The Big Split

For a few days the two families went their separate ways. The Durkin-Bulls headed to Chris's old haunting grounds for a visit with family and the Wonderlin's picked an interesting spot on the map and headed to Claytor Lake State Park in Dublin, VA, which turned out to be a beautiful park on a 4,000 acre lake with a "sandy beach", marina and great hiking trails. We hiked at dusk and had a fine time wandering around trying to find the way home. We startled a deer on the trail, made a few wrong turns, but eventually Kerry successfully led us out of the wilderness. It was a cold night playing cards around the bonfire for us Floridians-it was in the 50's. The next morning to the delight of Kerry and Kelsey we were able to rent a couple of canoes and explore the lake, communing with nature and bonding with their parents. Ask them yourselves... it was pure bliss.

All to0 soon it was time to pack up and meet up with the Durkin-Bulls...er, that is we really liked Claytor Lake and hope to visit there again, not that we couldn't wait to get the whole group together again.

After a marathon unloading of the RV and loading up of mini-vans we all headed to our favorite restaurant in Charlotte, NC- Miguel's Mexican Restaurant for pitchers of margaritas and dinner. The next morning the boys flew home to Marathon and Deb and Cindy returned the RV and hit the road again...clearly on a mission we drove over 500 miles to the Orlando townhouse...and the joys of a never ending supply of water, sewers, and taking a shower without shoes.

Yesterday Riley and Kerry enjoyed a makeover day of shopping, salons and finally a movie ( the girl's shopped 'til we dropped!) Today we hit the pool and water park and checked out the hotties on the lazy river. Cindy's new Jackie O look was a real hit. Lunch and umbrella drinks at the pool-wow wonder what the poor folks are doing.

Break-ups, malfunctions, and fatigue

As we enter the third week of the adventure, things are getting interesting. The adults are tired and leave the blogging to the kids (since Monday). Deb wanted to go sightseeing in another clinic, so she went on Friday (and comes out with three more souvenirs!). The families separate Saturday with the Bull-Durkins going north and the Wonderlins staying put, then heading south.

Saturday and Sunday was the great homecoming for Chris to show his family where he grew up and to see friends and relatives in a whirlwind 36 hour tour. We are now on our third camera. The first one jammed and cannot be used until it goes in for servicing. I brought Regan's from home when I flew up, but she "misplaced" it within 48 hours of my joining the group. Now I finally get to take some pictures of the home coming with some lame disposable camera. Argh!

We heard from the Wonderlins today that they are doing fine. They chilled out yesterday and headed to a lakeside motel in the south west area of Virginia off of I81. We landed in Williamsburg late tonight and get to do the Jamestown festivities and then drive to Charlotte tomorrow.

The adults will stop slacking soon and put some stuff up here in the next day or so. I definitely have some thoughts on the whole DC and Maryland experiences the last few days. Stay tuned...

sexeist blog kown to man,girl, and he-she

from Riley...

Today we started out driving, going about 45 mins to get to "the wagon wheel restaurant." there we had lunch with Chris' high school friend pete. Then we all headed to their highschool and checked it out. it was pretty cool homie. Then we did a drive by christinas middle shcool. it was gangsta wid a capitol G. Then we went to chris' house and found out that the guy tore everything apart and redid it all so it was ruined. then he destoryed all of chrises dirt bike track he had. it was total devastation. he did find some stuff like a well. i could tell chris hated that guy for the destruction to his home. later we visted petes house. he had a huge human hamster ball that i roled down the hill in it. then i went in the pool with it and it was very cool. then we watched the chelsa vs la galxy game. chelsa won 1 0 it was a boring game becks played about 5 mins and did nuttin. then we went back to the hotel game over(or day over)................


THE SEXYEST MAN ALIVE WROTE THIS RILEY DURKIN

Inner Harbor

From Regan...

Today we are going to Inner Harbor. We got up and headed to Inner Harbor. It was an hour drive. The kids thought it was only 15 min. But it was a lot more than that.

