Day 1 - Departure

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West Coast or bust!

Many months have led up to today and now that it is upon us, it has been somewhat overwhelming. The day seemed to pass by so quickly, I don't know if I was able to take a few minutes to truly say "adios" (I am horrible with "good-bye's, maybe because the word makes it feel so final and absolute. Therefore, I prefer "adios" or "see you later". A play on words? Perhaps, but most definitely more manageable). Our move to the K-W area has been a fantastic experience for the whole family. We met so many amazing people and built many lasting friendships. Making our departure that much more difficult for all of us. Thankfully, email and skype will allow us to easily stay in touch. So, don't forget about us!!!!!

There is approximately 40 hours of driving between Kitchener, ON and Seattle, WA. We have one driver (me), a co-pilot (Oskar - our dog), and 2 kiddos. The Honda Fit, aka "the Clown Car", is packed to the roof and we finally managed to get on the road at 5pm which is 2.5hrs later than planned. Everything takes so much longer and making sure everything is taken care of was borderline chaos. But, it is all done and we are on our way. We crossed the border into the USA in Sarnia, ON with no issues, only a short wait and a lot of questions. And leave it to Molly to say "I think I need to fart again" as loud as she could while the BA was logging our passports. However, being prepared ahead of time makes things much easier and having documents in hand for the border agent made it a quick pass through. I was even told "I have all my ducks in a row". Good thing, because those ducks can be a pain.

Due to our late departure, we did not make it as far as I had hoped but as I have said from the beginning about this trip "one day at a time". I have no set timetable or planned stopping points, we are going it day-by-day to make sure this is an enjoyable adventure for all of us. So, we made it to just past Detroit (3.5hrs travel time) before calling in our travel agent (Johnny) to locate us a place to stay for the evening. Good thing we have him on speed dial. I am thinking this may be a Best Western tour across I-94 since they are EVERYWHERE and take dogs and have pools. And yes, our hotel this evening has a very nice pool, which we tested out quickly along with the hot tub. Now we are winding down for the evening and getting this blog set up. No pictures today, but will get to it tomorrow for sure. Downtown Chicago is on the agenda and maybe even some street hotdogs for lunch. Yum!

Thank you to everyone in K-W for making us feel like family. We miss you all already!!!

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