This post is sponsored by Kelley Blue Book; all thoughts are my own.

It’s no secret I’m a fan. I’ve partnered with them in the past because I appreciate their resources, and today I am proud to team up with them again.

Some of my favorite memories of growing up were from the back seat of our family car. Whether we were driving over the hill and through the woods to grandmother’s house… or whipping through the narrow terrain of the Colorado mountains, we were together. An air of excitement barely kept me in my seat as I looked out the window seeing the beauty of God’s landscape.

As the Doobie Brothers blared from the cassette tape, I can still hear my dad singing “what a fool believes….he sees… no wise man has the power.” To this day that song conjures such nostalgia in me. Only years later would I realize how sad the lyrics really are!!

Hayden turned four and he’s thrilled to get to help me plan our first road trip post quarantine. I know he is the age where these memories will be embedded in his mind. We are meeting friends and family in the California mountains up near Big Bear and making a few stops along the way. I have such plans for us in the future… I can’t wait to take him to see the Grand Canyon. Actually, I can’t wait to see the Grand Canyon for the first time myself!!

I just ordered a map of California to let Hayden see exactly where we will be exploring, where the lakes are, and “map” out how we will get there. (By the way, this is educational and a great activity for the kids… I’m also getting one of the United States so he can see how to get to Nana and Papa’s city and where all of our relatives and family live.) He loves to pack his suitcase and decide what necessary items he can’t live without during our trip. Since we’ve been home for so long, any outing is a reason for him to put on a tie!

For our first excursion, it’ll just be Hayden, Oscar and me (although I’m trying to get my sister to join us!), so I want to make sure we have the safest ride possible. Although it’s fun to plan, I have to be smart. As a single woman and a new single mom, I feel an extra level of responsibility to be prepared.

Kelley Blue Book has proved to be invaluable in the past and I lean on them again now. There’s a new Auto Repair Guide, similar to their Price Advisor, guiding you and me on repair and service price ranges. Am I the only one that still calls their dad when they can get a price on service repairs? It’s always higher than I expect!! Now I’m taking advantage of resources available at my fingertips. The fair repair range shows you what you should expect to pay for common repairs and maintenance. If you go to Kelley Blue Book’s Auto Repair Guide, in the top right corner, there is menu bar. After clicking, you can scroll down to see car recalls, service and pricing, maintenance pricing and auto shops near you.

Just like I don’t want to venture up into the mountains with my son unprepared, I don’t like going into an auto shop unprepared wondering if I’m being overcharged. As much as I’d like to believe no one would take advantage of a single woman, the best way to avoid that is with knowledge. So, please join me in empowering ourselves! Also, it’s so easy to get a second quote by just calling another dealership or auto shop and asking questions. Use Kelley Blue Book! If you are quoted a much higher price range, Tell the mechanics that Kelley Blue Book gave you a different concept. Wouldn’t you rather use the saved money on that road trip?

I look at the sweetest boy I’ve ever known and wonder what song he will remember me playing in the car when he grows up. He brought up our road trip recently to see the California poppies, our drive out to the beach recently, and our day trip we took last winter with his grandparents. As he begs me to roll down the window for a moment so he can “feel the cool breeze in his hair” I realize his mind is taking snapshots of our lives, of all the places we go, of choices I make right now. I pray I make good ones for him during this time of uncertainty in our world and beyond.