Disruptions in our RV Life: Part 1

Wow, I can't believe how quickly the last few weeks months have flown by.  I feel like life has jumped from early October to mid February in the blink of an eye!  Hmm, that must be the medication talking.  Yup, let me explain...

When I came up with the crazy idea of downsizing and traveling around the country in an RV, David jumped into it pretty quickly but Lorelei wasn't too keen on it.  I figured once we got on the road she would embrace it and everyone would have a great time.  Unfortunately, I was wrong.  Lorelei is a homebody.  She likes her routine & predictability.  She does best with a schedule and needs to socialize with other kids her age.

Before we left, I began researching various homeschooling options and decided that I would go with an on-line curriculum called Time4Learning and supplement with various activities as we travel.  I envisioned frequent hikes, zoo & museum field trips, and having Lorelei complete the various Junior Ranger programs at the National Parks we would visit.  It didn't take long for before I realized that this wasn't going to work.  Lorelei refused to do the Junior Ranger programs.  She had no interest in exploring the museums and would pretty much shut down anytime we would go out; whining, complaining, and constantly arguing to make sure everyone was as miserable as she was.  In addition to disliking any adventures we tried to enjoy, she was also extremely unhappy with the curriculum in Time4Learning and had a very difficult time focusing and getting anything done.

Everyday was getting more and more difficult to get through.  Lorelei was frequently melting down and I was beginning to feel horrible for uprooting Lorelei from her happy life in Colorado and forcing her to travel without her friends.  I was dreading getting out of bed in the morning and was completely drained from all the arguing and yelling going on between myself and Lorelei.  I eventually began to feel that this was a horrible mistake.  Our house still hadn't sold in Colorado so our savings was just about depleted from basically having an additional mortgage payment (campsites & RV payment) while still making payments on the house.  In addition to all of this, David's job wasn't going quite as well as we had anticipated and it looked like he was going to have to find some contract work to do while he waited for his company to start making a bit more money.

In mid-October, I shut down.  I went to bed and couldn't get back up. Life had become more than I could handle and I had a minor major meltdown.  I shut everyone out and slept and cried for about 30 hours (or maybe a bit longer.  I can't really remember how long I stayed in bed since time was passing so quickly).  There is never a good time for this to happen, but my timing was pretty horrible because it was David's birthday.  David managed to drag me out of bed to go out to dinner for his birthday.  I sat at the table, feeling numb, not touching any food.  I eventually couldn't handle the stimulation around me of the noisy restaurant and retreated to the car while David & Lorelei finished their meals.

It was around this point that David began to realize something really wasn't right; that I couldn't just snap out of my "funk."  He decided I needed professional help so he began researching psychiatrists in the Atlanta area and made an appointment for me to see someone soon after we arrived.  He got the soonest appointment available, but it was still a few weeks out.  Over the next few weeks, I was still pretty miserable.  I was crying a lot, always tired, and didn't feel like being around anybody.  I would have been perfectly content to stay holed up in my room at my parents' house where we were staying while life continued on without me...