Day 2: Friday, July 30th, 2021

Yesterday ended ok. We ate pizza in the hotel room, watching the Olympics together. Aarron took the kids to swim in the hotel pool while I gave Adelynn a bath. We had to run home to care for the animals, and then we went by Kroger to stock up on quick and easy snacks and lunch food. (The self checkout attendant was incredibly kind and servant hearted. What a blessing on such a long day) We were pretty wiped out when we returned to the hotel, physically and emotionally. Once the kids fell asleep, we sat up for a couple hours researching how to remediate our belongings - what to keep, what to toss and how to decide all of that. As you can imagine, that was heavy stuff to be working through at the end of such an emotionally charged day. I think we finally fell asleep at 2am.

Thankfully, the hotel bed was amazingly comfortable. Aarron wanted to find out what pillows they had and order some. (Have I ever shared that he has a pillow fetish?) The boys woke up bright and early, with surprisingly positive attitudes. Aarron took them downstairs to enjoy the delights of the breakfast bar and then they kindly went and took care of chores at the farm. Adelynn woke up as they were leaving, but it took a while to get Ansley awake. We shuffled downstairs for breakfast, enjoying Wild Kratts on the lobby TV while they ate at a high table. It was a surprisingly good breakfast offering. Probably one of the better hotel breakfast bars I have had. They had the typical stuff, but it was all a little nicer than my other recent mid-range hotel experiences. The cinnamon bun was especially good, and I appreciated that they offered several different kinds of yogurts.

We decided that we would go look at RVs in person this morning. Last night we had contacted a family member of a friend who owns several large RV dealerships in Alabama. We wanted someone we could trust through this process, and he was the first one we thought of. We expected that we would spend the weekend traveling to find an RV, so really all we were focused on yesterday morning was hanging around until Emma (our eldest daughter) got back from camp midafternoon. We thought it would be helpful to see some RV models in person just for familiarity and research, and there was one in S. Indiana that was convenient to meet up with her ride home.

What a blessing that choice has been.

We visited Cunningham RV, expecting to have to do battle. We expected to be pushed around and emotionally played due to the urgency of our situation. Instead, we were actually SERVED. Earnest, the man who helped us, was kind, compassionate, and focused on seeing if any of their somewhat limited selection was a truly good fit for us. He showed us some new travel trailers and some used ones, and some used fifth wheels. While we were looking at one fifth wheel, he went back to the office to check something and came back really excited. One of their fifth wheels had been shown as sold on their sales board, but the deal had not gone through. In the end, it was the one we chose. We had been scouring online blogs and RV sales websites for about a week, looking at all different options and configurations in case we did in fact have to leave the house after the mold test. This model was the perfect intersection between our budget and preferences. We absolutely wanted a bunkhouse feature (a dedicated room with bunks), since we felt it was important that the kids have a tiny sliver of space that was not also used for general living space. We wanted a workable living area that would function for family meals and togetherness, but also where I could imagine doing school. We debated a lot between two similar models. This one had the larger living space, a better bunkroom, and a lower price tag. The other one had an outdoor kitchen feature, a better master bedroom/bath, but a smaller living area and larger price tag.

Earnest could have so easily pushed us toward the more expensive model. After all, it did have all the features we were looking for, plus that nice outdoor kitchen slide. We literally walked back and forth between the two AT LEAST half a dozen times, analyzing and comparing different aspects. But he had really listened to what we needed for this situation, and let us make the choice for us. No pressure, just service. Our experience there from start to finish was wonderful.

We are so thankful for Earnest's kindness to us in this process!

We had left the two little girls with a friend from church so that we could look with less distractions. The boys went with us and enjoyed the process quite a bit. Just as we had decided, I realized Emma was just a few minutes away from us, so we paused everything and met up with her ride, who had graciously gone up to get them (3 hours each way)! We took Emma back with us so that she could be a part of the final decision. We showed her a couple of the ones we had looked at, even a couple that we knew we weren’t going to buy but thought she would enjoy seeing as the boys had. Then we took her to the two that we were debating between. In the end, we all kept coming back to the Heritage Glen fifth wheel that he had been excited was still available for us as an option (more on the camper later).

The whole process had lasted about 5 hours. We were pretty spent, and Emma’s adrenaline from camp was quickly fading into complete emotional and physical exhaustion. When she had been preparing for camp last Saturday, I had quietly discussed the possibility that the mold inspection could be serious, and could mean we would have to get out of the house before she got home. Unfortunately, that turned out to be true. I had a mutual friend, who was there with her at camp, let her know the news the night before she came home. Still, there really aren’t any good ways to prepare your 13 year old that the home she had left just a few days previous was now no longer home. And probably won’t ever be our home again. More on that later...I’m too tired to write out that aspect right now.

We picked up the little girls, and the stress of the previous 24 hours was really starting to show in everyone. Emma was desperate to the point of tears for a bed to crash in. We decided to take a local friend's offer to stay in their home for a few days until the trailer could be readied. They have been gracious hosts to us once again. I am so grateful.

Not for the first time, our friends welcomed us to their home and ministered to our weary hearts with their kind hospitality.