I was five years old the first time I rode in a limousine. Now I’m not going to lie and prattle on about “from that moment, I knew I wanted to be a limo driver when I grew up!” Because let’s be honest, however fun and exciting it is to be behind that wheel now, it’s not a dream you hear kids aspire to very often. I’ve heard some kids say they want to literally be a limo, but that’s about it.

That being said, my first experience was one I always happily look back on. It was my birthday. As was already tradition at my young five years, my mom promised to take me out for dinner at the place of my choosing. What was new that year, though, was that my mom decided to forego our normal station wagon and called a limousine instead. She’ll tell this next part of the story to anyone who will still listen:

“And do you know what she asked me when the limo pulled up?” My mom will laugh, “‘Mommy,’ she says, ‘is that a wienie-car?”

And then she’ll just laugh and laugh like no time has gone by.

Hey, you can’t give too much flack to a five-year-old with that kind of logic though. My dachshund, Twinkie, was my “wienie-dog” growing up and his long little body always brought me chuckles.

Anyways, after my mom had gathered her wits about her, she helped me into this behemoth of a car and we were on our way. Now if you think limos are big now, try picturing them through the eyes of a five-year-old. Eyes that see adults as giants… or dogs as sausages.

Well to my dream-filled eyes, I was inside the belly of some beautiful monster. Pink balloons filled the floor and two juice boxes were sitting on ice. A “birthday girl” tiara was carefully placed on one of the large sunken seats; I quickly snatched it and slid it into my hair. I was the princess and this was my chariot.

My mom asked our driver (an older gentleman, or old to my eyes then) to turn up the music and I remember screaming along loudly, windows down, to my favorite songs while we cruised through the city. People waved at me, I waved at them. The few who were close enough at stop lights to see my tiara wished me a happy birthday. It was one of those days you knew you’d remember. Those days where you actually say to your young little mind, “I will never forget this day!” And I didn’t.

Limos are a big part of my life now and there is nothing like looking back on that day and reminiscing about the day where every kid at the Chuck E Cheese listened jealously to me while I recounted my harrowing escape from the belly of a wonderful wienie-car.

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