That night, I did my final packing for Sea City, New Jersey. We were leaving early the next morning. I was as excited as I was every year. I was thinking of the ocean, the board walk, the guys...
I packed my suitcase full of shorts, capris, tanktops, mini skirts, sundresses, bathing suits, and sandals. The usual stuff. I packed sun block, sunglasses, and some jewelery and make up. I also packed a backpack with books, videos, CD's, my CD player, and a stuffed Care Bear. I threw in my Strawberry Shortcake blanket just as mom came in to check my progress.
"How are you doing?" she asked.
"Good. I have everything I think." I told her.
"Great. So how's the Baby-Sitters Club these days?"
I was glad to reply, "Just fine Mom, we're just fine."
The next morning, bright and early, Nicky packed his car, Vanessa packed hers, and mom and dad packed Mom's car. (We have four cars total.) Margo was going with Vanessa and I was going with mom and dad. As we threw things into the car, I was thinking, Sea City here we come!
The trip was long and yet again, the trip always is. As I sat in the back seat, amist boxes and suitcases, and cartons of supplies, I thought for a long time. I thought about the Baby-Sitters Club and how far it had gone. It was truly amazing, after all the years. I decided that I was going to keep a journal about all the memories I had with the Baby-Sitters Club, back when I was only five years old. I started with writing about how Kristy Thomas started the club and about all the original members. I decided to add drawings and picutres too. The journal/scrapbook gave me plenty to do on the car ride there and by the time we pulled into our beautiful old beach house, the same one we stayed in every year, I was already writing about the day when Stacey and Mallory were baby-sitting and Margo and Vanessa put this weird shampoo sample stuff in my hair. I remembered it took a long time to get all of it out of my hair.
Nicky, Vanessa, Margo, Mom, Dad, and me helped put things in the house. Our beach house is very big and old fashioned. It's yellow with curvy white decorations and trimming. Also, it faces the life guard stand so we can just run out onto the beach, that's how close we were. Vanessa, Nicky, Margo, and I ran up the stairs to claim rooms. Now let's see, there are five bedrooms, we'd each have our own! Yes. Personally, I wanted the yellow bedroom so I claimed it first. Nicky took the room at the very end of the hall, Vanessa took the pink bedroom, and Margo took the one she and I used to share next to Mom and Dad's room.
My bedroom is very old fashioned too, to match the house I guess. It had a wooden floor and yellow flowery wall paper. I threw myself onto one of the beds. I couldn't wait to hit the boardwalk, but first I unpacked all my stuff and then I remembered something.
I remembered that this was the room Mary Anne and Stacey shared when they came with us one year. It was actually pretty weird remembering that, but I shook it out of my mind as I unpacked my things and put my cloths into the drawers of the old dresser. I was staying for two weeks, why not make things a little roomy?
After I finished unpacking, I begged Mom and Dad to let me go onto the boardwalk. I wanted to spend some cash! Hard earned baby-sitting money actually. Mom and Dad let me go to the boardwalk with Margo, who wanted to go to. Nicky decided to go to the beach and Vanessa came with Margo and I.
Let me tell you a little about the boardwalk too. There are alot of neat shops, stores, and resturaunts. There's a penny candy store called Candy Heaven, there's the ice cream place, The Ice Cream Palace, there's the Burger Garden, Trampoline Land, the golf course, and of course, the other cute little shops that self souviners and awesome clothes. I decided that I wanted to get a gift for each of the club members, in honor of the new Baby-Sitters Club. I looked and looked until I found the perfect gift for each of my friends. For Jenny, I got her a silver pin in the shape of a bow, I got Myriah a big bag of assorted candies, I got Nina a necklace with lots of little heart charms, I got Suzi a vacation journal with a picutre of Sea City on it, and for Karen I got her a visor, for conducting club meetings with.
At the end of the day Mom and Dad let me walk along the beach by myself. It was really cool down by the water and there was something there that made the atmosphere feel warmer. Maybe it was me thinking about all the times I had when I was five and the times I had with the members of the Baby-Sitters Club, either that or thinking about all the good times I'll have now that I'm a member of the Baby-Sitters Club.