Ahhh, Home Again!

I'm back!!!  As good as one's vacation feels, it is always nice to return home! 

Unfortunately, our yellow lab, Libby, had a rough time without us, but that will wait for my next entry.

Wildwood Crest was wonderful.  We had perfect weather, dry and sunny in the mid 80's.  Rarely a cloud in the sky!  See...

This was from the balcony of our hotel room!  That pole and little bit of brown in the lower left corner is the very beginning of the world famous boardwalk. 

The kids and Hubby and I did some kite flying on the beach which is always fun.  All of us relaxed and swam in the pool every day.  The water was heavenly, like the weather!  We walked on the beach, but no one swam in the ocean.  There was some jelly fish, and one was enough to put my kids off!  LOL

Fuzzy went bicycling on the 7 mile boardwalk/beach bike path circuit every morning with my dad.  Pumpkin Muffin rode in a go-kart for the first time and had a blast with her grandpa.  She needed him to reach the pedals!

Hammer celebrated his birthday several times, once in Wildwood, once in Cape May and once in Atlantic City! 

Here is a picture of the three of them after dinner in Atlantic City.

As you can see, they were in the sun getting tanner!  We spent about 4 hours in Atlantic City at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino.  There were parts of the floor where the kids could watch my mom and I play on the slot machines.  They kids really loved that!  My mom treated me to the gambling.... and I lost!  Thanks anyhow, Mom!  My mom won though, she is so lucky, and shared all her winnings with the kids.

The sunsets are always amazing down the shore.  Every year we go to Sunset Beach in Cape May, this year was the first time we stayed for the famous sunset.  It is the southern most tip of New Jersey, and the only place where you can see the sun set over the Atlantic Ocean, in NJ.

I met 3 women who were visiting from Seattle.  They told me that the sunset rivaled the ones they saw in the Florida Keys on their last vacation!

This picture was from the car on the way....

This picture is at Sunset Beach at sunset. 

Hubby, Fuzzy and Pumpkin are in the center of the shimmer...

I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I do.

I will probably be sharing some more of the sunsets, since I took so many pictures!

be well,
Dawn

Vacation a Go-Go

Next week, I will be vacationing in beautiful Wildwood Crest, New Jersey!

The Wildwoods are an island resort area at the most southern tip of NJ, just before Cape May. 

The boardwalk, or the 'World Famous Wildwood Boardwalk' as quoted on numerous sites has more rides than DisneyWorld.  It is 3 miles long and has 3 huge piers with rides.  During the day on weekends in August, there is a craft fair from 12-4pm, I can't wait!

The whole resort island is completely geared to families.  I went to Wildwood with my family every year from ages 3 to 16.  I have gone with my parents, husband, and various amount of kids since 1994, about 8 times total.  Last year, we skipped Wildwood for the cruise.  The kids missed it and have been begging to get back there, so here we go!

The boardwalk has a famous shuttle train that goes up and down the boardwalk so you can avoid walking the whole thing!  It is called the tram car, and instead of a horn it has a recording that says 'Watch the Tram Car, please' over and over and over!!! 

On our boardwalk night, we will ride the tram all the way to the end and then start a leisurely walk back, eating junk, playing games and riding a few rides. 

Here is a picture...

In the mornings, from 8am until 11am, the tram car doesn't run and the boardwalk is open for bike rides!  My dad and Fuzzy will ride every morning, and then bring back coffee for my mom, Hubby and I, around 9:30am. 

Then we get up for breakfast downstairs in the cafe, and head out to the pool or beach.  The hotel we stay at has a great pool area, and we are on the beach, so we just walk about 30 feet, and start down to the ocean.  It is so convenient that you can go back and forth between them all you want!

The beach at Wildwood is amazing.  The sand extends for at least 150 yards before the water!  The sand is also compact and very fine, so it is easy to walk on.  Our hotel put in a rubber walkway to the tide line, making it easy for families with strollers or those of us with arthritis!  lol

Here is another picture...

Every morning we see the dolphins swim by.  It is amazing.  The water is so clear and clean.  Not like the Carribean, but really nice for the northeastern seaboard.

Hubby will fly kites with the kids, and play wiffle ball and football.  We will all spend lots of time walking the waters edge looking for shells and checking out the sea life trapped in tidal pools.  Two years ago a baby sand shark was caught in the tidal pool until the high tide returned!

Every night we will go out to dinner at one of our many favorite restaurants!  The seafood is fabulous; I can't wait to have lobster tails there...they are so good!  My parents, hubby, the kids and myself, all have the ones we 'must visit'! 

Our favorite place to go when we first arrive is called Duffer's.  It is an old fashioned Victorian ice cream parlor and restaurant!  The food is great, but the atmosphere is better.  They have a train going around overhead, a bear on a tightwire (from the 30's), and a player piano.  Connecting to the restaurant is a gift shop, arcade and mini-golf. 

Oh yes, there will be lots and lots of mini-golf played next week at many different and varied courses!

One night, my parents will probably let Hubby and I have dinner alone.  That is always nice, too.

It will be my eldest son's birthday while we are there.  Hammer is turning 14!  Oh my, where did the time go?  This kids keep getting older and I know that means I am, but I don't feel it!  I can't be old enough to have a 14 year old can I?  lol

Here is a website for you Greater Wildwood Chamber of Commerce , it is a good place to see some pictures and plan a vacation!

be well,
Dawn

 

 

Update: Orencia

My doctor's office got my insurance approval!  Yay!

Tomorrow's IV of Orencia is a go!  Yay!

No flare for me!  Yay!

