Throwing up on siblings, making out with boyfriends and epic surprises…


So, as part of my deal with partnering with Toyota and their TWIN project, we were asked to go check out The Camry Effect.

I started checking out the site, watched the video and immediately thought what a fantastic marketing campaign it was. I mean, even though I’ve never owned a Camry, I have so many amazing memories tied to cars throughout my lifetime…

Like the one time my sisters, mom and I were on our way down to visit my Grandma, driving along in our sweet tan station wagon that backfired. We must have been driving the back roads, because all I remember is getting super car-sick, and throwing up red Kool-Aid all over my oldest sister’s mint green pants and my mom having to pull over.

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A few years later, in the same station wagon, my mom had taken my sisters, some friends and me up to the water slides one super hot summer’s day. I remember sitting in the “way far back” with the rear facing seats with my best friend and making faces at all the people we passed. Then on the way home, just blocks away from our friends’ house, the station wagon totally over heated and we had to pull over on a busy road and walk the rest of the way to their house.

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We finally ditched the station wagons (yes, plural, we had not one but TWO!) when I was 5 or 6. We ended up with a new Ford Explorer, manual, of course. A few years after we got that car one of my sisters started learning to drive. We were on our way home from the coast, as a family, and she was driving. Well, we came to a stop sign, on an incline, for a railroad crossing…my sister must have killed it no less that 6 or 7 times trying to cross this incline when the cars started piling up behind us and she got so frustrated that she got out of the car and switched places with my dad. I still laugh every time I think of that…though I’m pretty sure she doesn’t.

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I’ll never forget my first ride in one of Andy’s 78 Toyota FJ40 Land Cruisers. It was before we were even dating, I even had another boyfriend at the time, he was picking me up to take me to the local community college to show me around campus, take me out to breakfast and basically woo me into dating him. He drank Pepsi for breakfast and I thought he was crazy…some things haven’t changed a bit.

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Mine & Andy’s first official date was not too long after that college tour. We went fishing. In his ’89 Corrola. He had that thing forever and I used to tell him I married him for his Corolla…well, that and because obviously as a teacher, he was going to be RICH someday. I’m not going to lie, I was a little bit sad when we sold the Corrola…we had some good memories in the thing. Yes, maybe even including a make-out session or two (or maybe even more, I’ll never tell)  while parked outside my dad’s house. {Sorry Dad!}

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We drove away from our wedding in one of Andy’s ’78 FJ40 Cruisers…the lifted one. The one with the bikini top. The fancy one that he painted in our garage the week before our wedding and the one he was up until 2 AM putting back together the day of our wedding. We got some crazy looks driving through town (and the DariMart drive-through for Pepsis) all dressed up in our wedding clothes.

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And probably my very favorite memory to date…the look on Andy’s face when he got home from 12 days in Alaska only to realize I schemed with our mechanic and got his beloved Cruiser running after sitting broken down in the garage for over 4 years. I still smile every time I picture his face. I’m still waiting for my wife of the year award for that one.

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It makes me wonder what Rylee’s favorite memories will be…will she remember her first ride in “that Orange Thing”? I mean…obviously she won’t be making out with boyfriends in their cars. At least not until after she married. ;)

So, what about you? I know you’ve got to have a favorite memory or two tied to a vehicle. Let’s hear it!

 

Disclosure: I was selected for participation in the TWIN community through a program with Clever Girls Collective. I did not receive any compensation for writing this post, or payment in exchange for participating. The opinions expressed herein are mine, and do not reflect the views of the Toyota.

4 thoughts on “Throwing up on siblings, making out with boyfriends and epic surprises…

  1. Karey

    I laughed out loud at your sister killing the car and eventually (after the pile-up of cars) trading places with your Dad… because I did the exact same thing in Eugene on my way to a babysitting gig. It's horrifying – and I'm sure she's really glad you shared! Haha!

    Reply

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