You never forget your first crush, your first love, and your first car.
If you’re lucky, they are one and the same.
Mine was a hand-me-down 1976 yellow VW Bug.
Before I tell you about her, let me answer a question we hear all the time:
“Should I bring my car to my senior pictures?”
Our answer is almost always yes.
A car isn’t just transportation. For many seniors, it’s where friendships happen, first jobs are driven to, late-night conversations take place, and memories are made. That’s one reason we often encourage seniors to include their vehicle in their senior portrait session.
Now, about that Bug…
It worked its way through both of my older brothers before it made its way to me. It required learning to drive a manual transmission, which resulted in driving lessons from “My Brother’s Driving School.”
Okay, it wasn’t a school, but it was an old Honda Civic with a sticky gearshift that had strong opinions about which gear it wanted to be in.
I am not exaggerating when I say that almost every lesson ended in an argument.
“You aren’t looking both ways.”
“I DID look both ways.”
“I didn’t see you look both ways.”
“Just because you didn’t see me do it doesn’t mean I didn’t do it.”
We would arrive back home in a huff and I would declare, “I am NEVER driving with you again.”
He would reply, “Good.”
And then the next day:
“Hey, Sis. Wanna go driving?”
“YES!”
My VW Bug was my home away from home. My cheer stuff fit snugly in its front trunk and the back was covered with bumper stickers. It had an air conditioner called “Put the windows down.” But rolling the windows up and down was like a WWII submarine crew preparing to dive. My biceps were in awesome shape.
And while it had a sunroof, that also required multiple cranks of the handle to get it open and closed. This meant that if I was arriving at school and wanted to preserve my 80s hair, I had to keep the windows up regardless of the temperature.
Yeah, I might be sweating through my clothes, but my hair stayed on point.
(This sounds vain. Yes, I know. And it was. People, we are talking 80s BIG hair. That didn’t just happen. After you’ve used hot rollers, curling irons, and half a can of Aqua Net, you would sooner sit in a parked car at 110 degrees than risk hair deflation.)
And the heater?
Well, that was the engine.
The engine generated heat which was pushed through the car and out the vents. This meant if you had no engine heat, you had no cabin heat. In my case, it didn’t blow warm air in the winter until I had been driving for about 15 to 20 minutes, which meant I shivered all the way home and experienced a lovely toasty warmth about a block from my house.
There were no cup holders, but if you got a medium drink from McDonald’s and drank about a quarter of it right away, you could wedge the cup between the seat and the emergency brake.
Fun fact: The lid of the glove compartment made an excellent French fry holder.
And lest you think I was suffering in the entertainment category, I had a radio.
An AM/FM radio.
Please, try to contain your jealousy.
I lost count of how many times the clutch had to be replaced, or how many times my friends had to push me so that I could pop that clutch and bring her back to life.
Oh, I loved her so much. If I close my eyes and think real hard, I can still smell her. She WAS high school to me. Yeah, when we wanted to arrive somewhere in style and air-conditioned comfort, we took my friend Jessica’s Trans Am. The Firebird was black. It was cool—literally—and it had a cassette player.
But still, it didn’t mean to me what my Beetle did.
That tiny yellow bubble held so many memories, so many stories, so many friends.
But I never got a picture with her.
Oh sure, I have pictures OF her, but not WITH her.
Not one photograph of me leaning against the bumper-stickered back end. Not one senior picture with the car that carried me through school and games and trips to friends’ houses and tears of disappointment and tears of joy and countless trips to Dion’s.
And that’s exactly why we encourage seniors to bring their vehicles to their portrait sessions.
Whether it’s a brand-new truck, a Jeep, a borrowed car, or an old hand-me-down like my Beetle, that vehicle is often a main character in the high school story. It’s where friendships happen. It’s where first jobs are driven to. It’s where terrible singing, deep conversations, fast food runs, and big dreams all take place.
Looking back, I have no idea what was on my chemistry final. But darn skippy, I remember that car.
Senior Picture FAQ
Should I bring my car to my senior pictures?
Yes. If your vehicle is part of your high school experience, it can add personality, meaning, and storytelling to your senior portraits.
Does my car need to be new or expensive?
Not at all. Some of the most meaningful vehicles are old hand-me-downs, first cars, work trucks, and vehicles with family history.
Can I bring something other than a car?
Absolutely. We love incorporating things that matter to you, whether that’s a Jeep, motorcycle, guitar, sports equipment, pet, or anything else that’s part of your story.
So, if you are a Frank Frost Senior reading this…
BRING THE CAR.
Bring the truck.
Bring the Jeep.
Bring the old hand-me-down held together by hope, duct tape, and parental prayers.
If it means something to you, bring it. (And we’re not just talking about cars.)
Because senior pictures aren’t just about who you are…they’re about the people, places, memories, and things that helped you become that person.
~Cheri
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