Awesomeness!

So we are all at the airport, and I am reading a Mad comic.  We are having so much fun drinking down juice and donuts.  It's kind of cool that we leave at 8 for a 5 1/2 hour flight, and land at 10:30.  Great deal with the time difference.  Three hours - it will feel like i am staying up all night!
I will write more later!  Wish us luck.
Nick

Are You Ready? Are You Excited?

I have been asked by many colleagues and family members if I am ready for this trip?  Am I excited?  Heck, yes!  To both.  The Szabo and Tewksbury families have been planning this expedition for over two years, and as it came together stage by stage, our anticipation grew.  But it was still "out there,"  in the future - not really very real.  NOW it is real!  Today is my final day at work - if you can call what I am able to accomplish work.  I am getting through the tasks at hand, with grace and finesse and some humor.  My heart though, is packed between bathing suits, travel maps and hiking shoes!

I feel completely prepared, and disastrously under-prepared as we finalize and load up the car for the drive to New Hampshire tomorrow morning.  I have not over-packed (at least not in the normal sense), as we each have enough clothes for a week between laundromats. My biggest concern was making certain we had enough clean underwear and dry socks for hiking!  It has been a bit of a challenge to plan enough in advance for all possible weather conditions.  It is supposed to be 104 in Las Vegas on Thursday when we arrive, then down to the 40's at night at the Grand Canyon.  Yellowstone is still wet and cool, so what to pack?  We have it all, minus winter hats and gear.  Worst case scenario?  We find a motel and hole up there overnight!

We are all very excited, and I expect my next post will be from the airport! Yes, to all my friends - I am so excited that I can hardly sit still and wait any longer!  Not that I'm counting, but in 41 hours I will be taking off to the wild west.  Bon Voyage!

Toes, Feet, Hands and Eyes

It sounds like a children's song from Kindergarten, but it isn't.  It is the sad state three of the four adults find themselves in before we leave next week.  One of us is in a cast due to a broken foot (healing quickly though), one is in sandals due to an infected ingrown nail, and the third has an eye infection and a sore hand.  So we have the blind, leading the limping, leading the hobbler!  Poor last man standing, he's going to have his hands full cooking, setting up tents, watching kids while the rest of us relax and allow the sunsets to heal our aches.  I suppose this is a good indication that none of us is aging as gracefully as we had hoped!

Bryce Canyon Trail Ride - dotted line

No Worries

This weekend was spent with wonderful friends from college and our respective families, catching up, telling tall tales and waxing prophetic about all things great and small. One of the longer topics of discussion was our trip. There was much laughter around the variety of personalities in our group of 8. Jean and I, as two moms and career women, are probably the highest tension factor. Jean admits to being a bit "high maintenance" (wink wink), and I have just a little bit of Sybil in me. How will we manage extreme neediness and extreme emotions while in a large van, mid-size tents, or adjoining hotel rooms? Patience, strong and stable husbands, and Valium. Okay, the Valium is a joke.
We are all (and by all, I mean the adults) prepared for high emotions, and are all praying that the rain gods keep the cloudbusters at bay. There will be enough tension and excitement without adding rain and soggy, damp everything into the mix. We have already decided that at those times when emotions or fatigue are running high, we will divide and conquer. At those times, the two families will split up for a few hours or a day - and regain composure. We have even gone so far as to agree to rent a second vehicle if needed so one of the two families can go off for some alone time. We are all fully aware that this adventure is going to be one of a lifetime, and our kids are never going to forget it. BUT - we want it to be remembered for the right reasons, and not because we went postal on one another.
There is a lot to be learned in planning a trip like this one. Not just flights, van rentals, campsites and meals; planning on emotions, personalities, affinities and dislikes are large factors too.
I am certain that those of you reading our blog will follow closely our emotional roller coaster, as well as the exciting travels and sites we visit. No worries, though. We already know that while 8 are going out - 8 are coming home too!

Excitement Builds

Even Nick is starting to get excited about our trip! He is the final one to buy into this grand adventure. To him it was to be an exercise in parental torture, added with sibling annoyance and a "too much walking can't be good for you" attitude. With the assistance of just about every adult we know, Nick has turned the corner and is beginning to look forward to seeing National Parks and San Francisco.
I am completely packed and ready for takeoff. Dave, not so much. He told me today what he still needs to pack - so I will get those things this week. Luckily, he is a guy, and he is able to hand over the reins (read: wallet) when it comes to filling a suitcase with appropriate attire for temperatures ranging from 110 to 35 F. Hope he likes pink plaid bermuda shorts and orange striped polo's!!
Folks at work are helping me out by lending books on parks and areas to visit - and really what they are doing is helping me to think more about my trip than I should be during the work day!! It is becoming increasingly difficult to focus on the important things, so I have taken to wearing a rubber band on my wrist to snap whenever I see I am off task. I have quite a bruise to show for it too!
When all is said and done, I am very thankful to have a career that I love at an organization that supports this wonderful trip of a lifetime. While I look forward to leaving and traveling, it is never painful or upsetting to come back to work.

Fish- Check, Dog - Check, Hamster - Check

Well one of the tougher things to do while I prepare my family for this long awaited traverse around our country is finding the folks who can care for our menagerie of pets. I have each pet going to a loving home for the duration. And I learned in the meantime, that my step-mom loves hamsters! Who knew? And, my dad - not so much. It will be interesting to see how the little creature does with two big golden retrievers running around. They will also be watching Skipper, the beta fish. He's easy. Keep water in a bowl, throw in some fish flakes - good to go. Just hoping not to hear about any toilet side funerals!
Fortunately, a good friend, and fabulous babysitter is coming twice everyday to feed Partner and let him in and out. He's our biggest concern because he is a pretty social animal and needs to see people everyday. With T. coming at least twice everyday and my dad once/twice a week - he'll be fine!
I think that about covers the pet situation. Now, onto the next thing. Getting the AAA TripTik's.