On the road again, after a satisfying breakfast and a change of clothes, we continued on. In the midst of changing we realized Joe, our youngest, didn’t have his shoes. While Jer and I worked to prepare the first RV for the trip, the kids excitedly roamed around it.
Jer had all the hatches open and Joe decided he needed to be prepared too. He took his shoes off, his only pair of shoes, neatly set them inside a hatch. Another area Jer and the worker at the RV place didn’t check.
We couldn’t arrive at his family’s place with no shoes. So, our first stop once we got in town was to buy Joe some shoes. We began to realize other missing items. Well, really not missing. They were just in the other RV. Remember, I had planned for months.
That first night was a little awkward at Jer’s aunts house. The kids and I sat quietly while they fed us dinner. The next day we headed over to his Grandma’s house, where other second and third cousins came to meet us. There young cousins played but all of our children just stood silently and wide-eyed watching them.
On this sunny day, we sat outside. The adults made polite conversation. I’m an introvert, so I kept my focus on making sure my kids behaved but there were no problems there. It was strangely odd to see them so quiet and still. Their cousins were dipping headless barbies into a muddy pond. I’m probably not remembering this part exactly right but it had that Addams family kind of feel.
Jer's family were all very kind to us, we just had never met them. Jer had no problem conversing, being the extrovert he is, and he at least knew some of the family. After taking a few family photos, the kids and I were relieved to be heading out.
Disneyland, the focus of our trip was ever on our minds.