The Foorce

We’re back after having done our vacation “right,” which is to say we had a blast but are returning sandy, exhausted and a little crispy.  In my Top Ten from last week, everyone in the family contributed while I packed and I told you I’d reveal who said what when we returned (yes, I’m trying to buy a little time upon reentering the real world). So here it is, who said what about vacation and what actually happened.

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Top Ten: Things We’re Looking Forward To On Vacation This Week

1. Time together as a family. Ryan (code for “as much time as humanly possible in the ocean

2. The swimming pools. James (and he really took advantage of them all, too)

3. Raging Waters Waterpark. I’m going on the biggest water slide. Me too. No, I’m going down and screaming. I’m screaming too. Margaret and Adam. Little did I know that I would be the one doing most of the screaming on this day (thank God for the cabana rental). 

4. The beach. What about the beach? Finding some fish and catching them with my net. Fish? Or a crab. Or maybe a shark. Margaret and James. We did catch a little fish and some pieces of crabs (thanks seagulls). No sharks.

5. Hot water (our building has been without for over a week, it’s insane). Me. And the hot water was amazing until I got sunburned.

6. The roller coaster at Morey’s Piers. I’m going on the roller coaster too. No I’m going on it and screaming like this – ahhhhh! No, I’m screaming too. Margaret and Adam. Both went on many rides, nobody did any roller coasters (darn those height restrictions).

7. Delicious boardwalk food. Yum, saltwater taffy. No I meant like junk food. You know, fried dough? Taffy is junk food. No, taffy is candy. James and me. IMO, we did not get enough of either (NO fried dough) because it was too steamy to be on the boardwalk unless headed directly to the ocean or waterpark.

8. Riding on the monster trucks (I’ll give you a hint, this one is not mine). They’re so loud though. They’re cool. James and me. The monster trucks weren’t running yet this season, bummer.

9. I really want to make time for a morning on the family bikes while we can still fit onto one of them. Me. We went for a two hour surrey ride on a bike path adjacent to the ocean – M and A sat up front in baskets and Ryan, James and I pedaled. Even with the heat this was lots of fun and I highly recommend it (Green’s Bike Rentals were very helpful and friendly).

10. Jetskiing. Are you sure – it looks kind of bumpy and wet. Yeah, dad will take me. And me! And me! No, you have to be 10 or more years old. James, me, James, Margaret, Adam. Nobody went – we ran out of time. 

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We did get on the ferris wheel again this year (a 1 arcade game bribe was all it took!) and tried out some new and fun things like the Adventure Maze of mirrors in the Palace of Sweets and the Insect Museum on the boardwalk (the kids got to hold some giant bugs – ewww). Keep an eye out for the full review, which has been dutifully added to my list of To Dos. If there’s one thing I learned on this trip (other than how many extra changes of clothes to bring out each day), it’s that we are a family who definitely knows how to do the beach!