(Volvo) Appreciation Post: As you all know I will be returning to classroom teaching this fall. As such, we knew it was time to add a third car into the mix (the girls and I have been sharing one car for just shy of two years now, which for the most part has worked well). Shortly after I was offered the West Boylston job Dave and I began discussing what that third car should be. Feeling that a third Honda would make us truly look like we owned a dealership, we decided not to go the Honda route.
So, in early June we went to Volvo on a fact finding mission. We were trying to decide if it made more sense to lease or purchase and what each would entail (down payment wise) and to test drive some. We test drove the XC40 (great car, but too small) and the XC60 (perfection!). We would have test driven the XC90 but didn't feel we wanted something with that much room. We ended up deciding to lease an XC60, and since it was a lease we went with white as "white shows less" in the way of dings and dents should those occur (though I really did love the blue color). Due to them not having any white XC60s on the lot we had to wait for it to arrive from Sweden 
(it was on the boat in transit).
(it was on the boat in transit). We picked up the car a little over two weeks ago, and of all the cars I have ever driven or owned it quickly became my most favorite!
This past Saturday, we took the Volvo up to Maine to pick up Emma from her week as a CIT at Pilgrim Lodge to spend the night in Freeport (as we do) to then take her back to camp the next day for her week as a camper (her final week ever as a camper 
). After acquiring Emma we headed an hour further north to Freedom Maine to have lunch at The Lost Kitchen's Little Lost Kitchen. We arrived and the line was long but moving, and we soon had a delicious meal (because Erin French and her team never disappoint) and then began the journey to Freeport.
). After acquiring Emma we headed an hour further north to Freedom Maine to have lunch at The Lost Kitchen's Little Lost Kitchen. We arrived and the line was long but moving, and we soon had a delicious meal (because Erin French and her team never disappoint) and then began the journey to Freeport. 
As I drove, I noticed that Dave was asleep in the passenger seat, Grace, who rarely to never falls asleep in the car, was passed out in the seat behind me (this would prove to be fortuitous) and Emma, was checking in with the world on her phone that she had not had in like eight days. It was a gorgeous day, broad daylight and not too traffic-y on 295 when all of a sudden out of the wooded area on the right side of the car I see a deer emerging.
In a little over 30 years of driving I have never hit or killed an animal.
Until Saturday.
For those that don't know, I grew up in tiny Bethany Connecticut which has more backroads than people (kidding. Kind of). From the moment you start learning to drive in Bethany you know to be on high alert for animals (did Durley's cows or pigs get out again?!), and once dusk arrived you knew to be on ultra high alert for deer and other forest creatures.
Never in my life have I seen a deer in broad daylight attempting to cross a busy road that is akin to 290, 495, the Mass Pike or Route 1.
Until Saturday.
I swerved in the hopes that I would put enough space between me and the deer to avoid any injuries or collisions but alas the Volvo sustained damage, the deer was launched in the air, and the sleeping David and Grace were awoken and Emma startled. I am so completely grateful that Grace was asleep when this incident happened. Had she seen this all go down I don't think she ever would have gotten behind the wheel again and she wasn't even the one driving. Her love of all things living, especially deer, is as deep as mine (if not more so). Next time she falls asleep in the car I will take it as a warning and be on high alert that something may be getting ready to happen.
I pulled over to the side of the road, completely shaken and broken and traumatized that I had hit (and killed) a deer. I could not move. Or think straight. I am so grateful to David and the girls for being my brain during this time.
"Should I call 911?"
"Should I call Volvo Roadside Assistance?"
"I don't know what to do."
"I killed a deer."
"Why was a deer out in broad daylight?"
"I hurt the new car."
"If only we had gone straight to Freeport instead of Freedom for lunch."
A woman in a car behind us pulled over to check on us and stayed with us until she knew that a state trooper was on the way (the first bright spot we would experience that day).
The 911 dispatcher that I spoke to was the kindest, most lovely, reassuring soul. He told me that a state trooper was not too far from us and would be with us shortly (the second bright spot of our day).
I had Emma hop out of the car and take a picture. I was worried that I would collapse into a puddle if I saw the damage (especially if there were any deer remains on the car).
Looking at the picture I was shocked that there was not more damage. I've always heard how safe Volvos are and how they are built to endure. This picture and our experience was proof. There is no doubt in my mind that had we been in one of the Hondas we would have sustained way more damage to the car than we did (and possibly even some injuries on our part). No offense Honda, you've been great and all but....
The state trooper arrived shortly after I got off the 911 call and brought with him such a good energy and he took care of us so beautifully. He assured us that insurance would take care of everything and called us a tow truck (as he knew a guy that had a large enough tow vehicle that could fit all four of us). Thus, the third bright spot occurred.
The tow truck guy was super sweet and of course chatted with Dave the entire way. He dropped us off at the West Gardiner service plaza "it's open 24 hours and has bathrooms and food." He let us know that nothing can happen with the car until Monday but all would be well. Another bright spot.
In the middle of all this I contacted Kristen from work to let her know that I was not sure if I would be at work on Monday and sent her the picture of the car. She replied and we chatted a bit. In our convo, she offered to come get one of us so we could get home to pick up one of the other cars to then return to Maine since there was no way the Volvo was going to be headed back to Massachusetts with us. This was brilliant and we readily accepted her very kind offer.
The West Gardiner Service Plaza was clean and indeed a good place to land while we attempted to get an Uber or Lyft that could take us to Freeport. It took over two hours to finally secure a ride (EEK!) but we did and the Uber driver who took the job could not have been any more delightful and caring and was so very, very sweet (bright spot number six of our day). As we drove along he and Dave chatted non-stop which was not shocking (I swear, Dave has never met a stranger) but the unfortunate part of where this event occurred and where the service plaza we had been at was meant that we had to pass the scene of the crime, which brought on tears for me once again as I realized too late where we were and had to see the dead deer at the side of the road (RIP, deer).
At 7:00pm we finally arrived in Freeport at our hotel. I was tired, devastated and hungry and all I wanted to do was find a bed, crawl into it and sob.
However, we needed food. Emma had a week's worth of dirty clothes that needed washing but no one had any desire to head across the street to the cleanest, most beautiful laundromat ever and so I figured it would need to wait for Sunday morning.
Opening what I thought might be a second bathroom in the townhouse we were staying at I could not believe my eyes. It was not a second bathroom, or even a closet, rather it was a washer and dryer (and we did not even have to pay anything additional to use them)! It's silly to say but this might have been the brightest spot of the day as it meant we could get the wash started, get food and then go to bed and not have to schlep the dirty clothes across the street in Emma's Rac 'N Roll, since we had no car to be able to do so.
I did not sleep much that night, and when I did sleep it was not well. It is going to take a long time (if ever) to get the image of the deer and the sound of it colliding with the car out of my head. I just keep seeing the deer looking into my soul when this happened and I truly hope that its passing was quick and that it did not suffer.
We are safe.
No one is physically injured (save for the dead deer).
Emma made it to camp, courtesy of the fabulous Megan Swayer. 
The car will be getting fixed in Maine and will be as good as new soon (read: 3-4 weeks).
All the kindness we experienced restored my (our) faith in humanity.
We are grateful.
And we are now absolutely a Volvo family for life.
If you made it through this post, which might rival my doctoral dissertation, I thank you as well. xo
