And now introducing, The Magic Carpet.

We were blessed to purchase this beauty exactly a year ago this month. She was granted her title by Grayson who insisted that she have a beautiful name. I only vetoed a few wrong options before we settled on the current title. His logic was that the name should reflect how you feel when you ride in the car. He wanted anyone who rode in our car to be able to say, "Man, that car was so smooth it felt like I was on a magic carpet." And thus, the name stuck.

First off, this vehicle has taught me humbleness. Never did I realize I was a car snob until I was asked to drive "TMC". I thought for sure my cheeks would turn red everytime I turned the ignition, but to my suprise I have actually come to love the little quirks about TMC.

For starters, if you see me get into my car and sit there for approximately 30 seconds before turning the ignition, don't worry that I've died. Just remember that The Magic Carpet must "pressurize" prior to starting. It's a little embarrassing when I'm leaving Walmart and a car is stalking me for my parking spot. The people trying to get in to do their shopping probably think I'm being mean and that I'm intentionally taking a long time to move, but no no, don't worry - we're just pressurizing.

Secondly, I've had ample opportunity to clarify to curious onlookers why someone like me, say a young 20's something who is vibrant and full of life, would choose to purchase a car as such. As Grayson discovered shortly after purchasing the vehicle, the average age of the typical Lincoln Towncar owner is 74, so you can see why so many people in town would be confused as to my means of transportation. Thankfully, this has given me the opportunity to market and advertise for the towncar. Not only have I learned how to sell it's amazing shock system, outsanding gas mileage, but I have been able to return the question to them, "Why AREN'T YOU driving a towncar?" This usually works wonders.

Third, and finally, this morning while indulging myself in a guilty pleasure at McDonald's, I had the immense pleasure of granting the 2 service women enormous laughs as I pulled through the drive-thru. The woman's face taking my money was nothing less than sheer shock. She made sure to ask me if that was my car and when I proudly responded w/ a, "Why yes, it is! Why do you ask?" she doubled over in laughter. She mentioned that while she waited for me to pull up, she couldn't help but stare at the length of the hood and envision who would be driving the car. She was simply stunned to see me in the driver's seat. This sort of occurrence wasn't a first for me though.

It really is a tremendous blessing in my life to afford people the opportunity to have a good laugh. As I've stated before, there's nothing better than a good laugh to make your day go right. So here's to you ... McDonald's service people. I'm glad The Magic Carpet and it's driver were able to give you something to laugh about today!