Get Set!

Today is the day!

It’s 5:00 AM and I wanted to write to you before the day gets away from me. I planned our first trial run–a five day trip to Pigeon Forge, TN. We are going to Dollywood, seeing a couple of shows, and admiring the Christmas lights. I made our campsite reservation at a KOA located on the trolley line. The reviews said that it was cramped, but convenient.

We spent a small fortune getting everything we “needed” to stock the RV. I really did try to use doubles of things I already had in the house–but the occasion just seemed to deserve new dish towels! I did reuse older bedding that we were no longer using.

The boys’ bunks were a VERY odd size. They were 25 inches wide and 6 feet long. This is extremely narrow.  I took unused queen sized sheets and wrapped them over themselves   (like a burrito) so that they would stay in place. They aren’t pretty, but I think it’s functional enough.

My mom gave me a nice first aid kit for the RV as an early birthday present (42nd tomorrow–eek!). I bought some cute signs to hang up to make the space more personal. Everyone has ONE towel in their own color and a command hook on the wall to hang it up on.

I don’t anticipate needing a lot of food for this trip, but we have some drinks, milk and cereal, eggs and biscuits. I plan to stop for s’more-making materials on the way. I think it would be a crime to have our first camping trip without s’mores!

I have plans for ways to organize clothing for future trips, but for this short excursion, we each have a drawer. We have the basic essential supplies: kitchen items, dish and hand soaps, cleaning supplies, toiletries, and emergency tool items. We have diapers and wipes. I packed two tablecloths (one holiday-themed). I also hid away advent calendars as a surprise for my kids–but they found them already! Oh, we have a bottle of wine and two stainless steel wine glasses. I’ll let you know what we forgot to include…

The forth slide still does not work. Parts will need to be ordered before our next trip (to Florida after Christmas). In the meantime, the plan is to get the RV parked and use the “manual mode” which involves climbing under the coach with a big wrench and ratcheting the thing about 50 times until it moves into place.

Oh, for all you moms and dads out there who may be curious about how we handle sleeping arrangements with littles. We have debated about what to do about a bed for our youngest son, Morgan. He is 20 months old and still in a crib at home. We have room for a pack-in-play if we choose to go that route. However. We have decided, as of last night, to go ahead an put him on the table-folded-into-a-bed with his three-year-old sister, Lillian. We are prepared for a bed-time battle tonight trying to keep him in the bed until he falls asleep. As this is our forth time undergoing the crib-to-bed transition, we feel prepared to undertake this task. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Another big decision that we have discussed is what route to take. Most of you reading this will be familiar with the Blue Ridge Parkway and the winding road through the Great Smokey Mountains up from Northeast Georgia into Pigeon Forge. I am going to be following the RV this time in our car so Kevin won’t be towing a vehicle–but that also means that we won’t be riding together. I anticipate that we won’t have cell service either to talk with one another while we drive this stretch. He has poured over blogs trying to figure out if you can take a 40-ft-long coach on Blue Ridge Parkway. The alternate road is a whole lot longer. As of last night, I think he has decided that it is possible. He’s a great driver. He also has a CDL and experience driving cattle trailers through Atlanta traffic. If it can be done, I have every confidence that he can make it happen. (Did I sound convincing enough?)

I am so excited to get started. I promise to take some pictures and good notes! I will update you on our successes and areas for improvement. Have I told you that neither of us have ever traveled in an RV? Yes, we may be a little crazy.