After everything—packing, driving, unloading—it felt good to just slow down for a minute and catch our breath.
But today, we’re back at it.
Back on the road, heading toward our next stop: North Carolina.
We’re making our way to the Eastern North Carolina Renaissance Festival, and it’s starting to feel like things are shifting from just “the move” into the part we’ve really been looking forward to.
Less boxes… more experience.
Less chaos (hopefully)… more memories.
We’ll see how that goes 😅
But for now, it’s miles ahead of us, a new place waiting, and the start of this next chapter.
Funny how loading up felt like a whole event—people around, helping hands everywhere, almost like an army getting everything packed in.
And then unloading?
Just us.
Taking it piece by piece, in between tending to the baby, stopping, starting, trying to figure out where everything goes while also just trying to keep up with it all.
It definitely wasn’t quick.
But it got done.
There’s something about seeing the truck empty that makes it all hit a little differently.
Like… okay. This part is over.
We made it here.
Now it’s just the next step—sorting through it all, finding places for everything, and slowly turning this into something that feels like home again.
There’s a certain kind of exhaustion that only comes from the road.
Not just “I need sleep,” but the kind where your whole body feels like it’s still moving even after you’ve stopped. The kind powered by gas station snacks, caffeine, and sheer determination… and maybe a little poor decision-making.
That was today.
Day 3 started with a sunrise cutting through a windshield that has definitely seen better days (at this point it’s less “glass” and more “abstract filter”). Somewhere between the miles, the quiet stretches of highway, and the hum of the truck, it finally started to sink in—we were really doing this.
And after everything—the packing, the stress, and yes… the incident with the truck key (RIP to my dignity in that gas station bathroom)—we pulled into Ohio safe.
Tired? Completely. Relieved? Absolutely. Proud? More than I can put into words. Slightly traumatized by public restrooms? Also yes.
This trip wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t polished. There were moments that felt chaotic, overwhelming, and honestly a little ridiculous.
But it was real.
And somewhere in all that mess, it became something I know we’ll look back on and laugh about… probably sooner than expected.
Tonight, we rest. (And by rest, I mean stare at boxes and question our life choices.)
Tomorrow, we start figuring out what this next chapter looks like.
And if nothing else— we survived the road, the chaos, and the Great Truck Key Incident of 2026.
And for once—no chaos, no mishaps, no accidental key situations 😅
Today was a good day.
The drive went smoothly, everything stayed where it was supposed to, and we made it to Iowa to stop at his cousin’s place for the night before heading out again in the morning.
It feels a little different today.
Less “what are we doing?” and more just… doing it.
Settling into the rhythm of being on the road, one stop at a time.
Little man is still doing amazing through all of this—handling it better than I probably am half the time.
Tomorrow we keep going.
Next stop: Ohio.
But for now, we’re resting, catching our breath, and appreciating a day that didn’t come with any surprises.