Thank goodness, our vacation is next week!

To my newer readers.... you might want to check out the link in my 'All About Me' section that is 100 things about me! 

be well,
Dawn

Summer Daze

I just love that sign and picture above!

Today we were going to go to the town pool, but it rained and it is now cloudy and gray out.

Pumpkin has a friend over.  They are doing lanyards.

Fuzzy has called a friend, and is now being annoying while waiting for a call back. 

Hammer is cranky today, and has decided to go out on the porch to read. 

And, me?  I am trying not to kill my son, Fuzzy, who just can't stop himself from being obnoxious today!! 

Our town has construction going on at both schools.  At the middle school where both Pumpkin and Fuzzy will be going come September, the construction is very behind.

They have already hinted that the opening will be delayed.  The inside track seems to think it will be at least the middle or end of September before it will be ready.  Officially, they are admitting the delay will be from Wednesday, 9/6 until Monday, 9/11. 

It will be what it will be...

Pumpkin is very sad because she can't wait for school to start... Fuzzy isn't that sad, but he knows that vacation days will be lost if they start late, so he is torn between more summer and less vacation in the spring!  Hammer is homeschooled with me, so his school starts on time either way, although having the other two home will be distracting.

Ahhh... thank goodness.  Fuzzy's friend called and will be here soon!  Yay!

Tomorrow is supposed to be my infusion.  I just found out that my doctors office didn't finish getting the approval from my insurance.  I may have to move the infusion and that means I will probably end up in pain and in a flare.  I am not happy.  The secretary is now working feverishly to get done today what should have already been done. 

Keep your fingers crossed for me.

be well,
Dawn

PS... To those who asked, I will probably teach my kids to drive in much the same way I learned.  It worked.  I am very grateful now for my father insisting on the methods he did! 

 

 

My Basic Philosophy

A friend sent this to me in email, it is my basic philosophy on life and so, I am sharing it here.

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, People may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true
enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

That about says it all, to me.

be well,
Dawn

 

See the USA in your Chevrolet... Weekend Assignment #124

Weekend Assignment #124: Learning to Drive

Fasten your seatbelts because this week's Weekend Assignment (suggested by BeYankee) puts you behind the wheel:

Your Weekend Assignment #124: How did you learn how to drive? How many tries did it take?  What was the first car that you bought?

Extra credit: Got a picture of that first car?

Learning to drive... ahhh the memories... the laughter... the tears... the skids...

My dad taught me how to drive.

Let me preface that by telling you that he was taught to drive by a girlfriend's dad that was a crusty NYC cab driver.

This NYC cabbie felt you needed to experience everything that may hit you when driving, and therefore deliberately put the car into skids unexpectedly for my dad, and made him learn to parallel park under extreme conditions as well.

Therefore, I learned to drive in much the same way, thus the tears... and the skids. 

I am grateful that my dad did only induce the skids in a parking lot full of ice and snow when I was expecting them.  Thanks to my dad I can handle a skid and it probably has saved me from a fender bender or two or three over the years.

Thanks, Dad.

I am now grateful that my dad taught me to parallel park in the rain and on the streets with real cars in a local city.  I was not so grateful then.  All my friends dads used broom sticks and buckets.  They still can't parallel park, but I can, anywhere, anytime.  

Thank you, Dad.

I passed my drivers license test on the morning of my 17th birthday with a perfect score, on the first try!

Thanks, Dad!

My first car was a gold 1970 Chevy Cutlass Supreme.  She was a 2-door coupe and was very fast!  The speedometer went to 180 mph!  I did open her up once on Route 80 and got just over 100 mph and she got smoother as she got faster.... scared the heck out of me!  lol  I only drove that fast that once.

I don't have a picture available that I can put in my journal... I wish I did!  I only kept her for 10 months because my Cutlass was a gas guzzler and I had to drive 15 miles to college and back 4 days a week. 

I went from 8 cylinders of muscle car to a 4 cylinder toy hatchback, but I had money to spend on going out with friends instead of just gas, so it was worth it!

Thanks for reminding me, John Scalzi!  This was fun!

be well,
Dawn   

One of those things...

Ok J-Land... lots of you did this out there... now I am!

Anyone else want to do it?  Just copy and paste and change to your answers.
---------------------------------------

I Am  a mom! 

I Want  my kids to grow up happy and healthy! 

I Have  a wonderful hubby and parents! 

I Wish  Kathy lived closer.  Much closer. 

I Hate  intolerant, judgemental people.

I Fear  harm befalling my kids.

I Hear  my kids playing all day... the best sound in the world.

I Search  for the ruby in a mountain of rocks.  (Meatloaf) 

I Wonder  about what lies in the future for myself and family! 

I Regret  having to work when Hammer and Fuzzy were babies.

I Love  Life with my family!

I Ache  when my kids hurt, especially at the expense of mean children. 

I Always  have a book nearby! ;-D

I Usually  am a happy, smiley person!!!  

I Am Not  ready to go until I have my coffee!

I Dance  around the house with my kids, in the car, with my hubby... whenever I can!

I Sing  mostly in the car with kids or hubby or both!

I Never  want to live without a computer ever again!  

I Rarely  get alone time, but, that's okay!  Someday I will and I won't like it.

I Cry  whenever the mood strikes me!  lol

I Am  hoping to write something and get published! 

I'm Confused  occasionally!

I Need  to go on vacation!  (and, I will, soon! Yay!)

I Should  exercise more.  I know, everyone says that, but it is true!

Well, that was fun!  Your turn, if you haven't done it yet!

be well,
Dawn