The amazing Honda Civic

Since a lot of people and the media are complaining about high gas prices and a depressed economy, I thought I’d share a true automobile success story.

It all began several years ago when we still lived in good ‘ole Buffalo. In October 2004 we traded in our 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid for a new 2005 Honda Civic EX (non-hybrid). We actually made money on the Hybrid, since we received federal and New York State tax benefits and had no repairs and very little gas during the time we owned it. So that is success story number one.

I paid about $17,500 for the new Civic EX (not including trade-in value of the Hybrid). That was a fair amount for a Civic, and the only thing that would have made it more expensive would have been automatic instead of manual transmission. But anyway, even though it was relatively expensive, it was really worth it.

All along I have been checking the Kelly Blue Book value and also the estimated value on Edmunds.com. It has barely depreciated at all since I bought it. Even three and a half years later, it is still worth over $15,000! Add to that the fact that it gets 35 miles per gallon city driving (I avoid highways on my commute, but still get great gas mileage). Plus, I have not spent a single penny on maintenance except routine oil changes and tire rotations (so about $50 a year).

And in California used Civics are in even higher demand, especially with gas prices continuing to go up. I have seen my exact car selling for $17,000!

I know we are not talking tons of money here, but it still amazes me that it is possible to buy a new vehicle that you barely have to spend any money on. If I sold it today, it would be like I had driven the vehicle for almost four years and it cost me basically nothing (except some gas and insurance).

I also want to point out that this will only happen with a Honda, or maybe a Toyota. So even if they cost a little more upfront, it is well worth it in the long-run. Not to mention all 4 of our Hondas over the years have absolutely never had a single mechanical issue. Only a few parking garage mishaps :)

What I Like Most About California

There are a lot of things I like about California, and the Bay Area in particular. But this morning I was reminded of one of the best things California has to offer: strawberries! And its other produce, of course. We live less than an hour from Watsonville, the nation's strawberry capital. As we drove home from church today, I was quite happy to see the migrant worker standing on the street corner with his huge boxes full of large, ripe, fresh strawberries. And cheap too! I just might make some strawberry pie...if and only if there are enough berries remaining when I go to make it. All of us love eating them plain, and it won't be long before our big box is empty. Yum.

2nd Trimester Begins

I am 13 weeks now, and had my 2nd OB appointment today. I was able to hear the baby's heart beating away strongly, yay! My nausea has subsided, and my only complaint now is how hungry I am. The baby should be about 3 inches long at this point.

Caleb is starting to understand the concept of a baby inside my belly. The other day he was concerned that the food I ate would be resting on top of the baby's head. And today while I was at the doctor he asked Matt, "Is the baby coming out today?" Matt said, "No, the doctor just wants to look at it." Caleb was perplexed and said, "Are they going to look at the baby and then put it back in?" Below is Caleb's 13 week belly shot. =)

Caleb the Airman

About every week or so Caleb finds a new toy to play with, typically one that is not even a toy in the first place. This past weekend he got his hands on a tire pressure gauge.

At first he used it to look in my ears and mouth like a doctor's otoscope. I asked if he wanted to be a doctor like his Grandpa. He said, "Yes, and an airman." I thought he said fireman, so I asked if that was what he said. "No, I am going to be an airman, so I can put air in people." It was very funny, but just the beginning of his imaginitive streak with the tire gauge.

The next use of the tire gauge was as a magic wand (not sure where he learned that). First he turned me into a rooster, and then a "real cow". After that he turned the house into a rooster, and then back into a house again (thankfully).

The next day, Caleb showed a rare interest in music, and started using the tire gauge to conduct the rest of us and told us to make some music. We were just slapping our knees or something and Hayden really got into it, swaying to the so-called tune.

At night, Caleb went to sleep with the tire gauge at his side. He woke up 3 times that night crying when he couldn't find the gauge in his bed. (It kept falling on the floor or making its way under the pillow.)

Yesterday, I finally showed Caleb what the tire gauge was really for, and he was quite impressed :)

Noooooo!

It's the day I've been dreading for weeks now. Recently Hayden figured out how to climb on top of the kitchen chairs. We've been struggling to get him to sit on the chairs, as well as get on and off without smashing his head on the hardwood. It's a challenge to say the least. The morning after he discovered his new climbing skill, I found Hayden standing on the kitchen table with an open marker in his hand.

Things just got worse. Hayden has now discovered how to drag the chairs around the kitchen and use them as a tool to reach higher places- such as the kitchen counter. I watched him deviously (yes, he knew exactly what he was doing) push the chair over to the counter to reach the computer and a few other things on the countertop. It's an exciting new world for Hayden. Not so exciting for Matt and me.

Serenity now!

Hawaii Trip 2008 Continued

I suppose it's a good thing I'm writing these things down, as our days in Hawaii are already starting to blend together in my mind! Picking up where we left off...


