Friday Fiver: Things I'm MOST looking forward to at Hotel Carolina

For the second year in a row, I am headed to Hotel Carolina, a two-day music festival at Isle of Palms, SC.  Last year was the inaugural event, and I had such a blast, I pretty much put it on my calendar immediately upon returning home.  It felt like the time would never arrive, but here it is, a week away.  I wish I could leave tomorrow, but I have a bit more work to do before I can go anyway.  And I know it'll be over as quickly as it gets here, so maybe rushing things isn't the best idea. 

Anywho.  I'm pretty much looking forward to everything about Hotel Carolina (except the actual travel, because who really likes that?).  For your benefit, I have nailed down the five things I'm MOST looking forward to at this year's festival.

1.  Flying, not driving

Last year, I drove 40 hours roundtrip.  And I drove straight through there and back.  Now, I had company between St. Louis and Isle of Palms, and it was fantastic company.  Still, I won't miss the way my hands hurt after weaving through the mountains of Tennessee or the numerous gas station stops.  Oh, and arriving sooner will be a bonus too.

2.  Friends

I met up with a longtime friend last year and then met a few new ones.  None of them live near me (bummer...I can always use another concert buddy), so Hotel Carolina is our annual reunion.  I'm even rooming with three friends from last year and eight other people I'll be meeting for the first time (more on this later).  The four of us have kept in touch all year, planning out the trip as soon as we dared and booking the moment we could.  Funny enough, the four of us bonded over "Real  Housewives of Atlanta" between shows. I hope they do a marathon of that show while we're there again.

3.  Beach house

Sabrina and I shared a simple hotel room last year. I thought it was kind of pricey for no more than it was.  $240 for two nights.  Yeah, call me a small-town girl.  I'm used to it.  But honestly, I felt like we should have been able to find something better.  Well, we did.  We rounded up a total of 12 people to spend four nights in a 6 bedroom, 5 1/2 bathroom "luxury" rental home just one block from our festival venue and the beach. My cost = $232 for the entire stay. Score.  I cannot wait to get inside this place. 

4.  Setting foot in the Atlantic Ocean

I am ashamed to talk about this, but I got so sick last year -- probably a combination of no sleep, bad food (when I did finally eat) and too much beer. As a result, I spent all my time either in our hotel room or at the shows (wasn't missing the music!).  Our hotel was pretty much right on the beach, but I didn't set foot in any sand let alone the water.  I missed out on some late night sparklers and other water fun last year, but I won't be making the same mistake this year.  I am finding some beach time.

5.  Todd Carey

This is totally unfair.  Several of my favorites are at this year's festival, and I'm excited about the ones I've never heard before.  At the same time, I'm most excited to see this man.  I helped campaign for him to be invited (starting with my post-Hotel Carolina questionnaire last year) and I nearly jumped for joy when he was officially added.  I've seen him live five times since last November.  I hope to double that total very soon. Ha ha.