Dear 2003 Chevrolet Blazer,
I purchased you February 25, 2003, you were brand new. While you were not the first "new" car I purchased, I was more excited about this purchase than my previous "new" car. I had wanted a Silver Chevy Blazer for many years but just didn't know that I could afford one. However, God has a way of forcing our hands sometimes and as it were, my Chevy Cavalier decided that it was no longer going to run for me so I decided to bite the bullet.
My mom and dad went with me Henrick Chevrolet ( then located on Shackleford Rd in Norcross, GA) and they were there more for advice and support. I was 30-something (age withheld-haha) and when I saw you on the lot, I knew I wanted you. The salesman, Richard Pittman, let me drive you home and keep you just to see how I like you. He was pretty new there and later I think he must have realized he shouldn't have done that because he called me the next day wondering when I was coming back - haha.
But I actually was about to head back and tell him, let's make a deal. I did all the dealing myself and I drove off the lot with a beautiful silver/gray Blazer.
I got you just in time because on the way to pick you up, my old car died on me, literally, and I had to have it towed into the dealership. This was the days before everyone had a cell phone so thank goodness this lady let me come into her house and use her phone to call them and they sent a tow truck to haul it in. That was interesting....
The minute I got you home, I loved you. I read the owner's manual cover-to-cover.
I took you to Kentucky a couple of times to see my brother and sister-in-law. And we went to Florida way too many times to count...to see mom and dad and other relatives and go to Family Reunions and to see the beach.
Some of my happiest memories are riding down to Florida and back with my beloved and trusted dog, Thatcher in the car with me. He would start out looking out the passenger window but within 20 or 30 minutes, he was laying on the floor so the cool air could blow in his face. Even after he was gone, I continued to look at the spot on my trips and picture him laying in "Thatcher's Spot".
Again, those trips were before cell phones and before digital cameras (which shows you how long I had this car). I wish I had some photos of him in the car but it just wasn't that common to take photos then as it is now, since getting film developed was pretty pricey, but I sure wish I had a photo. At least I have the picture in my mind, which I can see whenever I want to.
I put a lot of miles on you - but considering how long I have had you, I don't think it is too bad.
You came with a CD player, which was starting to become pretty common when I bought you, but people still played cassettes and I had plenty of them so luckily you had a cassette player too.
As you can tell from the worn markings...the radio, CD and cassette player got plenty of use!
It was so, so hard to trade you in for a new car. I didn't want to and even as I type this blog post, I am tearing up thinking about it because I really didn't want to let you go. There are so many memories attached to you, I really loved this car!! I was emotionally attached and will miss it so much.
However, as God kind of gave me a gentle push before, He surely gave me a gentle push again. I prayed (A LOT) for guidance on if I should trade and when the mechanic told me that it was going to soon need over $2,500 worth of repairs (when I just put in almost $1,000) and I was just getting a gut feeling that something major was going to go wrong and it would be very expensive....knowing that the financial value was way below that...I listened to God's guidance and decided it was time.
I took both sets of keys - even all this time, I never once had to replace the battery in the key fob.
It was obvious which was the one I used all the time and which was the spare set (you can't even read the writing on it)
I had to say goodbye to my friend
I prayed for you on the drive over to the dealership...I prayed that after I leave you, that another owner comes along, that you are treated well, that you are given regular maintenance every 3 months, just as I did, that your tires are rotated every six months, and mostly that the new owner will LOVE you just as much as I did.
On the drive over to the dealership, I was behind a Florida Rock truck, which is the company my dad worked for...to me...it was a sign from my dad that I was doing the right thing and he was with me, still supporting me as I let go of a car that I loved very much.
Good bye dear friend...thank you for being reliable, for all the trips and for all the memories. I will miss you but I will never forget you.
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