Three days and counting until we leave for Kuala Lumpur! We have decided that we will try to keep up a travel blog to record our experiences and to share them with friends and family. We're not sure if we will be able to keep up the momentum (well - that's a lie - we're quite sure we won't be able to) but we're going to do our best.
We packed up from Baltimore at the end of June and for the past 2 weeks we have been hanging out in Cross, South Carolina with Mary's family gearing up for the most amazing patriotic sendoff party you could ever possibly imagine - the 4th of July on the 6th of July! Each year, Mary's family puts on the most incredible fireworks extravaganza for the entire Cross community. This year was even more special since it's the last 4th of July we will celebrate in the U.S. for the next 2-3 years.
In the lead-up to the big event, we tried to squeeze in as many uniquely American things we could before our departure. This turned into a running joke of how many ways Brian could potentially die in South Carolina and ruin the entire Malaysian adventure.
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| Water skiing through stump-infested water |
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| Constructing a floating fireworks barge (over the lake, no less). |
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| Learning how to shoot an AR-15 |
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| Organizing the garage with Gil (notice the gasoline tanks next to the compressor next to the 500lbs of fireworks!) |
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| Fusing one of the 24 mortar racks for the fireworks show. |
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| First nailgun experience (remember the scene in Danny Glover's garage in Lethal Weapon?) |
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| Driving the boat to tow the barge through the canal and out into the lake for the fireworks show |
While Brian was trying not to kill or maim himself or others, Mary was using her creative side to turn a utility trailer into a fake pontoon boat for the 3rd annual Cross Golf Cart Regatta. The finished product might actually have floated and was the hit of the parade. Tyler got to be the captain and Violet sang the song "Pontoon" by Little Big Town as we road through town.
The kids had a great time all week, too. Violet and Tyler decided to participate in the game, "Ways to possibly die in South Carolina to ruin the Malaysia adventure." Violet learned about snakes and nailguns, and Tyler invented the game "Rooftop Baseball."
We also paused during the week to hold a memorial service for Penny who passed away in May before we moved out of our house. Lake Moultrie was her absolute favorite place in the world so we spread her ashes over the lake and hung her collar on a tree on the island where we used to play catch. Violet and Tyler planned the whole ceremony right down to the music ("Penny Lane," and "No Woman, No Cry"). We were so blessed to have 11 wonderful years with her. She will be missed but never forgotten.
The trip culminated in the fireworks show. 4370 explosions in 21 minutes (that's an average of almost 3.5 explosions per second!). Hats off to Gil, Pat, Josh and Laura (and countless others - it really does take a village) for planning the entire show and executing it without a hitch. Thanks also to Joe, Shannon, Vicki and Chris for the great pictures; we would have just dropped our camera in the lake.
We are super excited to start our adventure! Thanks to everyone for making our sendoffs in Baltimore, South Carolina and New York so much fun. We love you all!
- Brian, Mary, Violet and Tyler
