The beginning of the trip

 

WOW! It's been almost two full weeks since I have posted anything. That means that you're about to witness...

the sweetest comeback ever!!! Just kidding. I cannot compete with the Twinkie, nor do I hope to try. I do however think it's cool to have a photo of that box, because I doubt that it will say, "the sweetest comeback ever" forever.

ANYWAY, the "I quit," cat is now officially out of the bag, so I thought I would spend some time posting some personal stories and photos. These are from the beginning of the summer. I posted ONE before, when I was pretending that the 2,575 miles we covered was just a random fun all-American road trip. That one was the back of my Subaru crossing the Continental Divide. In reality...

it all started on a date I don't remember and can't find from going through my text messages or my calendar where I apparently didn't record it. It was early June. While dropping off a tub of U.S. History teaching materials at Krista's house, I whined and complained that I wasn't getting any packing done. A few days later, Krista came over and made me put the pedal to the packing metal. Some tactics: she only allowed me to keep 3 bags. Three. Of forty-something (probably more like 12, but felt like 40-something) to start.

Krista has since moved to Texas. She already has a job and a legally registered vehicle, two things I don't have. Good job, Krista!

Next, on June 7th Amanda came into town to try to sell her house and to have one last Las Vegas hurrah with her 2nd-favorite Las Vegas roommate, including goading me to finally get that tattoo I've been wanting since the age of 16...

I posted some photos of our shenanigans earlier under the guise of "leaving for the summer."

Amanda was a big help as she continually said, "What can I do to help?" This was different from Krista's tactic, and I appreciated both.

Amanda has since sold the house, AND we just had an awesome weekend at the West Bend Ca$h Bash geocaching event in Wisconsin.

Finally, on June 12th, Jodi and Alex arrived. We sent Alex on multiple trips up and down the stairs, and Jodi noticed a bunch of things that needed to be taken care of in crevices I never would have noticed if she hadn't been there.

On June 15th, we frantically ate freezee pops and tossed the last things into boxes and crates (including one load of laundry fresh from the dryer) while Two Men and a Truck packed my Penske truck with ratchet straps.

AND that, my dear lovely readers, takes us to the end of my motivation for today.

Look forward to photos, especially from our favorite stop, Holbrook AZ, later this week.