Working out the Details

I received the pic below from Kevin today. Those guys are like brothers and their camaraderie, commitment and service cannot be matched. We miss them all but would really like to see the guy in the middle in some pictures that I take!!
I am still working out details but I am flying to Florida next week to pick-up the camper. Luckily Pete and Emily are close and will offer me a place to stay and unwind before I jump in the rig and head home. I am unsure of the route I will travel and I refuse to plan. (I think that goes against the wanderlust spirit!) I believe the trip is about 14 hours so it should be an easy 2 dayer. Chantelle has been kind/crazy enough to offer to stay with the kids. I need to get back quickly before the tribe makes her crazy.
We had discussed the family flying to Florida after Kev returned and making the pick-up an adventure. Airplane fares are rising with gas prices and I just think the first family trip should be local till we figure out and stock the thing with everything we will discover that we need.
I have spent most of my life here and have never explored the middle peninsula (except once with the Kelly, Bob and a bottle of tequila so that doesn't count cause I don't remember it!!). Matthews and all the little towns along the Chesapeake Bay are to some Virginia's best kept secret. That's a secret I want in on! The Eastern Shore and Assateague and Chincoteague Islands are also areas that are rural (I think) along the Bay and beckoning me to explore. Tara is dying to hit DC and there are a ton of nearby campgrounds to make sightseeing a breeze. Getting Kevin to stroll through the museums may prove to be another challenge. The Outer Banks is just an hour south and one of my favorite beaches. I am still reminding myself that although I grew up here the kids did not and I need to rediscover a lot of areas/places that I may remember as not being that great because, perhaps to my children, they will be fantastic new spots for them to discover.
I am very anxious to begin the new adventures that are just waiting for us to enjoy. All of us! Hurry home Kevin!!