Once we got there we saw all these geeks in funny costumes. We had a good laugh. Then Tim stopped a guy working at an outside store to see what was going on. The guy said, "you mean the old men in minivans that have there doors open?" (lol). But then he said that it was the anime convention.

We went to the aquarium and we saw lots of fish, birds, frogs, stingrays, and sharks. Kelsey and I saw this shark and he kept on following us so we decided to name it, I wanted to name it Ketchup and Kelsey wanted to name it Spot, so we named it Ketchup-Spot.

Then we left the aquarium and went to Phillips resturant on the way we saw a funny street proformer we watched him for a little. After that we went to dinner. They had huge kids meals So Mr.Tim and I made a bet if I could eat the whole thing. I did and earned 10 dollars. I was so stuffed.

After that we did a little shopping and then got in the car and went home. In the car the kids were all over the place in the back. It was crazy! Then we were really tired so we went to bed.

Six Flags, Concerts, and Tales by the Campfire

from Kelsey....

Today was by far the best day of our trip for me. We went to Six Flags!! The very first ride we went on was Superman and it was awesome! It had a huge drop and just had a really good track. My mom encountered a problem though, because when she was already sitting down in the roller coaster car seat, all buckled and all, they came around to check her seatbelt and would not let her ride because of her waist pack. She was very upset by this and the same thing happened to Regan when she was about to go on a flume ride in a bikini and they told her 2 seconds before boarding that she needed a top and bottoms on. We were so surprised and happy to learn that we just happened to go to Six Flags the day that Katherine McPhee was performing there for free! Regan and I were psyched about it the whole day and couldn’t wait. There is a rollercoaster that passes over the stage Katherine performed on, and a few hours before the show, Regan and I were on the rollercoaster, and Katherine waved to us!!!! We were very excited by that.

Later on, when we were on our way to the concert, we passed a candy shop which had a sign saying that if you bought 2 bags of starbursts, you get a VIP pass to the concert. Of course, my mom being the greatest that she is (major brownie points here), bought Regan and me each 2 bags so we each received a VIP pass. We sat three rows from the stage! It was a great surprise when we learned that the all-girl band Everlife was performing too! We got some awesome pictures. After the show, Katherine was signing autographs, and we waited what seemed like forever, but I got her autograph and got a picture with her too!! We headed back to the RV Park after an amazing day. Cindy made her specialty, mac and cheese, for dinner. Regan and I finished watching our DVD and then we had to go outside by the fire and do our blogs. Of course, my dad cracked many of his jokes and had Cindy laughing so hard, you don’t even want to know what happened. Basically, in the end, she was saying “I can’t breathe!” We had many laughs tonight and I’m sure there will be plenty more to come on this trip.

And there was excitement!

From Kerry...

Today we went to the 6 Flags while Chris went to meetings. I went on every available roller coaster with Regan and Riley and Kelsey. We got there around 11:30 am and left at about 8:30. Kelsey and Regan went to a concert where Everlife and Katherine McPhee sung and Regan and Kelsey got there autographs.

Can she contain the excitement!?!

Riley finally found the place that he belongs....

Eating lunch at the Crakcer Barrell in Manassas....

from Regan...

Today we were traveling to Maryland. The kids had a card marathon. It was not that long of a drive. We stopped at Cracker Barrel for lunch. Once we got there we took showers and washed up. After that we went to Wal-Mart. Then we just hung out. Then we brushed our teeth and went to bed.

Fun at Luray

At the garden maze - Which way do we go?

The crew inside the Caverns...

from Kelsey...

Today we went to Luray Caverns. I wasn’t too thrilled because it didn’t sound that fun, but it turns out that I found it pretty cool. There was this “pool” of water where it was an exact reflection of the stalactites on the ceiling of the cavern. This makes it look really cool. I also liked how some of the formations of rocks looked like an object. For example, there was one formation that looked like a liberty bell, one that looked like Snoopy’s doghouse, one that looked like a snake, and one that looked like an ice cream cone. We learned about how the cavern was discovered. We also learned about how they found a teenage Indian girl body of bones in the stone. There were lots of things we learned about on the tour that interested me.

