Friends, I’m pleased to announce that I have survived the annual family vacay to South Carolina, where 27 of us piled into a beach house for one week. The youngest is 2 and the oldest is 78, but we managed to make memories and keep the shanking to a minimum (there was a major blow-up between my four sisters and me, but everything was eventually resolved, or at least suppressed enough that we departed with authentic “I love you-s,” which is saying something considering the amount of wine consumed).
Anyhoo, highlights included ideal temperatures, delicious dinners and the first-ever Morris Olympics, which pitted two-person teams representing various countries against each other in multiple events. My nephew Nick, 19, and my niece Georgia, 10, pulled off a stunning victory for Ukraine, in part because of their outstanding performance on the pool kayak course, where they expertly navigated the volleyball net and turnaround without tipping over. My twin and I didn’t even make it to the semifinals thanks to a poor showing in cornhole, though we felt OK about it since we had to be North Korea (obviously, the kids chose the nations).
We also enjoyed another competitive Great Beach Bake-Off, where first-time participant Keegan, 8, stole the show with his perfectly baked vanilla cupcake; multiple games of charades and truffles; and a movie night of “80 for Brady,” which my mom outwardly, and everyone else secretly, loved.
I never slept well. There was nonstop action and noise, and I had to literally hide on a second-floor back balcony to get my daily dose of “Grey’s Anatomy,” but I survived!
Peace out.
