December 15th through 18th - At Home Base in Michigan

December 15th
Tony’s Notes
We woke up in our large full sized queen bed. I was very comfortable to be home. However, it really did feel a little weird being home after being on the road for 109 days.

Our final average nightly cost for lodging was $24 per night. Being at Tina’s for about a week and sleeping for free in their driveway helped bring the average down. Also, as we traveled through Texas and one the way home from Tina’s we slept in rest areas and truck stops.

Like Carolina writes below, it took all day on Tuesday, December 15th, to unload Harry and clean the inside. I was able to flush out the tanks and get the meters to show them as empty; that was an issue for us on the road because both the grey and black tanks would sometime show that they were one third or two thirds full, when I know they were empty. This usually happens when there is waste stuck on the sensors. Knowing I was getting ready to put Harry in storage for the winter months, I was quite happy to get the sensors clean and showing the tanks empty. I then winterized the plumbing system, and got everything shut down. I drove Harry to the storage facility and open up our contract for monthly storage. The only thing I was not able to accomplish was getting the motorhome washed on the outside, and covered. However, that was not necessary. Harry is now winterized, and in storage.

I got a call from the company I had had the phone interview with the week before and they wanted to bring me onsite in Raleigh, North Carolina. I had wished we would have known, because Tina’s house was only 50 miles from Raleigh. Anyway, I had to fly out in the early morning hours on Wednesday, December 16th. My cold was casuing a lot of coughing, sneezing, and nose blowing; so, I really hope to make a good impression at this interview despite my cold.

Carolina’s Notes
Tony and I spent the whole day unloading and cleaning Harry. Once that was completed Tony got Harry parked in storage. I stayed behind to wait for Comcast Cable to come and repair my TV connection. Comcast Cable came on time and fixed the problem. Tony was successful getting Harry settled in storage.

Tony had to get ready to hop an airplane to North Carolina for a job interview. We didn’t know that the one potential employer wanted to meet with him. Obviously if we would have known earlier of the interview then we would have stayed at Tina’s a little longer. Tony’s cold was getting even worse but he was determined to get to that interview. I did what I could to help him get ready and better. Needless to say Tony persevered.

As I reflect on my journey across my great country, I am grateful and amazed at all the wonderful sights, sounds and experiences I had. Despite the hiccups getting along with Tony during the sabbatical, I couldn’t imagine experiencing this journey with anyone better. I am grateful for my husband and the life we have built together. On the road, I have found my commitment to myself. My commitment is to build my Mary Kay business and my health (physical, mental, spiritual). I have also come to an understanding about my mom…she needs me. The simple fact is my mom is a mess and she needs me because sometimes we just need someone. For now I am home and content to be so because I am with Tony. It just so happens that all I need is Tony.

December 16th
Well, I flew to Raleigh and got picked up at the airport by a Limo. They drove me to the corporate office. I was about three hours early for the three scheduled interviews.

I took a bunch of Dayquil and hoped to impress.

I interviewed with three area Vice Presidents. I felt that I did very well and had high hopes that I would have a job offer before the end of the year.

Flying home was a bit of an adventure because I had to fly from Raleigh, North Carolina, to Atalanta, Georgia to Metro Detroit. It was after midnight when I landed and going on 2am before I was home crawling into bed with my wife. My ears were hurting from the air pressure that I think was compounded because of my cold.

December 17th
Well, we got out and went to see our friends at our local Panera Bread. We both enjoyed catching everyone up on our cross country journey. On the way home, we stopped and looked at used cars. We had both talked about getting a car for our daughter Heather.

We found a 2007 Chevy Impala that only had 8,200 miles. I negotiated a price of $13,000 with a new car warranty (3yr or 36k). We put $5,000 down and financed the rest. We had decided to give Heather our 2002 Chevy Cavalier. So, we ran around the afternoon getting insurance for our 'new' Impala and getting Heather No Fault Insurance for the Cavalier.

December 18th
On Friday, the 18th, we gift wrapped some Mary Kay items for Heather as a Birthday/Christmas gift. We hid the Car Keys and Insurance information at the bottom of the gift basket. We gave her the gift and waited for her to figure out the surprise. We enjoyed doing this because Heather had taken care of our House, Mail Forwarding, and Carolina's Mother while we were on the road. She needed a car.

We have taken a huge gambling risk buying a car while still having no income. However, in my gut, I know I will be earning a substantial income by the first or second week of 2010.

Carolina's New Impala is so new and shiny; I plan to take my 2003 Chevy Malibu to get thoroughly auto-detailed on the inside and out to help me feel that my Malibu is new and shiny, too. :-)