Next, we did the Garden Maze. It was pretty entertaining to watch my mom and dad try to find their way! You had to find 4 goals throughout the maze, and then find the finish. The kids raced each other, and Riley finished first. Regan and I were on a team and finished together.

After that, we went to the Antique Cars and Carriages Museum. My dad really liked this and went through it very slowly (as usual) but I was the first done and probably made record time going through there! While we waited for my parents to finish, Cindy, Lindsay, Regan and I went to get Dip N’ Dots and got a “game plan” (as Cindy calls it) for the night. Of course, when my dad FINALLY came out of the museum, he wanted to take a “scenic drive” through the town which we all quickly vetoed.

Shortly following that, we headed back to the RV Park. As soon as we got there, all kids (except Lindsay) went to the camp’s water park. We bought wristbands for each of us four, but the water slide was pretty lame so we didn’t go on it for long. But, we didn’t waste our money because later that afternoon, we all went mini-golfing and paddle-boating which were included with the wristband. We had dinner and then everyone played a game of our favorite and classic card game, Shaft.

Afterwards, Cindy, Regan, Lindsay, (somewhat Chris), and I watched a chick flick (“Music and Lyrics” and it was very good; we recommend it!) on Cindy’s laptop from the comfort of our air conditioned cabin. Then it was lights out, but Regan and I shared a double bed in the cabin, and the fun didn’t end for us! We each had the giggles and had so, so, so much fun staying up chatting and laughing for about an hour or two!

On the Road Again

A candid photo of all the fun and excitement that the kids are having...



Chris and Cindy in front of the Natural Bridge

(This is from Monday)
Today, we had a huge travel day – 380 miles to get to Luray, VA. We started out the travel day by Tim reminding us that (for the 37th time) that the state troopers sit by the state borders and then replotting our course for the 39th time. He is thorough – we’ll give him that. Deb said she wasn’t feeling well – we knew that was true when we were able to pass by the 5th McDonald’s and she didn’t even turn the car around for an ice coffee.

As a travel break, we stopped at the Natural Bridge in Virginia. For those that haven’t been there, it is a very large arch that was formed by creek erosion that is big enough to drive a car across. George Washington carved his initials there in 1750. It is a picturesque setting with a meandering brook, waterfalls, and a replica of an Indian village. I tried to get the Park Rangers to sing Happy Birthday to Chris but they said they didn’t wear party hats in the 1700’s. BTW -Virginia is not for lovers – it is for hokey southern tourist attractions. When you purchase your Natural Bridge tickets, you are given add-on attractions like the Haunted House/Dinosaur Park, Wax Museum, etc. This would be like going to Pennekamp and buying an add-on ticket to see the seven headed crocodile. We arrived in Luray in pouring rain.

I got my first experience driving the RV as yesterday was the first day that I wasn’t living in a drug induced stupor. Leo, wow you should have told me about this before It wasn’t too bad and the refrigerator only flew open once while I was driving. I thought I was taking my turn on a nice easy stretch of I-81. Unfortunately an accident closed I-81 so some fast thinking took us on a tour of the back roads of Virginia. So now I am an RV pro.

We arrived in Luray in pouring rain (the first of the trip). I was able to convince Chris to upgrade our tent site to a camping cabin so we wouldn’t have to set up our tent in the rain. Much to my chagrin by the time we made it out to the camp site the rain had pretty much stopped but at that point Chris was not going to pry the cabin key from the death clutch I had on it. So we spent a glorious evening in AC, roof over our head comfort… Life is good….

Except for Deb – who now thinks she has strep throat – I’ll start looking in the yellow pages for a nearby walk-in clinic…

Group Photo in Asheville (taken Sunday)

Group photo from Asheville. Our campground was at the top of a mountain with a scenic view. It was really lovely.

Dottie and John joined us for Chris' birthday eve dinner...

White Water Rafting and Bavarian Fare

The Ladies Love Their Brauts

One of Several Bullman sightings...

The crew poses before heading down the river. Love the hats!

Riverwalking on Saturday

From Cindy about Sunday...

