June, 2004
Greetings from Seaside Heights, NJ Yesterday, my mom and I carried on the tradition of celebrating the first days of summer vacation and took the kids to the boardwalk in Seaside Heights, NJ...alone (my husband was at work and my dad wasn't feeling so great) and, yeah, it was a beautiful day, still. I can't help but feel as if the kids and I were, you know, missing something.
Besides, my dad and Garth [not his real name] I mean.
Oh, we got there in plenty of time to sink a couple of battleships, since Wristband Day ($15.00 per person gets you on rides until 6 p.m.) didn't start until noon and we had, surprisingly enough, very little traffic getting there.
Aaaand, since my mother already saved up a wad of dollar bills the size of a small infant, we spent a leisurely hour hanging out in the air-conditioned arcade.
Look it her. The woman's gone through a double-knee surgery, twice. Still. My mother was able to show the girls, you know, just who's the boss in skee ball, anyway!
Holly gave up trying to beat her grandmother (Heather, however, who is "supposedly" as stubborn as her mother, stayed behind for a second beating) while, Hopey came "THIS CLOSE" to winning an extra 250 tickets, "DAWN-IT!"
Then, it soon hit me (no, not the Wheel of Fortune, STOPIT!) around the time when I took this picture of Hopey, standing in front of one of those funky little fun-house-type mirrors they've got scattered all around the arcade, that I felt as if I were, you know, taking a glimpse into the future.
"I look weird!"
Spring 1999
Mommy and Glen at Pt. Pleasant, NJ
The kids are growing up SO FAST and, well, it just doesn't feel like 1999, or 2004, anymore, you know what I mean?
Yeah, going to the beach IS a whole lot easier (sans stroller and diapers) and hanging out on the boardwalk is a lot funner (yes, it's a word!) especially, when you have parents (like I do) who insist on, "Showing you kids a good time," time and time, again.
I can't help but feel as if things are going just a little too fast, even my poor mom and I had trouble keeping up with the kids, this time (stupid bum knees) I wish we ALL could have taken just a little more time, getting here, you know?
"So, what are you guys going to do on your summer vacation?"
Yep, after 3 years of staycations, we're going away to Cape Cod, this weekend.
Why?
Well, my husband and I honeymooned on the Cape (because, tropical islands were "highly over-rated") and it has been over 5 years since our last visit with the kids. In fact, my parents were with us that time, too. My youngest girl and the boy don't even remember it, much. Still. We love it and, since they're all old enough, I asked each of them to write down the things "they would like to do" and combined them into one big master list of things to do.
[Note: Word-for-word list via kids, links via me for those of you who've never been to Cape Cod]
Things to Do on Cape Cod Vacation
Honestly, even though it may sound like a lot to pack into 1 week, I was surprised by the number of things on their list(s) that don't require tickets (or, reservations) and I think my mom secretly wishes that she could come, this time, too.
"You could always leave the kids with us, you know."
Yeah, but it just wouldn't be as much fun...without them!
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