Jump in with Both Feet

When buying a new vehicle most people spend hours researching for the best possible vehicle their money can buy. They look at consumer reports and customer reviews. They scour the internet for hours trying to find the car with the best gas mileage or the best safety record. Well, that just isn't me! 

Last May, we went camping on the beach. A friend brought his Jeep Wrangler Sport. As

we were all getting ready to head to the campsite he got out of his Jeep and started to put his top down. Boy was I jealous. I was green with envy for three hours on the ride to the beach. Once we got set up, I went to take a tour of this awesome machine that grabbed a hold of my mind. The instant I got in behind the wheel I was hooked. I wanted a Jeep and nothing was stopping me. Three weeks later I was the proud new owner of a Jeep Wrangler Sahara. 

I didn't go on line and search the reviews nor did I check to see what kind of gas mileage the Jeep got. I just asked my friend how he liked his Jeep. Now I look back and realize, what a stupid question that was -- "How do you like your Jeep?" -- It's pretty funny now.  DUH! I love my Jeep. 

He did tell me two things -- Some people say it's a rough ride and it's noisy on the highway. But he did clarify it's a Jeep and it's suppose to be that way. So when I test drove the Jeep those were the two things I focused on. Was it noisy? - Nope. Was it a rough ride? I couldn't tell because I was in such bliss driving with the top down. 

When I got the Jeep home I inspected my Jeep from top to bottom. There were buttons I had no idea what they were for and I had no intention of using. I just loved the fact that I could zip off the windows, drive doorless and take the top down. (The word topless wasn't in my vocabulary yet.) What more could there be?  Well I would soon find out!

I also came across some plastic bags with straps in them and put them up in the closet. I had no idea what they were or used for. I figured I didn't need them. So yesterday I was cleaning out the closet and came across these bags and decided to see what these straps were. It was like Christmas in July -- Okay I know it's September but you get the picture.  It was four black Jeep grab handles! I was so excited. I immediately ripped open the plastic and installed them in the back seat of the Jeep, two on the roll bars and two on the back of the front seats. So why not in the front seat? Well, last week I ordered two online because I needed them not knowing I had them all ready.

So is the moral of this blog -- I should have done my research and learned everything I could about my Jeep before I bought it? Just like all those other folks spending hours researching about their cars trying to find the best of the best. Nope. First of all, I have the best of the best. It doesn't get any better than a Jeep Wrangler -- well okay maybe a TJ or a CJ or... well you get the picture.

I think the best part about my Jeep is the discoveries I have made. The experiences I've had and the possibilities to come. I will never forget the moment when I found out what the hill decent control button was for and how to use it. Or what the little + and - on the gear shift is for. Who knew? Okay most people knew, but not me. Then -- there is the whole driving off the paved road. What a discovery of pure joy and excitement, an adrenaline rush like no other I've experienced. An addiction that is good for the mind and soul.

So -- for me there is no moral to this post or no lesson to be learned. It's all about jumping in head first without a lifejacket. Okay... so that's not a good analogy. How about "it's about the journey not the destination" ?  My journey this past year has been awesome and for me it's just the tip of the iceberg. The places my Jeep will take me are endless.  

You're off to Great Places!

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting,

So... get on your way!

― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go!

Some of the best parts about my Jeep are the fun and interesting people I meet along the way as I -- now do my research. Transforming my Jeep to anything I want it to be and each day there are new discovries to be made. It could be a new path I've driven or a plastic bag with buckles and straps. Experiencing the buttons and the straps and the bumps and the rocks is way better than reading about it on the internet from consumer reports. Either way I have fun stories to share. Not stories about about saving ten bucks at the pump or how smooth the drive to the beach was.  

Oh but wait! There is one thing I did know about my Jeep before I bought it. This is probably one of the most important things every Jeep owner should know. A fellow Jeeper (Life of the Rich)  created this video to explain it and here it is.     The Jeep Wave 

           -- Simple Living! -- Enjoying Life! -- The Jeep Momma Way --