Vacation...From Our Vacation

November 18 – December 3, 2025

Today was the day: time to briefly abandon our life of wandering and fly home for our Thanksgiving vacation from our vacation. Yes, it’s as ridiculous as it sounds. But after three months in an 18-foot camper, our bodies desperately needed real showers, and we needed to talk to people besides each other before we forgot how to interact with society altogether.

We tucked the camper safely into long-term storage (like dropping off a beloved pet at a nice kennel) and spent the night in a hotel so we could catch an early flight. The moment we opened the hotel room door, we did synchronized slow-motion spins with our arms outstretched. It felt like we’d just stepped into the ballroom of the Titanic. In reality, it was a normal-sized hotel room, but compared to our rolling shoebox, it was basically Versailles.

At the hotel, we worked from actual comfortable chairs, ate unlimited hotel cookies like we had no self-respect, and then ventured out on a mission: find George magnetic earrings to complete his transformation into Jake—our future son-in-law. This was all supposed to be a gag, but the mustache-and-fake-earrings combo? Surprisingly handsome. Disturbingly handsome. Handsome enough that I briefly wondered if we should add a Harley to the budget. Then I remembered George already has a BMW Z4 convertable. So we're set! 

The next morning, I woke up to George on my side of the king bed. Apparently his internal GPS couldn’t comprehend a bed bigger than an RV queen, which is basically a large crib. I took a shower so long and luxurious it counted as a month’s worth of RV showers.Then I actually did my hair, because unlike the camper, the hotel plugs can handle more than 1,000 watts without threatening to black out the entire building.

On the plane, we got the very last row by the bathrooms. It smelled exactly like our RV, so honestly? Comforting. Nostalgic. Homey, even. Should we be embarrassed? Probably.

And then—home. Glorious home. Not because we don’t love the road (we really, really do), but because sometimes you just need the pros of a house: endless hot water, an onsite washer and dryer that other people haven’t… seasoned, actual kitchen appliances, and food options beyond “What’s in the tiny fridge?” or “Can this be cooked in one pan?” Also: alone time. Sort of. We had seven people in the house, which is a very different flavor of togetherness than two people in an RV. Less cozy… more chaotic. But that was also the very best part—being with family! 

We packed two weeks like we were competing on a timed game show: dentist appointments, eye exams, two movie nights, a bike ride up and around Badger Mountain, a hike up Badger Mountain, Costco runs, a 5k, pickleball (which activated muscles I apparently haven't used since we left on our trip), family games, Blatter family games, puzzles, pupusas—TWICE (once with the kids, once with Lara Blatter because pupusas deserve an encore), Black Friday shopping (more like browsing), crafts, a walk in the rain, yardwork, visiting extended family, and a heroic amount of cooking and eating.

 

The only real downside of our holiday homecoming? We ate way too much and exercised way too little. Our pants staged a protest. A loud one. They are not subtle garments.

We did not cut a Christmas tree this year since no one will be home for Christmas. I guess some traditions must quietly wander into the woods and perish. But it’s fine. We’ll make new traditions. Like, “Visit home once a year and panic-clean the kitchen before flying out again.”

And now? Back to our tiny house on wheels, smelling faintly of airplane bathrooms and adventure.

Every story has a soundtrack. This one expresses my gratitude for my family: