Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Remembering Lived in Moments Through Laughter & Love with the Mazda CX-3 #DriveMazda #Bestof2016


Looking back on 2016 for a lot of people means remembering some pretty awful moments whether personally or in the news. Moments that may have made your heartache, ones that may have made you frustrated or angry but one thing my hubby Mike is always encouraging me to do, is to seek out the positive in every lived in moment big or small. Having the ability to just pick up and go in a reliable car is a top priority for families, whether it's the daily trips to your grocery store or to create long lasting memories with friends and family. When setting off on the road the last thing you want to worry about is the safety of your loved ones. Compact in size and perfect for our family of four the Mazda CX-3 allowed us to celebrate a long time friends birthday, witness the union of two Blue Sky film makers, dab with clowns and make an urgent spur of the moment visit to see our favorite uncle.

Disclosure: We were provided this car by Mazda and Driveshop USA to facilitate a review. Opinions expressed are 100% our own and no other compensation was received.


Live!
Driving into the city isn't normally a preference for the hubby but hitting the streets of New York with the Mazda CX-3 made the trip uptown to the Harlem Meer a quick, comfortable ride for everyone. Aside from being a great looking car, two highlight features of the car that Mike enjoyed while driving us from Queens to Manhattan were:
  • It's sporty handling and thrifty fuel economy with an impressive 31 mpg. He continuously raved about the car having great pick up and it being easy to drive on the highway, leaving him and me anxiety free during those moments he found himself accelerating as he merged and passed other drivers.
  • It's size. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find parking in the city on the weekend on museum mile? This subcompact crossover made it extremely easy to do as we celebrate squeezing into a small space, right across from the park.



Reconnecting with girlfriends I've chilled with since High school is always good times! It was great to see a few familiar faces from our high school days, a trip down memory lane every now and then is definitely needed as we all end up caught in juggling the day to day.
With just an hour to catch up with Venesa the birthday girl, her family and our other bestie Natacha before flying off to a wedding we dug into some empanadas while we watched the next tiny generation of architects and engineers run their toddler toes through the grass while flipping mini footballs under vibrant colored parachutes. Oh to be young and carefree!



Love!
We've probably seen every Blue Sky Studio animated movie ever made {from Ice Age to Rio and Horton Hears a Who} so it was pretty adorable to witness two of their team members tie the knot. We drove through the Hudson Valley to the  Highland Country Club to witness my boss give her daughter away, which is never an easy thing for a mother to do. Can you believe we almost missed the ceremony? It was a relief to climb Bear Mountain while seated in the Mazda CX-3 as we made each turn smoothly, including the one we forgot to make initially which caused us to be late. One thing that stood out to me on our drive was just how quiet the Mazda CX-3 was as we winded each bend, the wind and road noise levels were much lower than expected.




The scenery was gorgeous and many of us were mesmerized by the florasl which included a larger than life King Protea which is the national flower of South Africa, where the groom was from. On the drive back that night it gave Mike and I chance to chat up my co-worker Lorraine and her new fiance Steve who were snug in the back seat. 

                  

                     The Levels of Awesomeness in The Mazda CX-3  
  • The Sport: push button ignition, cruise control, height adjustable drivers seat, air conditioning, Bluetooth {iPhone and audio}, six speaker audio system, 7 inch touch screen interface and voice controls.
  • The Touring: This is where we'd start at, at a minimum because it has a blind-spot monitor with rear-cross traffic alert and keyless entry and ignition which are key safety features for us. And for our own comfort, having heated front seats and front row center armrests are great additions.
  • The Grand Touring: was a hit because unlike the other two it features a sunroof which the kids always love. Other highlights of this version include automatic climate control, navigation system,  LED foglights and taillights which proved useful on our evening drive down Bear Mountain and seven speaker BOSE audio system. 


Laugh!
There's nothing like a bit of fun and laughter spent under the big top with your favorite people, so while the Universoul Circus was running only a 20 minute drive from home at Roy Wilkins Park we knew we had to check it out. 



If you are looking for a circus show that will have you up on your feet dancing and clapping along to the rhythmic beats from around the world, amazed by all of the high flying stunts and humored by the silly skits performed then the Universoul Circus is a must see. The performances themselves are packed with unexpected surprises but we had no idea that Bishop Hezekiah Walker {popular Gospel Music artist and prominent Brooklyn Pastor} would be the honorary ring master for the evening, which made for a very special experience. 

                  
With less than 48 hours gone by, never could any of us have imagined that when we received the call that our uncle Poncho was in town for the week of his birthday, that it would be the last time we heard the faint version of his normally hearty belly laugh that would always end up having us all crack up. After such a beautiful weekend it was like our world came crashing down instantly when he sat us down to tell us he was very sick and that his lack of keeping in touch was because he was too scared to face his illness. As a family with just a day before his 65th birthday we wanted to keep his spirits high. 


Being able to pick up an go in the Mazda CX-3 to celebrate him was such a blessing because he was a 2nd father to so many of us and with distance, traveling to see loved ones can sometimes prove to be difficult. He was the epitome of living in the moment, finding humor in everything and loving hard! Saying goodbye to him just days later & holding his hand while he took his last breathe was the hardest thing I'd ever done in my life. R.I.P uncle Poncho .

What are some key features that would be a must have for your family in the Mazda CX-3? 



10 comments:

  1. My mom has a CX6 and she really enjoys it. This was quite a fun trip down memory lane! That picture of your son against the car with his leg up totally made me laugh, too! What a great sense of humor.

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  2. What amazing time you had! I love that car looks so cute. So glad you got to spend time with family, I know you were making many memories!!

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  3. I love the color of that minivan. Looks so beautiful. Never thought of blue for a car for myself but I love it now that I saw yours. Sadly, my automobile has transported my family and I to many sad events in 2016 as well. But thank God it is a new year with new hopes.

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  4. Looks like quite the fun packed into a couple of days. That car looks fantastic...love that it has a push-button start! That's too cool! The fact that you navigated it around Manhattan is a feat unto itself...whenever we've been to NYC, driving around town is so intimidating! What a pretty little car to scoot around in.

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  5. I love the color of this CX-3. You guys had a lot of fun in this car! Again, may you adopt me? LOL Honestly, I prefer the CX-5 over this model. How did you like the size of this for your family of four?

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  6. This looks like a great car! My sister in law used to drive a Mazda and she loved it. I had one a long time ago. How far they've come - this one looks like a lot of fun and I love the sharp style and color.

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  7. So sorry to hear of your family's loss. It is never easy to say goodbye forever to someone that you love.

    Looks like you were able to have many adventures in your Mazda CX3. I've always driven an SUV, but now that my kids are older I'm thinking of getting a smaller car. 31 MPG would be AMAZING!

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  8. Mazda was one of the companies that I looked at when I was car shopping. I definitely love good handling and I am a sucker for a crossover. I am now addicted to push-button ignition and back up cams with park assist as well, so super helpful! Such a luxury to have!

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  9. so sorry to hear about your loss.

    I also am from NYC and wow! a Mazda sure looks fun to drive. I don't know too much about cars since I've never driven but all those features sound so great. If I do get a car I would definitely want something small like the Mazda! And that bright color is so fun

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  10. Mazda has come a long way - this model is really pretty. It looks like you guys did a lot of fun things using this car. My condolences for your loss.

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