I'm wracking my brain for a clever ending this post, but I keep thinking about the fact Hubby is wai

The last week of June we took our annual family trip to the beach. I wasn't sure how it would feel to be away, with everything that is going on . I felt guilty, like I was making my escape accommodationaustralia when others I love could not, and yet...I couldn't wait to escape.
Besides my mom texting play-by-plays of JJ's first round of chemo and JJ herself sending pictures posing spokesmodel-style with her Mediport or doing crazy yoga poses in the chemo room (yes, her sense of humor is back), our week at the beach felt normal. It felt like our family-of-four had somehow managed to retreat back into our little bubble. The boys were unabashedly thrilled to be amidst the sun and the surf. If I had any doubts, they were put to rest hearing Bee enthusiastically exclaim, "I love you, Avaloooooooooooooooooooon!!!!" as we drove across the lowlands approaching our destination.
Growing up in Vermont, a vacation at the beach meant a trek north to Maine to spend the week in a camper lakeside. Here in Pennsylvania "beach" definitely means "ocean." The Atlantic Ocean is only a few hours away, so most of our friends and neighbors make a trip to the beach at least once each summer and maybe more often. The question is: Which beach? We've visited a few since Zip was born, exploring the options and trying to figure out which beach might become our beach. We've been to the Outer Banks in NC (too far with the boys); Rehoboth, DE; Ocean City, MD (I'm most definitely not a fan); and Cape May, NJ . This summer we took our first trip to Avalon, NJ, which we chose primarily because there are plenty of hotels that meet our criteria (affordable 1-bedroom suite with a block of the ocean) and it isn't too far from Cape May (just in case we got bored or had a rainy week).
Avalon is on Seven Mile Island, a narrow barrier island off the coast of New Jersey. One side of the island is lined with mansion-esque homes facing the harbor. A few blocks across the island sand dunes separate accommodationaustralia beach homes and hotels from the shore. During the day we relaxed on the beach or the boys swam in the pool hotel. They adored the tide pools that emerged late in the day, when the tide receded. Zip was in zoology-heaven hunting for "sand fleas" and hermit crabs, while Bee begged us to build sand castles over and over just so he could knock them down. I'm pretty sure that child has a future career in demolition.
After washing sand out of every nook and cranny accommodationaustralia and slathering lotion on our sun-dried accommodationaustralia shoulders, we would drive five minutes to downtown Avalon or Stone Harbor for dinner and evening entertainment. Both towns are full of quaint shops and restaurants, and family-friendly accommodationaustralia entertainment like homemade ice cream or miniature golf.
I'm wracking my brain for a clever ending this post, but I keep thinking about the fact Hubby is waiting downstairs for me to watch True Blood with him. We'll save the clever endings for another time.
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