Pawley's Island - Here We Come!

Ok. Bear with me. I'm going to take you back in time a couple of weeks. It is the only way I can properly begin telling the tales of my beach trip. And I have to tell my tales pretty quickly as I'm 55 in sun-damaged years which means my memory is failing me. It also means that I may exaggerate or embellish some events - but you should be used to that by now and should not hold it against me.

And so the story begins.....


It is Saturday, June 13th.

I have slept this much in two days -0


I have packed this much in two days - 5 tons


I have baked/cooked this much in two days - an unnecessary amount. That I would not discover until I arrived at beach house and saw a FULLY stocked kitchen. But I should expect the major food abundance by now. It is a Switzer trip and our best talent is eating. Except for Bethany. She has many talents and reminds me of them daily.



And here is where I will reveal a secret.



I have issues. More than you can count on your fingers and toes. If you can count higher than that.

I can't. Which is why I like my belongings to be in single digits. Like only having one husband. It is so much easier to keep up with. ( alert: the "single digits" rule does not apply to articles of clothing that are denim and canisters of mixed nuts).



Anyway, one of my ( and Kev's) issues is our OCD like behavior regarding packing and prepping the house for a trip departure. I will not go in to detail... but it took hours for us to get ready that morning.



HOURS.


And that is no exaggeration.

But we finally got everything together. Keep in mind that this is the first time we have left our house for a week long trip since we moved in. It was a really weird/scary feeling. Probably the same feeling that normal people feel about leaving their kids or pets. Our house is our baby. Don't judge us.

Also, don't let this picture fool you. Because even though I look so happy to be going on vacation. The vacation part had not sunk in yet. The part where you are relaxed, happy, rested, a pleasure to be around... etc. Nope. I was a HUGE stressball. My stomach was in knots.

I think at the moment of this picture I am saying through gritted teeth... " I am a HUGE stressball." I'm sure this comes as a surprise to you because Kim and stressed are rarely in the same sentence.

That last sentence is a lie. A big one.

I wanted this trip to be perfect. And I couldn't accept it to be any other way.

Our drive to the beach consisted of stomach cramps, heart palpitations, threatening Kev with his life if he had to stop and pee, traffic, curse words, and traffic. Did I mention that we encountered some traffic?

A rolled up newspaper and a spray bottle with cold water aimed at my face seemed to calm me down enough to realize that we had arrived at our location. Our home for the week....

We not only had the largest group at the beach that week..... but we also had to have the largest forms of transportation. Just to make a point. That we are large. And loud. And obnoxious.

Our first night's meal consisted of Domino's pizza. We wanted to make it easy. Every one was still arriving and some people were actually unpacking and organizing their belongings. I was not one of those people as I lived out of a suitcase all week and dressed in what ever I could get my hands on first. Regardless if it was mine.

Anyway, I classed up the meal a little by adding in my wickedly sinful desserts and Paula's spinach artichoke dip.

My Aunt Laurie stopped by that evening to welcome us to her stomping grounds. She is lucky enough to live in Pawley's Island. I try not to be jealous. But it is hard.

She came bearing gifts. I think her middle name should be "I came bearing gifts" because she always does. That lady is so thoughtful and generous. And I love her to pieces.

The gifts she brought? Well, I will let the picture speak for itself.......

And here I will apologize because the night is still young. And I am just on our first day of vacation. And you have a lot of reading ahead of you.

My learnings from Day One:

1. Domino's has great deals if you ask nicely. 9 pizzas for $45.00.

2. Watching old(er) people sleep (parents) is great entertainment. FYI- they fell asleep on the couch waiting for my sister to arrive. I was not in their room. That would be rude.

3. Bethany and I had a LOT of giggles to get out. Late at night. While every one was trying to sleep.

4. "Peaches" was to be used in place of any bad words. Like "doo-doo head" or s*@#. Try remembering that rule when your brother in law beats on the front door at 12:30AM.
5. Swim goggles provide hours of indoor entertainment.

Up next:

The Cubans and The Wolfe arrive. Our group is finally complete. And looking for a good time.