How to save your marriage - and a tank of gas!

Hamid and I work really well together all the way around I think, and are generally perfectly content to be with eachother 24/7. As business partners, best friends, and husband and wife we've learned countless ways to communicate with, maneuver around, and live happily ever after with eachother. I stopped listening to people who wanted us to believe that our being joined at the hip would be the demise of our love affair. Three+ years later and we're doing just fine, in spite of all the 'advice'.

But there was one pitfall we were totally unprepared for and that is navigating the broad and busy streets of the United States with nothing more than our wits and a strained lean out the window to glimpse a streetsign as we're carried along in impossibly quick and grumpy traffic - oh, and a printed sheet of ever-so-useless MapQuest or Expedia directions that have been reliable only in that they never once failed to screw us up entirely. You see, when we were living abroad we either always had a hired driver or we utilized taxis to get where we needed to go - generally relying on the internal navigation provided by our chauffers to get us through the maze of streets, alleys, and dirt roads to our destination. Taxis and private drivers are neither realistic nor affordable as a sole means of transport in America so upon settling back in the States we bought ourselves a car. We truly enjoy being able to pack ourselves and the dog up for a weekend hike at Lake Mohave, or kissing Mooshy ta-ta and cruising to Vegas for a day of shopping and sushi. It's also our ticket to continued adventure as we plan a move to Washington State - I seriously cannot imagine once again packing up everything we own and schlepping it onto a plane. A car just makes so much more sense when there is no ocean to be crossed.

So this car has been a blessing, but until recently, we spent far too much time stuck in it, arguing over which way we were supposed to have gone and whether or not the online mapping service was fallible or trying to determine if whichever of us had entered the destination address was at fault. I cannot count the miles I sat with my forehead against the passenger side window, glaring at the road, hating the feeling of absolute helplessness because I had no idea where we were and even less of a clue how to get where we were trying to go; racking up the wasted gallons of overpriced gas in my head like dollar signs...

Enter the Garmin StreetPilot GPS Navigation System. A wonder of modern technology and a true saving grace - stepping in to spew step-by-step directions to both of us in any accent or foreign language we prefer like some tiny plastic superhero with graphics. The Garmin even accounts for user error, recalculating the entire trip at a false move or a late turn - providing a fresh new map of how-to-get-where-you're-going-without-a-single-argument.

So far we've had the Garmin installed in the car for about a month and it has saved us at least five tanks of gas, plus our otherwise stress free lifestyle is yet to be disrupted with a disagreement about why we didn't turn onto the freeway back there. Well worth the $250 investment - and then some.