Truck news

Today marks the 10th anniversary of my "retirement" from the TV news business. It's been a decade since I last signed off, "I'm Dana Larson, for Eyewitness News."

And what better way to celebrate than to buy my own news truck? Yes, I've joined the ranks of minivan moms. And not just any minivan. As fate would have it, the used vehicle that's loaded with every cool feature we could ever possibly want... is white. Slap a logo on the door. I'm ready to chase spot news.

The kids had no idea we were in the market for a new vehicle. I took a couple hours off work this afternoon to meet Jeff, who'd already taken the truck for a test drive and knew it was the one he wanted. It is an awesome truck: heated leather seats, drop-down DVD players, blue-tooth technology, a warning back-up camera, remote starter, you name it. I signed my name a bunch of times and left Jeff to finish the rest of the paperwork as I headed back to work.  

A fun side note. Our next door neighbor, Tim - the same awesome neighbor that helped rescue AJ the day I forgot to send a note with after-school instructions - is the salesman who helped us buy the van. Jeff had to take off midway through the process to pick up AJ after school. He called a few minutes later to say he didn't think he could beat the bus home, so Tim started calling his son, who has a cell phone, to alert him to stay with AJ until Jeff got home. Talk about service above and beyond!

Jeff took AJ back to the dealership to finish the paperwork and then drove the minivan to pick up Sydney from daycare. So when I walked in the door tonight, I was greeted by excited shouts from Sydney, "Mom, we got a new van!"

Feigning surprise, I asked, "We did? Where is it?"

"It's in the driveway. And it has a TV in it!" (Not really. It's a DVD player.)

Bye, bye to the black truck after almost 10 years. It's been a fun ride and has kept me safe through more blizzards and snowstorms than I can count, not to mention a spin-out on black ice.

But now I'm looking forward to the road trips and other adventures that await us in the new minivan. And I'm trying to stop thinking of it as a news truck. To be honest, the stations around here have moved away from minivans, replacing them with white SUVs.