No, I'm not just talking about the series finale of The Office, but did you watch it?  It was amazing.

The particular era that's come to an end is my glorious 11 years spent with a very special...automobile.

This Automobile:

That's right, friends, my undercover (yet very functional) sport wagon aka, silver bullet, aka Scooby has moved on.  The hood scoop, the turbo boost gauge and all 227hp, the whole shebang - gone.  This was the first new car I ever bought with my own money, and I've loved it.

(a lot)

I know what you're thinking, "if you love the car so much, why don't you marry it?  Or at least don't sell it?"  It's a fair question, and here's a hint:


And while you can't really see it in this picture because RA is a great-looking pregnant lady, she is indeed quite pregnant.  And as great as the Subaru is, putting a second car seat in the back wouldn't be all that comfortable for anybody.  So, what's an almost dad of 2 kids under 2 to do?  How do you possibly replace such a great ride?  What you do, if you're me, is embrace fatherhood and take the plunge.  And when I say "take the plunge", I mean buy a minivan.

Zoinks.

Now this:


I'll let this settle in for just a minute or two.  Everybody back with me?  Cool...

In the words of Ron Burgandy, "that escalated quickly".  After I mentioned needing to part ways with this glorious piece of magic, a friend was interested in giving it a great second home.  And before I knew it, I was driving something that could swallow my old ride.

Is it weird to think of me driving a van?  It is for some people I've talked to, but maybe the weirdest thing is that it's not weird to me.  At all.  I mean, do I watch that Swagger Wagon clip more regularly now?  Sure, I do.  But by and large, I'm almost proud to roll in this giant tank of a vehicle.  I consider it a dad's badge of honor, that just so happens to have a back-up camera and Bluetooth.

So, transportation is all set.  Stay tuned for another update on names, nurseries, and general prep for still unnamed baby #2.