And, We’re Off!

Today is DAY ONE of our big adventure!

Yesterday, Adam got a ride to the RV rental place from my dad and brought back our 30’ house on wheels for the next 3 weeks! Later in the evening, two of our dear friends came over with delivery from our favorite local restaurant, Olazzo and a yummy bottle of red. I’m not one to make toasts but I felt compelled to make one that made my eyes well up a bit.

Adam and I slept on an air mattress last night in the cozy nook of our master closet area, house empty, even Maia slept at my parents’ house so it was extra quiet.

It’s funny how the day after the entire house was emptied out by the moving company, how much stuff there was still left to do! Up right at the crack of dawn, we started organizing and clearing out the rest of our items to be packed into the RV. What’s going in the cabin? What’s getting stored in the outside storage? I was honestly DONE with making decisions and ready to go!

It wouldn’t have been a proper mid-Atlantic/east coast/Maryland send-off without 80 degree sticky humidity and a torrential downpour to top it off, amirite?

When my parents dropped off Maia, I had her entire bedroom area in the back all ready with her favorite stuffed animals and blankets. She was so excited she just wanted to jump on all the cushions and run up and down the length of the RV. We left her little shoes outside, and of course the rain got so intense that it washed them away down the end of the driveway.

My mother graciously cooked us lots of Persian food so we are STOCKED for at least an entire week!

Erinn and her mom, Karen, came by and had to wait in their car for nearly an hour until the rain let up enough so we could load Erinn’s stuff in the RV. All the while, I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off managing the maids, carpet cleaners, and meeting with the landlord for final walkthrough and key return.

As I walked through the entirety of the empty house one final time, I felt a combination of joy, sadness and relief. Joy because we made so many great memories here. Sadness that our dog Cricket (who passed away last October) can’t join us for this next chapter. And relief that this stage is DONE and now I can kick back and just enjoy the ride, no pun intended.

As I type this, we just crossed over from Virginia into North Carolina. Next stop, Charlotte!