Sun in the fun in OC,NJ

My summer feels complete now that we had our week at the beach in Ocean City, NJ.  For the fourth year we rented a place and spent the week with my cousin Leslie and her family.  This to me is what summer is all about.  Spending countless hours by the ocean, hanging with family, getting ice cream almost every night after dinner and walking on the boardwalk.  Does it get any more old school and wholesome than that?  I don't think so.

This year we had a new set of wonderful guests join us...Jeff's parents!  From Sunday to Wednesday they stayed with us in Ocean City and got a glimpse at all the things we love about our week at the beach. 

Here are some of the highlights:

1. Uncle Bill's.  This restaurant is a family favorite and we make sure to go at least twice during the week.

2. Ian and Max surfing.

3. Getting Jeff on the beach for two days. 

4. Getting Jeff's father on the beach!  Rumor has it its been decades since he has stepped foot on a beach.

4. Being with family --all of them, Jeff's parents, my cousin's family, and her extended relatives.  It's the best!

5. Ian and Max getting to an operate a surrey all on their own.  This has been a dream of theirs. 

6.  The weather was extra gorgeous.

There is something so calming about being at the beach.   It is peaceful and easy and relaxing.  I absolutely adore it and am so thankful we've been able to do a week each summer.  Ian has a dream to rent an additional house nearby for just our relatives to come.  He'll make a schedule and have everyone he is related to come to visit.  The more family he is surrounded with, the better.   I couldn't agree more!

Virginia Beach with Lucy

When we rescued Lucy from the shelter at the end of September, we decided to make her an Emotional Support Therapy dog.  We have a wonderful letter from Samantha's therapist convincing anyone reading it why it is necessary for Lucy to be with us.  We also have seen first hand the wonderful effect Lucy has on Samantha and do believe she does a great job taming Sam's emotional outbursts.

During Spring Break we decided to do a quick overnight trip to Virginia Beach and bring Lucy with us.  Why not?  There is a first for everything. 

Having Lucy with us for the trip was going to be either a disaster or amazing.  There was no middle ground.  We were exposing Lucy to so many things where typically a dog is not expected and we had no idea how she was going to react.  I truly believed that Lucy would be an absolute angel if she had the ability to be with us wherever we went. This was put to the test and then some.  We took Lucy to a hotel, multiple restaurants, the beach, a dolphin watching boat tour, and generally walking around and in the shops.  I can't forget to mention we even attempted a surrey ride with Lucy riding in the basket up front. Additionally, she endured the car ride on back to back days, with the drive back home a full 2 hours longer than it should be because of traffic.

I am delighted to report that Lucy was PHENOMENAL!  She was so well behaved and acted like she has always been a service dog. Even Jeff found himself praising Lucy for her stellar behavior and said she was the best behaved all of us.  It was hard to not complain on the drive back when we were sitting in major traffic.  And it was hard to not complain when we were rocking back and forth big-time on that 90 minute boat ride.  Did we hear any complaints from Lucy on either of these?  Nope!  Not a single peep.  She went along for the ride and was happy to be included on the fun.

Lucy got lots of compliments from those who saw her in action.  Everyone asked if it was ok to pet her.  Of course!  She loves people.  She brought a smile to many at all the places we went.   One gentleman looked at her and said, "Thank you for your service."   :)

Our family felt complete with all of us together.  It was our first time visiting Virginia Beach and it is nice to know we can return. 

She is posing for the camera!

Look at her smile!! 

Hanging at the restaurant during lunch.

Watching the sunrise!

The babiest of baby steps

Now that the boys are the ripe old age of 11, they had asked for lots of freedom to be able to do things on their own, unsupervised by their parents -- go to the arcade, the beach, rent a surrey, etc.   Leslie and I, along with the dads, had discussed in advance (without their knowledge), what we'd be comfortable allowing them to do on their own. One thing we agreed to was going to Uncle Bill's for breakfast -- completely on their own!   This is HUGE!  First time going to a restaurant and being responsible for every aspect of the process; getting a table, ordering, paying the bill and leaving an appropriate tip.

