My Two Cents

by Michele Tester

Road Trip!

I recently embarked on a girls’ road trip. And this was not just any road trip, mind you. This road trip featured five fabulous dancing queens; a huge log cabin, nestled on expansive rolling hills; a big beaver with a prominent overbite, sporting a red cap; a safari (yes, you read that right); witches on broomsticks; ghosts with sunglasses; an outdoor deck disco; a peace-evoking natural bridge; an early-risers fireplace chat time; five eager food critics; diligent and tenacious photographers; and a chosen sisterhood.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Motion Sickness (and Diane)

Because we were traveling south and west of my house, and all of my road-trip friends live down in Montgomery and Howard Counties, I told them that I would drive and meet them there. I didn’t want to put them out. By the look on their faces, you would have thought I just suggested we travel by unicycle on the highway. They were like, “No way! We are all driving together! That’s the true road trip experience.” How could I argue with that?

Let’s just say that before our road trip even began, the discussion of who gets carsick came up. It turns out that all of us, but one, suffer from motion sickness. How did we get around this? Well, we just switched seats periodically. Some of us had nausea medicine to take before jumping in the car. And, of course, “barf bags” were available if needed. Thanks, Diane. To spare you the suspense, none of us got sick, thank goodness.

So, my husband drove me down to Costco in Frederick, and that’s where our road trip began. Little did I know of the wild ride that lay ahead.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Bladder

What’s that classic road trip rule? Never pass up an opportunity to pee, and never trust someone who says they don’t have to go. I won’t name who we all joked has the smallest bladder in the world, but let’s just say that we stopped…a lot! The amazing thing is that we had some of the most memorable experiences, endless giggles, and interactions with some “unforgettable” people during all of those stops. Thanks for your small bladder, Tracy. Oops, the cat is out of the bag.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Dancing Queens

These are an amazing group of ladies, and our history and how we became friends is a long, interesting one. Our husbands actually grew up together. Some of them, as far back as elementary school. And we wives also knew each other young, a few of us way back to junior high school. So, we all have a unique bond, one steeped in long-ago shared memories and slivers of our youth. We try to do a lot of get-togethers with all of us. But this trip… this road trip was just for the girls. No husbands allowed.

When I say the house we stayed at was beautiful, it would be an understatement. One of us brought an actual disco ball and hooked it up out on the back deck—thanks, Tammy—which overlooked the mountains. We all danced under the disco ball lights on the deck for hours that first night.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Safari & Ride-Or-Die

When these ladies told me that we were going to go on a safari during our road trip, I was shocked, to say the least. Where the heck is there a safari? Well, there is one—one that you drive through, and wow, what an experience that was. These ladies wanted to capture every moment, so they had a cell phone tied to the rearview mirror, one down and propped up on the drink tray, one on the side of the car…all set to record.

You may have seen clips of people in their cars with the windows down, and animals coming right up to their vehicles, sticking their faces in to eat the food in the bucket that was purchased before the safari began. They are legit. The animals literally surround your car and come up to the windows, eager to meet you, and, well, to eat. And they sure are eager. We laughed so hard that we were crying, especially when one of us got spit on by a Llama. Sorry, Tracy.

So many beautiful animals, too. Animals I have never gotten to see up that close before. An unbelievably treasured experience with an unbelievably wonderful group of women.

Over our trip, we must have taken thousands of pictures. So many poses, so many laughs, so many memories. We also posed as witches (and as ghosts with sunglasses!), with actual brooms that were brought for the trip, all jumping on “three” so the photo looks like we are flying. Too cool. Thanks, Kathy.

We also ventured to the Natural Bridge State Park, an historic landmark that stands 200 feet tall over a limestone gorge. So gorgeous, so peaceful.

Oh, and the restaurants we went to—they were all amazing. One of the diners we ate at was named Kathy’s. We learned that Kathy opened the restaurant in 1986. My friends were trying to guess “who” Kathy was; maybe it was the older woman we saw walking around? Toward the end of our meal, I went to the ladies’ room, and when I got back, there at the table was “Mr. Kathy,” Kathy’s husband, talking to my friends. So fascinating the people you meet.

I could go on and on. There were just too many amazing experiences shared and too many sights seen to list them all.

At one point, we were talking about how it is so amazing that five women all get along so well. And we do. Nothing reveals how you feel about someone more than going on a trip and being together 24/7.

At one point while writing my column, I was looking up the roles of women in a friendship group. Research shows that friend groups naturally develop distinct social roles that balance the group’s dynamics. Yet, while I was reading all the qualities and characteristics of each role, something struck me. The reason why we get along so well is not because we all have a distinct social role in our group. It is because we each are a bit of every role. All five of us are The Planner, The Mom, The Therapist, The Comedian, The Peacemaker, The Daredevil, The Glue, The Listener, and The Dancing Queen.

That’s just my two cents.