
-It's just way smooth and I get so excited every time I drive it

Are there nicer, more expensive cars out there? Most definitely.  But I couldn't be happier to have a nice, reliable car that will last us a long time. 

Now does anyone want to buy a jeep?

Off-Roading

Saturday, June 12th we decided to celebrate the fact that our jeep is fixed and that it had been raining for about 4 days straight.

It was fun to be back in the mud!  We were also excited to take Berkley on her first off-roading adventure at 4 1/2 months old.  This is how excited she was about it:

Maybe when she's a little older...