Vacation Recap and other thoughts...

So I can honestly say I really enjoyed this past family vacation - this not something I have been able to truly say in many, many years!   I am usually at my breaking point by mid week with too much family time, and ADG has always been understanding and let me steal away for an hour here and there to maintain my sanity.  This has been the first time I did not have that issue - maybe it is because the kids are getting a little older or because this was the first time we vacationed with another family.  Whatever the exact reason (or combination of reasons) I am relieved to not have felt guilty for wanting more time by myself than with my husband and children... that was pretty deep! 

Anyway here's a recap of the week...
We arrived on LBI just after 3pm on Saturday - stopping at the real estate office in Surf City to pick up the keys to the rental house, then we headed down Long Beach Blvd to Beach Haven.  We made a quick stop at McMurphy's market for milk and a few refrigerated necessities.  We arrived at the house and we were pleasantly surprised that it was one house in from the ocean and looked as good in person as it did in the online listing...here is picture:

The house was clean and plenty big - 5 bedrooms (2 masters), 3 full baths, 2 half baths... and a total of 3 squares of toilet paper (you read that correctly - I wrote '3 squares' not 3 rolls) in the entire house.  I have rented a number of homes for vacations and while I would not expect an unlimited supply of any specific paper product, there has always been some toilet paper in each bathroom.  So ADG had to head back out to the market for some toilet paper and paper towels - we asked the other family we were sharing the house with (who were not able to arrive until Sunday night) to please bring some more toilet paper, paper towels plus we needed hand soap and dish soap (there was zero soap, too).

I made up the beds with the sheets I had brought from home and actually unpacked all of my clothes and the kids clothes (ADG did his own) - the rooms were short on floor space so we stored the empty suitcases in the back of the minivan.
We ordered dinner from Beach Haven Fishery and ate dinner on the top deck - this was the view:

After dinner we settled in to watched some TV before heading to bed.  I went downstairs the middle level of the house to make up the beds for the other family (they were scheduled to arrive fairly late on Sunday night - and their rented sheets and towels had arrived earlier that day).  While I was doing that ADG and the kids were on the top level of the house.  I heard Butterball start to cry (which would normally not be all that concerning) and then ADG started in with the "WHOA"s and the "OH GOD"s... needless to say I ran upstairs to find Butterball sitting in the kitchen sink with blood all over the lower half of his face (keep in mind we are only 5 or 6 hours into are vacation at this point - fun, fun, fun!).  ADG thought he was bleeding from his mouth, but I was able to determine it was just a heavy nose bleed.  We washed Butterball up and after a change of pajamas he was back to normal.  I asked what had happened and apparently Princess played the old "jump on my back Butterball" and then decided to move... not unlike when Lucy tells Charlie Brown to run and kick the football and then pulls it away.

Sunday we headed over to the bay beach in Brant (the ocean was too rough do to hurricane Earl passing through on Friday) - it was cool and breezy, but the water was warm.  The bay beach in Brant happens to have a pretty nice playgroup on it... so I am sure you know what happened... we sent the majority of are time in the playground and not on the actual beach.  Upon leaving the beach we stopped in at Bay Village for soup and pizza - we ordered a Tomato Pie (aka a Trenton Tomato pie) after reading about it in the pizza issue of New Jersey Magazine.  It was DELICIOUS!  After dinner we went to Fantasy Island Amusement Park to (empty are wallets ) ride the rides - the kids had a blast! Big ride of the night - the Ferris Wheel (we could see are house).

Monday morning we woke up and headed (with the other family) to the bay beach in Ship Bottom - we had great day playing on the sand and in the water.  Monday night ADG and I took the kids to Bistro 14 and then back to Fantasy Island Amusement Park to (empty are wallets again) ride the rides again... neither ADG or I are big fans of big carnival rides (rollercoster, teacups, etc), but apparently Princess is.  And guess who got to experience these rides with her?  Well it certainly was not her father!  So I screamed and squeezed my eyes closed through dragon coaster, himalya and the tea cups - thanks a bunch ADG (you wuss).

Tuesday was are first day at the ocean beach (in front of the house)... it had a great sandbar during low tide and the kids played in the water and on the sandbar for hours!  We BBQ that night - it took some work to get the grill going, but it was all good.

Wednesday was the same, but dinner was had at Chicken or the Egg - recently seen on Man vs Food, but we have been going there for a couple of years.

Thursday was windy - Princess rode her bicycle to the bakery for breakfast, we braved the bay front playground in the windiest wind ever, then ventured off to the complete opposite side of the island to see the Barnegat Lighthouse.  We enjoyed a fantastic lunch at Ship Bottom Shellfish - great mussels and lump crab cake sandwich - the kids devoured the flounder and scallop kids meals we ordered for them.

Princess and ADG are waving from the top - you can see them right?

Friday we braved the ocean beach - it was cloudy, cool and the flies were out in force... needless to say we did not last too long.  After Princess had total meltdown about misplacing a seashell we headed back to the house... I will say it was a beautiful shell and I probably should not have suggested placing it back on the sand while we went in the water (I think I may have set myself up for that one).

Saturday we packed up and headed home. 

Last note - for the last couple of years every time we have vacationed in LBI I seemed to be the recipient of a giant, ferocious pimple... you know the kind that hurts before you can even see it, and when it does appear people wince at you and feel pity for you.  Well thankfully this year I was spared!... at least from the pain... this time it landed on ADG's face!  So I still had to watch it form on him... and I am still seeing it today (although it appears to be in its final stages).