Our Vehicle History: Stacy

Due to the nature of marriage, this will be a three part post. First my history, then a recap of Brent's, and finally what we have accomplished together. Due to our extensive moving history, lack of care for keepsakes, technological upgrades, and disorganization, there will be a shortage of photos.

Way Back When
My family lived down a 4/10th of a mile long gravel drive way in between two towns in mid-western Ohio. We had public school busing that picked us up at the end of the drive and took us directly to school. Sometime in junior high my friend Jill and I were granted permission to ride our bikes to school. We didn't have any concept of miles, but we knew it took about twenty minutes. We had been riding the country side all summer and even went into to town to the mall and movies. Biking was our freedom.



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A general map of home to junior high above and home to high school below.



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We even biked some in high school. Then there was my first car in about 1995, a 1978 (dad, is this correct?) silver Volkswagen Dasher, and with that machine my bike rarely saw the outside world again. The Dasher had been the family car till about 1986 when my parents bought their first van with the arrival of my youngest sister, their fourth child.


The car got me where I needed to go, but eventually it was parked and I was permitted to drive the 1990 Plymouth Laser. The Laser went with me to college in Asheville, NC in 1998. My campus life was spent mostly walking. I drove down off of campus and then walked most of the city. The Laser then took me to Denver that same year and I was able to salvage some time with it until the timing belt broke, I fixed it, then decided to drive it home to my dad and live without a car. In Denver, I walked, carpooled, borrowed my aunt's and friend's cars, bussed, and biked. Again, I didn't have much sense for distance, but I knew how much time I needed and I went. I worked, I went to school, I had fun, and I didn't need a car.


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A general map of home to work in Denver, above.


Sometime in early 2000 I moved to Atlanta and drove my boyfriend's car or his brother's car or just stayed home. I didn't fancy Atlanta very much, for many reasons, mostly climatic, so I leased a Saturn and moved to Columbus, OH. I ended up in Hilliard, on the outside edge of the city (it was really the burbs) and drove the Saturn everywhere. I was in a cookie cutter apartment with a young 20s lifestyle. I worked, I went to school, I played. While I was at Ohio State University (OSU) I had an expensive parking pass and still had to walk from the lot to class, which I am guessing was near a mile.


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The distance from Hillard to OSU, above.


I wound up giving the Saturn to my boyfriend when I ended the relationship. At some point while I was in Columbus I ended up with the Laser again, but I don't recall why. I gave that car away to a family in Maryland whom needed one.


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A map from Grandview to OSU, above.

I moved to Grandview in 2001, closer to downtown Columbus, and took up a carpooling, walking lifestyle again. I got rides to school and work and walked around Grandview and to the grocery. My dad loaned me a Cavalier for a short bit when Brent and I had gotten together and his car was hit by a driver and totaled out by the insurance. This marked the beginning our car life together.


Typical American Girl

So all in all it seems pretty classic to me. I drove when I had the means to drive. I biked and walked when I couldn't. The car was pretty important to my sense of independence. It was needed less when I lived closer to town.


I will work on getting Brent's story for you next time.