On the Road Again...California Here We Come!

The packing is done.  The van is loaded.  The tires are aired.  The oil has been changed.  The snacks are packed.  The water bottles are filled.  The camera is charged.  The toilets are flushed.  The dishes are drying.  The blinds have been drawn.  The route has been determined... and we are on the ROAD! FINALLY!!

The kids take a break from media during the weeks leading up to our trip so they can enjoy a few movies along the way.
Derrick and I enjoy the quiet ride as they do so... it's a win-win for the first few hours on the road.

Packing, this time, has been difficult.  I'm not exactly sure why... maybe it was because I was doing it 100% on my own while Derrick scrambled to get all his work done so we could be gone so long?  Or maybe it was the fact that the kids couldn't stop picking on each other or leave their hands off the baby for 5 minutes as I packed?  Or possibly it was because the 3-year-old insisted on playing with every item I had in piled in the living room, relocating it and leaving me to hunt it down again?  Or maybe it was because I procrastinated a little too long... again?  Oh well.  Whatever the reason, we are moving down the road, and I am happy to leave behind the tornado aftermath of packing and finally be heading west for our long adventure ahead.

The crazy mess of packing progress, before the van is loaded.

Where are we going?  Palm Springs, California and a few stops along the way there and back... and I am so excited!  The last time we were there (2 years ago) we had a lot of fun hanging with extended family, sharing laughs over good food, and spending time in the warm desert sun.  I couldn't be more excited to be going back, especially since Iowa just got a large helping of winter snow and the temps are dropping in the single digits.  Burr!  See ya later Iowa!

Since we are driving, and this will be the longest distance we've traveled in the car with all 4 boys, we thought we'd give ourselves enough time to get there and make a few stops along the way.

I have extended family in Phoenix, Arizona, and Derrick has some friends that live there too.  We thought it would be fun to make our way through the southwest and hang out in Phoenix for a few days before joining up with the rest of our family in Palm Springs on January 2 when our condo starts.

The GPS says it's only 21 hours and 49 minutes of driving to get to Phoenix.  Let the adventure begin!

Here is a glimpse of our trip, not including day trips along the way.  We plan to be gone a little over 16 days.