So, I don't mean to get all New Age Woo-Woo on you, but it's not everyday you come home from work to find that a Jeep Cherokee has magically appeared in your garage. After about a month of surviving (just barely) on a lean & mean carbon-lite diet of solely public transport, which required spending almost four hours a day getting to and from work, I was just about over my love affair with the Metro. I have to give mad props to everyone who's offered us rides, weekend loaners, and other creative short-term solutions to the problem of living in Deepest Darkest 'Burbia without a vehicle. But our friends Cat and William take the cake. After a conversation with Mark, Cat took it upon herself to prompt William to offer us one of his spare cars, knowing full well we'd never ask outright for such a huge favor. And so now we have a snazzy Jeep Wrangler on indefinite loan. I find it particularly fascinating because in the last decade or so, Jeeps have been harbingers of big changes in my life. 

:: snif, snif ::
You guys rock!

Now, can somebody just find us a frickin' tenant to rent our house, so we can get going on this trip already???