Even with 325,216 miles our old car makes a difference

325,216 miles later, it was time to say goodbye to a good friend who had been with us for most of our adventures.  In the month of December we donated our old 1997 Crown Victoria to the Julian Center in Indianapolis.  Some of you might remember about a year ago when we posted our memories from hitting 300,000 miles, so now you see exactly how much adventure that old car still had left.

The Julian Center has been supporting victims of domestic violence and sexual assault for over thirty years, and by donating our old car to them we can support the miracles that happen at the center.  The Crown Vic took good care of us, so it is good to know that the very last thing our car will do benefits people in our community.

If you have an old car we hope you might consider donating it to a worthwhile organization in your community.  Many large charitable organizations will take old vehicles as donations.  The process has been quick and simple for us and we have done it two times over the years.  Basically, at some point our old car gets turned into money after we donate it, and that money goes to the organization we support.  We liked to tell people our car didn't put on the miles it had by sitting idle.  The same goes for making a difference in your community, and like us, our car is headed somewhere to make a difference and impact the world around us in a positive way.  It is a really good last step.

We had a lot of fun getting to 325,216 miles, so here are some of our favorite memories:

1. Driving Josh's sister and new husband to their reception after they got married in Kansas.  Josh's sister had a small family wedding in a small town in Kansas and there was no limo anywhere, so when the newlyweds exited the church under a shower of bubbles, they hopped into the Crown Vic.  We actually found pieces of rice in the carpet occasionally for a few years following the wedding, and it always brought back great memories.
2. The Oklahoma State Fair was probably one of our longest trips and one of the most fun.  This trip came right around 100,000 miles and now it seems like a lifetime ago.  The Oklahoma State Fair was one of our best adventures and we hope to go back there soon.
3. Seeing our car parked by the water in Key West, or just about anytime we saw it in Key West.  That car went to Key West more times than we can count, with a trunk packed full with the cat and the hat.
4. And speaking of a full trunk, that car carried a ton of stuff back and forth from the IUPUI campus to the convention center for commencement.  Boxes and boxes of commencement programs and all the stuff that makes a graduation ceremony happen, it all fit in the trunk of one car.  Okay, in some cases it also went on the back seat.
5. Most of all, the dear friends we drove so many places in that car, and the memories it gave us along the way.