Passion Project

This picture captures the moment I first glimpsed the old vintage Corvette that would soon become mine. In purchasing it, I fulfilled a dream of mine that had grown hazy and impractical in my mind, as the daydreams of my childhood matured into the goals of my adult life. Some of those dreams lived on--made the "cut" if you will--and some didn't. In high school, while my girl friends were plastering the inside of their lockers with magazine cut-out pictures of hot young men, I was cutting out pictures of hot, fast cars. I guess some things never change.

Mike and I took a plunge and spent what few dollars we had to buy a neglected old Vette that needed serious love and attention. It was parked in my driveway before the ink had time to dry on my college degree. I consider myself lucky to have found it, but I also consider it lucky to have found us. A more passionate, dedicated duo it could have waited another 30 years for and never found. I love it, and I confess that love with enormous sincerity.

Since then, we've begun the restoration process in the haphazard, uneducated way of two people learning a trade for the first time. Every single time I commit myself to getting my hands dirty, I learn something new about this little slice of history. Each worn and deteriorated part we replace seems like a glimpse into the future, when we'll someday transform her back into the mean machine of her younger days. It is not a commitment I take lightly, and since the day I signed up for it, I have shed blood, sweat and tears in making those first few tremulous steps forward. I've laid on my back underneath her, chipping away at decades worth of grime and grease, not caring if it covered my arms or my face. I've sat in her worn leather seats and driven fast enough to peal the laughter from my lips. I've stood on the side of the road in a plum of white smoke, realizing that I might be the first person to love this poor Vette in a long, long time.

Full restoration will probably take years, if not decades of my life. So here's to all the firsts, the lasts, and the milestones along the way! Here's to Stella: the Vette that stole my heart.