Lindsay and I stayed at the campsite. She had been vomiting and had a fever for three days. BTW - vomit is always better at 55mph in the back of an RV. Her fever and vomiting weren’t getting any better so we went to the Weaverville Sisters of Mercy Walk-In Clinic. And yep, she was diagnosed with an ear infection and possibly strep. This trip keeps getting better and better... We have to rename it Walkin Clinic Tour 2007.

They didn’t culture her throat since they were already going to put her on antibiotics. At CVS, they greeted me by name and asked me if I would like to wait in the VIP lounge since I am now a Platinum member after having spent over $300 in prescriptions at CVS in the last week. We hung around the campsite and played with dinosaurs on Lindsay’s dinosaur rock and we slept a lot. When everyone came back from the white water rafting, Dottie took us down to her house where we got to see the improvements that she made. Chris, for his birthday dinner, selected to eat at the Bavarian Inn place that Deb and I found the day before. We had a glorious meal even the kids licked their plates clean – kind of embarrassing but it reminded us of our Dinho and Quasi.

Thank you to everyone for all their well wishes through my ordeal. Today, I was about 80% and making upwards progress.

Blog Entry from Riley - We went white water rafting while the girls were home. The rapids were very very cool. By the end of the trip I was exhausted of paddling. All the rapids were named like The Pillow, Rollercoaster, and the Slide. Regan and Kelsey screamed A LOT! I think every one loved it. The tour guides were awesome. The one kept on doing jokes all the time. That pretty much sums it up.

A little behind...

Just a note to you all...
We are fine. Technical difficulties precluded us from posting Sunday's or Monday's blogs. We have them on our computers and will upload them sometime Tuesday. So check us out Tuesday night to catch up on all the adventures!

-Chris and crew

The best laid plans…

Well, today was an adventure! We actually broke camp at Unicoi State Park on time at 9 am. That is about all that went as planned from there. All the kids and the husbands were in the RV and Deb and Cindy were in the minivan.

The plan was to meet my Mom at Sliding Rock, have lunch, and head to our new camp, Campfire Lodgings, north of Asheville, NC. Between coffee stops, gas stations, following truck routes, getting car sick, and just plain bad luck, the RV ended up at Waynesville and the minivan in Brevard and my Mom in between us an hour each way at the rendezvous spot, Sliding Rock two hours after we were all supposed to be there.

(I am going to make a map sometime soon to show you everybody’s route for the day…it is quite hilarious)

So the day was saved by the minivan gals shopping and making their way to camp, mom meeting RV crew for a late lunch at Butt on a Creek BBQ then heading to camp, and then hanging out at a park by the river and playing in some “fresh” mountain water.

Mom is joining us tonight, with John calling after her, “ you are going to do what? Sleep in a tent!?!” Tomorrow is white water rafting. And I thought THAT was going to be the day of adventure!

Notes from the Road from Kerry

Today we woke up around 8 to pack up the camp. Then we headed on the road for Ashville Cindy and Deb in the van and Chris and Tim and all the kids in the other. We were going to be heading to sliding rock but we never made it as Chris and Tim got lost and we ended up in Cherokee which was 2 hours from Sliding Rock. So we canceled going there and met up with Dottie, and went to Butts on a Creek, a restaurant. The food was good. Then we met up with Deb and Cindy at the camp site. Where we set up camp and then headed down to a river to swim but it wasn’t that deep so Riley and I decided to go climb up and go down the rapids with no tube or raft of any kind. After that we went to the camp site and played some monkey in the middle then ate dinner, then showered and hit the hay.

Farmer Bill

Tim's Point of View....snore


We found a southern gentleman Bill, who sold us oak & pine firewood as well as organic farm eggs. He mentioned he raised rabbits but,also "dressed them'' as well! We declined both offers.

Today we watched tubers while having lunch.Chris ordered a beer and got carded, which we understand but,then tim was carded too! Boy he still looks good! Stiff ABC laws in Georgia. The girls shopped, the boys played miniature golf and we retired to the campsite to enjoy another wholesome meal @ fine fire.

blog entry from Regan

first we went to the arts and crafts center then we got up and went to downtown gorgia. And shopped..... Then we went back to the campsite. And sat by the fire. Then Riley and kelsey got into a cat fight......raw!!!!! I went to hangout and fell asleep....

