When you own a Jeep Wrangler, every other Jeep Wrangler owner in the world is your friend.

No kidding.

And this camaraderie is identified by something called "the Jeep Wave". It's all in good fun.

Warning:   Owning, registering, insuring, or driving a Jeep implies knowledge of and intent to abide by the following rules, regulations, and guidelines. Failure to obey the letter or spirit of the rules may result in your being ignored by other Jeep owners as you sit along the side of the road next to your stalled vehicle in a blizzard surrounded by Saturns, Yugos, and Hyundais. Source Jeep Talk

Here's a Jeep story for you...

This actually took place many years ago. But as timeless as these 4x4 vehicles are, anybody who has owned a Jeep will recognize the excitement and sense of adventure that took place on the day a Jeep I was riding in ended up in the ocean.

Jeeps are some tough and rugged off-road machines, that's for sure!

I found my Jeep CJ on a dealer’s lot. The price was right. 

My best friend had a 1980 CJ5, metallic brown with a tan soft top.  After riding with him a few times, I had to have one of these snarling little go-anywhere machines.  It wasn’t long before I was on the hunt. 

I got a good deal because the exhaust was leaking badly and oil was pooling under the engine.  I gave it a good looking over and took a chance that I could handle the repairs.  After writing the check for $3,500 I took her home.

If you're like me, then you're probably interested in seeing how things change over time.

Say, for instance... a Jeep.
Or... a puppy.

Today's post will satisfy the first one.
The next post will be filled with updated pictures of our now 4-month-old puppy, Tenor.

It's no secret that Jim & I love Jeep Wranglers. But Wranglers certainly aren't the only Jeeps worth driving, in our opinion.

For most of our married life together, we have owned at least one Jeep. Usually a Wrangler... but there for awhile, the Jeep Grand Cherokee was our vehicle of choice.

However, since we purchased the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited a few days ago, we now have four vehicles parked at our house right now -- 3 Jeeps and a sedan.

So we decided to sell our 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee -- leaving us with 2 Jeep Wranglers and a Chevy Malibu.

Yes, we bought ANOTHER Jeep... our 3rd one!

This one is a Jeep Wrangler "Unlimited". Which doesn't exactly mean what it sounds like: that it's some special edition Jeep like an Eddie Bauer version or something.

Instead, Unlimited refers to the fact that it's an "extended model". The rear seat and trunk area are double that in an ordinary Jeep Wrangler -- like dear 'ol Scruffy.

You can barely tell that the Unlimited is larger, but it suits us just perfectly -- especially with the two dogs and all the outdoor gear we always tote along.

Plus it's a full-blown 4x4 off-roader, so we're eager to put this Jeep through its paces to see how it handles off the beaten path.

For years, Jim has been the Jeep lover in our family. For the most part, I've been the quiet Jeep passenger -- both on-road and off.

But who knew that I would become a future owner of a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited? And an almost new one at that?!

Here's a preview...

Jim has wanted a Jeep Wrangler for years. But, his desire to own this fun convertible had rapidly progressed from a "want" to a "whine" in recent months.

Much the same way we used to shout "Slug Bug!" as kids whenever we spotted a Volkswagen Beetle, Jim was constantly calling out "Jeep!" every time we passed a Jeep Wrangler. Day in and day out... And as the weather got warmer, all the Jeeps came out to play and the chant became more frequent. Until... it actually became a whiney drone that lacked emotion and was full of regret. Jim clearly had Jeep Envy, and this wasn't helping with his impending "Mid-Life Crisis"!

He said that a Jeep was the only thing that could cure his ills...

Fact is, I too have wanted a Jeep for years. In one of my pre-Jim scrapbooks, where I have a page devoted to all of the vehicles I've owned, I listed "Jeep Wrangler" on my wishlist even way back then.

So, while both of us have known that a Jeep was definitely in our future, we decided to kick things into high gear June of 2004.

...The hunt was on!