Our house was as close to Uncle Bill's as you could get.  The boys were super excited about being able to get breakfast on their own.  We spoke with them the night before and quizzed them on how much tip they should leave based on different amounts the check could be.

When it was time for them to go, I stood out on our porch and watched the boys cross the street and walk into the restaurant.  I texted Leslie and wrote, "I have confirmation that the boys went into the restaurant."   One minute later Ian texted me with "Mom we made it."   Seriously, how adorable is that?

Here's the funniest part of the story...Leslie's parents had spent the night at her beach house and decided to go to Uncle Bill's for breakfast.  Meanwhile, my mom & Jim decided to go to Uncle Bill's too for breakfast.  Neither set of grandparents realizing the other set was going to be there.  Uncle Bill's is a pretty big restaurant and wouldn't you know, Both Mom/Jim and Uncle Bernard/Aunt Beth got seated not too far away from where Ian and Max were.   The boys were surrounded by their grandparents!

Uncle Bill's has ridiculously oversized portions.  One of the best things about this place is ordering breakfast on one day and having leftovers for the next 2 days.  Yum!  The boys decided to split an order of cinnamon roll pancakes. As reported by my Aunt who had a clear view, instead of putting the pancakes on two plates, they just ate from the same plate. This must've been adorable to see in action. 

I couldn't take it any longer and had to go in and shoot a picture of the two of them, without them seeing me.

These boys are just too cute!   This was the babiest of baby steps in terms of independence and getting some freedom.  I was able to watch them walk into the restaurant.  And, they were surrounded by not one, but two sets of grandparents!  hehehehee.

The boys were giddy with the how great it went and wanted to go on the boardwalk to get lunch.  Ha!  Not likely.  We said this was it for this week and we can discuss what you can do next summer in another year. 

OC, NJ for the win!

Magical: beautiful or delightful in such a way as to seem removed from everyday life.

I love this definition of the word "magical".  It completely sums up our week at the beach.  Bringing our extended family together with my sister/brother-in-law/niece, mom/stepfather, and cousins has got to be one of the best feelings ever.  And to be with everyone for 7 days at one of the best beaches in the country (Ocean City, NJ) is magical.

I've never had a week of time go by faster.  I felt like we had just arrived when it was time to start packing up for our return trip home. 

This is our 3rd year of meeting at OCNJ, getting beach houses near each other and having a blast.  When we arrived on Saturday, July 30th, it just felt like home.  The excitement level of getting out of the car and thinking about all the things we had to look forward to in the coming week was through the roof.  We certainly have our favorite things we like to do (Aunt Betty's for ice cream, Uncle Bill's for pancakes, renting Surrey's on the boardwalk, going to the amusement park for the rides, Johnson's popcorn!, flying kites on the beach in the evening, countless hours chilling on the beach, playing paddle ball, and so much more).

And this year, we tried a few new things too!   Ian and Max took a surf lesson.  The boys were finally tall enough to go on the Go-Karts by themselves.  And we also let the boys go get breakfast on their own -- more on that later.  We found two new restaurants in a town nearby that we loved and will most definitely return to in the coming years.

One of the best things I have to report on:  Jeff took Monday and Tuesday off from work.  Yes!  He had plans to join us on the beach.  The rest of the week he worked remotely from the beach house and put in his usual 10 hour work days.  But for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday he was all ours!   Funny enough, the weather was the worst on the 3 days Jeff was available to put aside his dislike of the beach and join us.  On Sunday, we excitedly made our way to beach, set everything up, and within 5 minutes, the skies opened and it started pouring.  Both Leslie and I were a bit shocked as the weather app we used didn't say anything about rain in the forecast.   We did make it back out approx. an hour or so later, but at this point, Jeff was done for the day and opted to stay indoors.  Ha!   Monday was another washout and the skies looked gloomy most of the day.  None of us even put on bathing suits that day.  So Jeff got another free pass.  Tuesday we did better and not only made it on the beach with Jeff, but also went to Ian's surf lesson.  Although, I have to admit, you could actually see the switch flip from when Jeff was 'ok' being on the sand, to when he had 'enough'.  And when Jeff's had enough, its best for everyone he gets off the beach as soon as possible.

