so 2012 found me looking longingly at new cars.  our xterra has been great but this salt air has really taken a toll on her and her rust holes are getting a little embarrassing.  in all fairness, i never had any intention of trading her in.  i figured we’d get a little car that is good on gas and keep her for in-town hauling stuff.  after all, we can’t get kayaks or surfboards or lumber into a little fuel-efficient car.  yep, we were going to be a two-car family again for the first time in over a decade.  we looked at cars pretty heavily back in the summer and then hubby decided to buy a new house so i joked around about how his house trumped my car.  i guess the poor xterra must have misunderstood me and thought i was really trying to get rid of her.  tonight, hubby left for the bridge run and returned home twenty minutes later.  she died.  it was all he could do to get her back home from the 1/4 mile she had made it.  he was distraught and i tried to comfort him.  i asked if it’s possible that it’s just something minor but he said i wasn’t there to hear her death rattle and he doesn’t think so.  crap.  i never thought she’s actually die on us.  i just didn’t think it was possible.  rust until all that was left was a chassis?  sure.  but die?  never.  guess who’s going car shopping this weekend?  which, of course, means we have to rent a car to get to the dealerships.  happy new year!