Day 5: Matt's longest day at the convention- almost 10 hours. By the end of the day he was tired from being on his feet all day long talking to people, and I was tired from trying to keep the boys reasonably happy all day. To make a long story shorter, I tried passing time with a yummy snack that nobody ate. Then we went down to the beach (a chore in itself since I had to push the stroller through the sand), only to have Caleb say he was done at the beach after just 15 minutes. So we started walking to get lunch, but Hayden started falling asleep so I rushed back to the hotel for naps. We had a few light snacks instead of lunch and then it took a LONG time to get both boys to sleep. Grrrrr. We did get ice cream in the afternoon-- the only thing the three of us enjoyed all day! But things got better after that as Matt was able to join us for dinner (went to Tony Roma's) before returning to the convention. We were all glad to have survived the day =)



Day 6: While Matt was at the convention the kids and I walked down the Waikiki strip and did some souvenir shopping. It was fun, except that we were walking in the rain most of the time. When Matt returned, we headed up to the Polynesian Cultural Center with Amy and Chris. The PCC was a great place, but we arrived so late in the day that we really didn't have enough time to make the most of our visit. We did try authentic poi though (a very bland carbohydrate- like a potato with less flavor) and I tried a spear tossing game. Amy & Chris took a hula lesson, but Matt & I couldn't bring ourselves to try it (dancing is not our thing, in any form). We took a canoe tour of the grounds, and then ate a buffet dinner on site. It cost $15 for the buffet, and let's just say we got what we paid for. =) We were glad to go to the PCC, but it would have been much better if we had more time there.



Day 7: Our last day in Oahu. Matt had to be at the convention for the morning, so the boys & I ate a big breakfast at Denny's (other mornings we ate cereal in the hotel room), and then walked to the Honolulu Zoo. This time we had ponchos to keep us dry, but the boys weren't interested in wearing them. However, Caleb told me I looked "perfect" in mine, lol. The zoo was fun and we saw some animals that we haven't seen in other zoos, such as galapagos turtles, different species of pigeons (that didn't look anything like the ordinary pigeon), and the nene bird- an endangered species found only in Hawaii. In the afternoon we all went to Waimea Falls. It's a park with a paved trail through a tropical valley. The different plants and flowers were amazing. The trail ends at a waterfall, and that was neat to see. On our way home we stopped at Matsumoto's for some famous shave ice. Of the different flavors we tried, the cotton candy was my favorite.



Day 8: Returning home. It was a loooong flight, as Hayden slept about a half hour. He "needed" about 2 hours of sleep though. Caleb did great, but doesn't it figure that the two times he needed to use the bathroom were times when Matt was walking around with Hayden-- that meant I had to take him potty. I DESPISE public restrooms and it doesn't get much worse than an airplane toilet. We survived though, and I guess I'm a better person for it =) Okay, maybe not.



The next day, the San Jose high temperature was 87!! It was warmer at home than in Hawaii. Crazy! We're slowly readjusting to the time zone change. It seems to be hardest for Hayden. On the night we returned home, we got home around 11pm. Hayden slept from 11pm to 11am. Unheard of. But any of those little troubles are well worth it, as we had an excellent time together in Hawaii. Look forward to going again sometime!

Hawaii Trip 2008

Late Friday night we returned from a wonderful trip to Oahu. Matt was able to get a spot at Cisco's annual Partner Summit in Honolulu, and we decided to take the opportunity for a family vacation. We had a great time checking out many of the things Oahu has to offer, and the boys did well the entire time. (They even slept well at night, and avoided becoming overtired--- hooray!) It was extra special to be able to spend time with our friends Amy & Chris from NY, who planned their vacation to coincide with ours. Here's a synopsis of our adventures:


Day 1: Arrived in Honolulu around lunch time. Checked into our hotel, stocked up on snacks and beach supplies at Walmart, went to a local park near Waikiki, met up with Amy & Chris for dinner at Cheeseburger in Paradise, then walked down to the beach for sunset. We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, which was perfect for families with young kids-- there were penguins, fish, and fun birds on the grounds, plus there were a bunch of shops, restaurants, and nice walkways throughout.



Day 2: Toured the Dole Plantation with Amy & Chris, then went up to the North Shore. We ate lunch at a cute restaurant near the water, but the food was only so-so. Then we drove along the coast and stopped at one of the beaches to watch the biggest waves we've ever seen in person -at least 20 feet. The water was extremely rough, but the boys had fun in the sand away from the crashing waves. Hayden was ready for bed by 7:00 that night (and almost every night), so we don't have any exciting stories about Waikiki night life.



Day 3: Went to Hanauma Bay, in spite of the rain and wind. The bay is actually an old crater that filled with water when ocean levels rose. It's a great place for snorkeling as the fish are abundant and the water is calm. Matt took advantage of the chance and rented some gear. Later in the day we stopped at a "blowhole"- it's a hole in the rocks where water shoots up when big waves break, resembling a whale's spout.



Day 4: Matt finally got his chance to go surfing in Waikiki. He had to paddle out so far to reach the waves that I couldn't even pick him out among the other surfers from where I was standing on the shore. Caleb & Hayden had a great time on the beach digging in the sand with other kids. At times it was hard to keep Hayden in the shallow water- he wanted to keep walking into deeper areas. The kid has no fear. Caleb tends to be quite cautious, but even he had fun splashing in the water. Unfortunately, Matt's surfing fun was short-lived as he stepped on a sea urchin. It left a bunch of black slivers in his foot and his foot started hurting immediately. A guy at the board rental shack said Matt needed to either dip his foot in vinegar or see a doctor asap, or else it would get worse. Thankfully we were able to get vinegar from the hotel and that seemed to neutralize the sting. Matt is STILL working on pulling out all of the slivers though.
Afterwards, we checked out Ala Moana shopping center. By that time, the boys needed a good nap in the car, so we drove to Ko Olina to see the JW Marriott resort. The Cisco convention started this day, and Matt had to be around for some meetings. Bummer!

Okay, I'm a bit worried that if I write too much more no one will read to the bottom. So check back tomorrow for the highlights of the remainder of our trip =) Mahalo.