Happy Honda-ween!

I had a very exciting Halloween weekend!

 

First off, I had my 12 mile training run on Saturday morning that I did at goal marathon pace, so I was very excited about that (and the fact that I didn't have to run 20 miles)!

 

Secondly, after I got back from D.C. on Tuesday, my car started to make some odd rattling noises under the hood. This is my 2004 Saturn Ion that I bought after college with only 20k miles. She now has 108k miles, and has some "quirks," if you will. The coolant light has been on for over a year (the coolant is fine), the left windshield wiper is not on correctly (I had to get the bulb replaced last year and it has never been the same), I can't always get the key out of the ignition due to an electronic issue that never does it when I take it to the dealer so they won't fix it, her sunroof drains sometimes leak in my trunk and passenger floor, her hubcaps keep popping off, her paint is faded and the inside seats are stained, and her front lights keep getting a film on them due to a moisture issue, so I don't get great vision in the dark. Nevertheless, she is paid off and the taxes on her are super cheap! However, I told myself I would no longer put money into her because I am an adult and can afford a new car, so when the rattling started I was pushed to finally pull the trigger.

 

I have wanted a Honda Civic forever, so I did some research at the end of last week on prices and reviews, and went to the dealership to test drive. Well, of course I loved the car and due to my awesome credit score, the financing is very reasonable (.9% APR) and I was able to get what I think is a good deal for a 2015 since the 2016's are coming out now.

 

So at about 3:30 yesterday, I walked away from ROLYWA...(I am not keeping the same plates due to the vanity/UVA fees I got sick of paying every year)...

 

 

to this beautiful unnamed vehicle:) My first brand new car EVER.

 

 

Isn't she pretty and shinny?! And she has a back up camera, side camera, Bluetooth (and all that fancy jazz), alloy wheels and is alllll black. I was able to put down a solid down payment and my monthly fees aren't bad at all. Now, I have never in my life had a car payment, so we will see how fast I pay her off just so I don't have one anymore:) BUT I do recognize that my money is worth more earning interest in the bank than paying her off as fast as I can, and since I still want to travel and put money into retirement funds, and am paying for school, I am going to try to not pay her off super-fast, just so I have money for other things:) Welcome to adult financial decisions, right?! But can we say "road trip" fast enough for my two-week winter break coming up? There is some money saved right there versus flying somewhere (my gas mileage will be amazing)! See, she is paying for herself already:)

 

Afterwards, it was time to celebrate Halloween, so I borrowed some clothes to dress as the Easter Bunny and went to my friend's house for our version of Halloween- aka wine and a potluck!

 

In character as a Ninja Turtle, Egg, Bunny and Robber

Friends on Halloween:)

I just love Stewart (the dog) looking so guilty here:)

So I had a very successful weekend and I am looking forward to two days this week of no students due to Election and Parent/Teacher Conference day! Happy November- the official start of the holiday season:)

 

How was your Halloween? Ever bought a new car?

Goal for the Weekend

Since I had been under the weather this past week and had to run around more than usual due to meetings at work and school, I was in the mood for just about nothing this weekend. In fact, my goal was to get in my car as little as possible. I succeeded in only driving 12ish miles the whole weekend, and that was only to a birthday party and volunteering event (all in one trip). Sadly, though I didn't spend much on gas this weekend, I did get a $60 parking ticket, so that pretty much ruined any hope of mine to be thrifty for a few days. Damn you, City of Richmond! This is actual my first parking ticket EVER, so I am probably due. I street park all the time in the city since I live there, so I have gotten very lucky. I am tempted to not pay it since the ticket has my license plate incorrectly listed...so I feel like I COULD get away with it, but paying even more would really suck.

I felt good enough to get two runs in this weekend after taking the majority of the week off, and my appetite finally came back. I am really working on listening to what my body is craving rather than paying attention to what I feel like I should be eating (within reason, obviously). I find that I often pay attention to the clock and not necessarily to my stomach, so I am working on that. Especially with school and work, I need to be mindful of my body. This illness brought that all into perspective! I also have to say that this is the first week that I have really let myself sleep as long as I need to, and boy, it makes a huge difference! I have not gotten less than 9 and a half hours since Tuesday night, and I feel like a new person. I don't need coffee and just feel overall better. I think my happy place is 9 hours a night:) Let's see if I can make that happen more often!

Oh, and I had the most awkward encounter with someone trying to ask me out last night at Massey on the River (great event, by the way!), where I was volunteering. Note to all the single men and women out there: DO NOT, if you find a person attractive at an event, get an older friend of yours (aka someone who could be your mom), ask the girl if she would talk to you and then proceed to stand next to her WHILE SHE IS VOLUNTEERING for the entire night and try to make get-to-know-you small talk. That is not the way to someone's heart who clearly is feeling awkward and is just trying to do her job and talk to her own friends who are at the event. Just sayin'.

Final fun fact: I got fitted for whitening trays! I finally decided to treat myself to trays since I buy white strips at least every year and wanted a smarter investment. The dentist did my trays for $195 and the gel only costs $6 a kit. So in just a few years, I will be saving money from the normal $30-$40 white strips AND it gets ALL my teeth, instead of just the front:)

Showcasing white teeth, but also thinking of the UVA community this week! Love my AXO's :)

Ok, enough randomness from me! Have a great Sunday and week!

Poor Rolywa

First off, on an unrelated note to anything else in this post, my body is officially the most fickle thing EVER because despite my non-running mood, I PR'ed at the Monument 10k this weekend. I don't understand it either.

My ROLYWA

Anyways, my main reason for this post is to tell you all that my poor 2004 Saturn ION has been recalled yet again for another serious issue. In addition to the ignition switch being faulty (which I already got replaced a few years ago), there is now a recall for power steering. None of these parts have been officially fixed by GM yet due to parts needing to be supplied with the dealer, so I am driving risky. My car is a defected mess.

I am torn for many reasons about all these issues. First, I will definitely get them fixed because it's free and needed, but now I don't know what to do about my car. I have already mentally committed to the fact that I do not want to put much more money into my car because of her age, and, therefore, I have learned to deal with many minor issues that I will not get fixed (leaky sunroof, squeaky wheel, ect). There is something very freeing about not worrying about your car or anything going wrong with it when you accept these facts. Usually you can get a couple years out of it with low insurance and no expenses!  However, there is also a part of me that is now worried about my car. I don't trust driving her as much:(. She only has 89,000 miles on her, though, so that is what keeps bringing me round to the fact that I should have a few mores years left. For sure I will not take any extreme measures to fix anything, but I hope my trade-in value is not damaged by these recalls. I would guess I could get about 3k for her. 

Still, the whole situation is very unsettling. Anyone else dealt with bad/numerous recalls? What would you do? Do you think I can get money back from already getting a new ignition switch a few years ago (that would be nice!)?