Cash for Clunkers - Would you take advantage of it? Monday, July 27, 2009

I'm sure you've heard about it by now. It seems that every time I turn on the radio or the television (I've even seen it advertised on some websites) I'm bombarded with "cash for clunkers" offers. It just passed through our government, and is EVERYWHERE!

I'd heard rumblings about this government incentive to rid the roads of gas-guzzling rides for the past couple of months, but there was no official announcement until just recently. It turns out that the start date for this program was on July 1 and it will be in effect until November 1 or until the $1 billion set aside for this program runs out (whichever comes first).
In short, the Cash for Clunkers (officially "Car Allowance Rebate System" or CARS) program is a government stimulus package that essentially provides a rebate to any person trading in a car that gets a combined (hwy and city) fuel economy of 18 mpg or less. The rebate amount you get depends on how many miles per gallon the new car that you buy gets compared to your old "clunker". Buying a car that gets more than 4, but less than 10 mpg more than the car you're trading in yeilds a $3,500 rebate. Should your new car have a combined fuel economy of 10 mpg or more than the car you're trading in, you will receive a rebate of $4,500.

There are some restrictions, but cars.gov does a great job of answering a bunch of questions you may have. One caveat is that this only works with new car purchases. There are also some limitations with particular work trucks. I encourage you to do your own research if you think this a good idea.

Now that all of the technical stuff is out of the way, I get to the point of this blog post. Should we trade in The Love Boat for a couple grand towards a new car? More specifically, a black 2009 Honda Fit Sport with a manual transmission, some flashy rims and a thumpin' stereo? Raise your hand if you're ridden with me lately and have heard the "doo-doo bass".
I did the math and found out that our trusty old van gets 18 mpg (even the original listing when the car debuted says 18 mpg, combined). The Fit gets an average of 31 mpg. That's roughly a 55% increase in fuel economy. (31 / (18 - 1) = % difference) So, if we currently spend $150/mo. on gas for the van (we like to travel), then I could assume that we'd be spending $82.5/month on gas. Wait...is that right? Somebody help me with the math. I manage projects for a living now. My math skills have gone out the window. Assuming that's correct, we'd be saving $67.5/month...minus the monthly cost to actually pay for the car.

And therein lies our dilemma. All the numbers out on the table and we're probably looking at around $100/month to own a spankin' new Honda Fit Sport (and helping out the environment that much more). Oh yeah, the cool thing about the "cash for clunkers" program is that the car you trade in MUST be sent to a scrap yard and "...be crushed or shredded so that it will not be resold for use in the United States or elsewhere as an automobile." Kinda hard to stomach the thought of that happening to the van, but it is nice to know that we were the last ones to drive it and that the terrible emissions from that car will cease upon selling it.

So, with all of that said, I'm asking for your help and your opinion. What should we do? If you were in our situation, with a van worth (maybe) $1,000 and over 260,000 miles, would you pull the trigger on the new car and take advantage of this rebate? Whatever your answer, tell me why you think what you do.

Atlanta Saturday, May 09, 2009

If you are ever in Atlanta, I highly recommend the Botanical Gardens. Of course, your experience will never be as awesome as ours was, because we were with two of the coolest people in the world. That's right, Brett and April Emerson were with us to experience this lush urban refuge and I doubt the experience would have been half as great without them.

I don't really have an explanation for these photos. I just picked the weirdest ones from this trip...wasn't hard to do! Seriously, the gardens were beautiful and we had a lovely weekend. Keep the Emersons in your prayers as they fly back to Africa this weekend.

The Love Boat Reaches a Milestone Friday, March 06, 2009

Sony and I have been rockin' the minivan ever since my brother totaled my green '94 Ford Escort GT. Some days I miss the old green machine, but when I start to think about the van, and all the travels and fun we've had in it (keep your mind out of the gutter), I can get a little choked up.

There she is in all her glory. Back in her home-state of Michigan, she was looking beautiful that evening as the sun-lit waves of Torch Lake reflected playfully off of her rusted and paint-chipped body. And check out that rack!

