When we visited Abby at college for her birthday on Monday, we took her car to have it worked on. Conveniently, she had to come home to pick it up once it was finished, which meant we all got more "Abby" time.
In a large family, communication doesn't always reach everyone. It happens almost daily, lol. We try, but sometimes, a person is missed and has no idea what's happening.
Abby called early this morning to say she had finished her weekly exams and would head home within 20 minutes. I had her on speaker phone, and all four "littles" heard the news. The house erupted into cheers when they heard their beloved sister was coming for a visit.
Three hours later, she walked in the front door, and again, the house erupted into cheers, bear hugs, and ear-to-ear smiles.
Two family members were missing. We didn't realize this among all the commotion. Again, this happens often in a large family. Eventually, the excitement began to settle down, and we all meandered into the living room to continue catching up.
Hosanna, our little unicorn, wandered off to tell the two missing family members, "Come to the living room!"
They obliged, casually walking out, expecting to be asked to complete a chore. We met face to face as they turned the corner into the living room.
"What did you want us for?" they asked curiously.
Before I could answer them, they heard the sound of their beloved sister's voice and turned to see how that was possible. Both girls stood in silence, jaws slack, trying to make sense of what they were seeing. It took a few seconds, and then the leaky eye syndrome kicked in, and they ran to tackle her.
I took for granted just how close our family is—until now. For so many years, I was tempted to believe the lies people told me and stop having more children.
"More than two kids and you won't be able to show them the love they need."
"Someone will always be left out and end up in counseling."
Hmm. They were wrong. What we get to experience every day is incredible. We hadn't seen Abby in four days...four days! And, yet, when she walked in the door, the joy was tangible. She got nine bear hugs and made two people cry with happiness. In return, she cuddled the littles and asked them all about those four days, which they, in turn, gushed over their latest LEGO creations and drawings. In the evening, the older girls sat in their room into the wee hours talking about who knows what, but the laughter could be heard on the other side of the house.
No one was left out, and everyone felt loved and appreciated.
After dinner, Abby cuddled on the couch with the littles and watched a movie while the rest of us drove to an RV consignment store to show the girls the different types of RVs. They were having a hard time visualizing the rig from just photos. We did not intend to buy; we only gave ourselves an hour and were "just looking."
Whoops.
We liked the second rig we saw, a Keystone Raptor toy hauler. It checked all the boxes.
✅ Washer/Dryer
✅ King Bed
✅ Two bathrooms
✅ 43' in length, our minimum was 35'
✅ Multiple slide-outs
✅ Sleeps 8+
✅ Full-size refrigerator
✅ All-weather with heated and enclosed underbelly
✅ Not made during the COVID years
It even has a patio, which was not on our list of must-haves.
We have yet to purchase it. The place was closing, and they needed to contact the seller, but they will call in the morning, and we will begin negotiations.
Lord willing, this will be our new home, and if not, we all have a better idea of what we need for this extra-long road trip.
The one we found is from 2017, but this video gives you an excellent idea of what we fell in love with. We can't wait until tomorrow to see if it really is our new home, but we found it, and the whole family is so excited!
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