I packed up the fam and took them to meet my friend Sheilah’s family in Virginia Beach last week.

My recent girls weekend was the first time I’d seen Sheilah in close to twenty years.  I knew her family had moved closer to us in recent years, but no plans to get together had worked out previous to our April gathering.   When I left for that weekend, Edie made me promise I’d scope it out for a return trip with her joining me, because we had not been to the ocean in a few summers and she was slightly jealous I was heading to the beach without her.

Turns out Sheilah’s two kids are close in age to Edie – Nolan being 10, Tricia being 9.  When I discovered Tricia had a thing for American Girl Dolls and Polly Pockets, I suspected the girls might hit it off.

Which they did.  Like gangbusters. 

Within a few hours of our arrival, they had locked themselves in a bathroom for ‘private time’. 

When they finally vacated the bathroom, there was a line of naked Barbies carefully arranged around the tub.  Just like our house.

Kindred spirits they were.

Nolan was not left out. 

He had prepared some welcoming items, such as a short list of what the best TV kids cable channels were, which upon discovering, Edie declared ‘a great idea’ and most thoughtful.  She loves details like that.  She helped him orchestrate a trick on his sister on the beach, getting her to sit on his towel, which was carefully hiding a large hole he had dug. My girl loves a good prank.

My friend Amy had given me a lovely bottle of pink sparkling wine I carried along with me to share with Sheilah.  We toasted old friends and new, the extendeds and the generations hitting it off.

There was much joy and merriment, good food, beach time and much relaxing.  The weather was perfect, the hospitality generous.  It was a fanastic worlds colliding, mini-vacation sort of weekend.

Now for them to head west so that we can repay the hospitality.