May 2014 Preparing to leave for the season!

May 2-May 25th. We are preparing to leave our home in Viera for the summer/early fall season!!!! Originally our plans were to leave Florida on May 2, 2014 getting us to Illinois in time for (granddaughter) Brittney's graduation leaving us with the rest of May to enjoy time with family & friends before heading to Colorado. The last thing we wanted or needed...was problems, but our problems just kept multiplying!?! Our main & most expensive problem was our car....our poor little HHR just got tired of us hauling her all around. She wanted to retire too! Sadly,because she was a good car for us,we had to trade her in for a younger model!

Our new car, a Honda CR-V

Just because we equipped our HHR with a towing package, don't think you can put the old one on the new car, nooooo every tow able car requires it's own towing package. Leave it to Lennie to find a web site where they sell new & used towing units, & leave it to some scammer to lie in wait for some unsuspecting person wanting to buy a towing unit, that doesn't exist, that was us...we lost more time waiting for a unit that was never going to come, as the graduation is getting closer, we realize we are not going to be able to attend....

Lucky for us, (I guess!?!) Lennie's mom wanted to go to Brittney's graduation therefore we took her & HER CAR & made the fastest trip ever to Illinois. While we were in Illinois, we left our RV, & our Honda with our RV mechanic friend, Gary, & the 2nd towing unit was being shipped straight to Gary's shop. May 5th we left Viera, & like I said that was our fastest trip to Illinois, straight up & straight back.

Before the actual graduation event, we managed a few quick visits with the grandkids.We were able to see Reese & attend his choir  concert on May 9th(these pictures are on my home computer). We had pizza & ice cream with

 Trinity,Courtney, & Dylan the afternoon of May 10th(pizza pictures at home to be posted later!)then the early evening of May 10th Brittney's graduation from NIU in Dekalb,Illinois!

We only had the one weekend in town, so visiting was slim. It worked out Chris was off work on the only Friday we were in town & it was Lee's birthday so he took the day off & we all got together for dinner &......I forgot my camera at the hotel! :-(    On Mothers Day.....Kevin took me to play golf!!!! First time I ever held golf clubs in my life! Was I good???? No waaaaay, was I lousy???? Well I didn't think so, did you Kevin!?! That day was definitely a Kodak moment but once again I forgot the camera at the hotel. Maybe on purpose this time!?! We made another quick dinner visit to the Osenga cousins in Kankakee, & then all too soon it was time to hurry up & get back to Florida, Lennie & I still had a lot to do to get ready to leave for the season! 

Back in Florida, our car was ready! Yay....something is starting to go our way! Next the BRA we ordered for the car arrived! Lennie put that on the car. This is to help prevent road rash!

first you have to let the bra warm up in the sun so it will stretch!

Almost done!

A week before we leave we start laying all our clothes on the dining room table

 And all the food we plan to take is spread out on the kitchen counter!

We still have to empty out the refrigerator!?!

On May 22nd I took Otis to his Vet's to get his toe nails cut. since he rides the entire trip on my lap....this appointment was more for my comfort than for Otis!

Come on OTIS, let's go!

This will only take a minute!

They took him back without me.They said he was a "GOOD BOY", but I could hear him whining!!!

May 23rd, Mom Williams' birthday! We can't leave without having birthday cake!

& everyone needs a present!!!

May 25th....we bring the RV home. We're allowed to have it on our property overnight. So now we pack the bus! This was an all day process!!! Otis knew we were leaving when I carried his dog bed out to the bus! Finally we're ready to go!

This year we added an addition to our traveling!

We're taking our bikes along! This should be fun...or not!