We have officially taken possession of what we will call home for the next 4 1/2 weeks. All it took was a short walk through and a few signatures.

It was very interesting to hear how Kelly’s tone had changed since we walked in and agreed to rent the RV 3 months ago. I distinctly remember him telling us how easy it was to drive and that we should not be intimidated. At one point he asked me, “Guess how many calls I have gotten from renters broken down during their trip in the last five years?” My guess was twenty but Kelly assured me it was zero.

Fast forward a few months when the deposit is in hand and we are two days away from the trip. We sit down in his office to go over paperwork and during a lull in conversation he exhales and says, “I have to say [long pause], you two are really brave to be taking on this kind of a trip on your first time out.” I took this as a compliment but Hilary quickly corrected me that was not the right way to think about the comment.

Next came the dagger. “So if you are driving 5,000 miles, the chance of you NOT breaking down at some point are slim to none.” So apparently we have that to look forward to.

The initial freeway ride home was exhilarating and I’m proud to say I managed not to pee myself. After that ride I have officially christened our vehicle “Messi,” do to her stunning ability to shift laterally left or right without warning while moving forward at high speed. I actually called Kelly to ask if it was normal for it to feel so incredibly loose. He told me that was one of the fun nuances I will learn to get used to. My cramping shoulders and pecs sure hope so!

The good news is that at least for now the kids are SUPER fired up about the trip and the RV. They have picked out their beds and it was a struggle to convince them they could not sleep in the coach tonight.

Tomorrow is packing day! We plan to test the storage compartments. Ticket to any Seahawks game for anyone who reminds us to bring something we would have forgotten, hard to get/expensive to get on the road, and surely need on the trip (I am totally serious).