If only my wife were this dirty…
July 2nd, 2008
I came out to my car the other day to load up the trunk with a box of junk to go to the Goodwill and as I put the box down to open the hatch, I was greeted with this message on my back window. Maybe you can’t read it. It says:
“IF only my wife were this dirty.”
NICE! Nothing says classy like a nasty comment smudged into your back window. Who would write something like that?!! Heh. Even though he disguised his very distinctive writing rather well, I knew only someone like Toby would write that. That’s Toby humor for you. He probably got it off some car forum he reads all the time. He’s always showing me car jokes like that.
I know it would give Toby enormous pleasure to have me drive all over town wondering why everyone was giving me weird looks when I pulled up to stoplights. Yeah. That was not going to happen. I immediately decided the trip to the Goodwill could wait and hollered out to Baby Bug that it was car-wash time!
This is something fun we’ve never done before: wash the car. What a novelty! We usually shell out the bucks for the fancy car wash. Mostly because they vacuum and it’s just plain easier. When you have a toddler in tow, vacuuming out all the goldfish cracker crumbs is not something you want to do when you live in the city and there are cars whizzing down your alley about to smash into you any minute.
Yesterday, our neighbor was at work so I pulled the car into her carport and got to washin’. Or rather I got Baby Bug to washing. She LOVED it! What’s more fun than water outside with bubbles and the CAR?!! Wowie zowie! Maybe we can wash the house next, Mom?
She was really good at the bucket-filling part which was essential since our little garden hose did not quite reach to the back of the car—yet another reason why we usually go to the fancy car wash. But times are tough lately and even though I know saving eight bucks on a car wash isn’t really going to make much of a dent in my budget, it was something fun to do together.
I know these pictures aren’t very smiley but I assure you it was loads of fun. It reminded me of being a kid myself. My brother and I used to wash our parents’ car for fun all the time in the summer. There is nothing like a good old-fashioned game of squirt-each-other-to-death over the hood of a car. I have many memories of crouching low by the wheels only to be pelted over the head with bucket full of suds from above. Good times, I tell you, good times. Of course that was back in the good old days before the neighbors called the cops on each other for over-watering the cement lawn.
The car is clean now! Toby ought to be happy. Or maybe he’d rather I went and rolled in some mud.
July 2nd, 2008 at 7:07 am
I though that cheeky windscreen comment was a hoot, although I would be mortified if a complete stranger wrote that on my husband’s. What a gorgeous, zippy looking red car you have :)
July 2nd, 2008 at 7:46 am
My kiddos wrote, “I am weird” on my back van window the other day….still there, as I don’t have the heart to wash it off :o) It just cracked me up! BB looks too cute wish-washing your adorable red car :o)
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:02 am
I’ve always found Toby so subtle. – Toby, priceless! You cracked me up and made my day! Funny thing is that I got my laughter on thanks to B, hahaha.
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:06 am
That is hilarious. And totally something Mike would do.
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:08 am
It’s good to find out that I’m not the only one subjected to car forum jokes. Jeremy is always on car forums and sharing little “gems” with me too.
We usually load up as a family and go to the semi-fancy schmancy car wash. The quick ones that you drive through. Every once in a while Jeremy announces that it’s car wash time. Emily and Audrey love to help. Audrey doesn’t seem to understand that you need to wash the entire vehicle, as she just keeps polishing the heck out of one of our front headlights.
BB is looking so much older lately. Not much baby left in her is there?
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:10 am
So cute! Makes me want to wash my car.
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:37 am
LeAnn wrote , “also comes in blue, ” on the rodeo one year when at conference. We left it that way until you couldn’t read it.
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:42 am
So cute! My mom and I use to wash my dad’s car when I was kid. I loved playing in the water in soap A LOT!
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:25 am
I can’t believe that he did that! My goodness. The pictures of the car look pretty snazzy. And Baby Bug is as cute as always. :o)
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:33 am
I find that comment to be pretty hilarious but I often have no class. ;-) My nephew loves washing cars. I say, put them to work while they enjoy it because soon it will be a chore the won’t want to do. Heh!
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:43 am
Golly oh golly is Baby Bug CUTE! She looks so serious doing her work to wash the car.
The picture of her with her head tilted to the side with her hair over her shoulder just melted my heart- what a dear little girl.
How funny what Toby wrote. When my kids were young, somebody wrote a message on the back window of my van. The whole world learned that “MOM IS MEAN”.
Moms sometimes have to be, despite their customer satisfaction ratings.
July 2nd, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Huh…I would never have thought of letting Isabelle play with car washing! But of course I don’t have any memories of playing squirt-each-other-to-death while car washing. I don’t even wash my own car. The honey does it and we just play with bucket water.
How do you think of all the fun things you do with BB?
July 2nd, 2008 at 12:51 pm
The shot of Baby Bug with both buckets…she is just gorgeous.
