I bloody won two weeks in a spankin new Volvo!
I had a good feeling about entering the Playgroup Victora competition but was very surprised and so excited when they called to tell me I'd won.
The following day there was a death in the family, so my win kind of faded away (and, let's face it, I hadn't actually won a car to keep..) and I didn't really think about it again until the day came to pick the car up.
The wonderful people at Melbourne City Volvo were completely understanding of my need to be at the funeral that morning, and rearranged their schedules to meet me two and a half hours after the other two winners collected their cars.
Jason and Trudy from Playgroup Victoria were also there to meet me, and generously gave my boys showbags.
It suddenly hit me that I'd won something pretty damn cool, and I started getting quite excited, started really enjoying myself.
I have two boys, one who is four early November, one who is two and a half. Both completely nuts and full of beans, they have no off button.
When the guys at Melbourne City Volvo showed me the vehicle they'd chosen to best suit my needs, I was knocked over. The XC90!!! Holy Toledo, the top shelf!!
This beautiful, beautiful beast is pretty bloody different to the (very functional and I still love you) Holden Cruze I usually drive.
Being shown all the features at the dealership - woah 7 seats, AWESOME massage chairs, every safety feature known to man - I started getting giddy.. OK, it's not mine to keep, but I'm getting seriously joyed up about this win now!
I drove - very bloody carefully - off the lot with under 300 clicks on the clock feeling like King of the World. (Queen, whatever..)
It struck me immediately how much higher I was, so cornering is quite different in that you do feel a bit like if you take it too fast you might topple over. But I feel quite confident that this has been thought about my the "company that invented safety", as my Dad keeps telling me. (He's very jealous, and DYING for a drive. I haven't let him yet..)
I called my husband from my paired-up phone built in system and gloated my butt off. Guess where I am?! Guess what I'm doing??! I've known a handful of people who have this function in their new cars, and it never went well. My Dad had to take his back to the dealer, my mate abandoned hers as a bad joke (2 different manufacturers) - this was SUPER easy and the sound fantastic. Really impressed.
I live on a busy main road in Hawthorn. We have an off street parking spot that is too short for the XC90, so the lovely car needed to be parked on the service road in front of our home. Spaces are hotly contested, with more cars than spots in the residences - and they're tiny. I'm fairly good at reverse parking, but was hesitant about parking this awesome beast. I didn't want anyone to bump it on their way in/out. This is where the parking assist system came into play. Using my own skills in addition to this made this usually tricky manoeuvre a piece of cake!
That night there was an *cough* errand *cough* I had to run. What a pleasure to drive in the dark on wet roads. Visibility in the XC90 is amazing. It gave me more faith and (how else to say it?) love for this vehicle. I didn't drive far, but I came back with a big smile on my face.
The following night I took the car shopping. Another test for me, parking the much-bigger-than-mine vehicle in tight mall spots. Once again, with my own instinct and the parking assist, it was super easy. I hoped people were watching my superior parking abilities!
After doing the weekly grocery shopping, for the first time ever, I could put all my shopping in the boot, along with the double pram, scooters and other kiddie bits and bobs. When I got home, I took the bags out without the painful hassle it usually is.
I have a condition called spondylolisthesis. It basically means that the vertebrae in my lower back are all out of whack, smooshing the discs between and causing a bit of osteoporosis for good measure. Lifting 17-20kg kids in and out of my sedan, packing shopping into my sedan, getting in and out of my sedan - all these things are a bit painful and hard, but I never really knew just how much.
Being able to have the XC90 has made a HUGE difference to my pain levels over the past week. I normally take pretty hefty painkillers every evening, but have been able to halve the amount I usually take.
If for nothing else, masses of gratitude to the good folk at Melbourne City Volvo for that relief.
On the weekend, the kids had their first taste of the car. "Mummy I LOVE our new big car". "Mummy, can we go in the big car again?" We only went the 3k's or so to the market, but they too were besotted. "Can we take our scooters?" Yes! "Can we take the bike?" Yes! "Can we take the.." YES!
On Sunday we took the car down the Mornington Peninsula, what a dream to drive on the freeway. A bit too easy to speed, I found myself wishing I could go 150 and really see what she could do.. (S'OK, I didn't!). The power of the vehicle is addictive. The XC90 is so responsive, and has the grunt to back it up. On the trip back from the beach the boys and my husband fell asleep. I loved every minute of the drive back home, and took the opportunity to crank the stereo too. Killer. (There's a 5c piece in my car's CD player, no CDs for us).
On Tuesday I made some kind of excuse and drove the car to work. I work 3 days a week at ABC Studios Southbank, easily accessible by public transport. Ahem.
WEEK 2:
What a pity my husband is a Hawthorn diehard with an MCC membership. With the Hawks in the grand final that's ruled out any chance of a proper road trip in the Volvo. Waaa!
Wednesday I took 3 kids to the beach, using the built-in booster seat in the middle of the rear seats. Much excitement later, I had no hesitation in taking them, knowing the car is awesomely safe. After a big morning getting whipped by the wind and playing with the outrageous amounts of gear a kid needs on the beach - that, for once, all fit in the bloody car!! - they all fell asleep on the way home. Comfy comfy.
