Melbourne, Florida 12/24/2013

DECEMBER 24, 2013 (Tuesday)

Merry Christmas Eve!

Slept in. Last night was weird. We kept hearing strange noises, like a loud purring, and I kept looking out the window to see some huge animal down by the canal. Found out today it was a bird – but bird’s aren’t supposed to be active at night unless it’s an owl or bat. Glad to know it wasn’t a bear or alligator though. New sounds never heard before.

We finally pulled ourselves out of bed and were surprised to see a very overcast sky and cold weather. Had to actually wear a light coat. Temperature said it was about 66 degrees out. Coldest yet, but we’re further North. Lexi wasn’t feeling well so she stayed home while Michael and I went into Melbourne, Florida to test drive a Mercedes Benz. Our son, Aaron, has been asking us to look into one instead of the Avalon. We told him we would. I also want to look into the Ford Hybrid, I think Fusion. We absolutely love our Prius but it’s just beating us up too bad on the road. My hip is getting worse, and it’s really hard for Michael to get in and out of it. I’m afraid it’s going to do damage to his back. Another reason – with Lexi, just way too small for the three of us.

We got into Melbourne and finally found the Mercedes Benz dealership. A nice man, Dave Jenkins, came out and showed us a couple of models. We also test drove the E class. It’s a lovely car and drove like a dream. Had all the bells and whistles that we like (and need as we age). Downsides – takes premium gas, gets less MPG, and costs an arm and a leg. I think there must be something out there that is comfortable, gets better mileage, and will last a long time with all the safety things we like. We’ll keep looking.

In Melbourne Florida. — In Melbourne, Florida.

$62,000+ but lots of year end incentives. Probably could get it around $57,000 or less. — The car we drove,

Edie drove it, fell in love with it, but when she found out it gets 21 mpg and uses premium gas, she cooled significantly.

Our salesman, Dave Jenkins, installing a license plate so we could legally drive.

Edie's favorite from a different angle. — Edie’s favorite from a different angle.

We drove back into Titusville and stopped at the Cracker Barrel. We wanted to return the book on tape (just finished it up while waiting in the Cracker Barrel parking lot). We realized they had just closed and weren’t going to open again until after Christmas. We then drove across the street (kinda) to the IHOP and had a linner. I got a beef tip breakfast thing (had hash browns, eggs and pancakes). Michael opted for the fried chicken dinner with salad, onion rings and fruit. Plenty of food and it was okay.

On the way home we stopped at Publix and got a few more things for tomorrow’s dinner. We also stopped at the Chevron and got gas ($3.30).

Michael has me on a mission to find us something for next Christmas. He wants us to book it now so the selection will be better. Like I mentioned yesterday, there was nothing available except Titusville for Christmas. We don’t mind Titusville, but would rather be on the beach in Key Largo or Key West, or Southern Florida. That’s what I’ll be doing this evening and for the next several days until we find something we both like.

That was our day. Hope yours was great!