Day 1: 2/19/22 11:46pm
It was exciting for us to leave on the 19th because 19 is both mine and Zak’s lucky number (I was born on the 19th and Zak’s sports numbers were always 19). In addition, it has been exactly 9 months since we bought the van… We joked today that it was a little bit like our unconventional baby!
Just being in the van riding away from Milledgeville felt like a dream— not that we were in any rush to get away from Milledgeville in particular, but because this process has truly taken so long— we have put in so much time, and so much effort. I kept on asking Zak if I needed to pinch myself as we were riding today! It was crazy to know that all of our hard work, countless hours of YouTube, and literal blood, sweat, and tears have all come to fruition.
As equally as exciting as it was to leave and start our adventure, it was also bittersweet. Keith and Kathy were selling their house, and Keith took off just 30 minutes before we did so that he could make it down to Florida before dark. We are both so happy for them and their new home, and we know they are incredibly happy too, it’s just strange to feel a full family uproot. And, of course, one of the hardest things for both of us was saying goodbye to Nanny. Having spent about 7 months living with Nanny, it just felt funny that she wasn’t going to be in our day-to-day lives like usual. Zak and I both miss her dearly still, and can’t wait to see her down at Keith and Kathy’s. We also know that Auggie is missing her Nanny so much too… But, all doors that close also open new ones, and we know that Nanny’s, Keith’s, and Kathy’s love is always with us on our journey.
Before leaving out of Milledgeville completely, we had to stop by the UPS store to ship home my sewing machine. (Actually, my brother, Jack’s sewing machine— if you’re reading this: Hi, Jack!) I didn’t really want to send the sewing machine home, but this van is a tiny space for two grown people and a dog to live in, so that’s what we did… It cost almost $100 to send it home to NY (our first big purchase on the road???) but, way better than buying another one of those bad boys! We also stopped at Goodwill for some more donations and at Lowes for some returns. Unfortunately though, we did miss our ACE return (it closed at noon, and we left Nanny’s at about 12:30). We still have that unopened pipe hanger tape in our van if anyone wants to buy it off of us!
The first stop on our journey in Rutabaga was Savannah, GA to see Zak’s close friend Reed, and his sweet wife, Liz! Auggie unfortunately doesn’t love other dogs, so we decided to leave her at Reed and Liz’s while we took their dog, Creek, with us to a cool outdoor venue (Starland Yard, Savannah). There we ate pizza and cookies and drank sours and hard kombucha! By the way, these cookies were seriously out of this world… Check out Johnny Boy cookies if you are ever in the Savannah/ Statesboro area! Their molasses cookie was my favorite, but the apple butter snickerdoodle was a close second! Unfortunately, Reed was on call for work and was called in during our time out, but as we were on our way home, so was he, so we got to meet him back!
When we got home, we saw Auggie’s cute little face looking back at us through the window… Normally, this would be awesome and cute, but it was a little weird because we had left her in the laundry area with a baby gate. Well, not only had she head-butted the baby gate down while we were gone, but she also POOPED ON THE CARPET, which is something she NEVER DOES! Classic, you know, the first time your dog hangs out at a friend’s house and they poop on the carpet! Luckily, Liz was an absolute doll and had a special spray mixture with vinegar and lavender, and something else that cleaned it right up. Thanks, Liz!!
In the morning, we woke up and took the dogs on a nice long walk, and then we all took quick showers and were on our way: Reed and Liz off to church, and Zak and I, off to our next destination!
It truly feels so special that Zak and I are getting to live this life together. Of course it will come with its hardships, but what a grand adventure we are on… Along with our video and photo platforms, hopefully this will be a space that you can follow along and live this journey with us.
We’ll catch you out there!