In all seriousness, the "Love Boat" as it was affectionately dubbed while we were at Harding, has been the best car ever. It's been to/through at least 15 U.S states that I can think of and we've finally reached a milestone. This is no bit of camera trickery that you are about to witness. Behold, we've reached a quarter of a million miles!

Can you believe it? It's been SO nice not to have any car payments over these past couple of years, but we know that someday, she'll travel her last mile. When that day comes, I think I'll hold a ceremony in memory of all of the good times we had together. Thanks little Love Boat. You'll always be my #2 girl (unless we have daughters someday).

If you have any special memories with the Love Boat, we'd LOVE to hear about them in the comments, below. Thanks!

The Last of 2008 Thursday, January 15, 2009

Some of my favorite things about 2008:

1. New community and involvement with Christ Community Church
2. Our travels in EUROPE
3. Rootclip officially launched, and was featured in the Traverse City Film Festival
4. I officially started Grad School full-time, working toward my Nurse Practitioner Degree
5. Ran my 1st 1/2 Marathon
6. President-elect Barack Obama - hopeful future for our country
7. Many of our friends brought new little lives into this world in '08, plus a few via adoption!
8. Erik and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary

I'm sure there are many, many more awesome and amazing things that God allowed me to experience in 2008, but these were just the highlights.

The last few weeks of December were filled with visits from friends and family - much laughter and love all around. Here's a link to our photos chronicling all of the fun :)

What's so funny? Wednesday, November 05, 2008

This was the shot we were going for:


Not sure how we digressed...


Laughter from Sonya Luchauer on Vimeo.

A quick trip to New York Monday, October 27, 2008

Hi friends and fam,
Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for their calls, thoughts, and prayers as Erik's Grandpa has been in the hospital after his hemorrhagic stroke. We were so thankful that we got to go up to Long Island to be with him for a few days. He's doing better! Still has his jaw wired shut and has some rehab to go, but compared to where he was even just last week he's made a remarkable recovery. We just heard last night that he is home now after a long 3 weeks (or more?) in the hospital. We had a great trip and got some quality time with Bob, Nancy, Mark and Jess.

Just thought I would leave you with this classic shot of Mark, Erik, and their Dad (Bob) walking down to Jones Beach (notice the hand...).

Nursing Buddies 2008 Sunday, October 05, 2008

Last week, I went to Washington,D.C. for my annual "Nursing Buddies Reunion". These ladies are how I kept my sanity during nursing school, and we share a unique bond. It really made me think about this Masters program that I'm in now, and how I miss the camaraderie of fellow students. My virtual peers are great, and I'm learning a lot, but there is something to be said for the face to face interaction of classroom learning. Maybe it's just a reflection of what a social being I am. I love interacting with others. I crave it, in fact. Don't get me wrong, this program so far is absolutely great. I'm learning so much, and it's actually a lot more rigorous than I expected. BUT, there have been a few days where I thought I was going mad. Sitting here at my table, (sitting on a pillow so my butt doesn't go numb on this wooden chair), reading and typing ALL day. It's a TOTAL change of pace for me. The verdict: so far, so good. Here are some pics of my crazy weekend in D.C....

Capitol Hill

Jessicca and I on the train into the city.

Alisha's little girl, Aria, and I were tight. We hung out together at the Newseum. Which, btw, is the one of the most interesting museums I've been to in the United States. We spent a whole day here, looking at galleries dedicated to some of the greatest news stories in the world, and the reporters and journalists who broke the stories.

The Pulitzer prize photograph gallery was my fav.

A trip to the Newseum is not complete without the 4-D movie. I look way too excited about this.

Maurine and her sweet little boy, Monroe.

Jessicca feeding her baby :)

Wendi, Alisha, & Aria.

Suz and I at dinner one night.

Isle of Skye, Scotland Sunday, September 21, 2008

Sooo...I've been a lazy bum and just NOW got this video put together. This is only of Scotland from our trip to Europe back in March. At this rate you can expect to see a video about London in 2010 and one for Paris in 2014...but don't hold me to that!


