5:15AM
After barely six hours of sleep, it’s time to wake up. No nausea yet. Our goal is to be on the road by 6:30 but there is still a lot to do: make breakfast, load the mattress and other items, finish cleaning the kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms, make sure everything is out of the house and garage.
5:30AM
While my husband and sister are loading the mattress etc. into the truck I am making breakfast. I gag as I smell the eggs cooking, but can’t deny their excellent source of protein and omega 3’s etc. that will give us a good start for our very long trip. I grab a quick bowl of cereal to settle my stomach and start preparation for making aero-press espresso for my latte and my husband’s americano.
5:45AM
Now comes the questions about all the things still not in the truck and the possibility that everything will not fit. To think about this quandary, my husband and sister eat a breakfast of eggs and toast, while I finish washing the dishes, press espressos, and slowly eat my scrabbled eggs sans toast to prevent regurgitation.
6:00AM
I go through all the rooms to make sure everything is out and gather the lingering items into a laundry basket. Whereupon I realize that the air mattress needs to be deflated. I can’t figure out how to release the air, apparently uncorking it isn’t enough; a case of pregnancy brain perhaps. My husband tells me that it has two seals and he quickly pops the second seal and the mattress finally starts to deflate.
6:15AM
I start to line up all the items that need to go in the car with me and what needs to go in the cab of the truck with my husband. I have two half full gallons of water and a basket full of different snacks for him. There is considerably more going into the car including dry food items, overnight luggage (for easier access), the leftover dishes in the drainer, a cooler and cooler bag with cold items and a lunch box with yogurt, extra pillows, etc. It’s a lot more than I thought!
(To be continued …)