Day 1

Ben's Blog: Day 1 Well folks, today's the big day. That's right, the day me and my debatably tolerable family cram ourselves into a  minivan, and set off across the country. Also, coincidentally the day I start this blog. With any luck, someone out there might actually read this, and sympathize with the madness I have to live with. Please excuse me if the truth gets a bit muddled at times. Where to begin. The day of travel did NOT start off as planned. Father's idea was to be packed and leave the minute school got out. The rest of the family had other ideas. After much heavy work on my part, and excessive lazing about on everyone else's, I (singlehandedly) packed the entire minivan, condensing what I would live with into two small bags. The event is comparable in significance and heartbreak to the mass exodus's of old, such as those made by Noah, or Moses, or Holocaust victims. [Truthful Interjection #1: Actually, dad did most of the packing, whereas I did the lazing about. Mom made sandwiches, and did other such motherly tasks.] Finally, two hours later than expected, we were off. Things went swimmingly... for the first ten minutes anyways. That was around the time we started having laptop issues. I won't bore you with the details, but let's just say I'm the only child in my family with a shred of common sense. There was much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth over the fact that the computers wouldn't do what they were supposed to. (Not my fault, I may add) Our first destination is Boise, Idaho, where our cousins live. We've visited them just about every summer for as long as I can remember. (And I know what you're thinking, no, they do not grow potatoes.) Due to the delayed start, we will be arriving there sometime around 1:00 in the morning, a fact I did not fully appreciate until 9:00. As I am writing this, my siblings are drifting off into sweet dreamlands, my mother is quietly snoring in the front, and the gently wafting odor of cow manure has decided to fill the car. Thanks, Oregon. All I can say is that I hope my father doesn't fall asleep at the wheel, or we'll be seeing our relatives a few hours sooner than planned. That's about all I have the patience to write, so goodnight, good luck, and tune in if you have nothing else to read. -Somewhere in Oregon, Ben