In other good news to report:  We had enough bedrooms this year.  Jeff and I didn't end up on the living room sofas or close to getting a divorce over my huge SNAFU last year.  Whew!  This went far in keeping the good vibes going all week long. Our house was in the most awesome location of being positioned right next to Aunt Betty's (fabulous ice cream place) and Uncle Bill's (amazing pancake breakfast place).  I joked with my mom, whose bedroom was closest to Aunt Betty's that if she rolled out of her bed the wrong way, she'd be ordering ice cream.  We were that close!

The beach is my happy place.  Even on a rainy or cloudy day, there is something so tranquil about being near the water, waiting for the sun to come back out.  We don't lack stuff to do together even when the weather is not at its best.

One of my most favorite times of the day is when we've been approaching 7+ hours on the beach and the sun is starting to set.  The kids are very content to stay and play much longer.  I've settled into my chair with a good book.  We are happily munching on our snacks, sipping our drinks and discussing what we will do for dinner later that day.  Time is standing still (but really it's not!) and we are savoring every moment.  At 5:00pm, the lifeguards call everyone out of the water and give us the speech that they are going home and swimming in the ocean is at our own risk.  It takes all our willpower to call it a day.

Yep, that's Ian surfing!

Proof we had Jeff on the beach.

It's like 2 peas in a pod x 2.  

The whole gang at Uncle Bill's

Spring Break beach bound

Our Spring Break this year has been relatively mild and very easy-going.  On Monday, we packed up our friend's minivan and headed to Ocean City, MD.  Our group included 5 kids (my 2, her 3), me and Susanne, and their 5 month old puppy, Bernie.   We are always up for a good adventure, even when we are on the beach with 50 degree, very chilly weather.   This might not be everyone's idea of a good time, but the beach is my happy place.  And, I have a feeling for our friends too.  We are not wimps when it comes to enjoying the beach while being bundled up. 

For 3 days we did all the touristy beach town type activities without the scorching heat or the summer crowds.  Ocean City. MD was pretty much deserted but that didn't stop us.

The kindness of Keith:
Keith is the guy who runs the Boardwalk Bike shop.  What a nice guy!  What a great find!
Ian got super excited when he saw a surrey go by on the boardwalk. He loves when we rent a surrey in Ocean City, NJ during our summer beach trip with our cousins.  He was thrilled when he asked the guy who operates the bike and surrey business if he could be the one to drive it and Keith said it was up to me and Susanne.  The surrey places in OC, NJ require you to be at least 12 years or older.  It made Ian's day to be the one to steer all 7 of us, plus the dog as we made our way down the boardwalk.   We had that surrey packed like a can of sardines.  I don't believe it is recommended to have 7 humans and one large-sized puppy, but we did it!  Once we figured out the best spot for Bernie was in the basket up front, it made for a smoother ride. 

When we returned the surrey, some of our kids were sitting in these recumbent bikes (called a Banana Peel) that were parked in the store front.  Keith said the kids could take them for a spin and try them out.  The kids LOVED these bikes.  It was like we let bugs loose on the boardwalk. It was so funny and adorable.  I think Keith understood the need for these kids to burn off some of their excessive energy.   40 minutes later, we returned the bikes and headed back to the condo we were staying in.

Calling Madonna!
For lunch on Wednesday, we happened to find a restaurant called "Fat Daddy's" to eat.  It was the kind of place where you put the order in at the counter, find a table to sit at, and then they call you over the speaker system to come pick up the food.  As the guy was asking me what my name was so that he could announce when my order was ready, I told him "Robyn".  However, I followed it up with a quick story to Susanne that whenever we went to a place like this as a kid, my mom would have some fun and give the name "Cher" or "Madonna".   Of course, the whole restaurant is going to look up when they hear the name "Cher" being announced to come get their food.

Susanne and I each put our orders in and joined the kids at the table.  Approx. 10 minutes later, I hear "Madonna" on the speaker system.  Susanne's order got announced as "Beyonce".   It definitely put a smile on our faces and made us giggle.  


