August 6, 1983...
When I awoke it was still dark outside. After a quick look at the clock the urge to snuggle deeper under the covers and go back to sleep was incredibly strong that I almost did just that. Then I remembered, this was the day.
Still half asleep I forced my eyes to open and reluctantly pulled myself up and out of bed. While I was dressing I could feel the mix of excitement and fear building within me. With all my moving about the room, Geoff was soon awake as well, but that was okay, for this was his day too.
After Geoff and I were dressed we found our way in the dark to the other bedrooms where our five children were sleeping. It wasn't easy finding their rooms as it had been a long time since I had lived in my parents home.
The three younger kids had to be coaxed out of their beds, and while they were still half asleep Geoff and I helped them get dressed. The two older kids got up and dressed without our help.
In less than half an hour we were ready for our journey. I could put it off no longer as the decision had already been made. There was no turning back now.
Geoff and I grabbed a quick cup of coffee and then proceeded to load the last of our things. Five kids, two cats, and a dog were all loaded into the trucks. Geoff would drive the U-Haul truck that was towing his old green ford van, and I would drive the pick up truck towing a U-Haul trailer.
Todd rode in the front of the U-Haul truck with Geoff while I got everyone else. Trisha and Tina were in the front seat of the pick up truck with me while Butch and Brian were in the back of the truck with Sandy, our collie, and the two cats.
Saying goodbye to my family was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I didn't know when I would see my parents, sisters, or brother again. Tears were rolling down my face as I drove out of the driveway.
The headlights of my truck lit up the road in front of me, but I didn't really have a need for them. All my life I had been traveling up and down this road that I knew it like the back of my hand.
I was leaving everything I had ever known in my life for the hills of Missouri. I was going to be a hillbilly.
