May Day

Today is May 1.

May Day.

The start of the last month of this huge transition.

I’d be lying if I said it’s all downhill from here.  The hard part is just beginning. Over the next 30 days, we will sign away this big, beautiful house, take a trip to Schlitterbahn, and go on a long road trip to see some of the country before we get our fresh start.

As for the house, I’m ready for someone else to love it has much as I have and create a lifetime of memories here. I’m a rather unsentimental person, knowing that everything is temporary. This house was never meant to be mine forever. I knew it when I built it. But for my kids, this is the only house they’ve ever known, so there are a lot of changes (small and large) they will have to navigate and that scares me a little bit. People always tell me, “Kids are adaptable,” and I know that to be true, but when it comes to my choices that affect my kids, it becomes a personal responsibility to make sure that life stays as normal as possible and handle my own challenges with grace. I’ve already come to terms with living in something half the size, but I struggle with getting my kids used to a new normal.

Clearly, normal is relative. Exhibit A: this photo of The Bug.

Schlitterbahn is, without a doubt, the one thing I am looking forward to! Every year for six years (except once, and I don’t remember why), we have started our summer vacation with a 3-day trip to New Braunfels, which is the ONLY Schlitterbahn that exists, in my opinion. This year is extra special since my brother and niece will be flying in from California to soak up the sun with us.

We learned that staying inside the waterpark in their lodging is the only way to do this trip.  You don’t have to fight for parking or stand in long admission lines when they open, plus you get access to the East side of the park one hour before the general public, and the arcade on the West side stays open till midnight with half-price drinks at the swim-up bar. On day two, which is our first full day, we “glamp” a little bit by renting a cabana with a chairs, a ceiling fan, and a BBQ pit. (Hey, we aren’t savages…)

Then, on Day Three, off we go. Some reservations have been made at key stops, but planning a trip through 7 states in 12 days is an overwhelming task. The highlights are the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Park, but each of those stops has so much to take in, I tend to get “analysis paralysis,” so I honestly haven’t done much of the detail work.  It’s all an outline. If anyone has suggestions on what to see or what to avoid, please leave me a comment below.