One year anniversary

February 5th, 2014, marked the one year anniversary of a day that forever changed my life. It's the day that Black Betty came into our lives. This little lady.........

.....has rocked. my. world.

She gets 31 miles to the gallon. THIRTY-ONE. The Blue Hag (my unaffectionate nickname for my 2005 Jeep Liberty) got 16. Needless to say, she's saved me an extreme amount of money in gas. I WAS filling up every four days at $60+ a tank. Now, I fill up every 4-5 days at $30 or less a tank. Amazing.

Besides the gas mileage, my other favorite feature is Lola.

Lola is my sync system. She allows me to use her to call people and be able to speak to them HANDS FREE through my car speakers (which is a huge relief to my husband because he knows my hands are already busy enough flipping people off communicating my feelings to fellow drivers). As much as I LOVE Lola, we get in a fight almost every day. She's been acting up lately and sometimes I have to threaten her to straighten up. While I truly enjoy all the phone and stereo options she has, there are times when I try to call people (like my sister Brooke, for example) and I'll say, "Call Brooke." She pauses for several moments and then says, "Calling Brandon." So then I usually say something along the lines of, "Um, I'm sorry Lola. Did I SAY call Brandon? Or did I say call Brooke? Because I'm pretty sure I said, Call BROOKE!" At that point she says, "Say 1 after the tone to call Brandon on cell. Say 2 after the tone to call Brandon at work. Say 3 after the tone to call Brandon on mobile. Say 4 after the tone to call Brandon at home."

Two problems with that scenario.

First one being, I only have one phone number for Brandon. So why is she giving me 4 options? Second being I WASN'T TRYING TO CALL BRANDON IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!!!! At this point, I usually end up calling Lola a hooker and hanging up and using my own two hands (imagine that) to actually dial their number on my phone.

I also like that Black Betty has a USB port so I can charge my phone. I like that I can use Bluetooth to play my music off my phone. I like that I can do a systems check to make sure nothing is wrong with sweet Betty. I like that it tells me how many miles I have left until I run out of gas (because this happened waaaayyy too many times in my other vehicles. Stupid and totally my fault, but I always misjudged how far I could get even though my E was lit up). I love that the trunk is gigantic and holds all my junk!

A few things I DON'T like (sorry Betty, but everyone has their faults).....there are no manual locks on the door. There's only one lock/unlock button in the whole car and it's on the front panel where all the stereo buttons are. And, once you go over 20 mph, it automatically locks. This terrifies me because I just KNOW someday we're going to drive into a lake and not be able to get out of our cars because all our doors are locked and the electronics have stopped working and there's no manual locks! How will we get out?!? What if we can't bust the windows?!? Can you see my panic building?

I also don't like the head room. It's good for me almost daily (unless I wear a high bun on my head and then I'm hitting the roof), but Nick's pretty tall so it doesn't leave much room for him. The leg room is also a little tight in the back. It's do-able, but not ideal. The Ford Fusion was roomier and I wish we would have just splurged a little to buy one. I think it would have been worth it.

I have a love/hate relationship with the sensors that tell you when a tire is low. I love it because it prevents me from getting a full on flat if it's a slow leak. I hate it because often times it comes on while I'm driving eighty-five seventy miles an hour down the highway. Nothing makes you slow down faster than the thought that your tire is going to blow out any second. The sensor comes on any time my tire pressure is below a certain amount. So just because it's on, doesn't always mean I'm getting a flat. It's always been a slow leak, but it still scares me!

So the low down is, although Black Betty could improve a little, she's still amazing and I'm so glad every day that we brought her into our lives. Here's to driving you until you fall apart, Betty!!