Sexy Body! Sexy Body!

About this time last week, I was fidgeting at work, counting the minutes until I could hop a plane down to Tampa for the annual Menagerie Trip. This year, we decided to visit Tina's home for a dose of sunny Florida weather.

The reunion with Ashley, Amy, Christa and Courtney at the airport was a loud commotion, and the people at the Southwest counter were a bit amused watching us. A few minutes later, when we'd all made it through security and through the terminal, Amy and Christa pulled me aside and gave me some news that made me cry with tears of joy. Because the public nature of this blog, I won't reveal the news, but if you know Amy or Christa, call them up soon.

The five of us babbled the entire plane ride. I had some bad luck and had to sit next to a guy with the black lung. If Ash hadn't of been beside me to keep me laughing, I don't think I could have handled it. Yall know how much of a germaphobe I am... At one point, Courtney made fun of me because I asked them if they wanted a disinfecting hand wipe before we ate our plane snacks. Hey, a girl needs to be prepared, right?

After our late flight into Tampa and excited reunion with Tina, we crashed. Friday morning, the six of us drove to Clearwater, and trekked out to the beach. It was perfect weather, and very hot, but the ocean was ice cold. Lunchtime was spent at Frenchy's and then it was back to the beach for a couple hours more of sun and rocking along to some ghetto-booty favorites.

Friday evening, we prettied ourselves up and headed for dinner at Iavarone's. Tina says that Iavarone's is connected to the mob, so that made our dinner exciting. After we arrived at the restaurant, we're all getting out of the car, and Ashley asks me to open her door for her. The child-safety lock was on, so the only way she could get out was if I let her out. Well, of course, I left her sitting in the car for about a minute, while the rest of us stood there laughing. When Tina went to let Ash out, Ash stormed up to the restaurant, and didn't speak to me through dinnertime. I seriously thought she was kidding, and that made it even funnier. She wasn't though, and she spent the rest of dinner giving me the silent treatment. But my charming ways made her love me again...

Courtney, Tina, Amy, MA, Christa, Ashley

On the way home from dinner, Christa tells us that she's been working out to a Denise Austin DVD for expectant mothers (*ahem*). She says that Denise chants over and over, "sexy body! sexy body!" We got a bit tickled at this and it became our catchphrase of the weekend.

Later that evening, we were all piled on the bed in Tina's guest room for some late night chat. Amy was brushing her hair, and Courtney asked Amy for her hairbrush to do the same to her own hair. When Amy handed Courtney the brush, Court turned up her nose and said, "ew I don't want that one!" We all exploded with laughter as Amy snatched up the "damn" brush. Courtney tried to hastily explain that it wasn't that the brush was funky---it was that the type of brush would cause her hair to become frizzy. Either way, we laughed about it all night.

Saturday morning, we went to Namaste for Yogilates. I am in love with that place and with Stephanie, Tina's yoga instructor. Hopefully Stephanie can find me a yoga/pilates instructor in Nashville as good as she is!

Saturday afternoon, we spent several hours at the pool. Unfortunately, I had to sit under the pool awning after thirty minutes of sunning, because the medication I'm on for my rosacea lessened my sun tolerance. The doctor told me to stay out of the sun altogether, but what's a girl gonna choose when she's presented with sunny Florida weather? I suffered some of the effects of my disobedience though, when my skin started to tingle like it was on fire. And by that evening, I realized I probably had sun poisoning, and a nice red rash came up on my hands and all the way up my arms.

Saturday night we ate at Columbia, my favorite restaurant in Tampa. I had the Pompano en Papillot, filet fish stuffed with crab and shrimp, and baked in parchment. It was delicious. After we got home that evening, Court, Christa, Tina and I played a late-night game of Apples to Apples, where Court schooled us. It was an embarassing loss, because as you all know, I love board games and I always win.

Tina, Amy, Courtney, Christa, Ashley, MA

MA & Amy.5

The weekend flew by, and Sunday rolled quickly. Court, Amy and Ash went to the pool for a couple of hours, and Tina, Christa and I watched Stranger Than Fiction. I really liked it even though it wasn't a typical Will Ferrell role. Sunday afternoon, we all went to The Cheesecake Factory for lunch, and then shopped at Tampa's big mall until it was time to go to the airport.

After a couple of delays (one real, one the product of a lame April Fool's joke), we finally boarded the plane for home---but not before a token TAR moment. It wouldn't be a trip to Florida without one...