11/28 – 12/1

After weeks of traveling South down the coast, we finally arrived to my mother’s house on Thanksgiving day. It had been 13 months since I had last seen her or my family and it would be the first time they were seeing the bus. We parked in her driveway and were able to fit the whole bus on the pavement thanks to Jake’s parking skills. We got ready for Thanksgiving dinner which was hosted at my stepsister’s home for the first time.

At Michelle’s house, we had a great Thanksgiving dinner with my dad, brother, my stepmom and her family. It was great seeing my family after being away and building the bus with Jake in New Jersey for a year. Right before serving the food, my step-sister announced that she and her husband were expecting their first child.

The following day, Jake worked on some things in the bus and I stayed out of the way by taking my mom’s stepdaughters to the movies. I was probably more excited than the kids when I was told to take them to see Frozen 2. I absolutely loved the movie and the girls made fun of me for crying during some of the more emotional parts.

After the movie, we came home and rejoined my mom, her boyfriend, and his kids for dinner. We had a big meal at a sushi and hibachi buffet, sampling everything they have and definitely overeating. We relaxed for the rest of the night with my brother, Rey.

The following day, we got up early and drove to CB Smith Park for our long-awaited Bus-Warming Barbecue. We planned to have an outdoor family gathering at the park where anyone of our friends and family that were interested could come check out the bus and celebrate our first home. We had a campsite reserved for the night inside the park so that when the time came to end the party, we wouldn’t have to drive very far. For the party, we parked in an open field under some trees and set up the picnic tables around one side of the bus.

My dad and my brother showed up first with two truckloads of grilling equipment, coolers full of food and drinks, domino tables, chairs, and more. My dad was so excited to see us and I really felt it in the way he put this party together for us. They did an excellent job of setting up the grilling area and prepping the food and toppings ahead of time.

Then my mom showed up with her boyfriend and their camper. My sister, Viviana, came with her daughter and her boyfriend and I was very happy to see them. I had been sending postcards to my niece from the road for the last 6 months.

Eventually everyone came and toured the bus, had some food, and had a great time. We are grateful that some guests contributed some money to our travel fund. We were truly happy to share our home with our friends and family and include them in a part of our adventure on the road.

That night, we stayed at the park in an full hook up RV site. One of our friends stayed behind for a little while longer and hung out with us at our site. The next morning we got ready to head out of the park and make our way north towards Tennessee.