congratulations!! it's a girl!!

sporting a grin from ear to ear like all proud new parents do .. we FINALLY got to bring our babygirl home this week!!

CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES .. C'MON!

our third trip out to Muskegon was a charm! we wrassled Zack and lisa out of bed early saturday morning, both Joe and i already a pot of coffee into a caffeine buzz, and followed the now familiar path to GMC goodness.  once there the boys went right to work on her airbag replacement, armed with a bit of insight, a plethera of tools and an endless supply of determination.  once she was securely boosted (so Zack could actually fit underneath her massive belly) the job went far more smoothly than any of us expected.  (securely being the operative word there .. weighing in at 12 tons is NOT something to take lightly when it comes to climbing underneath her!!)  there wasn't a whole lot either of us girls could do to help beyond taking the roles of cheerleaders (a very important role, of course!) and staying out of the way.  at completion, we rang Micah (her current owner) and let him know we were lunch-break bound .. and that we'd swing by to grab her charging batteries afterwards so we could start her up and have a look at her air system.  the taste of success was lingering on all our tongues, especially after the disappointment of last weekend having to go home empty-handed.  great work gentleman!

needless to say, there were 4 new cases of whiplash to report the moment she was spotted sauntering down the road through Uncle Ronnie's windows!  i -may- have tried to push Joe right out of the booth .. possibly.  i'm not sure if i thought i was going to go chase her down the road or what, but the excitement was overwhelming!  it was the first time we'd actually seen her in action.  i'm partial to the idea that Micah did it to set the hook .. in which he was beyond successful.  yes, we already had a deal based on the gentleman's handshake .. but this carved it in stone.  i'd be willing to bet he had a good laugh as he passed by and saw all four of our faces smashed against the window, staring and shouting and cheering away.

fast forward through the meal being devoured at break neck speed, the race back to her parking spot, a short tour around the neighborhood with Micah at the wheel, fluid levels being topped off, papers being signed .. and there you have it.  our new addition!  she's really ours!  this is when the adventure truly begins, when we get to know her inside and out, when we somehow find more hours in our days to spend transforming her into our new home and loyal companion.  the task of convincing Z and lis to scoop up a playmate for her has already begun, as every land pirate needs a partner in crime .. and i can't say there'd be a better choice of cohorts to be had.  *hint hint*  you know you wanna!

i'm certainly not one to sugar coat a story or live behind rose colored glasses .. nor build up some grande fairytale of a peaches and cream path.  she comes with her share of obstinate mule tendencies, as she promptly validated on our trip home.  she refused to keep us warm for the 3 hour drive, she was a tad uncooperative when it came to learning her shifting preferences (but, i have to say, Joe quickly learned how to sweet talk her on that one) and one pesky little air valve decided to take a union break at an unfortunate time which raised a bit of hell in the rear braking system.  she waited until we were within miles of home, thankfully, to call it a night.  it wasn't a catastrophe of epic proportions as it very well could have been, just enough to let us know she was still calling the shots.  we had a warm truck to gather in while we waited for a lift truck, the tow guys were properly equipped, quick and knowledgeable .. and reasonable.  all in all, it was the best situation to introduce us to the life of a bus nut.

to draw this entry to a close, all i have to say is:  WE HAVE A BUS!!!  we.  have.  a.  bus.  and we are that much closer to living out a dream shared.  thank you to all those who support us in our whacky plan of life on the road!  what a glorious view it will be.