How perfect to start our journey in the state where I was born and lived for the first eighteen years of my life, where I even had a different name, Sally (my parents never even told my real name was Sarah until I was about six). The first night on the journey has been with our good friends, Mary Kate & Dave, in Lawrenceville—greeting us with warmth and an amazing eggplant parmesan, kale and avocado salad, fresh bread, and a decadent chocolate cake. As Ben said, the first stop might be the best stop. We have had a few glitches to work out as we start, a forgotten pair of hiking boots for instance (a kind neighbor will send them to us along the way) and some essentials packed deep in the truck bed we’ll have to rearrange. But we had a traffic-free drive down to New Jersey; that is a win given the years of nightmare experiences we’ve endured on the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway when my parents still lived here. Next stop Alexandria, VA with Abby and Paul (and a ton of snow!).

Here are some packing photos:

Here we are with our kind friends, Mary Kate and Dave, who make me laugh a lot and have 5 star bath towels!