Curtis got home from his mission trip on Sunday evening around 11:30pm. We just kept his suitcase in the van because we were out the door by 6am on Monday to drive out to New Jersey for our annual summer vacation there.
During the drive out, a loose pebble from a dump truck cracked our windshield. Super bummer way to begin the trip.
Before heading out to LBI, we stopped in Cinnaminson to see the Figiels and Karen.We love seeing them them each year.
After this visit, we headed out to LBI and arrived at Mimi Jane's some time after 9pm. The next day, we went to Burgers 25, which has become one of our favorites. They have really tasty burgers and shakes. Andy's shake even came with an extra dose of peanut butter!
I got to spend the day with one of my favorite people - Jen Perno! I'm always amazed at how we can talk non-stop for about 12 hours straight!
Bella and I walked through a pop-up flea market one morning.
Then we treated ourselves to some smoothie bowls. I love these.
The air and water were a little chillier during this visit, but we still wanted to make the most of our time by the ocean. After spending a bit of time there on this particular afternoon, I was ready to head back but Bella wanted to stay just a bit longer. And then the boys came out to join us.
I'm glad we ended up staying because the sky cleared up and it became a better beach day.
Bella took this photo by putting a pair of sunglasses in front of the camera lens.
I think this was the most Curtis or Graydon got in the water this year. It was just a bit too chilly for them.
Reading at the beach is always enjoyable though.
And the boys did throw around the football some.
We went out to dinner a couple times. I wish I could remember what we were talking about here.
This is one of my favorite salads.
Sunsets over the bay are so pretty.
More reading - this time on the porch. I always end up reading a few books during our visits to the shore.
We did some shopping at Bay Village and I loved the vibe of this store. Bella ended up getting a sweatshirt from here.
The ocean water was cold, but the bay felt a little better; so the kids and I went out one evening after first stopping to play basketball and pickleball. We had the whole beach to ourself by this point. The tide was out so it was pretty shallow.
We love our time with Mimi each year and always feel a little bummed on the last morning when it's time to say goodbye again. I'm glad we get these pictures each year.
After leaving Mimi's, we stopped in Moorestown for the night to spend time with the Krotts. Bella and Taylor both graduated high school this year, so we had a lot of common experiences to catch up on.
Graydon and Andrew are both heavily focused on body building this summer, so they had some muscles to show off.
We've got some strong girls too!
And some strong parents?
When we got back home, I was inspired to make my own smoothie bowl. I think it tasted pretty good!
Our visit to the shore is always a big highlight each summer. We love the people and the place and feel SO blessed to be able to return year after year.
