Here we go...

So…we are finally on our way! It is hard to believe that after all our planning and preparing; we have finally left home and are beginning our adventure. It was a very strange feeling to be leaving home for such a long journey and all of us were feeling a little overwhelmed as we finally locked up the house and got into the van to pull out of the driveway. Before leaving, the boys decided to kiss the house goodbye – it was a little emotional and we took advantage of the opportunity to take a unique picture of Day 1! After leaving home last night, we had an eventful start to the journey, with a very snowy drive from Newmarket to Brantford. Thankfully, even with a blizzard and very poor lane markings, the trailer handled well and we arrived to Kim and Kevin’s to a wonderful “speedy” dinner!

The last few weeks have been a little surreal. Two weeks ago, we spent a weekend at Shawn’s grandmother’s picking up the trailer and saying farewell. While we there, with the trailer still warmly tucked away in the barn, we were able to do some last minute upgrades and installed some shelving for our books, as well as some hooks in the kitchen and bathroom. Riley really enjoyed the opportunity to try out his new ultra-light bunk ladder built by his Papa (Thanks Dad!) and now installed in the trailer. It’ll be nice not to have to give him a boost every time he wants to go to his “room”! After arriving home from the farm, the real packing started. Thankfully, we have been organized and everything we need fit beautifully into the storage spaces and bins. There have been, however, lots of discussions about the difference between our “wants” and our “needs” and we have been amazed by the boys’ creativity in finding interesting ways to convince of what had to come and where it could be stored.

It is now 5:30pm (with a one-hour change in time!) and we have arrived in Jolliet, Illinois. The drive was uneventful, the weather fine, and with the addition of some great music, the time seemed to pass quite quickly. The boys spent the day happily installed in the backseats of the van enjoying endless games and movies and were pretty thrilled with the idea of 10 hours of uninterrupted screen time. By tomorrow, with another 8 hour drive ahead of us, we expect the novelty will have worn off!

Tammy & Shawn