Look at it. Just... Just look at it. Take it all in. This is the future that my incredible bride has chosen for us. She says it will be an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience and will create lasting memories for our entire family. But I am terrified. Deep down, I know that she's right, but I can't help but be hyper-focused on all the things that might go wrong. It's a long, long trip, and we're going to load all 7 of us plus 10ish days worth of clothes, a bit of entertainment, and a handful of snacks into our minivan and leave our home in the dust.
This is a trip "K"'s been wanting us all to take for a long time. In fact, I initially ran it past my boss 2 years ago, since it meant I'd need to be working remotely for a long time. Michael clarified when I was talking about and then laughed and said it was fine. Rob offered to let me take his bus on the trip, but none of us wanted to drive something that large, especially for that long. And think about how much we'd spend on gas!
The plan is to hit every state in the contiguous United States, and a couple spots in Canada. We have a few friends and family spread throughout the country that we're planning to stop in and visit, and obviously some famous places we've never before been but think might be cool to see and experience.
Everything is planned. Hotels and AirBNBs are booked. There's an itinerary with a rough description of where we're going, what we're planning to see that day, and how many miles it is. We've even researched the list of states "A" can drive in with his learner's permit (33 of them!).
Because of the massive amounts of work that "K" put into this trip, I just know it will be incredible, memorable, and perhaps even life-changing. Sure, things might go wrong, but things can (and often do) go wrong even at home. This is the best shot we have where all 7 of us can take this trip - "A" isn't yet off on his own, and "C" is old enough that she might even remember some of it! No matter the outcome of the trip or how long we make it, I know that it will give us memories that last a lifetime.
In the immortal words of Me First and the Gimme Gimmes (okay, fine, John Denver):
All my bags are packed and I'm ready to go
I can't wait to find out what this adventure holds. Stay tuned!