Scotland from Erik Luchauer on Vimeo.

Mawage, sweet mawage! Thursday, April 17, 2008

I absolutely love this picture of Mark and Jess. This seriously gives you an idea of how much joy there was surrounding the entire event, as we watched Mark (Erik's brother) marry his best friend. It was amazing. Jessica is a precious person whom I have grown very fond of, and I have no doubt that she is the absolute perfect person for Mark. Their love for God and for each other is...just beautiful. The wedding took place in Fort Myers, FL this past weekend. We met up with family and friends we hadn't seen in ages, it was a wicked good time. Lots of dancing, eating, laughing, and it wouldn't be Florida without the torrential down pour thrown in for good measure. We'll spare you all of the crazy (and embarrassing) pictures of the bachelor and bachelorette parties, all you need to know is that the weekend ended with two lovers headed to Hawaii on their way to a fabulous honeymoon. Actually, they're STILL honeymooning as I write this. No fair.

I throw this picture in to remind us of the hilarious dueling sound systems at the park during pictures. These groomsmen are dancing to "Soulja Boy" courtesy of the people who were having a birthday party in the pavilion next to us! It was so loud, all we could do was laugh.

About 30 minutes before pictures started, Erik realized he forgot his PANTS. Kind of important. Yeah, if it weren't for Rob, he would have walked down the isle in jeans.

Language Barrier Thursday, April 03, 2008

Moosee from Erik Luchauer on Vimeo.

So, I totally forgot about this video when we first got back and for those of you that missed it on my facebook, I thought I'd share it. Enjoy!

Good-Bye Aaron & Amy Monday, July 02, 2007

About 2 weeks ago our totally rad friends, the Etheridges, came to stay with us for a few days. Aaron & Amy are getting ready to move to Oregon for the rest of the summer, then they are on their way to Vancouver, BC. We were honored to be able to snag them for some quality time as they are touring the Southeast saying their goodbyes to family and friends. We are so excited about the work they will be doing in Canada, and we ask that you pray for them as they answer God’s call to work with University students at UBC. Click here to read more about what the Etheridges will be doing in Vancouver.

Our time with Aaron and Amy was shared with some other dear friends that we met up with in Jellico, TN. We headed up Last Thursday to be with Will and Shawna and their youth group, while they were there for Mission Camp as a part of GoodSoil Ministies. They worked so hard painting the church building and building a deck for a family in the community. We were so happy to meet the Meeks and hear about the amazing things that God is doing in the community of Jellico through GoodSoil Ministries. Steve and Donna were gracious enough to let us stay with them. It just so happened that another Missionary Famiy, Marty and Louise Koonce (and their 2 youngest boys), were staying with them as well! It was a full house, but we had an amazing time, drinking authentic African Chai, and listening to Marty and Steve tell stories about their time in Africa. We were just drinking in the richness of the evening! Erik and I could really identify with Steve and Donna’s stories of some of the things they see here in East Tennessee (Appalachian slang, if you will).

Above is a pic of some of us at the local coffee shop, Common Grounds. Below is a picture of the Meeks’ house. Steve and his 2 oldest sons built it with their own hands! (I just realized we never got a picture of Steve and Donna)

Saturday night, Erik and I introduced Aaron and Amy to...The Melting Pot! CRAZY good. We ate (or should I say grazed) for 3 solid hours! I had to unbutton the top of my pants(don’t worry, NOT pictured here).

We finished our time together by heading to Atlanta, where we watched David and Andrew Scharff compete against Ben and Aaron Etheridge in the Muddy Buddy race. It was a great time once we finally got there (the poor Volvo over-heated in the middle of a traffic jam right as we reached North Atlanta). Don’t let this photo fool you. We were actually dripping with sweat - 90 degrees Hot-lanta style! Sorry, I don’t have any pics of the muddy buddies, but take my word for it, they were dirty!

