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And it is MARCH,
A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do to survive. So I retreat again to my Happy Place.
I am bursting with excitement about my Happy Place.
It involves this . . .
When we bought our big beastly van I knew it would be incredibly difficult to park and that there would be some convenient drive thru's and mall parking garages that I would have to forgo as I would not be able to squeeze under that hanging yellow bar limiting the maximum vehicle height. But I knew that sacrifice would be worth it in exchange for the best future road trips ever!
And so the maiden voyage for this cruise ship on wheels, dubbed, "The Great American Road Trip", has become my Happy Place for the snowy, freezing Polar Vortex of 2014.
Bridger is participating in an intensive physical therapy program for three weeks this summer in Utah and we are going to take our grand time getting there and back. This vacation becomes more and more expensive every snow day that we have. Every day that school is cancelled yields an afternoon of the kids eating popcorn and watching a movie and me snuggled up to my Bridger Boy Wonder stealing a moment to myself and researching the possibilities.
And, OH, what possibilities I am finding! They are not easy to find as excursions and adventures have to be accommodating to a traveling circus of seven, captivating to an audience of children ages 4-12, and fully wheelchair accessible and not subjecting Bridger to the intense sun or heat. Just a few simple criteria, right? Reservations are being made, deposits are being paid, technical drawings of strategic packing plans are being etched to scale - because as big as that thing looks, we still have to fit 7 people, a special needs travel bed, a wheelchair and/or pushchair, well over a month's supply of very large diapers (that take up the space of two bulk size paper towel bundles), g-tube feeding and medical supplies. Then there are the convenience (but really critical, actually) items to think about - a blanket for the ground so Bridger can lay and stretch his body at rest stops since he can't get his wiggles out the way the rest of my kids can, a plug-in cooler to keep his medication, formula, special foods and a stiff caffeine-free Diet Coke (for me;) refrigerated along the way, noise canceling ear phones for Bridger because he can't stand the steady sound of the car motor, ear plugs for the rest of us since we can't stand the steady sounds of Bridger, life sustaining electronics . . . the list goes on. I am hoping there will be space for at least an extra pair of underwear for everyone else by the time the critical stuff is all loaded. Luckily, number #62 on my list of my Fabulous-Qualities-That-My-Husband-Didn't-Know-He-Was-Getting-When-He-Married-Me is that I am a minimalist and super light packer. It will all fit, with room to spare. Just. You. Wait. And. See.
The big unveil of all our destinations will happen live. So stay tuned for June 28 - Embarkation Day! Let the countdown begin. 117 . . .