It’s a Jeep Thing

On my way to my father’s visitation, I received a text from my Jeep dealership in Texas. My Jeep had finally arrived, 6 weeks after I ordered it. What a day for my Jeep to arrive. 

My parents visited me in Texas in May for Mother’s Day. During their visit, my dad had a list of things to help me with around the house. See my father was beyond handy. There was nothing he couldn’t do or didn’t know about. So for every visit I gave him a “daddy do list.” On this list was to help me design my dream Jeep Wrangler. We sat down and talked through everything I ever wanted in a Jeep and the after-market changes we were going to make together. This would be the fifth Wrangler in my family. If you have never had a Jeep, you wouldn’t get it, but owning a Jeep is so much more than owning a car. It is a community of drivers who care about their neighbors, get excited when they see another Jeep, and continuously give back. I was a young kid when I learned the Jeep wave and ever since then, I wanted my own Jeep to feel like I had friends on the road. 

We sat down and talked about my dream of a yellow Jeep soft top four-door Wrangler. (This way it was easier to get my future kids in and out of the Jeep.) I needed the cold weather package so I could have heated seats; I wanted the full tech package because what is riding with the top off if you can’t hear the music in your ears while the wind is in your hair? After-market, I was going to do a 3-inch lift, metal bumpers, purple track lights, fire extinguisher, pull bar, and so much more. I was excited to work on my Jeep for years to come with my father. Go off roading, go on many beach trips, and drive around town with the top down all with my father next to me. The man who taught me that every tough girl needs a tougher truck. 

The weekend after my parents left, I drove my Jeep Patriot to the dealership and ordered my Jeep Wrangler. I called my dad, told him the deal I talked the dealership into and drove away knowing I was going to own my dream car at the age of 28. How lucky was I to be able to hit such a huge milestone so early and with the support of my family? I am truly living the dream. 

I lost my father a month after I ordered my Jeep. He would never get to see my Jeep, he would never get to help me build out my Jeep, I would never see him again. It killed me to know that there were so many milestones my father would now miss. 

For the Jeep to arrive on the day of my father’s visitation was almost serendipitous. It was almost like a sign from my father to be happy. A sign that said, I am always with you. It gave me a little peace and a little nudge towards acceptance. On that day, I decided one of the ways I was going to honor my father was to continue to build my Jeep for my father. 

So I named it “The Chief.”