RIP Monty

Today was a sad day. A dear friend, a faithful friend, a beloved friend, was laid to rest. I bought Monty my freshman year at BYU. I knew he was old, but I was not expecting him to be so wise. We became close as he took me many places, and shared with me many adventures. His 4 wheel drive often came in handy and his off road capabilities were always a joy. A few of my favorite features were his tiltometer, which would supposedly flash danger if you were about to roll (I never put it to the test) and the handle bar in front of the passenger seat that you could grab onto when things got rough. He was patient as I taught more than one person to drive a manual on his transmission. He was a trooper through his trips to the shop. He always waited until a convenient time in my life to not start or give me trouble. He was patient through girly blasting music and many late night outings. He might not have had air conditioning, or a cd player, or a sparkling exterior, but boy did he have spirit. There were several occasions when I got offers from "car guys" who thought he was awesome and wanted to have him. But I was never interested. Monty and I were closer than that (ok I do have a price, but they never hit it). Excuse me while I continue to ramble a few more favorites I shared with Monty.

• The day I got him up and running. He was washed, waxed, and decorated with a 311 sticker to really make him mine.
• The day his plates came. He proudly carried around the name Squeaks and looked good doing it.
• The time I ran out of gas in the rain, with a dead cell phone because the gas gauge didn't work.
• Blasting No Doubt, 311, Unwritten, Chris Brown, and so many other of my favorites.
• Squishing way too many passengers into his tiny interior.
• The time he died and I was pushed home.
• The time I successfully taught 3 people to drive him.
• The time I fit everything I own into him and moved in one trip (again, very tiny interior).
• The time Mare borrowed it and got pulled over :)
• The trip to Silver Lake when the road was so rough my body was sore the next day.
• The time he turned off while on the freeway and Ryan coasted off to a parking lot. I came down to meet him and we spent most of the night working on him.
• All the times I wasn't stuck because of the 4 wheel drive.
• All the trailheads he took me to.
• The natural high I got whenever I drove him.
• All the sweaty summers
• All the toasty winters
• The day he died, in the exact spot I bought him from. He was sitting in the driveway of my brother's house when I picked him up and now he sopped for the last time in the driveway of the same house, but its the house I live in now. Its like he knew he was back home, and it was a safe place to rest.

So of course I am being a little over dramatic in this post, but I would be straight up lying if I said I wasn't deeply saddened that Monty is no longer up and running and never will again, at least with me as his owner. I am very attached, and I will miss him very very much. He was my first car, my only car to this point, and he was all mine. He served me well. I love you Monty!