It's the family roadster all packed up and ready for fun at the beach. Of course with the a mini-van full of kids, we have to tow the trailer to carry all of our gear.
See? No room for much more than bodies. And blankets.
After almost twelve hours on the road, we arrived at our cottage. This was the view from the top deck. See the very faint sliver of ocean between the tree tops? I realized if I could see the waves from the deck, it wasn't my kind of swim day.
Fortunately for me, and unfortunately for my guys, the winds over the coast were coming in from the southwest, so the waves were mostly calm both weeks.
The only downside to calm waves was that bored boys have time to pretend they're sharks and see how often their mom will fall for a leg grab as a shark bite and book it to shore.
Most running I've done in years.
And this is my husband and his salvaged boogie board.
He rescued it from the trash and taped it up with Dollar Tree duct tape and painted it with toenail polish. It's this sort of behavior our kids try to hide from their friends and acquaintances.
I would have told him to spring the $15 for a new board, but he was too proud...and small doses of mild parental humiliation helps build character in children.
And there was that issue of them pretending to be sharks.
Imagine what my kids will do to their father one day. ;)
Another good thing...that's really a great thing...
Autographed copies of Brandon and Bryan's (the Beer for the Shower guys) books!! You know what they say about squeaky wheels...I whined and they sent me oil, AKA awesome reads. I can't wait to dig in. If these stories are half as good as their other books, I'm sure to be turning pages happily.
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| If you're in the mood for irreverent humor with a dash of action- you can get your own copy here. |
Cool you won the autographed copies.
ReplyDeleteThat really is a van full of kids. All sleeping? The bums.
Sorry, I'd splurge for a new boogie board. I don't like anything used.
My husband would pull shoes out of a dumpster if he thought I'd let him get away with it.
DeleteOh no.... the bra, the clothes, the humiliation. I'm dying of embarrassment for you!!!
ReplyDeleteGlad you had a great time, apart from those pesky sharks, of course ;-)
I know...so bad. At least there weren't any real shark encounters.
DeleteI'd splurge for a new one and then make it embarrassing, who knows who had it before lol sounds like a grand time, "sharks" and all.
ReplyDeleteHe did rip the covering off, so he was down to bare board, though we did tell him he was going to get hepatitis.
DeleteHOW FAR to the beach? (scratches head) Why would anyone live that far from the ocean? (sigh)
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to figure that out. I'm trapped in a landlocked existence!
DeleteIt does sound like you had a good time. What a lot of sleepy young men LOL. I was made to wear a cut down bra (gym mistress') under an aertex shirt when I was 12 during sports day when everyone could see I was wearing it. At this distance I can agree it was necessary. Sorry about the sharks, told you not to swim LOL.
ReplyDeleteI suppose my mom just didn't have time to waste on the dressing room- there were five of us to keep her busy.
DeleteIt was perfect swimming for a chicken like myself. Nice and calm. I did see a fish swim past and ended my day. I figured if there was a fish large enough to get my attention, there may be something coming to eat it.
Looks like you had a grand time, Elizabeth!! Great to have you back :D
ReplyDeleteSuzy xx
I did have a great time. Thanks Suzy!
DeleteWhooboy, big waves. At least it looks like you had a fun time! Glad to see you got back safely and without any real shark bites!
ReplyDeleteI did have a really good time. And it is good to be back to the keyboard. I missed you guys!!
DeleteGlad you had such a good time. I remember the fun of having vacations when I was a child. It's something to celebrate.
ReplyDeleteNissa from
http://myantimatterlife.wordpress.com
Some of my best memories were from vacation. We always went to the beach then too- probably why I am such a salt water junkie.
DeleteParental humiliation is good for kids? All right! Mine are all set then. (But making a girl try on a bra over her shirt in a store? Whoa. That is just cruel.)
ReplyDeleteSmall doses of it. If it drives them to therapy, you've gone too far.
DeleteIn her defense, it was a training bra. My Tinkerbell bra was no longer cutting it.
You're back and I'm leaving tomorrow for the beach in Ocean City MD. Sooo looking forward to it!
ReplyDeleteLove the boogie board bet he had as much fun creating/repairing it as using it! LOL
Welcome home and have fun today at Chrys's party. I'll try to stop in! So much to do to get ready for vacation, but the bad part is, I feel like I'm already on vacation! LOL
I've never been to Ocean City. You'll have to tell me how it is. I love the build up of vacation- so exciting. My husband and I used to go in September before the kids were in school. Much cheaper and it made summer last a lot longer.
DeleteYour family vacay looks awesome, even including the pretend sharks and the taped boogie board. I think your mom's tour of the lower 48 sounds wonderful! I can imagine all she'll see, and bet they'll enjoy it very much. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteI'm excited for her. If I could teach her to use a blog it would be fun, but I still can't point her to her Facebook inbox yet.
DeleteWelcome back, wonderful post and pics are awesome.
ReplyDeleteYvonne.
Thanks Yvonne!
DeleteIt is important for parents to embarrass their children, right? Love the pics.
ReplyDeleteYvonne V
Yes, it teaches us not to be too serious. :)
DeleteWelcome back! I'd buy a new board for myself and make the kids use the refurbished one. And there's nothing wrong with a little bit of humiliation.
ReplyDeleteNone of the rest of us like the boards. My husband is a bit afraid of the water.
DeleteSweet swag! Glad the vacation was good, if faux shark infested. :)
ReplyDeleteI know! Aren't I a lucky gal?!
DeleteWhat passel of kids! The beach within sight and time together doing stuff. Sounds good to me.
ReplyDeleteWhen they were little I probably looked like I was running a daycare. The time together was priceless.
DeleteGlad you're back and that you had some fun:)
ReplyDeleteThanks Mark!
DeleteA fun, much-needed vacation. Do you feel refreshed? After the beach, I always do! Other vacation just wear me out.
ReplyDeleteI did. Salt water is good for the soul.
DeleteLOL! Everyone needs a humiliating parent. =) I LOVE that boogie board, and look how proud his is of it! It sounds like you had an awesome time--and got some good exercise.
ReplyDeleteAnd got to read some great books!
DeleteYikes! It looks like our van when we go camping with five kids. Except that our kids usually don't sleep on the road. They chatter--constantly--and poke each other, and get in each other's space. I like the doctored boogie board, too, Elizabeth. So glad you're back, my Dear!
ReplyDeleteWe left at 4:00 am, so they were worn out. I can't believe we didn't think of this sooner!!
DeleteI'm certain NO SHARK would attack that boogie board. Clearly, it would be mistaken by a shark as a family member.
ReplyDeleteBnB's books, especially Tuck, are off-the-charts fabulous.
Keep smiling, Missy.
Sharks would also think that the poor guy who owned that board had to be too poor to buy food too and would make for a horrible, skinny snack. LOL
DeleteSo pleased you all had a super time. Family time - you can't beat it.
ReplyDeleteIt is greatly appreciated!!
DeleteWelcome back! Sounds like quite the fun time. Any road trip that involves sleeping while wrapped up in blankets is a good one to me. And how could you ever get rid of that boogie board? A shark isn't a real shark unless it has scars (even if those scars are duct tape).
ReplyDeleteOh, and we're glad to hear you received the books! Let us know what you think. Unless you hate them, of course. Then just pretend you've never heard of them when we ask.