Our planned departure turned out to be day 4 of the flu for my husband. He was in no shape to drive, so we decided to wait, and one day made a big difference. It appears, for the record, that the minimum duration for the flu virus is 5 days. (just in case anyone else is making plans) So, while Daddy was looking pitiful on the sofa I spent an entire day loading the motorhome. Mind you, I was just supposed to be packing for 3 days! But, I thought I might as well put a few other things in there that we would need sooner or later. And I use the term "need" loosly, but a lot of women will understand. For example, if this coach is going to be my home for the next year or longer then I think it should feel like my home. The interior of the bus is tan with black accents. Very neutral. Very practical. Very boring. So, I added some color. I put my red throw on the sofa, added some greenery, a candle, a poster, and a rug. Much better. When the day was over I was exhausted, but pleased with my progress. 

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The next morning Dan was feeling better so we decided to hit the road. While the kids and I worked on their science fair project, he got his stuff packed (his stuff would be the "guy" stuff - tools, electronic gadgets, etc. I never know what he'll need). Finally, we were ready. Our mission: to pick up a tow dolly that we will use to haul our van and to go to a National Park and get a National Parks Pass. Dan and the boys were in the motorhome and I followed behind in the van. Just seeing the bus on the road made me giddy!

Then, about 1/3 of the way to our destination we realized that we were driving right into an ice storm (MISTAKE #1 - check weather before you depart) and we found out that the person with the dolly was not going to be in that day (MISTAKE #2 - "I thought you called"/ "No, you were supposed to call" - miscommunication). The final straw was that the hitch to haul the dolly somehow got left behind (MISTAKE #3 - trusting a man with medicine-head). Our only choice was to turn around and head back home, with the wailing protests of our children in the background. Our mission was a complete failure. Everyone was frustrated. After much pleading from the backseat, Daddy finally agreed to a compromise - we would spend our first night in the motorhome: in our hometown, in the Walmart parking lot. Ahhhh camping. There's nothing like it.

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