From Kira to Beverly

In order to "boldy go," one must have the right vessel to do so.  This is where Beverly comes in.

One week before I met Riss, I purchased a 2005 Dodge Neon from Carmax.  At the time, it was exactly what I needed.  I needed something reliable that could get me around Columbia, something that wasn't falling apart like my 1992 Volvo, and something that could get me to my family who were just 2 1/2 hours away in Myrtle Beach.  I named the Neon "Kira" after the Bajoran first officer from the television show Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

A lot of memories were made for Riss and I with that car. That was the car that took us on our first road trip together, to the Bahamas.  It took us to many other road trips, such as Lake Lure, up to Virginia to see her family and, most importantly, it was the car that took us from Columbia to Louisville.  I'll never forget that day.  The weekend before, South Carolina had beaten the defending national champions, Alabama in football.  Someone in Five Points wrote the score of the game on my back windshield in lipstick and I kept it there as we drove up to Louisville.  This was also the car that got us all around Louisville and helped us explore our new surroundings. 

My favorite memory of Kira, however, was the night I took Riss to the parking lot of the Colonial Center basketball arena and let her drive for the first time.  She was so excited and got the hang of it pretty quickly!  After I took her home that night, she looked at her roommate and said "that's the guy I'm going to marry one day."

Kira was there in the first days of our relationship and was there as we began our new life in Louisville.  However, the mileage began building up and Kira began to break down. Just like the character in Deep Space Nine, Kira was not meant for long trips of exploration.  Road trips to Chicago, Virginia, Myrtle Beach (which was now 10 1/2 hours away), St. Louis and other places began to take it's toll.  The car developed a bad vibration, the motor struts gave out, the tires began giving out one by one, the cam sensor went out, the dashboard split and it was clear that we needed something new.

Riss and I did a lot of research and found that the most reliable car on the road was the Toyota Camry.  We wanted something that was durable and would last for a long, long time.  Unforunately, many Camrys were either out of our price range or had high mileage on them. No bank wanted to give us a loan because I owed more on the Neon than the value of the car itself.  It was a stressful month as we tried to get a loan.  Just when we had given up, we discovered a blue 2010 Toyota Camry with low mileage at Toyota of Louisville.  I called them up, told them our financial situation and our bad luck.  By the end of the day, they had worked with us and we walked away with the car we wanted at a pretty good deal.  We even got the color we wanted.

We named the Camry "Beverly" after Dr. Beverly Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation.  Dr. Crusher wore the blue doctor's outfit, was reliable and kept people safe. 

Beverly has come to represent more than just a new car to us.  She's the first major purchase Riss and I have done as husband and wife.  While Kira provided great memories, Beverly will last a long time and take us to places we have never been before.  It's a car that really fits who we are, and we can't wait until our first major road trip in it!