Go-Karting for the win!
Our kids love a good go-kart race.  We managed to find one where everyone could drive their own go-kart as long as they were 8 years old and 52 inches.  Unfortunately, Sam fell short about 2 inches and was able to ride in Dagan's car.

Bernie's first time at the beach
Due to Ocean City being off-season, we were able to bring Bernie on the beach with us.  It was his first time experiencing the sand.  He loved it!!  He had a great time digging and running.  It was neat to see him have so much fun being free.

Throw in some outlet shopping and several hours on the beach on Tuesday and Wednesday, and I'd say you have a recipe for some fun days away. 

You just can't go on the boardwalk and not have ice cream! 

I & S are all about the beach

 My kids caught me writing about our week at the beach and wanted to add their thoughts.  I love listening to them describe their experience.  And, I always find it amusing what they think are the most important things to share.  Enjoy the following!

IN IAN'S WORDS:

My week at the beach was very fun.  One downside to it was the ice cream on the boardwalk.  It was very disappointing.  George's ice cream was all icy.  Kohr Bros. strawberry-banana was pretty good, but their plain strawberry wasn't that good in my book.  More about food: The funnel cake at Irving Crepes was basically a big box of fried dough, it was not light and airy at all.  But the stawberries on top were delectable.  Steels Fudge Company was very, very good.  Their cookies and cream fudge was definitely my favorite.  Manco & Manco was definitely my favorite pizza place.  They put the cheese first and then the sauce which made it very unique.  But the biggest slice of pizza I had was at Angelo's.  That slice was 2 paper plates big!  The food off the boardwalk was better than the food on the boardwalk.  One morning we went to this place called Uncle Bill's Pancake House.  It was definitely the best pancakes I've ever had.  We also went to this ice cream place called Aunt Betty's.  Yes, Aunt Betty and Uncle Bill are related if you were wondering. 

The rides at the boardwalk were very fun.  I didn't go on all the rides I wanted to go on, but I went on a lot of them.  My absolute favorite part of the week was riding the Surrey.  For about 5 minutes I was the one steering the whole thing, even though we didn't know it. 

Max and I went boogie boarding almost every day except for one.  The waves were very, very huge.  I got a new boogie board while I was there.  And so did Max.  While we were on the beach, there was a big "lake" on the sand where the high tide went up and left water behind when the tide went back out.  Every day Max and I dug a big hole.

Our house was very nice.  Three bedrooms, two baths.  I shared a bedroom with Sam but we had separate beds.  Mom-mom and Pop-pop Jim got the master.  And Mom and dad got the other bedroom. We also had an additional pull-out couch that no one slept on.

I had an amazing time with my family at the beach.  And I'm finished.  So long.

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IN SAMANTHA'S WORDS:

Ian is weird. (Yes, this is all she had to say.)

Us at the beach.

Robyn's Math: 

Packing an insane amount of stuff including but not limited to: sheets for 6 people, bath towels, beach towels, kitchen stuff, beach chairs, beach cart, umbrellas, boogie boards, scooters, clothes, food.
+   Dealing with an additional 1.5 hours of traffic driving to Ocean City 
+   The cost of renting the house
+   Packing everything back up and getting it all to fit in the car
+   Sitting in another additional 1.5 hours of traffic leaving Ocean City 

=  ONE FANTASTIC WEEK AT THE BEACH !

I found something out about my two kids during our week at Ocean City, NJ.  Ian has a little bit of Jeff in him.  After 3 or so hours, he has had enough of the sand, water, sun and is ready to call it a day.  While my Samantha becomes a total beach bunny and can spend endless hours soaking it all in.  She will never be the first one to put up her hand and say she's had enough.  I won't either.  Together, we make a great pair. 

It took too much effort (and money!) on my part to make our week in Ocean City a reality.  I wasn't going to lose one minute of each gorgeous day and pack up our chairs, umbrellas, cooler, towels, sand toys, sunscreen any sooner than I needed.  And believe me, it was an absolutely gorgeous week to be near the ocean.  You couldn't ask for better weather.  We had only one day (Tuesday) where it was overcast to the point it looked like it could rain at any moment.  The real storm came late in the day and really hit hard.  This was the day we didn't go to the beach and used the time to play miniature golf, arcade games and get some great tasting pizza for lunch.  I made dinner for our whole group and afterwards we played charades.  The kids and adults loved this impromptu game.  What a nice way to spend the evening.

