Dear Ocean City, I love you, I miss you

OCNJ10

I never thought I would write or think or say these words:

I am beyond sad to be gone from the Jersey shore.

It was an amazing week, spent with Michael's family on Central Ave, between 58th and 59th Street. The walk to the beach was about 87 seconds; forget your cover up, and forget those nasty stinky beach restrooms....the commute is so short, running back to the house almost came as a welcome cooling break from the warming beach.

There was so much sun, and drinking, and food, and laughing...it was such a refreshing break before my grad school adventure begins.

We played Five Crowns on the first and last night of OCNJ, sat on the beach for at least 2 hours everyday, ate tons of seafood (not even enough), went to the boardwalk minimum number of times (I think 4 times), played mimi golf on the boardwalk, ate a whole Mack and Manco's pizza pie (YUMMMM!!!), gambled in Atlantic City, family breakfast, family dinner, Shriver's candy, "key lime martinis", crumb cake and sticky buns, new jewelry, Philadelphia Union game (case of PBR), swimming in the waves, sand everywhere, outdoor shower, lotions (sun screen, then aloe) all the time, dresses all the time, tan, tanning, tanner and TAN!!!! ugggg, I miss you so much, vacation.

That's the beach there, just over the green :)

Michael's sand sculpture

Jana's sand sculpture

Amazing dilapidated old pier...

See those first two poles? When the tide was low, the water was real shallow and warm right through there. I took my low beach chair down there, and sat for hours. The water was clear and the sand was soft. I seriously thought I was in heaven. As I sat, the water would sometimes come high enough to saturate the seat. And I made drippy castles; literally favorite thing to do on the beach (aside from getting a golden tan, but hey I can multi-task!).

Season Ocean City beach tag :)

Cheryl with her beach book

Sisters in the surf

Big beach kites; there were 6 of them, but they were hard to capture all together.

Vacation kitchens are always the best

Red cups for the week: Cheryl, Michael, Jana, and Marge's solo cups

Beach tags: tons of sun

I thought this was the coolest box. Check it out, it has a whole bunch of past seasons beach tags. It's where we kept our tags.

Limes mean drinks :)

Beautiful creamy brie

Saddest thing in the world: an empty beer

Crumb cake, shore essential

Salt water taffy, another shore essential

Shriver's fudge, most essential of the essentials

Salt water taffy

Surprisingly amazing blueberry lager

Must try it with a lime!

Marge with her beach book

Michael was beat...maybe that comes from getting up a 6:30 everyday of vacation

Carmel corn

End of the handle, end of the week

Perfect Five Crowns hand - zero

"It's like what's this? Potpourri?!" ~ Cheryl, commenting on her hand

Erik, drinking to his bad hand

Pop-pop making a move

Tan competitors

Girls came from home to have a beach day with the beach dwellers.

Tonya, Morey-sitter #1

Stef, Morey-sitter #2

I got what I came for...

:)

Counting down the seconds until the next family vacation.