Good old fashion fun!

So what did I learn today? I learned that Cindy and I have something in common with a lychen and gnat larvae...when the two are paired up, we glow! We went to Anna Ruby Falls for a 9 pm night hike. We hiked to the falls and that was cool.

But on the way back, we got to see the legendary "glowing foxfire!" Apparently, for only six weeks a year, gnats mate, deposit their eggs in some friendly fungi. The fungi benefit from the eggs and as the lavae grow, they feed off the fungi. The cool thing is that they glow through bioluminescence when this happens. They can't replicate the process in the lab, but of course the only tried it at University of Georgia. Maybe they should have someone from UF help them.

During the day, we headed into the eccentric town of Helen, GA. We went passed all the Bavarian hoopla and headed to the good old fashion fun at Helen Water Park. We signed up to Tube the 'Hooch, grabbed our hot pink tubes and went. Lindsay fell asleep on the bus ride up the river and awoke to being stuck in a pink tube and drifting down the river. She, and we, enjoyed the rest of the trip.

We hit the grocery store, headed to the campsite, built the fire and they even let me cook some good ol' campfire food. Nobody starved, so I deem that a success and you know the rest about the evening. Kelsey has more...

The Day According to Kelsey

Today when I woke up, Regan and I went for a little jog around the campsite. There is this hill that is really steep and it takes a lot out of you so we only went around the circle three times. Then we did 50 crunches each.

We woke up the boys, saying “get up you lazy bums! We have already gone running and done crunches.” Which of course, Riley brags about how he could do ten laps around the circle. So, Regan and I challenged Riley to see if he could run ten laps around the circle without walking. We hid in the bushes and watched as he walked a few steps, loosing the challenge after seven laps.

Next, everyone but Deb went to play tennis, while she stayed back and mopped the RV floor. (How fun for her…) We walked there and we had to take a trail through the woods to get there. We rotated people in and out of courts. (I’d just like to add that I totally owned Riley…hehe) After like an hour or two, everyone except Lindsay, Chris, Tim, and I walked back to camp. I hit with my dad and Chris for a while. Then as we were walking back to camp, we saw our van come down the road, and Cindy and my mom came to our rescue to give us a ride back to camp.

Next, we went tubing down a natural river. (Like a lazy river type of thing) The water was freezing and I’d like to thank Kerry and Riley for tipping my tube over into the freezing cold water!!!! There were also these two girls that were in tubes near us who thought Kerry was hot. And I FINALLY saw some hot-ish guys on the side of the river!!! They waved to me as I went by them in my little yellow bikini. The lazy river was very entertaining and fun, especially considering the fact that about every 30 seconds, Regan fell in the freezing cold water. lol.

To entertain ourselves around camp, Regan and I have taken up looking for blackberries. We have found several bushes full of them, and we go out and pick them a few times a day. We have even filled a whole Tupperware of them. Regan and I were planning on eating all the blackberries, but then we noticed a few dozen ants and bugs crawling around in there, even after we washed them off. So, of course, we gladly offered them to Riley, and he ate them. Hahahahahaha!! Then, we went on a nighttime hike up to Anna Ruby Falls. We saw these plants that glow in the dark. The adults found it exciting, while the kids did not.

All Hands on Deck

The merry band of nine is fully assembled! After a gruelling but good Council meeting Tuesday night and radio interviews and meetings Wednesday morning, I made it on the airplane out of Marathon with just a few minutes to spare.

I had the unexpected pleasure of being able to catch up with Bob Moir, owner of the Yellowtail, Bonefish, and Casa del Sol hotels on Grassy Key and husband of recently retired Chamber Executive Director Audrey Moir. We sat next to each other on the plane to Atlanta and then parted ways.

The quick version of the rest of my travels was after plane delays, waiting for ground transportation, and a requested visitation of Wal-Mart (at 12:30 am), I got to the campground at 2:15 am Thursday morning. Upon my arrival, I discover they had put me in the tent for the evening! I feel the love!

