Where'd you come up with that name?

I am sure the first question I will get from friends and family is where did you come up with the name "View From A Minivan?" I initially was going to call this "Sherri's Blog" but that was way too boring. I spent most of last night trying to think of something catchy that would really reflect who I am and my perspective on life. There it was....my perspective was as a working mom who drives a minivan.

Now a lot of people drive minivans...and there's nothing wrong with that. But when you identify with the car you drive and you feel that it is an extension of your personality and the essence of who you are...well, that's another matter.

Let me digress...

My first vehicle was a 1976 AMC Gremlin. You know the one's with the Levi's upholstry? The seats even had the little orange tag. I was 12. I was allowed to drive the car to the bus stop that was 5 miles up a winding country road. (Yes, my parents were crazy). To me the car symbolized freedom. In hidsight it symbolized immaturity - my lack of driving skills, my emotional immaturity in thinking it was a "cool" car, and probably the fact that the car was so ugly it looked like a fetus of a car that hadn't finished growing.

By high school I moved on to a 1980 Buick Riviera. Black with a moonroof...so cool. Then it was the 1980 Datsun 280ZX....Black and really cool. These cars symbolized a period of growth from a child to a young adult. New experiences, driving too fast and well, taking chances.

I went through a few other phases....the truck phase, the turbo stick-shift phase and then....

THE MUSTANG.....

1991 Ford Mustang GT, 5.0, 5-speed with a sunroof. How I loved that car. It was fast and hot. I was in college, living alone and bartending. It personified who I was (well, maybe not the fast part....ok, maybe a litte) Anyway, when I was in that car I felt confident and strong. I loved to drive it and be seen in it.

As the years went by I graduated from college, met a guy, and got engaged. The mustang turned into a VW Passat (show my maturity), then a Mazda 626 (gas conscious and frugal), a Jeep Grand Cherokee (now that we're married and expecting we need more room for the baby - self-sacrificing), then.....

I wanted a Chevy Tahoe. It was roomy, big enough for the 2nd child, expensive and got bad gas mileage. My common sense won out (along with my lacking pocketbook) and I got a Dodge Caravan. As I was driving it a week later, I noticed a young, cute guy at a stoplight looking at me. I thought "he thinks I'm hot"....then I realized....No he doesn't....I'm driving a minivan!

So now I am a 34-year-old, mother of two who drives a minivan. It symbolizes safety, security, dedication and maturity......funny, I still feel like the 12-year-old with the fetus car.