Make Lemonade

My parents' cross country journey in a borrowed Minnie Winnie did not quite pan out as planned. After many months of planning and preparing and stocking the Winnebago, they climbed aboard and pointed it westward on July 3rd with Aunt Kitty and Uncle Steve, only to break down in Buffalo, NY. The engine was shot; the mechanic estimated it was going to be quite expensive to fix. Despite the change of plans, they kept a positive attitude. They packed only the necessary items into a rented extended cab and continued on. They visited the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Lake Erie, and then Chicago to meet up with family friends.

While Kitty and Steve returned eastward (as planned), my folks weren't sure how to best get from Chicago to Seattle- plane? train? automobile? (great movie, by the way). A one-way flight was ungodly expensive, so they booked a couple of the last remaining seats on an Amtrak train. The rest of the journey would take about 2 days.

Originally, my parents were going to help out once the baby arrives and sleep in the parked Minnie Winnie in our driveway. With no RV, that meant no place to put them. Dave and I had an idea- the upstairs apartment is vacant, and our landlords have been slowly preparing it to rent. Why not rent it to my parents? Or better yet, have them do the repairs and painting in exchange for room and board? Genius, I know. The landlords were game.

We moved our futon upstairs, along with some essentials (coffee maker, chairs, a laptop, and towels). Okay, so it's a little too minimalist, but how convenient (not to mention incredibly lucky) to have an available apartment upstairs and parents who are ready and willing to do home and yard maintenance?

A few days ago, Kitty called my mom to tell her they'd returned to the Minnie Winnie and salvaged most of the stuff they'd left behind. How awesome!? My mom is notoriously lucky. Actually, we all are.

Now that I'm done with work for a while, I'm just gonna sit back, wait for Little Kitzman, and drink lemonade.