so I didn't even take any pictures for the first twenty four hours I was there.

a quick sum up before I begin: the vacation was wonderful, the fry family (and extended family) is awesome and I had an incredible time!

first, the players in this tale o' atlantic --just a summary of how they fit in and some of their traits.

george jr-father o' the frys, husband of rosemary
rosemary-mother o' the frys, wife of george jr
george the third-oldest fry, husband of tonya, extra organized, chemical engineer
tonya-george the third's wife, very fun, girl scout
michelle-oldest fry girl, wife of trevor, mom to little bridget, extremely patient!
trevor-husband of michelle, dad of little bridget, drinks a lot of beer, hilarious (but don't tell him I admitted that), canadian
little bridget-cute-as-a-button daughter of michelle and trevor, seventeen months old, matt's niece and goddaughter
kat-youngest fry girl, wife of devon, mom of five month old katlyn, oceanographic engineer
devon-husband to kat, dad of katlyn, oceanographic engineer
katlyn-sweet but fussy cutie-pie with the most intense stare I've ever seen on a baby
matt-you should already know who this is by now, but if you don't, he's my wonderful boyfriend and the reason I went on this vacay in the first place!
aunt teri-mother of big bridget and kevin, sister to george jr.
big bridget-daughter of teri, my bunkmate for one night, first cousin to the frys
steven-son of teri, good photographer, first cousin to the frys
kevin-first cousin to the frys, sarcastic in a good way
plus assorted other relatives, cousins, a boyfriend, pets, etc.

and of course, yours truly.

now that I've gotten that out of the way...

the trip on sunday was un-eventful. also, it turned out that I had everything but a pair of tweezers, and this should tell you a little something about the fry family--when I asked if anyone had a pair I ended up with FIVE to choose from. they're quite wonderful, quite wonderful indeed.

so, we arrive on sunday, and immediately I meet...trying to count...and not counting rosemary, george jr or matt...AT LEAST seventeen people. perhaps more. no, really. seventeen. that's A LOT of people.

we go to Aunt Teri's house in South Philly, sit and chit chat, eat finger foods, etc. people ask me questions. we talk. I hear family stories. Matt was really really good about making sure he was nearby, seeing if I needed anything and doing things like rubbing my arm or shoulders to kind of reassure me. By the end of our time there we'd had cake after singing happy birthday to george jr and had ended the time laughing.

I also found it comforting that their downstairs bathroom in their split level house was not to be used because it had piles of laundry in it. I was glad to see that at least some of them weren't spic-and-span people. if you've ever seen my bedroom you know what I mean. :)

I liked it too that Aunt Teri gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek and told me that I should really come back some time, and Big Bridget hugged me and said "seriously, after meeting all of us you DESERVE a hug!"

next was the drive into atlantic city. I rode with matt, george the third (who drove), tonya, devon, kat and katlyn. And we stopped for lunch at--horror of all horrors--Mickey D's. Which I DETEST. But I went old-school (aka elementary school) and ate my nuggets with sweet and sour sauce because I didn't want to be difficult. I knew things were going to be okay when I got back in the car and tonya, who'd heard of my McLoathing, said "hey, carrie, george jr told us that if we go down the road and then take the next right and then drive three miles we'll come to a chic-fil-a so you can eat there." (sarcasm obscured by internet!) it was terribly funny.

oh, and we saw a street called No Name, but didn't have time to take a picture of it.

we finally arrive with all twelve people and oodles of luggage and check in to our hotel--we've two rooms, and matt and I are staying with george jr and rosemary, michelle, trevor and little bridget in the PENTHOUSE. I felt a tad pretentious hitting the "penthouse" button, to be sure. But the place was FAN-CY! Matt and I each had our own rooms and shared a bathroom that was also the *guest* bathroom.

we settled in, played with little bridget A LOT (she luuuurves soccer balls and matt has some extra adorable pictures that I'll add later once I get them from him) and then after a beer run ate dinner together.

and then.

tonya and I sang girl scout song after girl scout song. some of 'em we thought of later, but we regaled people with tunes such as--little cabin in the woods, oh an austrian went yodeling, alice the camel, the brownie smile song, you name it, it's likely one or the other of us knew it. (and of course, when I left, I thought of Linger. awwww...)

matt, tonya, george the third, trevor and I drank and talked and hung out until about 1130, and then matt and I took a walk on the boards--which is what you call them if you're a local--not "the boardwalk." we saw go-karts and this $55 bungee thingie and lots of people called matt "cheap" because he wasn't going to try to win me a prize. y'know, a prize that I didn't even want by playing a game that was rigged and expensive.

riiiight.

and then? then I went to bed. and this was the end of sunday. allllllll on sunday. just you wait for the rest!