The comment had me chuckling as soon as I saw the pic, when I read that it was your husband I was LMAO. I may have to switch it to ‘if only my husband were this dirty’ and do it to my hubby’s car.
And, as far as the comments on how you come up with such clever things to do with BB, I have to say that I have a feeling it is just how you and BB are. My son was good at making everything an adventure when he was younger, everything was a little more enjoyable than it had been before. But, you have to get up and do something first.
July 2nd, 2008 at 3:01 pm
I have good memories of helping my dad wash the cars with my brother, too! We used to drive our cars right onto my parents’ lawn, which is nice and big, and water the lawn at the same time. Does that qualify as “classy”? :-)
July 2nd, 2008 at 3:01 pm
AND I lovelovelove your new banner!!!
July 2nd, 2008 at 3:30 pm
What a great idea! Definitely keeping that one on my list for a sweltering day with nothing to do.
July 2nd, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Oooh. I have great memories of getting the “car washing stuff” out of our garage and begging my dad to back the cars out so I could wash. I wasn’t tall enough to wash the tops so he’d have to help me but I totally loved just pouring the water all over myself.
And the banner is cute as pie!
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Love the new banner.
Great entertainment and a cool down for the both of you :)
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:49 pm
I want to point out that I KNOW you REALLY had to wash your car to GET READY to hit the road and YES, I’m GREEN with ENVY.
I’m going into surgery and you are getting to go to Bethany’s.
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Love the banner…
July 2nd, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Toby and my husband would be fast friends, I think. He would totally write that on my car.
I have the cutest pics of my oldest washing the car with her daddy…we haven’t introduced the middle one to that…we may have to do that soon! Thanks for the reminder.
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Haha!
I have seen that rubbed into a car window before. I think it’s funny!
Washing cars are fun, but I also love going to the drive through ones. We don’t have any places here that vacuum for you. That would ROCK! Maybe I’ll drive there, get the car washed and vacuumed then drive back! Haha!
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:09 pm
p.s. I love the new banner, you’re the BEST banner maker in the world!
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:48 pm
That looks so fun to do together. Hunter loves to wash with Daddy, though I’ll admit it’s something I haven’t done in ages…
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:37 pm
It’s going to be hot here tomorrow. We’ve called all our friends and they are bring their swim suits to wash the car. Our local car wash only charges a dollar to let us use their vacuum. I just hope they can get all the moss off.
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:43 pm
these photos are adorable. Bug is so small relative to the car, but she looks like such a big girl washing it. preshus.
July 3rd, 2008 at 12:47 am
Fabulous new banner!
July 3rd, 2008 at 5:23 am
Firt of all I loved what Toby wrote on your car. I know it’s probably not what you wanted to see but I think it’s cute.
Now for what I really wanted to say. That little baby is just the cutest sinkin’ thing I think I’ve ever seen. WOW!! She’s adorable!
July 3rd, 2008 at 5:39 am
I won’t let my kid wash the car…yet! We just go through them! PS I voted for your alltop badge!
July 3rd, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Me thinks that’s not the kind of dirty he was referring to…
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:03 pm
So… where might I find these car forums of which you speak? I could use some good sites to surf while you and Bethany unpack / organize the house.
BTW, I love the new banner also. I didn’t know it was new until I read the comments, but I did notice it when I clicked over and thought “That’s pretty cool, I like her style (of graphics work).”
July 4th, 2008 at 12:01 am
May I be the first to wish you all a HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!
Well it is the 4th of July here in the UK!
Funny… we don’t get a Happy Monarchy Day but we do get the Queen’s Birthday Parade in June. Nothing makes you realise that you live in the London more than being stuck in your car waiting for the Changing of the Guard horses to pass by ;)
July 4th, 2008 at 10:31 am
How fun!
Now Kaitlyn has marched off to find a bucket stating, “lets wash the car too.”
Happy fourth and love the banner!
Totally Dave humor too,ugh.
July 5th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
I love washing cars. I never seem to get to do it anymore because Hubby likes to do it too. He actually spent 45 minutes washing the car on Wednesday only to have it get rained on, time well spent I tell you. The red car and the green dress are wonderful contrasts in the photos.
July 6th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
I read this yesterday and immediately afterwards went out to handwash our car. So fun! I love that BB is all green with the green bucket.
July 6th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
What beautiful photos!
You make car washing look like a commercial for something clean, like laundry powder.
We wash our own cars too (usually) and it’s a wet, sweaty, grubby process involving lots of screeching, running and yelling, splashing in the bucket and snatching of the hose. And – for our part – redirection of young children as they move towards the car with a broom or splosh soapy water during the waxing stage. Still, it’s a family event and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
July 7th, 2008 at 5:13 am
I’m so glad you were able to snap a picture of the car window. It’s hilarious.
July 7th, 2008 at 8:54 am
dig those shoes!
July 7th, 2008 at 9:18 am
I thought the comment on the windshield was a riot. I’m such a lady.
Baby Bug is too cute. I love the pic of her filling the buckets.