Sandra Berthelsen

 

By Liz Knight
Photos courtesy of Liz Knight

 

For the past 18 years, Sandra Berthelsen has invited the same group of her closest lady friends to stay at her and her husband’s vacation home on Hilton Head. The women gather to reconnect and relax. But more importantly, “they get to let go of their daily professional and family obligations (especially cooking), to laugh and to talk about anything and everything,” explained Sandra, who is known as “Sandy with a y'” by her friends.

In addition to letting their hair down, the activities of this gathering always includes one day for a “cultural field trip” to offset a week’s worth of cavorting. While returning in a rented limo-bus from one such “cultural day” spent touring Beaufort, Sandy lauded the talents of a Hilton Head author, Kathryn R. Wall, whose Bay Tanner mystery series had piqued her interest one day while perusing Barnes & Noble. Intrigued, the bus full of friends insisted they all read the series together, which prompted a pit stop at the bookstore. By sheer serendipity, Sandy opened the doors to find Kathryn perched behind a table signing books for her latest release at the time (Canaan’s Gate). Sandy excitedly shouted, “It’s her! It’s her! Ladies, it’s her!”

Before Kathryn could call security on the cacophonous crowd of avid readers who were all headed toward her, Sandy introduced herself as a fan and explained their excitement through the divine providence of circumstances. It is this chance encounter that sparked Sandy and Kathryn’s friendship, birthed the premise of Kathryn’s new book, and inspired Sandy to throw a pink pajama party in honor of Kathryn.

Five years later, the women Sandy invites every October traveled from all over the country to join her in celebrating her and her husband’s newly built and award-winning home in Wexford Plantation. However, the ladies were informed that this year the “cultural event” would be a pajama party and that the guest of honor would be Kathryn R. Wall. In addition, Sandy was thrilled to introduce her old friends to the new friends she has made in the Lowcountry, and have some good old-fashioned Annette Funicello Pajama Party fun.

On the evening of Oct. 22, 2014, Sandy welcomed over 40 guests with an infectious smile as she wore an intricately embellished sequin-and-pink-bowed onesie. Not to be out-done, her guest of honor, Kathryn, proudly donned oversized pink piglet slippers and a lime green and hot pink pajama set. Sandy’s husband, Richard Berthelsen, made the wise decision to make himself scarce by visiting his three grandchildren in Northern Virginia before the pajama-clad women showed up at his doorstep.

Upon entering, guests giggled with schoolgirl delight over each other’s pajama choices and were dazzled by three-foot-tall crystal candelabras that framed an endless buffet of finger food. At the heart of the home, the kitchen island was adorned by the original 1964 Pajama Party vinyl soundtrack cover, mounds of pink caramel popcorn and pearl-spackled sugar cookies. As guests mingled, they sipped on an assortment of pink-themed beverages served in vintage glass dispensers, including pink lemonade, champagne, tropical iced tea and milk brandy punch.

Once everyone had arrived, a pajama-emblazoned cake was served as the women cozied up around the living room fireplace where Sandy introduced Kathryn to an adoring audience. Never one to seek the spotlight, Kathryn seemed taken aback by the genuine interest the women showed as they asked questions regarding how she became a writer after retiring from 25 years as an accountant. But after Kathryn revealed that her new novel (out in early 2015) was a mystery loosely based on Sandy and the ladies she annually hosts in Hilton Head, they were kept on tenterhooks! Despite over 10 years of writing, Kathryn never imagined she would be sitting in a rocking chair reading her latest manuscript to an audience of women between the ages of 30 and 80 years old dressed in their PJs.

As Kathryn read four chapters, oohs, aahs, squeals and chuckles reverberated from the sea of shower caps, pink wigs, Georgia Tech-bowed pigtails, onesies and cheetah-print bath robes worn by the women who sat before her. But the reaction that meant the most to Kathryn was the sincere applause when she read the last word from her manuscript.

The garrulous group prattled on until midnight when even the guest of honor had retired to bed. Having laughed like they once had at grade-school sleepovers and having made new friends as easily as they used to in the school yard, the ladies left with permanent smiles and a goody bag full of costume jewelry pearls, pink light-up diamond rings, pink-frosted Oreos, Chapstick in support of breast cancer awareness and bookmarks in support of Kathryn.

Looking back, I’m not sure which was more impressive to witness—seeing such a diverse group of women bond over pajamas and sweets, or how Kathryn’s passion for writing empowered all of us to pursue our own dreams, despite age. What I do know is we all left with our belts a little looser, our hearts a little lighter and happiness filled with inspiration.