Pre-trip (t-minus 3 weeks): Insanity

In the weeks preceding Bilbo’s final day of medical school he began to dream of what he would do with his free time…

Rock climbing!
Reading!
Cycling!
Sleeping in!

Sweet, loving Bilbo was even feeling a few pangs of guilt over all of the fun he would be having while Minnie still had to work.  Little did he know that, while visions of sugar plums danced in his head, an alternate reality lurked in the shadows.  No creepy uncles or giant rats will make an appearance in this tale, but something even more frightening, daunting, and life threatening…

THE HOME SALER’S DO-TO LIST!

 In the past week we have interviewed multiple realtors, in search of a new model.  Our house has been off of the market for almost two weeks, but do not fear…We have found the droid, or realtor, we were looking for!  Bilbo finished taking updated pictures of the property today and our Knight in Shining Armor will have our house back on the market in the morning.  This Knight in Shining Armor (we’ll call him KSA for short) also gave us a list of things to do.  Prior to this new list Bilbo had already, in the course of one week, painted the basement, patched up chipped paint inside of the house, packed up our unused belongings, finished a large majority of the items on a 2-year long honey-do list, done the hokey pokey and turned himself around.  On top of this we have been liquidating our assets (aka:  items with free signs on the curb.  We take bets on how long they will last, which provides quite a bit of fun), preparing for a yard sale, and planning details of our trip.  With the time we have left—right—we will attack this new list.  LET THE CHAOS BEGIN! 

To help us in our endeavors, I found a cute little friend in the hospital gift shop.

Meet St. Joseph!

Apparently, you bury this little guy in your yard and he will petition to God to sale your house.  I am not Catholic, so I did not pay the $8 to take him home.  I don’t know that many people would, either.  Besides,  I am a place all of your trust in God kind of girl.

That’s enough about the old home for now, so let’s shift our attention to the new home.  Here’s our RV!

And from the front…

She is a 1995 Coachmen Catalina, bought at a steal.  We have a living room, dining area, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom.  All trimmed in that unforgettable 1990’s teal color.  That’s right!  This baby came with all of the amenities:  busted tires, fried battery, questionable generator, and a few things we haven’t even discovered yet. 

My cousin’s wonderful fiancé, Jason, has been trying terribly hard to get new tires on Miss Kitty here.  The obstacle has not been finding the right tires for the right price.  No!  That was the easy part.  The thoughtful Jason got roped into this mess by having the right connection to the right place with the right deal—a deal that would save us $800!  Go Jason!  The problem has been getting Miss Kitty (“Cat”alia, yes I know a lot of feline references here) off of my grandfather’s lot and onward to her destiny.  The first two attempts were not that eventful or noteworthy—scheduling conflicts really. The last attempt, though…the last attempt deserves a narrative. 

The day before this last attempt was the fateful discovery of the completely fried battery.  A new battery was promptly purchased; however, the weekend’s festivities (celebrating my brother’s birthday) did not allot the time to change it out before we had to return home.  I know that sounds like a cop-out, but you don’t understand my family.  We are a large family, all living in the same town, with the majority on the same street (except Bilbo and me, of course).  The roll call includes my parents, my brother, both sets of grandparents, my aunt and uncle, my great aunts and uncles, all of my cousins, their spouses, and their kids.  A visit to see my family involves constant activity! 

Determined and persevering Bilbo did not let the circumstances come between him and new set of tires, though.  He got up early, dropped me off at work, then drove the hour back to my home town to get Miss Kitty purring for her trip to the salon.  After he successfully had her running, Bilbo hit the road.  Enter Jason.  Just as planned, he picked up Miss Kitty and started out on the 40 minute drive to the RV shop.  He abruptly ended his trip when two of the tires began to split before he reached city limits.  Now, we are waiting for the tires to be shipped to another store closer to my grandparents’ house.

This has been the insanity in the Bauer world this week.  I hope you were able to laugh at our expense and find joy in our tribulations.  The good news is…

ONLY 3 MORE WEEKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!