Day 8 -- A typical day on the road

We thought we should spend at least a bit of time scrap-booking what it has been like in a typical driving day. We are keeping this blog mostly as a scrapbook of this adventure for our family. There are now companies where you can get all of the text and pictures of the blog put on disk in order to keep it as a keepsake. This is what we plan to do for the sake of memory-making for our kids as they look back on this time. So, even though we're happy to share these memories with you as well, there is a bigger purpose for the time we've spent in journaling our journey through this blog.

Our mornings begin much the same as at home -- I am always the first one awake. I spend that early morning time in Bible reading and prayer after first turning the hot water heater on (which needs about 30 minutes to heat enough water for my shower) as well as the heater to warm up the RV. In order for us to leave, there is much to be done including putting beds back together to form couches and tables, rolling up memory foam and stowing it behind the queen bed in the back of the RV, eating and doing dishes, taking turns in the tiny bathroom, cleaning up (which - yes- includes daily vacuuming and wiping down the bathroom -- I am still ME even while on vacation after all! :-), stowing books and computers and cords and dirty clothes. Finally, we have to put the sideouts back in, lift up the jacks and unhook from the water, power, and sewer if we have had these amenities. This all takes nearly an hour if we are diligent, but longer if we aren't.

We have been remiss to not introduce our mascot who has now been all over the country with us. He is "Bumpy the Toad" -- and he is the vanguard for all of our journeys. We bought him on a trip to southern California when we were privileged to visit the famed San Diego zoo. Beside Bumpy sits a pinecone we picked up at the Sequoia National Forest and comes from one of the giant Sequoias.

On the road, the kids usually work to get their schoolwork done first -- which takes about 2 hours. This can be a bit challenging based on how winding and rough the road is.

The kids typically spread out. Isaac has actually done quite well with his typical motion sickness. Isabelle, on the contrary, struggles daily and generally doesn't feel very well while we are driving.

My view from the passenger seat is wide and expansive thanks to these big windows. The only problem is that adjacent cars and trucks look VERY close (as if I could open the window and shake hands with the truckers)! Yes, we can use the bathroom while the RV is moving .... but it makes for a very interesting elimination experience! :-)

We are now in Amish land in Ohio and have so enjoyed the beautiful scenery and green deciduous forests. We're far from home and the snow that just fell. I'm so thankful that I don't have any tomatoes in the ground right now!