The Big Roadtrip

Saturday, September 17, 2016
We made it!!!! We made it to our new home in Cleveland, Ohio!

30 hours 
3 days
7 States 
Non-stop Movies 
3 Playground Breaks 
2 Hotels 
5 Toll Roads (shoot me)
and everything in Between 

 A few days before we left, my Mom came to watch the kids while I did my last Wedding of the Summer before I left (besties weddings!). I had gotten a ton of stuff done before we left, but there was still a bunch left to do. And my Mom is the Queen of packing, cleaning, and moving. She had the house in perfect moving condition when I came back!! Love her!! I also had a designated corner for stuff to go into my van, and looking at it, I was all 'theres no way ALL of that can fit into my min van (plus a van topper). And lo and behold!!!! Mom fit EVERYTHING in there......WITH ROOM TO SPARE!! I was able to take some last minute things, and some food storage! I am honestly still in all. Needless to say though....we were squished haha. But not too bad where you feel suffocated ;)

My saint of a sister, Becca, was nice enough to come on this road trip with me. Bless her heart. 30 hours over 3 days is a long time lol. Oddly enough....it went by in a blink of an eye! Seriously! It did not seem like that long. Probably because we were busy talking and laughing the whole time. And the kids are Movie Junkies (dont judge lol) so they were happy to be sitting there eating snacks and watching their shows the whole time! They did need to stop every 4-5 hours or so. But so did we so it wasnt an inconvenience by any means.
There were a few hours of terrible rain though. Becca will tell you otherwise, but it was pouring! Like 'both hands on the wheel, cant afford to blink' kind of rain. I was freeeeeeeeeaking out. Not sure if ppl know this about me, but anything other than clear sunshine driving conditions, gives me extreme anxiety. My heart races, my breathing doubles, and my stress level is through the roof! Becca was laughing at me the whole time.....

Here is a quick rundown of the drive:
(Sept 5th, Mon) Woke up at 7am, got everyone ready, went for breakfast, left Lethbridge by 9:15am.
American Border ppl were soooo nice! Got us in and out in 30 min. Very nice service.
Drove through- Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, then finally Ohio!
We drove about 10 hours each day, plus food and park stops.
We stopped and stayed at the Super 8 both nights. Great prices and free breakfast!
We arrived at Cleveland around 7pm (Sept 8th, Wed)

I wish we took more photos, but this is what we have. My only focus was driving and getting there lol. As Im sure you can imagine. 6 weeks away from the Hubs is pretty hard. But we got through it and are so unbelievably happy to be united as a family again. And also Im pretty sure I gained 10 pounds from all the snacks....
PS. WHO THE CRAP INVENTED TOLL ROADS!?? Ya I hate them. Definitely didn't know you have to PAY to drive on a Highway. And we had to stop and pay 5 TIMES. Barf.

Moving on.

While driving through the different States, it was pretty cool to see all the different scenery and weather. The Monday we left, I SAW MY BREATH. Ya.....on Sept 5th. Canada man....
The weather was just getting more and more green and wayyyy warmer. And HUMID! Like, I literally felt like this was Hawaii when we got out. Not the scenery of course lol but the weather. I thought I was going to die those first fews days. And I probably sweated off those 10 pounds I just put on ;) I am now use to it and looooove it. But I hear humidity in winter is death. Guess we shall see!

Once we pulled up to our house, the butterflies in my stomach went crazy. There he was! I couldn't get out of the car fast enough. But the killer moment of that night was the kids' reactions. I wish I caught it on camera, but it was literally pitch black out and I was too focused on hugging and kissing to worry about a camera. The kids hugged sooooo tight. Kicking their little legs and smiling soooooo big. It brought a tear to my eye! Pure Love and Joy.

Its kind of Sad, but also Funny: Everytime Maikal walks through the door when he comes home from school, the kids go nuts. Like they think he will never come home ever again once he leaves. They are still so shocked they get to see him everyday! Its the best welcome home hugs and screams you will ever see. And Maikal gets them daily. Super cute!

Becca stayed with us for 5 more days. We filled the days with shopping for our place, finding our way through the city, drooling at all the beautiful old homes and buildings, going to the museum, and had date nights at the old theatre and Little Italy! I lost count, but we were asked if we were twins about a million times. It was so nice having her here and making this little journey with me. It made things smooth and I love her for that! Becca flew home that Tues, and I felt so alone. Maikal is at school 12 hours a day and I of course have zero friends right now and I don't know the city at all. But I know that stuff will come with time.

I am liking Cleveland so far and Im sure I will grow to Love it. We are excited to explore and learn new things! Can't wait to share photo's and life experiences over the next 4 years of Dental School.



Completely zoned into their movies! 


Day 3 and tirrrrrrred


Reunited!!!
...and yes we liked to wear stripes....its a problem I know, ok!

2 comments:

  1. Love this so much! I'll totally be your friend here :) And don't even get me started on toll roads. They suck so much! And honestly, I didn't even noticed the humidity last winter at all... it was pretty similar to Canada. I heard lots about it before we came out here, too. But last winter was pretty mild so maybe it'll be different this year? In my opinion, cold is cold no matter where you are, Canada or Ohio, humid or dry. It's not like we sit outside in the cold.... Rant over lol Loved this post!

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  2. Thank-you for sharing your adventures . . .I am so happy that you are reunited and a "whole" family once again.

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