September 26,2008: Green Monster

We had been trying to get a car since Brandon got to Japan and it was about time for something to come through! Brandon found an ad in a Japanese magazine (written in English) and a guy was selling his car for $1,000 (including two more years of vehicle registration, which is a big deal because it's EXTREMELY expensive to buy that....anywhere from $800-$2,000 for that alone, per year). The guy had just finished going to college and he was moving back to India.

It's a forest green Subaru Bistro (I hate to bring it up, but ironically enough, "Beastro" was one of the nicknames I had in high school....which came from my middle name, "Bea").

It was such a good feeling when I got home from work and Brandon called to tell me he was bringing it home. haha, in fact we've even named it our little "Green Monster" because it's sooooo huge and all!! Or, not at all. I compare it to a closed-in golf cart. Brandon is convinced that if one person were helping him, he could pick it up. So, basically....if there's flooding or a lot of snow....we're out of luck!

When he pulled up I was standing downstairs talking to some of our neighbors (who speak English!) and were all laughing and waving! He didn't expect the audience, but we were just cracking up at how small it is and how Brandon's head almost touches the ceiling.

If these pictures don't show it....take my word, our car is even small compared to most Japanese cars.

That's me! I was so nervous the first time I had to get behind the wheel! It was quite a stressful event (you know, making sure you're staying on the left side of the road and then turning in the correct lane).

Thanks to Teresa (Brandon's mom), we brought a ton of "Don't Mess with Texas" bumper stickers to give away to the kids. However, we spared ONE for our personal use.....

~Sarah