Day 1 (9/14) - And, we're off!

Our much-anticipated day of departure has finally arrived! I was surprised at how overwhelmed I was with the packing this time around. Perhaps because of all of the homeschool preparations and materials that were added in for this trip. I always feel like I have forgotten something when I am leaving on a trip, but this time I felt wholly unprepared. I'm sure it won't be long before we discover all of the things I overlooked! I'm sure that we will survive, though. Every nook and cranny of this camper is crammed full with food, clothes, books, pet food, and anything else that I could fit.

We are very happy to be heading out with both a brand-new fifth wheel and truck. I think that we are going to be much happier with the new living area layout in the camper, we've got a five-year warranty, and now the grandparents don't have to worry about the old truck leaving us stranded on the side of a mountain somewhere. And, Don is happy because the fifth wheel and truck are now color-coordinated.

Our planned time of departure was 8:00, so we pulled out just before 10:00 :-)
Grandma K. came up to tell us goodbye and of course cried as she gave us each one last hug. Grandma and Grandpa met us at the end of the driveway. Grandma P. also cried as we got ready to pull out. What a send-off! Keep in mind that it will only be two weeks until we see them again in Kentucky. But it is nice to know that we are loved and will be missed. The kids are very excited that the grandparents will be joining us soon.

I'm happy to say that the trip was pretty uneventful. About two and a half hours in, the cat did pee all over my lap (thank goodness for the towel!) but she settled down after that. We made two stops to walk the dog and let Teaser use the litterbox, though she really didn't need to anymore. We did some school time in the car - practiced our Spanish color words, did Mad Libs to practice parts of speech, and read a biography of John Brown, among other things. We ate lunch in the camper to save time and money and arrived at the campground in West Virginia around 7:00. Not a whole lot to look at on the ride down, as we were mostly on highways, but we did cross the Shenendoah and Potomac Rivers at the end of the journey (pictures aren't great, but, hey, they were taken through the window of a speeding truck!) and were greeted at the campground entrance by a whole bunch of deer enjoying their dinner.

Shenandoah River

Potomac River

While we set up, Gabriella met our neighbors from Maryland and proceeded to tell them our life story. The KOA was completely packed with very small sites. Our site is also quite small, especially lengthwise, but it backs up against the woods and is next to the maintenance shed, so it's much quieter than other areas. After getting settled, we had a quick chicken quesadilla dinner I had half-prepared ahead of time, watched some tv (we've got limited Direct TV here, so the kids are thrilled to see the shows they don't get at home,) warmed our tootsies by a roaring "fire" and stumbled off to bed.

There's going to be a bit of a lag getting blogs posted, as we have been keeping super busy and have had various technological difficulties, but I will do my best!