Chud, Shmon, and Shmal Monday, June 04, 2007

I was blessed to be able to spend a whole weekend with Shawna and Ali in Nashville over the last few days! I cannot begin to explain how precious this time was to me. We had so much fun laughing until our pits started sweating, staying up way too late, eating entirely too much cheesecake, and playing with Shawna’s son Gaines. We took him to the Nashville Zoo (which is actually a pretty cool zoo) and went swimming. It was a fabulous time with my girls!

Love For The Emersons Saturday, May 05, 2007

A few weeks ago, Erik and I took off for Alabama in search of our long lost friends, the Emerson’s. They were back in the states from Africa, and it was SO good to be with them again. They have committed the next few years of their lives to living with and ministering to the Kabiye people in Togo, West Africa. God’s spirit is moving and working through them, and it was such a beautiful thing to be able to share stories and hear about their work over there. We were thankful to nab some quality time with them amidst their busy schedule. They also have announced that they are expecting baby #2! Please remember Brett, April, Caden, and Baby #2 in your prayers.

Hot-lanta weekend Wednesday, January 17, 2007

This past weekend, we went to Atlanta with my sister and her husband. There were two things to accomplish while in Hot-lanta:
1. See the Detroit Pistons play some b-ball.
2. Experience the beast that is called IKEA.


This is the craziest shopping experience I've ever had. Thank goodness Amber and Kevin were there to help guide us through it (they had been to the one in Detroit). It's this huge showroom of furniture and home accessories on one level, then you go downstairs to the "warehouse" and pick out your stuff. It was founded in Sweden, and from the moment you step in, you feel like you're in a different country. There was an assorment of swedish food upstairs in the cafe. One of my favorite (and only) purchases of the day was a box of Cappuccino flavored cookies!


This is Erik and Kevin enjoying the $0.99 breakfast that they had at the IKEA cafe. Oh yes, you read that correctly...$0.99! For a huge plate of Eggs, sausage, and hashbrowns. I played it safe and stuck to my cup of coffee. We spent 3 hours in this crazy place, needless to say it was a bit overwhelming. Good prices. Interesting stuff. Will we ever go back? Maybe...


On Friday night, Erik and Kevin took the Marta downtown to see the Pistons play the Hawks. They snuck down to some wicked awesome seats, just 8 rows behind the bench!

This is Erik's angry fit after the Pistons LOST! Can you believe it? Lost to the Hawks?! Whoever heard of such nonsense?

Good Friends Friday, November 24, 2006

Ali is my hero. She drove all the way over to Knox-Vegas from Searcy this past weekend to visit us! Then, we all went to North Carolina to spend some time with Will, Shawna, and Gaines. It was a quick trip, but it was good for the soul. We soak up every moment we get to spend with these special friends.

Will is the youth minister for a church in Hendersonville, NC. On Sunday, they asked Erik and I to speak to their youth group about our relationship and Erik's journey of faith and how he accepted Christ when he was in college. It was very interesting talking to a group of high school kids. It was hard to tell if they were listening or if they were even interested in what we were saying, but Will assured us that they actually were interested (he could tell by their body language!) It kind of made me feel old :) Anyway, we prayed that we would be able to encourage them in thier own journeys of faith as they begin to break away from parents and hopefully begin a relationship with Jesus based on intrinsic motivation instead of being dragged to church, or told how to believe. We're so proud of Will and Shawna and the amazing work they're doing with that church.

Whoa...does anyone see anything wrong with this picture?!

Speed Blog #3 - Race For The Cure Saturday, October 28, 2006

Sony and I ran in the race for the cure this past Saturday. This was a 5K race in downtown Knoxville, where funds and awareness are raised for breast cancer research. I ran under my goal of 30 minutes and came in at 29:29. Sonya totally schooled me and ran it in 26:35! You should've seen her pushing all of these little kids out of the way at the start. Heheh!! Actually, I never saw her do this, but what I did see was a guy puking his guts out a little before the finish. I almost lost it myself.


There were a bunch of teams at the race that all had their special shirts. The hospital that sonya works at also sponsored a team, which is who we ran with. Here's a picture of Sonya with her friend Renee, from work.