Tesla FAQ

 I love our Tesla. I get A LOT  of questions about it. So I thought I would dive into some common ones for everyone so that you can be a little more educated. Might be helpful to those of you that are considering electric!

Must be really expensive? 

No-- not really. It did not cost more than buying a truck. We paid extra for the bigger battery (called long range) with our Model 3. The cost for purchase was around $52,000. That does not cover the cost of registration or sales tax. We also decided to upgrade our electrical in our garage and had an electrician do that. This is not necessary but I can fully charge my car overnight with the charge upgrade ability. 

Is the electricity expensive? 

Also a no. This of course depends on where you live and what time of day you charge. If you don't know electricity costs more during peak hours. You can schedule your car to only charge during off peak hours. We have ours set up to charge between 10pm-7am each day. Our cost in our area is .06 cents per kilowatt. In the last 31 days I have spent $22 charging my car. That does not count in the free charger we found in Door County. 

Are you scared to run out of charge while traveling? 

Nope. The car has an amazing interface and when you put in your travel destination it will tell you if you need to stop and charge. So far I have traveled from IL to home and still have 36% charge left. We have the larger battery so we can go about 350 miles (estimate) on a charge. The car will also alert you if the battery is low and recommend super charge stations where you can get juiced up really quickly! 

How does it handle?

It is amazing if I am being honest. The horsepower and torque are a bit insane. People can get sick in the back seat of you take off fast. But it handles like a dream especially in the rain. If you upgrade to the bigger battery you get AWD and I love that the car seems grounded all the time. 

How long did you have to wait for delivery? 

About 3 months and almost the entire car was made in the USA. So if you are looking for an American made car this is for you. 

Could you customize it? 

Yes. I was able to pick the battery size, color of the car and the rims. The interior is REALLY simple and I actually have loved that. It is super easy to clean and has a ton of space inside. 

What about the interface? 

The interface or computer (tablet) on this computer is amazing. Nothing compares on the market. I am not just saying that I test drove a ford mustang mach e and their computer system was just not as quick and easy to use compared to the Tesla. I will share I was really scared this car would be too techy for me but everyone that has drove this car or rode in it agrees it is not hard to get used to the tech. I also love the app that comes with the car so I do not need a key to drive/unlock and I can turn the air on while in the office before getting out there so I do not melt. 

Any strange things? 

I mean yes... It gets confused sometimes and thinks there are people/items in the way. The cameras are really sensitive. I am used to it now and laugh it off but if the car alerts you there is a person in the garage it can scare you. We did not pay for self driving but it does lane correct you. Here the car thinks I am running over a person. I was parked in the garage. No people. It also will sometimes get really mad if you have curse control on (I adore the adaptive curse control by the way) and will actually try to slow down on the highway if you drive to close to the walls (especially the cement ones in Milwaukee). 

Would you recommend it? 

Yes. I would if it fits your life style. I say that because I have a short commute and I have a diesel Jetta that is meant for long trips or when we are doing outdoor things. There are some places in WI (north woods) I would not want to depend on trying to find a charge right now. I think soon the market will have more awesome electric options but if you are looking for a quality car to get into electric this one is awesome. 10/10 recommend after a couple months of driving. 

Got more questions? Ask! I love talking about cars. 

Until next time~ Emily 

Tinker & Belle

 It has been a while since we had any animals in our home. When our 20 year old cat passed away in September we knew we needed some time without pets. Last week Ryan's (my husband) coworker shared a post about 2 bonded sisters needing a home.  Below is the post that was shared with us. 

Ryan saw this photo and said something about their little eyes made him feel like we had to meet them. I was shocked because he wanted to go all summer no pets. I love animals though and I was onboard to meet them right away. We went on last Thursday and I swear for me it was love at first site. See some photos from that meet and greet below. 

The above photos are of Tinker. She is more outgoing than her sister. In fact we were told that Belle barely ever came out and was really scared. Here is the back story on the girls to put their lives in context. They came from a hoarder home where their previous owner had passed away. They did not really come out to greet people at the Brewester's Place ever. My heart went out to them because I knew my home would be the perfect fit. We have no children and our house is huge so they would have plenty of quiet and space. We took them home last Sunday. See some photos below of that pick up. Tinker was easy to catch. Belle was a challenge to say the least. 

Once home they got put in their "kitty room" yes they have a room they only have to share with my spin bike all to themselves. They slept for like 6-7 hours and then they wanted to explore. Here are some photos from the last couple days with the girls. They are bonding with us now and even though they are skittish they are warming up to their new home. 

Things they love: Cat nip, the mouse toys, snuggles on their terms, the laser pointer toy and sleeping in tiny spaces they can hide like behind the dryer. 

Belle. 

Tinker and Ryan BFF for life.

Tinker and her whale marking.

Tinker loves to snuggle. 

How do you tell them apart since they are twins? 

Tinker: She has a front brown leg, a white shape on her back that looks like a little whale, has white that goes up towards her eye. When she talks her little mew is deep. 

Belle: Is very dark in coloring. Has a black stripe straight down her back, has "cat bangs" with the white and black on her face,  is more shy, when she talks her mew is really high pitched. 

We are so in love with these little sweet babies. More to come I am sure. 

Until next time~ Emily 

2022- It's April!

 Yes. Here we are April. It's still snowing out. It is not yet Spring just yet. The flowers in my garden are fighting for it popping up regardless on the temperature like angry warriors showing up to the battle they cannot currently win. How has your 2022 been so far? There is a lot going on. I am working on myself more than ever. I am trying to find my footing in a world where I work back in the office full time and still fit in fitness in my life. On top of all of that juggling of work life balance I am trying to slowly do things with people outside of my home. 

My life often feels like the below picture lately. 

I think it is easy to get overwhelmed trying to find a new balance. I also think it is going to be different for each person. I got a promotion to business manager in January and trying to get the feel for what that looks like for me is a transition as well. I find some days I really have to fight to keep myself mentally/physically on the same page. 

I hope with the warmer weather (when it shows up) I can get back to some of my favorite outdoor hobbies that bring me joy. 

You may also have noticed I don't post as much on here (sept 2021? what!) or on social media that much. I am stepping back a little for my mental health and living in the moments a lot more. I took zero pictures at the wild life sanctuary or any family get togethers this weekend for example. 

I hope you are doing okay. I will leave you with my favorite Miranda Lambert quote lately....

"Well, I'm a giver Yeah, and I'm still giving 'em hell" 

Until next time-

Emily