Playing charades.  The kids didn't want the game to end.

My cousin Leslie and her family joined us this past week.  I rented one house (it had 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms) and right next door, Leslie rented an identical unit.  It was perfect. Her two kids match up wonderfully with Ian and Sam.  Ian and Max (only 6 weeks apart in age) are like two peas in a pod.  And Ellie and Sam (only 7 months apart in age) are like 2 peas in a pod.  For not planning our pregnancies (or doing the near impossible and trying to match up the genders!), it is amazing how it turned out.  Additionally, we had the added treat of having my mom and Jim with us for the whole week.  And Leslie's parents and in-laws came and went throughout the week as well.  It was a win-win-win spending time with the family.  As we all know, being with family is one of the things I love most.

We had the place on the left, Leslie had the place on the right.

 It's funny, our week started out with us getting to the beach super-duper early. I think that first day we were set-up and ready to rock as early as 9:30am.  As the week wore on, we set-up camp later and later each day.  By our last full day, we didn't even get to the beach until 12:30pm.   Sam and I didn't leave until well past the time the lifeguard called it a day at 5:00pm.  The best time of the day is when it approaches 4:30pm and the sun has started setting even a tiny bit.  What a beautiful sky and such a peaceful time to be out.

We had everything on the beach but the kitchen sink!

Our Summer days seemed to go on forever.  It was wonderful feeling like we had so many hours to play.  The kids didn't go to sleep until 9:30pm/10:00pm (or even 11:00pm) most of the nights.  It was not uncommon to be getting ice cream at 9:00pm when the kids traditionally are going to bed.

Burning the midnight oil...way past the kids' bedtimes.

Some of my favorite memories from this past week are ones that weren't even planned...they just happened.  Here is a Top 10 list of the best of the best spending the week at Ocean City, NJ.

10.  Having a house that was an easy walk to the beach.

9.    Taking 4 mile walks each morning, just me by myself as the sun was rising.  I either walked on the boardwalk or walked down to Dunkin Donuts and surprised the family with donuts for breakfast when I returned.

8.    Enjoying gluten free pizza from 3 different pizza places (!), ridiculously delicious gluten free pancakes and even finding a gluten free ice cream cone at a local ice cream shop.  How yummy!

Believe it or not there are gluten free pancakes under all this apple-cinnamon deliciousness

7.   Seeing the kids have so much fun playing with their cousins.  Up until this year, we've only gotten together at the most for a weekend visit (once a year) at my aunt and uncle's house in Cherry Hill.

Riding scooters on the boardwalk

Playing miniature golf

6.  The weather...OMG, the weather.  Perfect!

5.  Seeing how much fun the kids had flying a kite my mom bought Sam. We flew that kite on 4 different occasions.  Each and every time we easily got it up to the whole 100 feet of string.  It was such an awesome experience!!

4.  Meeting up with Heather and her group for the rides and dinner on the boardwalk.  Heather stays at Sea Isle City, NJ each year and it just so happened we were there for the same week.  How could we not meet up?  I love Heather!  I love Heather!  Did I tell you I love Heather?  I do!

 3. Discovering Johnson's Popcorn.  No more info needed than that.

2. Ian and Max boogie boarding to their heart's content for 6 days!  Sam and Ellie playing in the sand to their heart's content for 6 days!

And the #1 best thing about spending the week at the beach:
1. Renting a Surrey to ride on the boardwalk on Wednesday morning with my kids and Leslie & her family.  We all loved it!

So. Much. Fun.

A bonus #1:  Experiencing Sam becoming a very tranquil and peaceful girl when on the beach.  It's like she transformed into a different person. It was wonderful being around her and sharing with her one of my most favorite places to be.  Nothing bothered her out there.

** You are not seeing things.  Sam got her haircut mid-week in Ocean City.  So some of the pictures her hair is much longer than others. 

Stay tuned:  One last blog about the beach.  Both Ian and Sam would like to tell you what they thought...in their own words.