The next morning we were awoken by the Harley Davidson alarm at 7:20 am from the campsite 30 feet from our tent. Nothing like loud pipes in the morning! Kelsey is making bacon and Deb is doing the eggs. And I am put in charge of the fire. Life is good!

We have a full day, so someone will post more later. Team CrackerBarrel Pyro President signing off for now...

Riley's awsome blog

Blog Entry from Riley - I got out of bed. It was 11:30 AM. I had to be in the car packed at noon. I got dressed and went to pack the car. The hotel was one of the one night deals. So it was OK. it was a boring ride over to the rv rental place. When we got there i sat down and watched tv for half an hour. Then we got in the RV to go to Helen, Georgia. we stoped at a local gerocery store for food. I stayed in the RV while everyone else had to get food. We got in the RV to go to the camp ground. The camp ground is a simple one. Then i made a fire with Kerry. Then i ate dinner and started typeing this.

Bliss

Miguel's Mexican Restaurant had great food and two handed drinks-a perfect ending to a perfect day.

Oops

Tim backing down the on ramp-wish you could hear Cindy's screams

Dr. Wonderlin and another medical miracle

The doctor is always in...

Haulin' Liquid Chicken

Saw this truck as we traveled from Jack's Beach to Charlotte, NC. We Googled "Haulin' Liquid Chicken" and there have been many sightings of the truck but no one seems to know exactly what liquid chicken is and really do we want to know?

What day is it today?????

A note from Deb...poor, poor Chris. We are so sad that he has missed so many fun, fun activities-imagine the thrill of spending the morning sitting in the doctor's office watching Cindy get poked and prodded and dare I mention weighed.......sorry my lips are sealed as only a best friend's should be........culminating with a bonding moment unlike any I have ever experienced as she gracefully draped herself over the examining table, bared her hips and screamed bloody murder while the nurse readied her antibiotics and steroid shots. The sobbing did not start until later when she tried to sit down in the car to go back to our friend Barb's house.

Alas, Chris is also missing our potty adventures with Lindsay who has decided to mark her territory wherever we go usually several times an hour.

And can we ever forget the weeping and moaning the following day when Cindy's neck went out as we arrived at our hotel in Charlotte, NC. See attached photo of Dr. Wonderlin providing emergency on the spot medical treatment. Most of you don't realize Tim used to be a doctor before he decided to take up tennis.

Our wonderful day ended with Tim's death defying back up off the on ramp in a successful attempt to locate a fabulous Mexican restaurant with gigantic margaritas and beer-thank God for the small successes in life.

Back Home on the Range

OK, now that everyone else has posted I really feel left out. It was bad enough that everybody left without me! Since we have been a part, Cindy gets a mystery bacteria infecting her face, one of our apartments has an air conditioner coil blow Sunday night, and the town is gathering pitchforks and torches for tomorrow's Council meeting. I always knew Cindy and I were meant to be together. I just did not realize how the world suddenly starts spinning of its axis when we are apart!

I am certainly looking forward to meeting up with the crew Wednesday. I fly from Marathon to Charlotte, then drive to Georgia. The next day, a six hour white water rafting trip. Wahoo!

Tim was born before they invented ear trimmers so he used a razor to trim out his inner ear. Okay, there was less blood splatter when Kelsey and Kerry were born. We thought he was taking a long time in the bathroom so no one wanted to venture in because of the methane - we find out later he spent 45 minutes in the bathroom trying to stop the gusher of blood from his ears. Everyone remember a certain nail polish incident? Lessons never learned.

Today's Entry from Kerry and Tim:

Riley, Damon and Kerry went to adventure landing a local theme park where we played laser tag, did some go karting and hung out at the darcade. Tim went and visited a friend who moved up to Jacksonville, charlie force. He played tennis with him and came from behind to win 7-5, 6-2. Deb, Barb, Kelsey, Regan, and Lindsay went to the beach where they found one shark tooth and collected shells.

