We are all familiar with Steven’s Football career, and some of you know about his brief stint on Marshall’s varsity Basketball team. Now Steven is completing his trifecta by competing on Marshall’s Varsity Track Team. His strong events are the 100m, 200m and 4 by 100m relay. He also does Shot Put, but it’s not his strength (literally). It’s actually quite amazing to see Steven running so fast. In the race depicted by the photo below, Steven actually placed 1st. Not bad Asthma Boy!
After 11 years and 105,000 challenging miles, we decided to say goodbye to our family truckster- a 1999 Ford Expedition XLT. This was a really hard decision, but the miles started to take their toll. The squeaks and rattles were getting louder and louder, the door locks and lights had a mind of their own, and much of the trim was in need of replacing. We certainly could have kept the truck as the engine and transmission were still running strong- but the cost of gas in a big V8 truck didn’t make much sense anymore. The Expedition got us through many Merino Madness camping trips (including some off-road excursions I will never forget), and helped us schlep our three boys around while keeping them beyond arm’s reach- the main reason we chose this truck in the first place. 
Now that we didn’t need the rough and tumble kind of vehicle, we decided to go for a more car-like option while keeping the seating capacity as high as possible. There are several of these types of vehicles out there in the sub-luxury price range: Mazda CX-9, Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, and Ford Flex, just to name a few. We chose the Mazda for several reasons, but most importantly was the 0% financing for 60 months, plus the below invoice pricing we were able to get. Besides the incredible value, the Mazda really was the most balanced vehicle out there. It wasn’t quite as big as the Chevy and GMC, but it felt just as roomy inside. It was much roomier than Honda, Toyota and Ford, and it had them all beat when it comes to the ride quality and fit and finish. Surprisingly, it was the least expensive when comparing apples to apples. Of course, I spent upwards of 40 hours researching all of my options, and most car magazines (print and online) agreed that the Mazda CX-9 is the best 7-passenger crossover out there. Christy liked the Mazda the best in terms of style and design, and the kids all voted the Mazda the car they most wanted to be seen in (a very important criteria).
