First Day on the Road

Today is the day! We have been making preparations and plans for about a year now for this very moment. We are tired; this week has worn us out, but we are also relieved and eager. Over the last year there were tears, times of joy, times of despair, times of excitement and times of dread. But we made it! We took a step of faith and God provided. We have a beautiful rig, a steady income and we are ready to go.

The RV hummed with excitement and anticipation this morning as the kids woke up, and our son was literally buzzing. Lots of smiles and hugs were given. With lots of reminders, the kids made it through breakfast, got dressed and found toys to play with while we traveled. It was good they were ready to get on the road, it made for some really compliant, though absent-minded children.

Picture in front of Wanda, our beautiful house on wheels.

Overall, I was feeling good this morning. Slowly we began completing items on our checklist; Eric handles the outside and I handle the inside. It’s a pretty good arrangement. We took a picture beside the RV to mark this momentous occasion. Then we loaded the kids in the truck, so we could hitch up. I was starting to feel uneasy as Eric began backing up Buck to Wanda. Everything about this hitch is different and it didn’t help that the weather was cloudy, windy and chilly, we’ve decided the weather was being affected by the angst I was feeling about heading out and getting hitched up with the new slide hitch. We took a moment and prayed to calm my nerves and asked God to help us get through the next moments. It did help, but Eric and I struggled to communicate to each other during this process. The new hitch allows for more degrees of freedom than the last one, so it was harder for me to have clear sight lines for the kingpin. Eric can no longer see the hitch when backing up, so he needs me to direct him; however, when I am behind the truck he can only see my fingers in the side mirrors. We finally figured it out! Praise the Lord! I’m sure it was a good show to anyone watching us hook up this morning.

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About an hour into the drive, my nerves were much calmer, my stomach was settled and I was able to eat a little snack, and the sun began shining brightly. It was a pretty easy drive, about 200 miles and only a little bit of construction and traffic. The kids did well, which I think had a lot to do with the excitement they were feeling. They played with dolls, read their books and looked out the window. I texted friends and family to ask for prayer and most of all, watched the mirrors and bridge height signs. If you remember in an earlier post, “Where it All Started”, we talked about not truly knowing the height of Wanda. Well she’s taller than we thought-she sits about 13’6”, so we’re definitely going to be more mindful. The RV park is about a mile off the highway, and is very clean and quite. We parked unhitched with minor difficulties, possibly the smoothest we ever have.

It turned into an absolutely gorgeous day today! It is 86 degrees Fahrenheit with a slight breeze and mostly sunny. I couldn’t ask for a nicer first day. We are parked right by the river, so we took a little walk, looked for minnows along the bank, and then had lunch. I am typing at the covered picnic table at our site while Eric and the kids are getting things together to take to the local park.

The park was really nice and fun was had by all. The kids climbed, swung and jumped. It was good to let them get all of their energy out. I imagine they will sleep well tonight. On the way home from the park we stopped to see an unusual sight. A Christmas style tree made of deer skeletons. Definitely one of the weirdest things I’ve seen. We had a relaxing evening as I continued writing and Eric started working to get some hours in for the day.
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I know not every day will be like this one, but I sure am glad it has been a rainbows kind of day.

Sunset from the RV