While we were waiting at the CVS to get Cindy’s prescriptions filled, a strange guy approached Barbara. He said his cell phone was dead and he needed to call a friend. Barb let him use her cell phone and he proceeded to describe to his “friend” how he locked his keys in the car and the police refused to help him. He told them he didn’t have enough money to call a lock company and the police told him that he should ask God. He hung up the phone by telling his “friend” that he was using someone else’s cell phone and that he needed to focus and hang up. As soon as he hung up, Deb started talking to him and he repeated the whole unfortunate series $5.00 he would give her $20.00 later on. Deb asked me (who by now is sitting in the backseat blind and oblivious because of all the pain) whether she should give it to him five dollars. I said sure thinking she was asking whether we should start to holler. We watched him for a few minutes as he walked past the cars in the parking lot. Deb grabs Barb’s cell phone and calls back the number the guy called and his “friend” was “I am sorry this phone number is no longer in service.”

The moral of they story: Never ask advice from people in the back seat …. er …. Watch out for crack heads patrolling the parking lots of CVS.

Today, we went to Barb’s Doctor as overnight the lymph nodes in my face and throat got swollen and the swelling around the eye continued to increase. The Dr. did not know what is causing this mysterious illness but he was concerned about the infection spreading especially since your eyes are so close to the brain. OH MY GOD ! I thought – a lobotomy was not how I wanted to spend my summer vacation. Anyway, the Dr. put together an aggressive treatment plan. I got two shots, one in each hip – a strong antibiotic and a steroid shot. Deb is really looking forward to my first roid rage episode. We have already had some terrific bonding experience – luckily Deb forgot to bring her camera to the Dr’s office. Note from Deb: I plan to make Cindy reenact the shot drama at our next doctor's office-which I have no intention of missing!! It has just been too much fun..." I also have to take antibiotics for 10 days and take an antibiotic steroid drop in my eye. If I am not better by Asheville or get worse – he said I need to head to an emergency room. But we are heading north tomorrow.

BTW – Both the blog pictures were taken two days ago – I couldn’t publish a picture as how it looks now… ewww.

Today I went to the Eye Dr. The Dr thinks it may be some kind of non-contagious bacterial infection. She prescribed an antibiotic drop for the eyes that I have to put in every hour. I'll go back to see her tommorrow. But the troops rallied and we went down to the beach for about 4 hours this afternoon. It was a beautiful day. The kids enjoyed collecting shells and playing in the waves. Tim and Deb went looking at houses and found a great fixer upper for about a million dollars. I think they are planning to trade in Tim's truck and make a downpayment - (well maybe he could trade it for the hibiscus bush out front)!

Note: Deb doesn't take any photos of herself. We'll get her tommorrow!

Blog Message from Kelsey - Today, Lindsay woke most of us up around 7:30. We ate breakfast and hung out for a while. Then, at noon, Cindy went to the eye doctor. When she came back we all went to the beach. We had so so so much fun! There were so many shells and shark's teeth. I found three shark's teeth today and countless shells. Regan and I went in the water a lot and had fun with the waves. We came home, showered, and had dinner. Then us kids just watched a movie. Today was fun......

We are off. At 7:00 this morning, we departed to head to Jacksonville Beach. The Wonderlins were still getting ready when we arrived at their house. We stopped at Cracker Barrel in Florida City at 9:00 and had our first Cracker Barrell breakfast. Those crazy Wonderlins picked up all the syrups, sugars, salt and pepper shakers, napkins, etc. as souvenirs. I had to frisk Deb on the way out the door to put the hurricane lamp back on the table and the little peg game.

Unfortunately, Cindy developed an infection in the eye and my eye is now almost completely swollen shut. Luckily, I have an appointment at an eye Dr in Jacksonville for tommorrow. Thank god in the real world they work on Sundays. Barbara and Dino are very gracious hosts and we are enjoying our first pit stop in Jacksonville. More to come tommorrow - including pictures.


Today's Entry from Regan: Today FAMILYS split up and went in seperate cars. Then for breakfast we met up at the florida city cracker barrel. They got our orders all mixed up. We drove the rest of the way. Once we got there the girls went to the beach. And the guys went to a basket ball game. Then when we got back we chilled out for the rest of the day.