Twenty days

Well, it has been 20 days since we broke down in the RV and took off on a different adventure than we had intended to take. The kids have been troopers and we have had an amazing time, but it is time to settle in, buckle down and harass some people until we are back in our home, one way or another. There have been some highs and lows through this last 20 days, but as always in this life, it has been one heck of a ride.

Some of the highs in my book:

• Getting to hang out with my cousin, and a few of my aunts, watching the Patriots win the Superbowl in a beautiful home with plenty of space for the kiddos to run (and 
• Zion National Park. Hands down my favorite of the five we traveled through in this 20 days, beautiful in every direction
• Geology talk at Grand Canyon National Park. The kids (even B) spent well over half an hour engaged and listening, though a little tired and a little cold, to the amazing park ranger as a part of their Junior Ranger program badges 
• Seeing the kids attitudes evolve as we've hiked, driven, and seen such a beautiful part of this country, they have laughed a lot, learned some, and really enjoyed being together even while in tighter quarters than we had planned
• Hearing them chant "no more rocks, no more canyons" over and over from about half an hour south of Hoover Dam until I threatened to throw them off of the dam when we got their if they didn't stop chanting
• Settling in to our condo, with a full kitchen complete with a dishwasher, and all needed pans, and so on to cook real meals AND be able to do laundry in our very own washer and dryer to be able to tackle Mount Laundry

Some of the lows:

• Obviously, breaking down, missing our home, our "stuff" and our comfort zone (harder for some of us than others)
• Upsetting my poor Uncle's zen household with our rambunctious crew on no notice
• Not knowing if we'll stay in this condo for two nights or two weeks. It is good, but I cannot book it for a week, because if the parts come in, perhaps we'll be out of here in a few days. Therefore, we could lose our "good thing" at any time because we just don't know how long we will be here
• Uncertainty and "what-ifs" have been my nemesis, and fear of the unknowns have been killer for me. I don't know how much of this rather expensive trip Ford will be paying for, and I wonder if staying here mightn't have been more prudent, however, I cannot imagine trying to keep the kids occupied on the cheap in Vegas for 20(+) days, which is why March 11th better truly be the worst possible case scenario
• Not being able to share this whole experience with Frank - I know he would have loved it (the good parts anyway)

I guess the good has by far outweighed the bad, but it is that uncertainty that taints everything we do - do we need to be here for a few more days, a few more weeks, another month? Seriously, there is not a single catalytic converter in the whole nation that can be begged, borrowed or stolen to get us back on the road? Didn't one coming off of the assembly line today? If not, why not? My frustration mounts as we enter the twenties of days...