mcfadden-esque ramblings and pontifications

meet the newest member of the family… our new car!
just kidding (about the family member part)

since the acquisition of a certain very LONG surfboard, we have realized our need for a vehicle that can carry oversized items… the deciding phone call, made by hugh on a drive back from the beach with the precious longboard strapped to the top of our accord with soft racks:

“lauren i can’t handle this anymore! i’m driving 35 mph down A1A and over the causeway (which hugh normally drives at about 65)! old ladies are giving me bad looks for going too slow! i won’t even turn on the radio or cd player because i’m nervous that i won’t be able to hear anything (that is, if the longboard decides to rip its bindings or snap in two and take flight - the major fear here). this is ridiculous; we have to get an suv, and one that i can fit stuff in, not just on top!”

soo, a few months of intense (any of you that know hugh also know that i am not exaggerating when i say this) research produced our choice, the volvo xc90. though its spacious interior, 2008 top safety pick rating and very comfortable seats were pluses, what gave it the edge was certainly the construction of the back tailgate (the bottom of which is only about 6 inches high and can stay down even when the top part is closed, allowing extra-long things to slide right through) and the fact that all seats (except the driver’s) fold flat.

and now, after much prayer and hard work securing the deal, we have all the space we need and are ready to hit the road :)