People's generosity never ceases to amaze us.
Our friend Danny had sent us off with "Magellan" an ultra high tech GPS system. As soon as Autumn and Katrina landed in Tampa, good old Magellan started working her magic. Immediately, she kicked Map Quest's butt right off the map.
We literally crashed (4 hour nap--woke up still in a coma) at Katy's apartment. When Katy got home from work we dined at Bahama Breeze and did some much needed catching up. Molly, Steff and Katie arrived the next day around 5pm.
We spent the next four days running around Tampa having fun. Some of our adventures included: a day at Clearwater beach, a pirate ship cruise (Katy treated us!), Bok Sanctuary, swimming in the rain, looking for gators, dinner at her parents (Steve and Monica's) beautiful home and a couple rousing games of Cranium.
Katy was a generous hostess and very tolerant of our messes and loudness. Katrina referred to her as a saint and I think we would all agree. LOVE YOU KATY!
When people said "Wow! Five sisters in a van?! For an entire month?!!" We thought nothing of it. We assumed it would be smooth sailing. Well, you know what they say about assuming... it makes and ASS out of U and ME....
Sunday afternoon got off to somewhat of a bumpy start... tensions were running high as we tried to set up the van. The middle seat would not cooperate and we didn't have the right tools to unscrew the bolts. Come to find out... you don't need tools! We managed to get the seat out and busily started loading Sky (our van). By that time we were already sweaty, hot, and frustrated. Bickering began, earning Molly the nickname, "Negative Nancy". On top of that, we simply couldn't fit our belongings into our extended van. A large fight also broke out over the closet we were building in the back seat (Katrina didn't think she had enough room for all her clothes, the rod kept falling, people were against it, etc.). This was the point when we realized that the trip wasn't going to be all rainbows and butterflies.
Monday morning was the official kick off of the road trip. The Negative Nancy syndrome caught, stuck, and clung, turning everyone sullen and snarly. This day included stops at The Daytona 500 Racetrack (huge!) and the oldest parish in America, St. Augustine Cathedral (beautiful). To combat the cold weather, we lit candles and huddled under stained glass windows to pray. After St. Augustine, we drove through rain, thunder, dark moods, and the most amazing lightning we have ever seen to arrive at Skidaway Island State Park, where we camped for the night. Roasted a few wieners, did a little venting, and collapsed into our tent.
Woke up at the crack of dawn (7 am), and fled the campsite saving ourselves $25 precious dollars, and headed off for civilization.
We were greeted by the ghettos of Savannah Georgia and decided to catch a trolley tour. While waiting, Katrina needed her java fix and wandered into a dangerous location, alarming the tour host, and causing a flurry of frantic phone calls. Alarmed at our location and the general slumminess of everything, we all secretly worried that wouldn't be able to shake the blues. To our surprise, Savannah started to softly shine, slowly unveiling it's charm and warming our moods. Lush greenery, intricately designed cast iron gates steeped in history, and a hearty meal at the Pirates House restaurant were highlights.
We headed off to Adam Domermuth's house in Charleston, South Carolina, and things got even brighter. Adam had cleared out an entire room for the O'Connor invasion, and we quickly took over everything, locking Adam's roommate out of his bathroom, enjoying long showers, perfuming, lotioning, and pampering ourselves. Adam provided us with what seemed to be a lush resort after our one long night in the woods.
Did we mention that Adam lives in a Richie Rich community? Well, while Adam was slaving at his desk, we were taking full advantage of his clubhouse membership, swimming and playing volleyball. Sun soaked, we laid around eating and watching movies that afternoon. That night, we were treated to an authentic Southern dinner at Gullah Cuisine. Afterwards, to cool off we got homemade ice cream and swam in the ocean under the stars.
Oh boy, sorry this is so long. The next day, we were whisked through downtown Charleston via a romantical (Molly's word) horse drawn carriage ride. (Thank you Adam, a true Southern gentleman!) We scouted out the location for Abby's big move and we decided she would fall in love with this place, full of African art, shockingly beautiful interiors, and friendly people (their license plates read "smiling faces. beautiful places"). We are cooking (!! yes we know) and staying in for our last night in the deep south.
Tomorrow, we head out to our almost certain death in the Smoky Mountains. Stay tuned for the next edition. If you never hear from us again, we want you to know we put up a good fight against the many black bears living in our extremely remote campsite location. Molly blew an air horn, Katrina clanged a bell, Steffanie peed around the tent, Autumn turned into a savage warrior, and Katie attempted to flee for help.
WE LOVE YOU ALL!
