Tomorrow's the big day! We're 99% packed. The only stuff left to pack are our toiletries we'll need for the morning and some fruits and veggies we'll throw into our cooler. Everything else is neatly packed into color-coded duffle bags that I'll load onto the roof of our van before we hit the road.
All 5 of the kids are up at the lake with Grammy (because we went to a kid-free wedding tonight) which means they'll be our first stop. Unfortunately, that also means "A" won't be here to help me get the car loaded up in the morning and I'll have to haul it all myself. He was really a big help with hauling things during our "trial run" down to San Diego and back last year, so I'm hoping for more of the same there.
Nearly everyone we talk to about the trip talks not only about how crazy we are, but also what an incredible experience it will be. A surprising amount of people we talk to also mention similar trips their families took during their childhood and how those trips are some of their fondest memories. It's reassuring, if nothing else, that this is a great thing to do. My incredible wife has done an amazing job setting things up so that they will go as smoothly as possible on this trip, and I know it has been enormous undertaking. It hasn't been easy, and I think the next few weeks will have more than their fair share of challenges (and almost certainly tears), but we're making memories that will last a lifetime.
One more night and we'll be off on the greatest adventure of our lives (so far).