Going Big AND Going Home...

We bought our minivan right before our 2nd son was born.  That's coming up on 12 years ago now.  Our oldest just turned 13, and he no longer fits comfortably inside our beloved Odyssey.  He fits, just not comfortably.  And when I say not comfortably, I'm referring mainly to OUR comfort.  So tired of the touching and the yelling and the discomfort that such close quarters bring.

That's a pretty packed car.  The quest for a new car began about two and a half years ago, but was put on hold when my husband began his new company.  His company is actually the reason behind the whole big journey.  Success has not come quickly, and so we needed to change things up a bit.  Downsize.  Prioritize.  Live our lives on our terms.  Challenge our notions of what is possible.  But I digress...

We looked for a couple of months at Sprinters (which is what we had been looking at so long ago), but really kicked up the search a week or two ago.  We knew we would want to be towing a trailer for our year or so of travel, but we needed to make sure we could get one that would fit all seven of us and still have a dry weight right around 3000 lbs.  Once we found that (it's custom, so we don't have it yet), it was time to get the Sprinter.

Used Sprinters are still EXPENSIVE!!!!  We looked and looked and looked, but the deal we liked best was a brand new Sprinter in Albuquerque.  We hit the road at 5am Tuesday, and picked the van up around 1pm that day.  By 6pm the Odyssey was sold to Carmax.

We put all our stuff in there, and still had enough space for my own yoga/stretching area in the back.

We'll pack that baby with so much more for the big trip, but this is what it looks like with seven people's things for a couple days out of town.  Complete with luggage, daypacks, coolers, and snacks.

Now we're back home.  The stress of getting everything ready to sell and store and move is weighing heavily upon me, but the excitement of a new vehicle and a new adventure is amazing.