The day finally arrived and boy, did I need it. My father had passed away a few months prior and I was trying to do my busy life like I always did, thinking grieving shouldn’t impact it. I was stressed and the muscles in my neck and shoulders were strung like tight rope. Fun way to start a trip. Ha.
Jer heading into the big city to pick of our RV rental. The guy there told him this would be this particular RV’s final run. It was the longest one they had. Eight people in a small space was going to be challenging. The vehicle struggled it’s way up the hills on the drive home. Jer complained but he went right to work to get the burners turned on so we would ready to leave very early the next morning. While he prepared the vehicle, I began to load my carefully laid out piles and laundry baskets full all the things on my check-off list. I meticulously load the cupboards and storage areas, not allowing the kids in while I was working. This was around five in the evening. I had it seventy-five percent packed and felt good we were right on schedule, when Jer announced he had to take the RV back. Nothing was working on it.
Discouraged, I watched him leave with most everything already packed in side. It was now after hours and the RV place was closed. Jer had to hunt him down and found him at a near by bar. The worker decided the old RV wasn't going to work and gave us a brand-new RV to use. Several hours later, after I had put the kids to bed, Jer pulled up next to our house.
I could live with the fact that it was two feet shorter but the two men had to unpack everything I had already packed. To my horror, they had just tossed in everything I had so carefully pack but I went right to work. What else could I do? Partway through this process I realize they had missed a cupboard. I was near tears. My sweet neighbor ran to store late at night trying to replace the needed items that were left behind but was mostly unsuccessful. Other items on my list weren’t remembered.
By now it was eleven o’clock. I took a shower and fixed my hair, because we were going to be meeting Jer’s family the next day, making it a priority. I laid in bed exhausted, with my muscle tension worse than ever. We had just a couple hours to sleep before we woke the kids and began our journey to California. Let the fun begin...