Let me tell you about... Pecoraro road trips

Our family just got back late last night from our Thanksgiving trip to Spring, Texas. I know a lot of people travel more than we do with their families and I'm sure everyone has little quirks that make their trips interesting, but I'd like to take you on an adventure with our family. It's not that I think anyone would actually ever want to come along or that you have ever sat around wondering what it is like, but still...Let me tell you about...Pecoraro road trips. The first part of the adventure begins before day 1. Before we ever set foot in the van, we have to pack. Before we are able to pack, we have to wash clothes. Before we are able to wash clothes, we need to remove all of the dirty clothes from the middle of the floors of our rooms. (I say, "We," because I am the queen of the pile of laundry on the floor of my room.) And so what usually begins with, "It's a short trip, so it shouldn't be too hard to get ready for it" becomes "Here's another load of laundry to fold and I am not going to wash another thing... Oh, you forgot to wash your favorite jeans? Well, put them in and we'll try to get them done." Ten loads later, we finally get the suitcases out. Do we pack together in several big suitcases or do we each take our own small one? We look at the pros and cons of each and decide to each take our own, except for Destiny. She shares with me. We finally start packing. We can't decide what the weather will actually be like, so we pack for hot and cold weather. Now, after our suitcases are packed with double the amount of clothes that we need, we must all pack another bag for our carry-on stuff (you know, everything that didn't fit in the suitcase because we opted for the small ones). Next, it all has to go in the van. In comes Hunter to save the day. He starts packing the van. Everyone brings out their bags and then comes the important stuff...eight pillows (so we are all comfortable in the car), eight or more blankets (so the car can be freezing to keep the driver awake and comfortable) a biblical amount of stuffed animals (two of every kind, so they won't be lonely, of course),  And then, 3 huge box fans (because my husband taught our whole family to sleep with fans blaring in their ears all night). Several bags of junk food snacks (so we don't spend too much money at Buccee's) and then, finally, the eight of us (it used to be 9, but Emily got married).   We are now finally all in the van...What's that? You forgot to go to the bathroom? Stop the van. Give them the keys to the house. You need to go, too? Oh, my, we will have to finish the trip in a later post. I'm exhausted!