Details, details

When you plan and budget and dream for years about a road trip, and spend the winter before it nailing down reservations and routes, this is what happens:

* your smugness about being ahead of the game lulls you into a planning stupor, in which the simplest of decisions - tubs? or individual bags? - creates havoc in your mind

* early discussions about everyone's clothing needs either create daily shopping requests for 4 months (girls) or insistence that everything is "all good" until the week of (boys)

* you realize that it is much more fun to choose rental houses than to check off GasX, Tums, and Pepto on a shopping list

* mild panic sets in about Captain's need to see out of the back of the vehicle

* things relegated to "we'll do that in May" have become "we have 3 days to get that done"

* the inevitable unexpected - mysterious rashes and Suburban heated seats with mind of their own - put a big dent in that "week" you thought you would have to pack and prepare

And all of it just makes us realize - we're really doing this!

(FYI - we updated the route map below! Take a look if you like.)