And... we're off...

...finally! Per usual, the Coxes put the trip behind schedule from the get-go, but for once it wasn't my fault! David was planning to leave work around 3pm, but wasn't able to leave until about 4:30. Arrival at 6pm at Chris's was going to be fine, until by chance Amy called Enterprise and discovered they closed at 6pm! She frantically called me (we needed David, and his credit card, to be the primary driver. Why? Since we're married, I'm free, AND we don't have to pay the "under 25" driver fee! Perks of changing my last name, folks). Needless to say, David made great time from Goodfield to Peoria.

Upon arrival at Enterprise, there was only one van in the lot. A beat-up, rough-looking Mazda MPV. Chris & Amy didn't seem too concerned, I was overly concerned, and David wasn't there. Spending the next 5,200 miles(ish) in the dinged-up, dirty, tired-looking thing sitting in the corner of the lot sure didn't give me the warm fuzzies. Moving on, David arrived and walked in super-suave at 5:53. Since we had just updated the guy servicing us that David was in Morton 3 minutes ago, he had left and didn't come back until right at 6. About that time, a white van pulled around the corner. Amy & I both screamed, "Polk!!!!!" Of course, no one in the store knew that Epic Trip 2 was last year, in a Chrysler Town & Country named Polk, they just thought we were nuts. Meanwhile, Amy & I are begging the salesman for an answer, "Is that ours? Is that the one we're going to take?" After ignoring us for the first 3 times, he finally looks puzzled and replies, "Yes, you asked for a van." I can't even put into words the relief (and excitement) we felt when we realized we weren't taking the hunk of junk in the corner of the lot, and we got Polk II! Upon further review, however, it was not a Polk. Polk was a boy Chrysler, Xena is a girl Dodge. I know, I know, the name. She was Sheila for the first hour we had her, but her license plate is all X's, so Chris asked that we change her name to something starting with an X. Thus, Xena, Warrior Dodge was born. Both she and Polk are from Polk County, Iowa. We think they're cousins.

That being said, Chris is driving, we're coming up on Galesburg, and we're full and content. To those of you betting this afternoon, you win. Bacon cheeseburger from Steak n Shake for supper, and enjoyed every second of it. :)